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Flying from London to Dublin with a cat
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13-04-2012 10:14pm#1Does anyone know if this is possible? I'm moving back from NZ soon and our cat is coming with us. The pet transport company gets him as far as Heathrow as if we bring him to there there's no quarantine etc and a we could just take him to Dublin ourselves. My parents were going to get the ferry and drive over to collect us from Heathrow.
However, we now have to leave NZ 3 weeks earlier than planned and it's very inconvenient for them to come get us at that time. They will if we need them to but I want to explore other options. I don't want to put them out to much just because of our cat
Is there any other way to get our cat to Dublin other than on the ferry?
According to Aer Lingus they only take animals on longer routes - not on UK/Ireland routes due to there being no ventilation in the cabin on the smaller planes. I looked in to getting the train but it doesn't go direct from Heathrow. We also thought about renting a car and driving ourselves but after flying for two days from New Zealand I don't think it would be very safe to drive 9 hours to Holyhead, especially somewhere we've never driven before.
Anybody have any suggestions or done anything similar? I'm going to talk to the pet transport guy on Monday when the office reopens to see if he can help but I want to do my own research before then.
Thanks.0
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Firstly, kudos to you for bringing your cat with you despite the long distance, so many people wouldn't even consider it and would just try to rehome them.
I can empathise as I transported my 3 cats from UK to Norway and then flew them back to Ireland 6 months later, it wasn't easy and cost a small fortune but was worth it as they're my furry children!
Anyways, with regard to your original question, I think it's going to have to be via ferry, AFAIK none of the airlines flying between UK & Ireland will transport pets
certainly not Ryanair or the like (though I don't think I'd trust them with my pets anyway...).
Edit: Oops, maybe I'm wrong then, if BMI do ^^0 -
I took my dogs from Heathrow to Dublin with BMI a few years ago. They were the only ones who would do that route.
Eta; They still do it according to their website. http://www.flybmi.com/cargo/en-gb/productinformation/236pets.aspx
Thanks will check it out - it could solve all our problems!PurplePoodle wrote: »Firstly, kudos to you for bringing your cat with you despite the long distance, so many people wouldn't even consider it and would just try to rehome them.
I can empathise as I transported my 3 cats from UK to Norway and then flew them back to Ireland 6 months later, it wasn't easy and cost a small fortune but was worth it as they're my furry children!
Anyways, with regard to your original question, I think it's going to have to be via ferry, AFAIK none of the airlines flying between UK & Ireland will transport pets certainly not Ryanair or the like (though I don't think I'd trust them with my pets anyway...).
Edit: Oops, maybe I'm wrong then, if BMI do ^^
Thanks The cat is our baby, where we go, he goes! It's very expensive but worth it. On all the forms we're filling it out it asks for the cost of the animal and the breed. He's a moggie from the SPCA so I don't quite know what to put!
Fingers crossed we can just go with bmi and save lots of hassle!0 -
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PurplePoodle wrote: »Haha, I remember being asked similar questions when we landed in Norway, I guess they want to know if they're some rare breed or valuable so they can charge you some kind of import tax on them...
Good luck with the trip anyhow, hope your kitty doesn't mind travelling!
Thanks - I'm a bit nervous about it all but he's a pretty laid back cat so he'll be ok.
We're lucky we're in a position to take him with us so I'm thankful for that.0 -
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2,000 pounds :eek: We're paying $3000 NZD (about 1800 Euro) to take ours from NZ to Dublin. How can they justify charging that just from London to Cork?
Yeah - I did a double take when I got the quote too! In fact I think I remember asking the guy if a) the quote was correct. When I was told it was, then b) if he was on crack and could I have the number of his dealer?
I never thought it was so difficult to fly animals over from London short haul. I would have stood a better chance if I was flying to Europe or long haul.
I wish you and your fur baby a safe journey! 0 -
ABajaninCork wrote: »Yeah - I did a double take when I got the quote too! In fact I think I remember asking the guy if a) the quote was correct. When I was told it was, then b) if he was on crack and could I have the number of his dealer?
