bringing a pet to canada? need help please

[tgchi13]

Thanks

We'll double-check with our airline again, just in case.

That's crazy, what happened to your cats. It was great that Thomas Cook gave you updates. This is probably a stupid question - how could they tell that the cats were OK during the flight? i.e. do they have cameras down there? I've been ''pre-worrying'' for weeks about how they'll do on the flight. If there's a way to tell if they're OK during the actual flight, I'll be well pleased.

Thanks for the hint regarding water - my boyfriend (who booked the flights) said that they told him to attach a bottle of water to the carriers, so the airline can fill them before the flight. But, when I mentioned this to him after we read your post, he seems to have totally forgotten about this : So we'll call them anyway to be absolutely sure.

Thanks again

Sorry for the delay, was in the US visiting my husband. No problem bringing your dog here so long as you get the travel certif from the vet.

 

[Silver_Spirit]

Thanks

We'll double-check with our airline again, just in case.

That's crazy, what happened to your cats. It was great that Thomas Cook gave you updates. This is probably a stupid question - how could they tell that the cats were OK during the flight? i.e. do they have cameras down there? I've been ''pre-worrying'' for weeks about how they'll do on the flight. If there's a way to tell if they're OK during the actual flight, I'll be well pleased.

Thanks for the hint regarding water - my boyfriend (who booked the flights) said that they told him to attach a bottle of water to the carriers, so the airline can fill them before the flight. But, when I mentioned this to him after we read your post, he seems to have totally forgotten about this : So we'll call them anyway to be absolutely sure.

Thanks again

Im not entirely sure, i think theres a way for them to go down there perhaps? Or maybe ive watched too many movies They dont usually regulate the heat down there if there are no animals on board, but they keep an eye on the temp etc too when they have them down there (in fact i think the animals were more comfy than use during the flight!) Whats suggested to do is have a tray on the inside, then a funnel on the outside for the water as this way it can be filled from the outside with no trouble, most pet stores will have something similar to that in their stores. Ours were just attatched via cable ties You'll be fine to have ti on, just not with any water, the reason we did was because A; we got told it was ok and B; it was a 4 hours drive to the airport and 4 more hours before the flight left ad i wasn't convinced anyone would give my cats water right away (having seen how airports handle things now im still not convinced and they had no water when i picked them up either!)
I'm sure everything will go fine for you, i just wish i'd got all the info up front to start with! Or had some kind of right to sue the airport (they claim it was the person dropping them off that let the cats out which was total BS and they claim they offered a secure place to open the cage but my mum (who dropped them off) absolutely refused and insisted on opening the cage outdoors which anyone with half a brain would know not to do). Just make sure you have proofs of where they are going and their vaccinations and you should be fine

 

[jillandmat]

$270 per cat?
wow

 

[Silver_Spirit]

Yeah, you gotta really love them to pay everything it costs!
We paid £1500 for the plane tickets, $200ish at the airport, £60 each for the rabies vacs, plus the costs of blood tests to check it took (cause it doesnt always take first time!), Then the fitness to fly certificates were about £30 each &The crates cost us about £150 for both of them to be custom made to our cats measurements... and im sure there was extra things i forgot
Plus we had to redo some of it after the cat got lost so that was fun!

 

[KITTI]

Yeah, you gotta really love them to pay everything it costs!
We paid £1500 for the plane tickets, $200ish at the airport, £60 each for the rabies vacs, plus the costs of blood tests to check it took (cause it doesnt always take first time!), Then the fitness to fly certificates were about £30 each &The crates cost us about £150 for both of them to be custom made to our cats measurements... and im sure there was extra things i forgot
Plus we had to redo some of it after the cat got lost so that was fun!

Hello
Would you clarify this point please.Apart from the rabies vaccination they do them an additional blood test at the airport or I misunderstood?!
I would appreciate your response

 

[Silver_Spirit]

They do the rabies vac, and then later on at your vet they will do a blood test to make sure the vaccination took, if not then you gotta do it again, so leave yourself a few months before the flight to get it done as there's no gaurentee it will take first time

 

[KITTI]

They do the rabies vac, and then later on at your vet they will do a blood test to make sure the vaccination took, if not then you gotta do it again, so leave yourself a few months before the flight to get it done as there's no gaurentee it will take first time

Thank you Silver_Spirit, I appreciate it.

 

[Silver_Spirit]

No worries, i just hope i helped lol

 

[ChristyandRob]

Hi,

I just wanted to add an update for this topic, in case there are any concerned cat owners out there who are looking to bring their beloved felines to Canada.

We arrived safely on 01 October in Halifax. We were living in Germany and travelled with Condor (was part of Lufthansa, now part of Thomas Cook). For Germany - Canada, all we had to get beforehand were IATA-approved travel carriers plus their rabies shots (no follow-up blood tests etc. to confirm that the vaccinations worked).

In Germany, the cats were handed over to friendly - and thankfully cat-loving - ground staff. They took the cats to a special conveyor belt for pets so they could be scanned (presumably) and put on the plane separately. We gave the handlers a bottle of water for their water trays. The ground staff checked that we'd included an absorbent mat at the bottom of each carrier (we had) - airline regulation. Unfortunately I forgot to add the 'Bach Pet Rescue Remedy' drops that I'd specifically bought to add to their water (the airline said they couldn't be drugged, but special pet herbal drops were OK).

Advice: Cats can and will get wet during the flight (combination of water spillage / bathroom needs!). In hindsight, I would have put a disposable diaper / nappy in there as well to help, as they were damp when we collected them from the baggage area in Halifax. It was a chilly eve too, which didn't help, so I'd recommend bringing a couple of small hand towels with you to give them a rub-down as soon as you're clear of Immigration. We also took a photocopier box lid and a few handfuls of kitty litter in a plastic bag, to make into a temporary litterbox as soon as we got to the hotel (the security guys on the scanner in Germany were puzzled, until we explained we had 3 cats who would be needing the loo at the other end!).

Once we picked them up from a side room near the baggage area, a handler in Immigration checked their pet passports, general condition and charged us $46 in total.

All in all, it was a very smooth, well-managed process by the airline and ground staff. The cats were a little unsettled for 1-2 days before they got back to their usual eating / loo habits, but other than that, they're fine. I was definitely more upset than they were - my months of worrying about it were unnecessary.

 

[potcakes]

Hey, what we do for our beloved furry friends ;D I arrived at Halifax Airport, from the Turks and Caicos Islands with two potcakes in tow, I didnt get charged anything, they took them out of the cages, walked them round, petted them, checked the paperwork (ie Rabies and shots) and that was it. The only hitch was when dylan was left on the runway at Provo, after coming from Grand Turk, via South Caicos, fortunately I noticed. Now 30 lbs heavier, they are both fat and happy Canadians, who thankfully adore snow.
The incontinence pads are a fab idea, because our Island was tiny we had to bribe one of the nurses to smuggle 4 out. Very Handy!!!!