Moving internationally with a cat

Meieiei

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Hello,

This is not certain yet, but there is a possibility that i'll have to move internationally in 2 years, i know it's too munch in advance that i'm worrying but just to be on the safe side and want to know if any of you have had any experiences about moving abroad with pets, specifically with cats, is it possible or absolutely cruel?

I would be moving from Mexico to Japan. I live just across the border from US and there are no direct fight from my city to Japan. So the options are to flight to another city in Mexico then catch another flight to japan, or flight to the US then catch another flight (which is also cheaper). This means... it would be a looooong trip, 3 hours prior flight at airport for check in, luggage drop, security, maybe extra time because traveling with a pet, 4 hours of flight, then layover time, then a 10 hours flight... this could easily be a 20+ hours journey. The longest trip she has experienced yet is to the vet, which is 10 minutes away.

i would absolutely love to have my dear cat with me and it would break my heart if I have to give her up, but i'll choose what's best for her. I've been doing a bit of online research but I wanted to read personal experiences you had, airlines recommendations, travel essentials, requirements per country, how did your cat take it, etc.

Thanks,

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rubysmama

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Oh, what a sweetie pie. I hope when the time comes, you'l be able to work out the travel arrangements.

I don't see any threads specific to Mexico to Japan, but here's one thread that might be helpful. It also has links to other threads in it.

Moving My Cat Internationally
 

She's a witch

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First I’d check what are Japanese requirements for bringing pets, if there’s quarantine required, what paperwork is needed etc. I think it shouldn’t make a difference if you decide to go through USA as expecially California requires very little paperwork comparing to other countries. But if you’re not US citizen, you’d need to possibly go through the border control which can make the process significantly longer.

As for flight itself, it really depends on a cat. Although I was pretty stressed before our transatlantic flight, it went very well, they slept entire time. The airport time was the worst but nothing that made any damage. I plan to do the same in several months/year and I’m not stressed at all, this time.
Just make sure you travel with him/her in the cabin, don’t transfer him/her through cargo/as baggage.
You really have lots of time to prepare, don’t worry too much!
 

Xraystyle

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I know that Japan has very, very strict quarantine regulations, especially coming from a country where rabies is present. It's good that you are thinking about it now. The youtubers Simon and Martina went through the process of bringing their pets from Korea to Japan, so you could check out their video for some basics :
There's a user here living in Japan (I'm sorry I can't remember who), so maybe they can provide more information!
 

Pjg8r

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Japan quarantines dogs for six months when they come from a county with rabies. I assume the same is true for cats. They require specific testing in intervals prior to traveling too.
 
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