I never thought it was so difficult to fly animals over from London short haul. I would have stood a better chance if I was flying to Europe or long haul.
I wish you and your fur baby a safe journey!
Thank you - we're still getting some costs etc but at the moment it looks like our journey will be:
1) An 8 hour drive from Wellington to Auckland to get to the pet transport company and get him checked in
2) 3 flights, the longest of which is 15 hours
3) Staying overnight in London and then hiring a car to drive to Holyhead where my mum will meet us and take us on the ferry in her car (we think bmi is proving to difficult and expensive, with the excess baggage costs)
He really doesn't realise how ridiculously spolied he is. At least the pet scheme was recently made easier, it could have been a hell of a lot worse (until a few months ago you had to get rabies jabs 6 months in advance, now it is 3 weeks). It really is very difficult though and ridiculous that getting him from London to Dublin is proving the hardest part!
There's no central heating in NZ so I think it will all be worth it when we see his reaction to a radiator for the first time - it''ll be kitty heaven! 0 -
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It's not the most enjoyable of journeys, that's for sure. Still though, they recover from it.
I flew my six cats and my 30kg dog from Melbourne to Townsville last November. Travel was about 11 hours in total - pet company transported them from the house to the airport, then they took a flight to Brisbane, were held at Brisbane until the next plane ride, then flight from Brisbane to Townsville. They were collected at Townsville by the kennels and housed for three weeks up there. They survived it and bounced back into normal every living very quickly indeed once we collected them, but it isn't fun.
So the day of travel I boxed up the six cats, each in their own PP20 airline crate. The PP20s have a plastic inner floor that's full of holes, so if the cat soils themselves (can happen), the urine will flow away through the holes and into the bottom of the crate.
Crate padding: two to three sheets of folded newspaper or other absorbent material (kitchen towel) under the secondary floor in the crate. Then the floor goes in. On top of that, a thick, folded towel (well-washed used towels are extremely cheap in charity shops). On top of the towel, a light pet blanket - the sort that's easily scratched and moved about and hidden in or under. The towel is best if it's a bit too big for the crate when it's folded, so it comes up the sides a bit. That stops it sliding around. A cat in an empty crate has nothing to cling to when it's being moved about, and they end up terrified as they slide around in the crate - and often they'll urinate on themselves, and then they end up sliding around in their own pee.
The more padding you can get into the crate the better, and it's best if the padding won't slide so the cat has something to cling to when the crate's being moved about. You may think they'd be better if they had lots of room to move, but actually they seem to survive better if they're 'swaddled' with lots of padding as such. Even if they do urinate on themselves, the padding helps soak that up so it's not too horrific. If you can't find a good towel, consider getting some velcro and velcroing a piece of cut blanket into the crate - something that stays put in the crate that the cat can get its claws into, so it can secure itself, is very important.
Food wise, for a longer journey I recommend you fast your cat a little before he travels, because otherwise he will soil the crate. If he's leaving your place in the morning, to drive eight hours before a PM flight, I'd recommend the last time you feed him be the night before the car drive, and even then only a light meal. So imagine, Monday AM, hearty breakfast. Monday PM, snack. Tuesday morning, set off in the car, no breakfast or a very light breakfast. Tuesday PM, on a plane, no food before the plane journey. Plenty of water if he wants it.
Be prepared when you collect your cat, you may have to wash poos and wees out of the crate, and off the cat, whenever you get to stop for long enough to let them out. Swaddling the crate - providing lots of fabric to hide in - will help reduce the chance of unpleasant soiling in the crate and make the cat more comfortable.
Another option, since you're in NZ - buy some shade cloth. Cut the cloth to the size of the wire door on the crate. Cable-tie the cloth in three places - centre left, centre right and bottom centre - to the outside of the crate door and trim off the excess tie. The cloth will lie flat on the door (because shade cloth is quite stiff). It's still breathable, and anyone wanting to check on the cat can fold down the top of the shade cloth. However it gives the cat more privacy and more of a sense of being hidden, and stops people staring in the crate door (or sticking their fingers through it trying to say hello to the cat).
