# What to do with cats?



## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

I have a dilemma. I moved from USA to Europe two years ago (I am a EU country citizen) and have been living in Sweden. However, I got tired of the weather and the cost of living and decided to move to Spain this fall, when I got an offer I could not refuse to work on an assignment on the other side of the pond for two/three months starting around October. I cancelled my rental agreement and can put staff in storage, but wonder what should I do with my cats (I have a pair of them, about 7 years old, shorthair, well behaving, indoor mostly). They are used to traveling both by air and by car, but a flight from US to Europe was hard on them (the trip takes too long and they would not go in transit, even when presented with a cat litter box), so I would rather not take them back there for mere two-three months. 

Putting them in a cattery in Sweden would cost an arm and a leg and then some - after all it is one of the three most expensive countries in the world - particularly considering the cost of services, even simple ones. 

So perhaps I could leave them in a cattery in Spain? Do you know of any reputable - but not overly expensive one - around Alicante? Or of any other option? Please:fingerscrossed:


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Be careful of catteries and kennels here. We put our dog in kennels in Benidorm where he caught an intestinal infection and died 4 months later after a long illness.

Before using any animal centre check with the local vet to see if they know anything about the business. 

Although our vet agreed it was the kennels fault, he would not help us with a formal complaint. However, he did say that if anyone asked his advice about this kennels he would advise against it.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Anciana said:


> I cancelled my rental agreement and can put staff in storage


Congratulations, you've won the typo of the month award! :thumb:

Hope you find a solution for the moggies.


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Congratulations, you've won the typo of the month award! :thumb:
> 
> Hope you find a solution for the moggies.


How do you know it was a typo?


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

Thanks! My first post and already an award! ;-) Lol, no staff to put in storage, no, but stuff, yes. ;-) 

Ps. Never heard the word "moggies". Probably not used in the US. Moggies mean cats?


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

Thanks, Dunworking. If that were to happen it would be better for them to endure another roundtrip across the atlantic, no matter how stressfull. But I shall follow your advice and check the potential kennels with vets. Found one cattery in Dolores, off Guardamar, one of the places I am considering ( looking for greenery - pinada - and a relatively flat landscape, as - due to advancing diabetic neuropathy - I might soon have to start using mobility scooter for longer outings nearby ). They take cats only, require vaccinations for pets they house, and work with a vet, according to their website.

PS. Does anybody know what to expect re kennel/cattery prices in Spain?


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Have you thought of looking for a foster home for your furry friends while you are away?


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

I thought foster homes were only for pets needing adoption. But if a foster care for my cats could be had, i would gladly consider it. They are both lovely, relatively small in size (they are originally from Caribean) and mostly well behaving. They are also worldly cats ;-) and even have their own facepage on facebook under Sweetie and Fortunio.


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

there is a place near Barxeta

Orange Grove Cattery | infoloko


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Anciana said:


> I thought foster homes were only for pets needing adoption. But if a foster care for my cats could be had, i would gladly consider it. They are both lovely, relatively small in size (they are originally from Caribean) and mostly well behaving. They are also worldly cats ;-) and even have their own facepage on facebook under Sweetie and Fortunio.


I wasn't thinking of the free fostering offered by animal charities but advertising locally to see if a cat lover would (for a fee) foster your cats. You could contact the animal charities to see if they know of anyone.


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

That's what I meant. I did not think of a possibility of having cats fostered - for a fee, of course. Thanks.


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

I am assuming that as you cancelled a rental agreement so you will no longer be renting and putting your possessions in storage? I'd weigh up the cost of continuing to rent and having a pet sitter
versus round trip flights for the cats..

If you had a home I would have suggested either 'mind my house' or housecarers. com as both offer pet sitting in return for accommodation. 
We aren't looking forward to stressing our 3 out with a transatlantic flight, I'm sure it will be quite traumatic for the poor things..


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

Thanks, Goldeneye. 

From a purely economic point of view it would be much cheaper to take cats with me: the cost to fly them (two in one container) to USA from Sweden (or any country in continental Europe) is only between $125 and $150 one way. My rent here is over $1000 a month. Plus a pet sitter or a house sitter.

