Importing pet cat?
My daughter lives in Berlin. When she was visiting Canada this summer her kids fell in love with a flea-bitten half dead stray kitten they found in a blueberry field. It's taken since August to tune this cat up here in Vancouver and now we're going to Berlin for Christmas and daughter want me to bring the cat for the kids for Christmas.What do I do?
What is required for the cat to be legal to import?
How do I do that?
\We're flying December 17.
1
Cluxewe, I assume you've taken the kitten to the vet's and that it has had it shots, in particular rabies.I don't know anything about animal import laws in Germany; perhaps you daughter could ask a local vet? The cat will probably need a health passport or certificate listing the immunizations it has received.
2
you need to check with the german authorities AND with the airline. There are plenty of websites out there to help.Having moved 3 times with two cats between various continents, I can tell you it take a bit of paperwork, but it is all manageable.
There are no quarantines for continental Europe. You will need to make sure that your cat has had all its shots etc, and this will need to be proven. Other European countries require a pet 'passport' and a chip 'embedded' in the animal for identification purposes.
Next you need to check with the airline. Not all airlines allow pets in the cabine. If they do, there may be a maximum number per flight so you need to book and tel the airline you will be taking a pet onboard (and make sure you get written confirmation it's in the reservation). There will be a charge for this. The pet will have to be in an approved carrier (easy to get at most pet stores).
you do NOT want to check a kitten into the hold as cargo. Too many pets have not survived that method of transport. The weight limit for cabin travel is usually 5 or 6kg (shouldn't be a problem for a kitten)
http://www.pettravel.com/immigration/Germany.cfm
3
We have done so. And in add. to #2, If your cat has just 3kg you can take it with you into the cabin if heavier it goeas with the luggage in a special box. In both cases you have to pay for. You need an international passport who is given by your vet' and he knows which vaccinations the animal need to cross the border. This was the situation 3 years ago - ask your airline if it's always the same today.4
I assume your daughter lives in rented accomodation? In this is case and she hasn't done this yet, she should check her rental contract to make sure that keeping a cat is permitted, and if necessary get the landlord's approval before the cat arrives.You may have a look at this thread on importing pets on the Toytown Germany website. There is a search function in the top right-hand corner which allows you to search the site for further cat-related threads.