Feel free to write a message on the outside of the crate in permanent marker if you like 'My name is Kitty, please be gentle with me' or something - just to remind handlers that there is a scared animal in the crate.
You'll probably be absolutely fine, saying all that. Animals are resilient. When you're doing the London to Dublin leg, let EVERYBODY know your cat is on the plane - say it to the hostesses, to the boarding staff at the gate, let them know your cat is there, even ask if you can collect him at the foot of the steps off the plane instead of waiting for him to come through baggage. Worst that'll happen is they'll say 'no'. 0 -
Thanks for all the advice everyone - it's great to hear your experiences as well. I am worried about him because he is a pampered kitty but he's just going to have to be resilient. My other concern is once we get to Dublin we'll be living with my parents who already have a cat (who was actually rehomed to them through Boards by my brother!). That's a concern for then though - a future watna's problem
We have his crate already, the pet company (who have been great) sent it a few weeks ago so it picked up the smell of our house and so he can practice going in to it. It's been made for him and is a particular size to pass regulations - it can't be too big or else they can't steady themselves when they move around and it can't be too small. It's wooden with holes in the side and a wire mesh gate on the front. It has a little funnel so he can be given water. One the side they're stickers that say "My name is Murdoch, make mine a water, gotta fly!" which is quite cute. We were thinking of putting his newspaper and his blanket in the box and then when we get to London my parents will have their clean cat box for him to go in. He will pee himself because he'll be in the box for 36 hours. As he's landing in Heathrow he'll get taken to the special pet/animal centre and we collect him from there so he won't be on the conveyer belt (that sounds awful, the poor kitty )
Anyway, after a few stressful days it seems we have it sorted. After a lot of back and forth we managed to move our flights so that my parents can get to London and drive us back on the ferry. We've chosen to pay the extra landing fee associated with weekends so that we land in Heathrow on a Saturday and my parents can get to meet us. I spoke to the pet guy earlier on and the costs are not as much as I expected (that's my number one tip for people doing this, always ask the exact cost - don't take someone else's view on what is expensive or cheap. He told us it was very expensive but it's only $200 more which in the grand scheme of things is nothing).
Hopefully this thread will be handy for other people who are thinking of taking their pets to this side of the world, or even just in Europe. It's been great for me to hear other people's experiences. I just hope that Murdoch isn't too changed by the experience and is still the cat we know and love once we get to other side!0 -
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Thanks will check it out - it could solve all our problems!
Thanks The cat is our baby, where we go, he goes! It's very expensive but worth it. On all the forms we're filling it out it asks for the cost of the animal and the breed. He's a moggie from the SPCA so I don't quite know what to put!
Fingers crossed we can just go with bmi and save lots of hassle!
Be careful of the value you put and assure you clearly state is a family pet for a relocating. best thing is to declare it as $50.00 but again also mention on the paperwork " HOUSEHOLD PET NOT FOR RESALE "
hope this help !0 -
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The Sweeper wrote: »It's not the most enjoyable of journeys, that's for sure. Still though, they recover from it.
I flew my six cats and my 30kg dog from Melbourne to Townsville last November. Travel was about 11 hours in total - pet company transported them from the house to the airport, then they took a flight to Brisbane, were held at Brisbane until the next plane ride, then flight from Brisbane to Townsville. They were collected at Townsville by the kennels and housed for three weeks up there. They survived it and bounced back into normal every living very quickly indeed once we collected them, but it isn't fun.
So the day of travel I boxed up the six cats, each in their own PP20 airline crate. The PP20s have a plastic inner floor that's full of holes, so if the cat soils themselves (can happen), the urine will flow away through the holes and into the bottom of the crate.
