Pet Passport

This page logs my experiences and vets that I have used whilst abroad, I hope it is useful and informative for those wishing to travel with their cat.

Sugars passport

If you are planning to travel with your pet and don't yet have a passport you currently (Aug 08) need to allow at least 7 months before you can re-enter the UK with your pet. This is down to the procedure you must follow, firstly you will have to have your pet micro chipped and then a vaccine against rabies. 21 to 30 days after the vaccine your pet will need a blood test to ensure the vaccine has been successful. If the blood test comes back correct then you have to wait a further 6 months from the date the test was taken before the passport is valid to enter the UK (always check with DEFRA as the Pet Travel Scheme changes regularly and the time between blood test and travel may be changed in the near future), If the blood test result is unsuccessful then a second rabies vaccine is given and the test is taken another 21/30 days later. This information is based on my experiences between 2006-08

We have generally used the Channel Tunnel as our route to the continent, based on - we can stay with our pet throughout the crossing, it's fast, unbelievably simple and of course there is no rocking ferry or cargo hold to scare our pets! The cost (08) is free for your pet to leave the country and £30 to enter. On leaving the UK the animals details are not checked, the first time we travelled with Sugar we were concerned by this and spent the holiday thinking 'what if we got it wrong and they won't let us bring her home'. My advice there is double check, make sure you have done everything correctly as I can't think of anything worse than having a fantastic holiday only to find your much loved pet has to be left behind in France, once again check with DEFRA before travelling.

On one trip, we were waiting in the queue at Pet Passport to return home, the lady in front of us had a dog that was refused entry, when she had got him from a rescue centre in England he had already been micro chipped, she had then spent 7 months getting him a passport and had taken him on holiday. Unfortunately the date of the Microchip wasn't logged on the passport and it is vital that it is done before the rabies vaccine (for obvious reasons, to make sure the correct animal is being vaccined and tested). Even though the dog was obviously chipped prior to the rabies vaccine there was no proof on her passport.

Before entering the UK your pet has to be treated for ticks and worms, this must be done more than 24 hours before you check in but no longer than 48 hours. The vet must log the date and time on your pet passport and place an official stamp on the relevant treatment pages.

I always carry Milbemax and Frontline with me as it is my preferred choice of treatment, although the treatment used has to be licensed in the country of use and some vets simply prefer to use their own

Below are some of the vets we have used. Due to work commitments we often travel to Europe, generally one of the cats travels with us, hence the reason we have seen so many vets

We have travelled through France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway with our cats. Each country has different rules and regulations, always check before travel. If you stay in some countries for more than a specified amount of days then it is compulsory to visit a vet. If you don't abide by the individual countries rules your pet can be taken from you and in extreme circumstances, euthanized. Some countries require Tick and Tapeworm treatment prior to entry and after a specified number of days if you are staying in that country.

Before travel it is wise to visit your vet and get a health certificate to say you pet is fit to travel, it is a requirement in some countries

Sandoys Danish Passport next to Sugars UK Passport

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