But... I called my landlord today and managed to withdraw my rental cancellation for now. I still have the right to give a three month notice at any time, so I'll probably will do it before going to the USA and postpone my moving to Spain till January. That way neither the "moggies" (? I am still not sure what it means, lol, but assume that it is just another word for cats) nor I will be overly stressed. 

They still might need to stay in a cattery in Spain for a week or two while I'd be looking for a place for us to live there. But one or two weeks should be manageable, much more manageable than 2-3 months, especially if I could visit them being in the same country.

Not a cheap solution but probably the best one.
Thank's y'all for trying to help.


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

Anciana said:


> Thanks, Goldeneye.
> 
> From a purely economic point of view it would be much cheaper to take cats with me: the cost to fly them (two in one container) to USA from Sweden (or any country in continental Europe) is only between $125 and $150 one way. My rent here is over $1000 a month. Plus a pet sitter or a house sitter.
> 
> ...


*Wow*..... Don't know who you are flying with or how you can get away with that!!! I've looked into it this extensively, regulations in Canada dictate ONE cat per container! The size of which takes into account the cat being able to stand normally, turn, and not squeezed into a shoebox!
There are also other considerations such as ~ Up to date International health Certificate, up to date shots... Vet has to be on site to do a health check, and once 'imported' there has to be a import vet inspection.. 
....
I note that the USA /IATA regulations are slightly different......The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Welfare Act (AWA) states that "no more than two live puppies or kittens, 8 weeks to 6 months of age, that are of comparable size and weighing 20 lb. (9 kg) or less each, may be transported in the same primary enclosure via air carrier." This is a good practice to follow for all animal shipments, no matter what country they are traveling in.

Remember, animals may become stressed and aggressive when traveling by air and should not be placed in the same container unless they are young puppies or kittens. Animals which share the same household may become stressed and aggressive towards each other when traveling by air....

.............. ............... ..................... ................... ..................... ............... .......................... .............................. ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................... ..........................

My Quote for 3 cats.. Airfare, CFIA GOV Vet export validation Certificate, EU Import Vet Inspection, Export handling and documentation $2,417.10 CAD .. This excludes.. EU Veterinary Certificate, Customs clearance, International Health Certificate, ISO Microchip and Rabies Vaccination..

IF you are bringing them back to Europe you will need up to date vaccinations and documentations... Would love for it to be as cheap as you say, but I just can't see it!!
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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

My cats are practically from the same litter: have always been together and always traveled together: both by air (US-Puerto Rico and back, US-Belize/Mexico and back, US-Canada-France-Copenhagen) and by car. They are much calmer and much less scared being with each other than if they have to travel separately. They usually travel with me in hold -since being the only travelling human I can't take both of them to the cabin. When I was flying with someone else I took them to the cabin, in separate conteiners. Even then they liked to be placed so close to each other that they could see and almost touch each other. They never flew cargo, that is, unacompanied by me.
Since in USA I live in Atlanta, I most of the time use Delta. But occassionally I use another airline, like SAS, American, thus the prices differ slightly. OK, last time I flew with the cats was two years ago, so the prices might have changed, so I do not think they changed much. 
And of course the cats have their pet passports in order and all necessary paperwork. Here is their own facebook page, should you be interested in more detailsSweetie and Fortunio | Facebook


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

Anciana said:


> since being the only travelling human I can't take both of them to the cabin.


You have your own private jet ? 

I hope you don't think you can squish them under the seat for a long haul flight! Where exactly are they placed in the cabin?


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

No, not a private jet. A single human flying with two cats = they fly in airconditioned luggage hold. Two humans flying with two cats = cats can fly in cabin. And yes, my cats are so small they fit comfortably under the seat - can stand, turn around, all that is required for their comfort. They have done it successfully several times.

There are, perhaps, some models of airplanes that could not accomodate this - but I believe they would not accept pets in cabin at all -like Vueling in Spain.


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

Your pet must be the proper size for the carrier. It must be able to stand up and turn around in the carrier.

The last criteria is the most important on the list and may mean the difference of getting on the airplane with your pet or not. Measure your pet from top of head to the ground and from the tip of the nose to the base (not tip) of tail. Use these measurements to select a pet carrier.

