# Moving pets from the UK



## luluminstrel (Mar 15, 2014)

Hi!

Has anyone moved pets (specifically cats) from the UK to NZ recently?

We did it 10 years ago but it looks as if quarantine is different now? Any recommendations for pet removal companies or quarantine places?

We can't move without our kitties!

Thanks


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## Mark D (Dec 9, 2012)

Personally. I think you would be mad. It killed me to leave my dogs behind but the £10k price tag made it impossible. That money could be spent more wisely getting started up. I looked into every avenue at bringing them here, even calculated how much it oils cost to drive here from the uk with the dogs that's no joke as I brought the car too I thought kill 3 birds here get the car over and the dogs and save on flights. Sadly that ended after doing a planned route and cost of sailings. I have a friend who is also wanting to move who also will not take my advice, as soon as I got here I realised I had made the right and best decision. 

Rentals here are very hard to come across, you have to compete, already having pets puts you half way down that list. It sounds like they are home cats so that's also a big X for rentals, maybe an outdoors cat but if they are then it would be easier to leave them behind.

Every company I tried only included the shipping of pets, no other costs were included which shocked me, after wanting £10k they also wanted me to pay my own vet bills prove all there history pay quarinteen costs and pay for the box for transit, plus insurance. If it could have been possible for me to walk then here I would have done it. It pains me every day looking at the pic of them but it just wasn't and isn't an option. 

This is just my opinion, everything you are thinking I have thought it over and over, 

I know I am not the only 1 on here who will have this opinion. 

All the best tho,


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## luluminstrel (Mar 15, 2014)

Thanks for the reply. I know it's crazy expensive - we've done it before. And it looks like it's even more expensive now  I think two cats will be cheaper than dogs. Hopefully!

We could really do with the extra money we'd save, but we can't leave them behind. It's just not an option. It would destroy any happiness in the new move. And last time we got a rental easily - the first one we looked at, so I'm hoping that would still be the same


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## Mark D (Dec 9, 2012)

I don't think now is the same, I moved house over the weekend, more than 10 families came to view our old house, we checked the websites every day and houses were never on longer than a few days, can't see what the difference is between 2 cats and 2 small dogs. 

It's obviously your choice tho, it broke us when we left having then for 8 year and my daughter having them all her life, this wasn't just a decision I made out the blue, it took lots of convincing even on the day we flew out I still wasn't convinced but now I am, 

I only wish that someone in my family could have took then so when we made solid ground we could get then over once we had saved up. 

I am changing your name to crazy cat lady lol, good luck and it won't break you trust me.


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

Not sure where you came up with £10k, sounds like you got some bad quotes there. The going rate for 2 small dogs or cats seems to be less than half of what you suggest all in (including vet bills and quarantine)... This would also be inline (CDN$ > £) with what I spent for our cats and dog. I actually know someone personally who shipped two cats from the UK in the last 6 months and as above, their all in costs were just shy of £2500 per animal.


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## teignqueen (Nov 18, 2012)

We bought our 3 dogs over 2 years ago, and in total ( shipping, vet bills, quaratine) it cost us approx £4500-5000. stressful process, but I could never have left them behind. We managed to get a rental ( a nice one) quite easily by meeting the landlady first, they are often just pleased to see that you are respectable people that they are willing to accept your pets. Really does pay to shop around the shippers, I was given vastly different figures. good luck.


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

luluminstrel said:


> Thanks for the reply. I know it's crazy expensive - we've done it before. And it looks like it's even more expensive now  I think two cats will be cheaper than dogs. Hopefully!
> 
> We could really do with the extra money we'd save, but we can't leave them behind. It's just not an option. It would destroy any happiness in the new move. And last time we got a rental easily - the first one we looked at, so I'm hoping that would still be the same


Hi there, just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. It's not cheap to bring pets, but it IS doable. I brought two cats (albeit from California). I doubt that the requirements are much different. Your expenses will be on your end for the actual vaccinations and tests required, then 10 days of quarantine on the NZ side, from exclusive govt quarantine places (there are just 2 or 3 in the whole country).

When my cats first arrived we lived in our own home, but about 6 months later settled the claim on our house and moved to a rental. The cats were not a problem--at all--for us. We attended only two rental showings on the same day, and both places offered to rent to us that same evening. Feel free to private message me if you want details on how we helped make this happen...

There are lots of ways to spend your money, and how you choose to do it is up to you. I parted with my beloved Acura (2 door V6 coupe) in order to help offset the cost of bringing my cats over--we each value different things. It was well worth it to me. My one is going on 11 years, of which I've had her 10, I could not have fathomed leaving her behind, knowing I had the money to ship her (and my other cat)--albeit it did make things at home tighter for a bit. However, their inclusion into the household has been incredibly positive, in fact, I'd call it priceless.


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