# moving back to Montreal with my cat



## missmini (Apr 15, 2013)

Hello all,

So happy that i have found this forum. I have a few concerns as well and i'll just put them all here in one thread.

I am getting closer and closer to move with my cat back to Montreal (from Dubai) :clap2: and to be honest I am more stressed about his well being than any other moving concern.  It will be our first trip with a pet and his first experience of this kind and I hope he will manage well. We will be travelling with Lufthansa in about a month. He is pretty big to take him in the cabin with us (under the seat) so he will travel as checked-in baggage, in the baggage compartment of the plane.

Regarding the documentation he has up to date vaccinations (including rabies), micro-chip, passport and vaccination booklet, much more than what Canada asks. So for his arrival he's already good to go and for UAE we still need to get the export certificate. It is still not clear if he needs any documents for Germany as well (as the transit country)? We did not confirm the date of travel yet so we might change air carriers (from Lufthansa to Air Canada) or not. If we do need extra documents what will those documents be? I heard of Fit to Travel Certificate, De-worming + Flee Certificate and Health Check done within 10 days of travel. Does he really need all that or the UAE export certificate and what he has already will suffice?

Regarding the actual travelling lane:, can anyone share how will the airline handle him especially during the transit time? Is there a security fast track for animals? Do the animals need to go through x-ray screening? Will they give him water and feed him? (it will be an 18h+ travel). Should I leave a small bag with his favourite food outside the crate? The water would be a problem since right now in Dubai it is so hot, it will stay frozen just for a few minutes. Also from where would I have to check him in - from the same passenger terminal where i check in or from the cargo terminal?

Regarding his crate, I thought that we bought the right one from the very beginning but although it was quite expensive it is not IATA approved. Now, after I have done my homework :ranger:, I hope we'll get the right one. But just to make sure, besides having the right specifications, how would i make sure that it is IATA approved? Should it be from specific companies or is there a IATA booklet with a specific stamp?

Lastly, this is a more general and really newbie question  . It is about his chip. Does anyone know what is the exact information inside? I ask because if it does have information about a physical address then it should be changed too although I'm not quite sure how that can be done, so I hope it is not the case.

Is there anything else which I should take into consideration?

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my long message and answer my questions. Good luck to all in your expat life!! 

PS: sorry for posting twice in Canada and Dubai Forum (i'm just not sure where it would be more suitable and where i can get more help); it won't happen again


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## Maple Sugar (May 5, 2012)

Hi, Missmini, I can't answer alot of your questions but I have some experience going the other way through Toronto and Frankfurt to Lyon with my then 13 year old cat (from hell!!!) who has adapted to French life quite well and is in his basket as I write this scowling at the street.

First, are you sure your cat is too heavy for the weight requirement? My guy made it by less than an ounce and I was much happier knowing that he was in the cabin with me. Just a thought.

I flew through Frankfurt and they did not check the cat's papers at all - just my ticket to make sure that the surcharge had been paid. I flew Air Canada and Lufthansa. He was 26 hours in the carrier by the time I got here and not a happy camper!

Because he's a fighter, my vet recommended that he go through the screening check and said that it was equivalent to a person going through an MRI twice in his life (my airport of origin and Frankfurt). He has suffered no ill-effects.

After I got here, I changed the information on his chip to the new address. Yes, address information is Embedded in the chip. The contact instructions were in the information packet that I received when he was chipped. You should be able to change the information online.

If you look on the airline information, there should be a section listing the requirements for the carrier/crate. That's where I got the info. and then I went into the pet store and asked the lady. She was very helpful and as I recall, the carrier had a tag attached saying that it was built to the IATA spécifications. 

I'm sorry I cannot be of more help. My guy was right with me through the whole trip and both Air Canada and Lufthansa were really good and very helpful.

Like you, I was more stressed about this issue than any other with the move. Good luck!

MS


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## findraj (Sep 24, 2012)

I have carried my pet to Toronto via Lufthansa from India to Canada via Frankfurt

1. Lufthansa takes only 1 animal per carrier. It means entire flight only 1 cat or dog will be in the main checked in baggage, so they are not stressed. 

2. It is dark, but the temperature is controlled by the pilot

3. you have to prior book your cat the moment book a ticket. you also have to confirm the same booking 24 hours prior to your flight departure.

4. I suggest dont change airlines, it could cause delays/unwanted stress..

I dont know about cats but I had my scarf in the kennel for my dog to make him feel I was close..

You must mention on top of the crate when the cat was last fed and when it will need feeding next. Make sure the crate is spacious enough or the airline will take your pet but charge you for the crate they carry in, if its not upto their standards.

Dont keep food /water inside the crate, for if it spills, (mostly it will) then more stress for the pet..

Stick 2 small plastic empty bowls on top of the crate 1 with cat food, so they can give the food to the cat if at all someone is attending to him/her

Let me know if ny question

PS: They are very particular about the crate rewuirements, better take your cats measurements and then go to buy..even if it is IATA approved but not the proper size, they could make a fuss about it.


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## sheilajones (Oct 4, 2011)

Have you moved yet? I moved from Dubai to Montreal 7 months ago with my two cats. We went from Dubai-Doha-Montreal. I used Qatar airways and everything went very well. Cats arrived calm and relaxed, well more relaxed than I thought they would be. I didn't feed them before but I put two water dishes attached to the door for each cage. I froze the water just before I put it in so it would not splash out during moving. I had to get permission from Qatar Airways for the cats to travel but that was not too bad. Also, you need an export permit from Dubai. You can get this from the airport prior to your flight. It was a great deal easier than I thought. Good luck


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