Crate padding: two to three sheets of folded newspaper or other absorbent material (kitchen towel) under the secondary floor in the crate. Then the floor goes in. On top of that, a thick, folded towel (well-washed used towels are extremely cheap in charity shops). On top of the towel, a light pet blanket - the sort that's easily scratched and moved about and hidden in or under. The towel is best if it's a bit too big for the crate when it's folded, so it comes up the sides a bit. That stops it sliding around. A cat in an empty crate has nothing to cling to when it's being moved about, and they end up terrified as they slide around in the crate - and often they'll urinate on themselves, and then they end up sliding around in their own pee.
The more padding you can get into the crate the better, and it's best if the padding won't slide so the cat has something to cling to when the crate's being moved about. You may think they'd be better if they had lots of room to move, but actually they seem to survive better if they're 'swaddled' with lots of padding as such. Even if they do urinate on themselves, the padding helps soak that up so it's not too horrific. If you can't find a good towel, consider getting some velcro and velcroing a piece of cut blanket into the crate - something that stays put in the crate that the cat can get its claws into, so it can secure itself, is very important.
Food wise, for a longer journey I recommend you fast your cat a little before he travels, because otherwise he will soil the crate. If he's leaving your place in the morning, to drive eight hours before a PM flight, I'd recommend the last time you feed him be the night before the car drive, and even then only a light meal. So imagine, Monday AM, hearty breakfast. Monday PM, snack. Tuesday morning, set off in the car, no breakfast or a very light breakfast. Tuesday PM, on a plane, no food before the plane journey. Plenty of water if he wants it.
Be prepared when you collect your cat, you may have to wash poos and wees out of the crate, and off the cat, whenever you get to stop for long enough to let them out. Swaddling the crate - providing lots of fabric to hide in - will help reduce the chance of unpleasant soiling in the crate and make the cat more comfortable.
Another option, since you're in NZ - buy some shade cloth. Cut the cloth to the size of the wire door on the crate. Cable-tie the cloth in three places - centre left, centre right and bottom centre - to the outside of the crate door and trim off the excess tie. The cloth will lie flat on the door (because shade cloth is quite stiff). It's still breathable, and anyone wanting to check on the cat can fold down the top of the shade cloth. However it gives the cat more privacy and more of a sense of being hidden, and stops people staring in the crate door (or sticking their fingers through it trying to say hello to the cat).
Feel free to write a message on the outside of the crate in permanent marker if you like 'My name is Kitty, please be gentle with me' or something - just to remind handlers that there is a scared animal in the crate.
You'll probably be absolutely fine, saying all that. Animals are resilient. When you're doing the London to Dublin leg, let EVERYBODY know your cat is on the plane - say it to the hostesses, to the boarding staff at the gate, let them know your cat is there, even ask if you can collect him at the foot of the steps off the plane instead of waiting for him to come through baggage. Worst that'll happen is they'll say 'no'.
Hi, just wondering did you find the pet transport company reasonable enough in price? We have 2 dogs and plan on relocating back to the U.S. within the next year and were thinking this might be the easiest route to go.0 -
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loconnor1001 wrote: »Hi, just wondering did you find the pet transport company reasonable enough in price? We have 2 dogs and plan on relocating back to the U.S. within the next year and were thinking this might be the easiest route to go.
Only saw this now. Bit confused - going from Melbourne to Townsville via Brisbane you'll till be in Australia... I mean Townsville in far north queensland, not the US.
But yes, the pet company quotes were very reasonable. Flying pets is becoming so common that airports see pets on a daily basis and airlines are just charging for them as so much cargo. Less scrupulous organisations who manage pet transport are making their money by whacking on massive fees for handling.
For my pets, collection from home in an airconditioned van, drive one hour to airport, crate hire for the 30kg dog, flights from Melbourne to Brisbane, handling and transfers, flights from Brisbane to Townsville (in far north Queensland), collection by the kennels from Townsville airport and kennelling for 20 days, for the six cats and the dog, cost me a total of $2,900 (about €2,400).0
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