# Moving With Pets



## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

I have a question about the logistics of actually moving a pet to somewhere quite distant from the border like Mazatlan or Xalapa. 

What would be the best way to do it? I'm not even remotely worried about getting my cat into Mexico. That all seems pretty straightforward paperwork wise, and, besides, she's been to Juarez many many times. The one time I got a red light I showed them her vaccination papers and told them I was taking her to the vet, which I was, and they let me pass. 

The issue is transportation. She's 18 years old now, and I'm wondering how she will tolerate a long bus ride or even a flight. 

Can you even pay to have a cat transported on a bus or flight in Mexico?

Anyone have experience with this issue?


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## diablita (May 7, 2010)

I brought my 4 year old cat with me on a flight from Washington D.C. to Acapulco in 1997 with no problems. Don't know how an 18 year old would weather such a trip. I wish you luck.


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## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

diablita said:


> I brought my 4 year old cat with me on a flight from Washington D.C. to Acapulco in 1997 with no problems. Don't know how an 18 year old would weather such a trip. I wish you luck.


Thanks, I don't know either. It's enough to make me considering buying a car in Juarez and driving. I really didn't want to do that but will if I have to.


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## JoanneR2 (Apr 18, 2012)

ElPaso2012 said:


> I have a question about the logistics of actually moving a pet to somewhere quite distant from the border like Mazatlan or Xalapa.
> 
> What would be the best way to do it? I'm not even remotely worried about getting my cat into Mexico. That all seems pretty straightforward paperwork wise, and, besides, she's been to Juarez many many times. The one time I got a red light I showed them her vaccination papers and told them I was taking her to the vet, which I was, and they let me pass.
> 
> ...


We flew our 14 year old cat from the UK last year. She was fairly p****d off with the entire thing and decided to live under the sofa for a couple of days but wasn't at all harmed by the experience and has settled in well here. I think it probably depends on how well your cat is and whether she is anxious or fairly laid back. Good luck.


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## diablita (May 7, 2010)

You are very fortunate to have had your companion with you for 18 years. I wish you many more years of companionship. The cat I brought with me, Stinky, died when she was 13. Four months after I moved here I found two tiny kittens behind my apartment. I bottle fed them till they could eat on their own. Diablita died when she was 13 and Angelita when she was 15. I still miss them. Now I have two more that I also found as kittens, GaGa and Tigger. They are my best friends.


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## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

JoanneR2 said:


> We flew our 14 year old cat from the UK last year. She was fairly p****d off with the entire thing and decided to live under the sofa for a couple of days but wasn't at all harmed by the experience and has settled in well here. I think it probably depends on how well your cat is and whether she is anxious or fairly laid back. Good luck.


What cat owner would not laugh at your description of the cat's reaction? The trouble is that after about 16 they seem to start really slowing down and having a lot of problems, at least two of mine did. This one has problems walking now and spooks with a big jerk at the slightest unfamiliar sound. The kidneys are only working at 50%. Still, somehow she's got to get down there with me.


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## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

diablita said:


> You are very fortunate to have had your companion with you for 18 years. I wish you many more years of companionship. The cat I brought with me, Stinky, died when she was 13. Four months after I moved here I found two tiny kittens behind my apartment. I bottle fed them till they could eat on their own. Diablita died when she was 13 and Angelita when she was 15. I still miss them. Now I have two more that I also found as kittens, GaGa and Tigger. They are my best friends.


Nice story. Kittens can be high entertainment, can they not? Precious was a stray rescued by an animal rights activist friend of mine back in Dallas in 1996. I promised the cat free room and board and free medical care for life in return for $50 a month in rent and a little help around the house. Last time I ran the numbers, she owes me about $7,500 now, and she has done absolutely nothing to help around the house. Still, I feel compelled to keep my end of the bargain for some reason...


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## sag42 (Mar 22, 2012)

I would drive. You never know what you are going to run into pertaining to your pets at the Mexico airport. I have two dogs and would never pass them through any airport in Mexico.


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## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

sag42 said:


> I would drive. You never know what you are going to run into pertaining to your pets at the Mexico airport. I have two dogs and would never pass them through any airport in Mexico.