All I can say is the airline you use must have awesome under seat height.. We have 3 'small cats' and I wouldn't want them kept cooped up in such cramped conditions for a long haul flight... When push comes to shove I don't think the airlines here would allow it either.

We saw a cat taken from a lady who was about to board a 1 hour domestic flight, the airline said her carrier didn't meet the minimum IATA guidelines, and would not be able to stand up fully and turn when under the seat.... They 'loaned' her a proper pet carrier and it had to travel in the hold.

Well you've done it before and it does seem to me that Delta allow this to many international destinations.

Delta Airline pet policy - Fly Your Dog or Cat Safely

Good Luck !!


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## angil (Sep 24, 2012)

We flew from South Korea to Paris with our dog in cabin (on my knee under a blanket most of the trip!). Then from Paris to Malaga with Air Europa. The flight was so full of horrifically behaved children that the staff again turned a blind eye to my dog sitting on my knee, it was the least of their worries! Best confirm with each individual airline their criteria. For example with Korean Air it was one pet per passenger, and the animal incl carrier needed to be under 5kgs to travel in cabin. We had a very nice Sherpa carrier to make sure how dog was comfortable at airports (all 3 of them on the long journey from Asia to Europe).


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

Goldeneye said:


> We have 3 'small cats' and I wouldn't want them kept cooped up in such cramped conditions for a long haul flight...


Goldeneye, by now I do know that you always know better... no matter whether you have ever done it or not ;-) So, what do you think a cat would prefer? Feeling safe being close to you in a cabin, even "cooped up" or being in a large crate alone for many hours in the baggage hold? And what if in the next crate there was a large dog? 

Think about it, perhaps ask your cat, forget about being overly righteous for a while.

And good luck on your trip with cats.


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

We would absolutely love for them to travel in the cabin with us, it would be a no brainer! If it's at all possible, more research is needed by us... 

Reading the 'rules and regulations' regarding container size, if you end up with a 'by the rule book' person we may find ourselves scrambling around for a hard carrier and hoping that there is availability for kitty on the same flight.. and they get put in the hold anyway..
We were witness to this ourselves last year, and that was just on a domestic flight..

1)The carrier can't protrude out beyond the seat.. 
..
Our main concern is the latest regulation that states that the pet has to be able to fully stand to turn and not have contact with the top of the carrier..
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http://www.sheknows.com/pets-and-animals/articles/974085/airlines-that-allow-pets-in-cabin
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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Anciana said:


> ...That way neither the "moggies" (? I am still not sure what it means, lol, but assume that it is just another word for cats) nor I will be overly stressed.


More on moggies. I didn't realise it was just a British expression! Apologies if yours are pedigrees, no offence meant.

Moggies


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

Lol, no offense taken, Alcalaina: 

1.google translate did not want to translate this expression to any other language ;-)

2. my cats are a pair of originally jungle kittens from Caribbean Puerto Rico, so the label moggies might fit


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Anciana said:


> Lol, no offense taken, Alcalaina:
> 
> 1.google translate did not want to translate this expression to any other language ;-)
> 
> 2. my cats are a pair of originally jungle kittens from Caribbean Puerto Rico, so the label moggies might fit


Jungle kittens! How exotic! I'd love to see a photo.

My Messi is 100% moggie. She was rescued from the streets of Cadiz after being savaged by a stray dog, and is missing a front paw as result, but she gets along just fine.


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## Anciana (Jul 14, 2014)

She looks so sweet. I do notknow how to upload the pictures of Sweetie and Fortunio that I have on my laptop, as they have no url. But here is their fb page with pictures (you'd need to scroll down to see their jungle pics):https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweetie-and-Fortunio/551381558294312?hc_location=timeline

O look, seems like I managed to attach one


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Anciana said:


> She looks so sweet. I do notknow how to upload the pictures of Sweetie and Fortunio that I have on my laptop, as they have no url. But here is their fb page with pictures (you'd need to scroll down to see their jungle pics):https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweetie-and-Fortunio/551381558294312?hc_location=timeline
> 
> O look, seems like I managed to attach one


Very cute - and definitely moggies, albeit well-travelled ones. Sweetie looks very Spanish, with those random markings.


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