Take Your Pet With You To Your New Home!

Kisyonysh a couple of years ago

This post is a continuation of How Does Your Lovely Pet Feel Abroad? and I am going to tell you how I moved my cat family member from Russia to Denmark (if you're moving you cat from another country check out here). Kisyonysh has lived with me for almost 5 years (she's 5) now and seems to be enjoying it :) 

No doubt it was quite a busy period when I had to figure out which documents I needed to have and what I had to do to relocate her here. It was especially complicated due to the fact that different authorities were telling me slightly different things. So every time I had to check and recheck twice. Which I also recommend that you should do.

Plus I worked at that moment and was busy with packing and getting ready for moving myself. So there was a little pressure back then, but I've never regretted it!

Kisyonysh didn't have a passport or vaccinations done by that time. So I had to make sure she got those. 

But first she was supposed to get a
microchip (has to be done before the first rabies vaccination). You can get the passport (+ registration certificate) and microchip done at your local veterinary station the same day. Unfortunately, I cannot remember how much it cost me.

As for vaccinations, the requirements for them vary from country to country. To move your cat to Denmark you should make sure it gets a vaccination against rabies; but my cat, for ex., also got one called Nobivac Tricat Trio (it contains the 3 core viruses - feline panleucopaenia virus, feline herpesvirus, and feline caliciviru). The vaccinations can be done in a local veterinary station as well. Just call yours and make sure you do everything right. You should take into consideration that your cat should get vaccine(s) injected for a certain period before your departure (check with your local vet station). There has to pass certain time for vaccine(s) to work. When this period is over, you are to bring your cat to the vet station again for the vet to examine the animal and confirm that they can "travel" abroad (provided everything's fine). Then, you get a veterinary certificate (or transportation paper) allowing you to take your animal abroad with you. Keep in mind that this certificate is valid for 5 days only! At that time (July 2012) it cost me 475.80 rub (which is around 12EUR).

To sum up, from your veterinary station you have to get the following:

• Microchip or tattoo (done before the first rabies vaccination) 
• Veterinary certificate or Pet Passport that certifies the requirements
• Valid rabies vaccination (in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer of the vaccine)
• Transportation paper

For more details have a look at the rules for moving your animal to Denmark.

But this was only the "medical part", as I call it. Now I had to make sure Kisyonysh could get on the plane.

So my next step was to buy her a "flight ticket". The company I flew with (AirBaltics) provided only two "animal seats" (that would mean on the floor next to my feet :) ) on board. If one of them is taken by a dog for ex., cats are not allowed. But I was lucky with that one. So I paid 50 EUR for the cat "seat" and now had to make sure that I had the right cat transportation bag; it had to correspond with the flying

company's rules. Most likely you can find the rules on your flying company's website. However, I decided to call them as well to get all the details. That was a very good idea! That's how I figured out that I had to hurry with buying a place for my cat, before a dog would get on that flight. 

Remember! that at least 24 hours prior to arrival the Border Inspection Post must be notified of the import.

The following information should be mailed or faxed to the Border Inspection Post of entry:

• Information on the animal and owner, incl. country of origin
• Time and date of arrival and flight number

For more details check out here.

Again better call and make sure you've sent it to the right inspection post!

So far, so good.

Though there was one thing I was worried about - to get her through the veterinary customs control at the airport. Not that there was anything wrong with Kisyonysh, but I'd just never done it before...

At the airport I had to go to the vet customs before going through the registration.  There they had to take the transportation paper issued by the local vet station and if everything 's fine there, to issue a veterinary certificate (it's in both Russian and English and is valid in the EU) allowing me to finally get Kisyonysh on board. Plus I also got so-called Annex II which I had to fill out there.

Despite my concerns, everything went pretty easy and fast. So my lovely cat was all ready and happy to go with me to our new home.

Everything went well. Kisyonysh behaved and did well on board. We got to Denmark without any problems and now live happily together, including my husband who, luckily for me, likes Kisyonysh, too :) 

To move Kisyonysh surely took some time and effort, but every day when I look at her I know it was worth it! So if you have such a chance, take your pets with you to your new home!

To see some more pictures of our fluffy family member have a look at my previous post about her: How Does Your Lovely Pet Feel Abroad? Isn't she lovely? :)

BTW!!! If you're moving in with someone remember to get their consent for bringing your cat with you to your new home :)