That thought is much on my mind since any risk, however minimal, is simply not acceptable.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

I don't agree. We took two dogs from Mexico to Madrid last year, well one in 2012 and another in 2013 and had absolutely no problems. I mention this cos while we were waiting for the papers of the first dog to be checked, which did take ages, a French family were in front of us with their large pooches which had just arrived. The people at the airport were very organised and as long as you have done on your side what is necessary then you will find the other side cooperative.
Mexico is very careful about rabies , so much so that they have permanent ongoing rabies vacs for animals and completely free.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

ElPaso2012 said:


> That thought is much on my mind since any risk, however minimal, is simply not acceptable.


Since you mentioned the possibility of bus travel earlier, I will comment on what that might be like with a cat.

The buses are modern and comfortable, nothing like what I have experienced in the US. It will be a long ride, maybe 20 or more hours depending on where you go. Ciudad Juarez to Guadalajara is 18 hours if memory serves me correctly. The buses have two drivers and go straight through traveling night and day. They stop every few hours, sometimes for just a few minutes sometimes for as much as an hour. There are two bathrooms on the buses, one each for men and women.

You could put the cat in a cat carrier under the bus. There you would be assured that the climate control would be reasonable, neither too hot nor too cold. You might be able to check on the cat during stops.

Alternatively, you might be able to keep the cat in the passenger compartment with you, depending on how big the carrier is and the bus company policy. I do not know anything about the latter. If they let you bring the cat inside with you it would be best for both of you. The stops would be frequent enough depending on the cat I suppose. The carrier might fit in the overhead but they are pretty narrow. It likely would fit comfortably on the floor with your feet but would prohibit you from using the very large foot rest.


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## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

TundraGreen said:


> Since you mentioned the possibility of bus travel earlier, I will comment on what that might be like with a cat.
> 
> The buses are modern and comfortable, nothing like what I have experienced in the US. It will be a long ride, maybe 20 or more hours depending on where you go. Ciudad Juarez to Guadalajara is 18 hours if memory serves me correctly. The buses have two drivers and go straight through traveling night and day. They stop every few hours, sometimes for just a few minutes sometimes for as much as an hour. There are two bathrooms on the buses, one each for men and women.
> 
> ...


I do love the Mexican bus lines, Tundra, but I didn't know they had climate controlled compartments that would accommodate a pet. Thanks for the tip.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

ElPaso2012 said:


> I do love the Mexican bus lines, Tundra, but I didn't know they had climate controlled compartments that would accommodate a pet. Thanks for the tip.


I think I misled. The baggage compartments are not climate controlled like the passenger compartment, but because they are under the bus with no windows the temperature is pretty stable in them. And unlike planes, buses do not go to places where the outside air is far below freezing.

I could add that I have seen quite a few large dogs traveling by bus in cages below the bus. I can't remember seeing cats. So I know that at least some bus lines accept pets.


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## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

Thanks for the clarification.


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## JoanneR2 (Apr 18, 2012)

ElPaso2012 said:


> That thought is much on my mind since any risk, however minimal, is simply not acceptable.


I
Had no choice but bring Alice by plane but did not have a good experience at the airport. The flight arrived in the evening and by then the vet had left so she had to stay at the airport overnight. It then took me 9 hours to get her out of customs due to systems problems and the need for 6 separate signatures at 6 different locations. Given it was a very hot day we were all very frazzled by the time we got home. I would also recommend driving or taking the bus. It might take longer but at least you can check on her and provide some reassurance whilst on the move. If it is any consolation my last two cats lived to be 20 and 21 and Alice is showing no signs of giving up the ghost yet... Mind you she does split her day between sleeping 80%, eating 5%, being stroked 10% and chewing lumps out of my arm just to let me know that she isn't happy really 5%... It would be fair to say that she conserves her energy for dedicated relaxing.


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## Azuledos (Jan 21, 2010)

When we moved to Fortín de las Flores a year ago, it was a big sticking point on how we would get our two cats here, from our former home in Anacortes, WA to western Veracruz. Professional pet translocation services cost a fortune, so we knew it was up to us to travel with our pets. 

In regards to air travel, one of the cats complains loudly and frequently when traveling, so having him in the passenger compartment wasn't a possibility. Veracruz is the closest airport, but the airlines flying there didn't fly pets in the cargo space, because of of the hot temperatures that could occur. That left Mexico City or Puebla. Flying in meant dealing with animal control and getting the animals released promptly, not too likely. And then we'd still have to travel several hours to get to our new home. 

Bus travel, even for a shorter trip from the airport to home was ultimately rejected too. We learned that many of the bus lines require that pets travel, sedated, in the baggage area, and this was something we didn't want to subject the cats to. That meant taking a taxi (finding a driver willing to put up with the cats), or perhaps renting a car at the airport (then returning it the next day).

Ultimately we elected to drive down from Washington, with the back seat equipped with two large pet carriers, each large enough to have floor space for a sleeping pad and small litter box, with water and food dishes clipped to the door. We were right there to deal with problems and reassure the cats that they weren't lost or away from their people. The complaining cat settled down the first day. No problems at the border or for night-time stops. Motel6 in the US accepts pets, and we used no-tell motels in Mexico. The cats enjoyed the stops, used the litter boxes in the carriers on occasion, but mostly “held-it” until we were ensconced in a motel room and they were free to move about. A benefit in having the car was being able to cross the border with all sorts of stuff that couldn't travel by air. Also settling in and our recent house renovations were a lot easier (getting materials and supplies) that using local buses and taxis here in Córdoba-Fortín-Orizaba.

We also did a lot of climatological research, and settled on western Veracruz as perfectly suited to ex-Pacific Northwesterners. We investigated Xalapa, Coatepec, Xico and Teocelo, but ultimately found our bit of paradise here in Fortín. At 3000 feet, it's a bit warmer than those towns to the north, and housing costs a bit less. We're about 2+ hours to Puebla and 90 minutes from the coast, and have had zero complaints about the weather. The rainy season means mostly a shower in the very late afternoon or evening, and we haven't had more than 4 days of solid rain in a year. 

Here at the southern edge of the Mexican rain forest, things are green all year and flowers are everywhere. Fortín, with it's friendly small town feel, is flanked by the two cities which provide all the shopping, health care and other resources one appreciates having access to. Fruit, seafood, coffee is local and inexpensive. Can't imagine trading the green hills, free flowing streams, and ideal temperatures for some other place.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

In 2007 I moved from Egypt to Mexico with two elderly cats (15-1/2 and 16-1/2). The trip took two days, with flights from Cairo to Paris, Paris to Mexico City, overnight in a hotel, another flight to Los Cabos, and a three-hour car ride to La Paz. My cats were too big for the cabin and had to fly in cargo. The vet advised me not to sedate them. I was a basket case during the entire trip, but the cats arrived safely, and there were no problems with animal control in Mexico City. The officer at the airport issued the import permits quickly after an inspection that didn't require removing the cats from their carriers. In Los Cabos, Aeromexico brought them from the plane to the baggage claim area immediately, and there was no inspection for the domestic arrival. The cats were cranky and exhausted, but once in their new home, they explored, found their food, water, and litter, jumped straight up onto the bed, and fell sound asleep. I soon joined them!

Things may have changed over the past several years, so try to get updated regulations from a Mexican consulate near you and also from the airlines you may be considering. Don't underestimate the importance of having all the cats' paperwork complete and organized. Regulations tend to be enforced more strictly at airports than at land crossings, but you never know. If you fly, my advice would be to travel first or business class so that the airlines have to treat you with respect even if you're freaking out. Also try to arrive during the day (for reasons JoanneR2 mentioned), and use an airline that will let you have your cat in the cabin. Some airlines don't allow pets in cabin, and most won't transport them in cargo to destinations where tarmac temperatures fall above or below a certain range. I wouldn't take a pet by bus except with me in the passenger area, if allowed. Nice as the buses are for passengers, ventilation and temperature conditions are too iffy in the baggage compartment, from what I've seen.


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## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

Wow, what a flood of great advice. Thanks to all!


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