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Original poster

Emigrating to Australia- should the cat come with us?

28 replies

PossumMama · 01/01/2018 18:20

After 20 years of DH living over here in the UK we're finally going to move to his homeland (Western Australia) late this year. The kids will definitely come with us but I'm hoping someone can give me some advice as to what it would be like for a half-persian moggy to endure the long-haul flight, 10 days in quarantine and then a hotter climate.
I love the cat despite her, at times, indifference, bordering antipathy to the rest of the family, and don't know whether it's fairer to rehome her locally rather than put her through what could be a traumatic experience moving overseas. She's 6yo if that makes any difference.
Anyone been through similar?

OP posts:

hawleybits · 01/01/2018 21:41

I have never relocated and needed to move a much loved pet. My thought, fwiw is; take her with you, she will adapt and cats love the heat!
I think a huge move like this, as well as the positives, will bring a certain sadness for those things you've left behind and I'm sure you would miss your cat. I'd take mine for sure.

VivienneWestwoodsKnickers · 01/01/2018 21:46

I understand in Australia there are laws about cats which might heavily restrict your ability to take her. Some housing areas ban keeping them in certain properties. Other areas have night curfews and allow trapping of rogue cats. Some others state they have to be indoor only.

What is the law in the area you are moving to? How will it affect your cat?

speakout · 01/01/2018 21:56

I wouldn't take the cat. It would be cruel.
Very stressful flight, quarantine, new climate and environment.
I would re home her locally before you go.

skunkrat · 01/01/2018 21:58

We are taking our ten year old cat with us when we move, I worry about the stress of the situation but not as much as I worry about her in another home who aren’t us

TheIntrovertedMum · 01/01/2018 22:00

Take the cat!! Cats live til around 13, she would be heartbroken. You could ask the vets opinion on how to get her through the stress of relocation but if it was me I wouldn't be able to rehome my cat it would be like leaving my son behind!

VivienneWestwoodsKnickers · 01/01/2018 22:03

The Introverted Mum 13?! And the rest!! At least 15. Indoor cats are often over 20!

ineedamoreadultieradult · 01/01/2018 22:06

I would take mine, they are indoor cats. It would worry me to take outdoor cats because of paralysis ticks but I may have a skewed view of how common these are from watching Australian animal rescue programs.

TheIntrovertedMum · 01/01/2018 22:08

@ineedamoreadultieradult ahh this gives me great joy my cat is an indoor cat I hope he lives until he's 20!!

esk1mo · 01/01/2018 22:08

i know a guy who got a kitten when he was 3, hes 24 now & the cat is still alive

take him

SpornStar · 01/01/2018 22:16

My friend's job means that she relocates to a different country every few years, taking her cats and dogs with her. One of her cats is now 16 and has survived 5 moves with no ill effects. Take your cat.

Parker231 · 01/01/2018 22:17

Definitely take the cat - she’s a part of the family?

bonzo77 · 01/01/2018 22:18

Take him. I researched brining my Aussie cat back to uk. The transport people said they cope well with the flight and tend to sleep, and rarely even poo. 10 days in quarantine is no worse than the fortnight in a cattery when we go on holiday. I’d do it. Check the regs for where you’re going. I know in NSW they had to be chipped and “de-sexed” and possibly a curfew in rural areas.

In the end our cat stayed in Australia due not having certain plans for where we would live in the uk when we returned. He went to be a mouser for some people who had a small holding.

Firefries · 01/01/2018 22:20

The flight is fine well in that our cats have always done well after moving and long haul flights. Actually our U.K. Cat loved the Southern Hemisphere it was much warmer and peaceful - we did move from London tho so anything is probably easier than that for a pet. My only question would be snakes and spiders ... will you have to use some caution around this? Your cat probably ain't seen nothing like those Aussie creatures.

Icequeen01 · 01/01/2018 22:20

I would take her with you. I could never leave my cats behind it would break my heart as they are part of our family. The person who said cats can live until they are 13 is being very conservative. 13 is only middle aged for a cat. My cats have always been outdoor cats and one lived until he was 19 and my sister's outdoor cat lived until she was 23!

MercenaryMum · 01/01/2018 22:21

We took our cat when we moved to Queensland 7 years ago now. She arrived at our new house after quarantine a bit grumpy, marched around the house with her tail in the air, and then decided it would do and has never looked back. We joke she settled into Australia more quickly than anyone else in the family. The hot weather doesn't seem to bother her at all - if she gets too warm during the day she either finds a shady spot outside or comes in and naps under a fan or in the air conditioning. It wasn't cheap to bring her with us, but we are glad we did.

TooFew · 01/01/2018 22:22

I'm emigrating to Australia in a few months and we've decided not to take our cat. She's 15 yrs old and I feel that journey then the change in environment would be too much for her. The decision has been made much easier by my parents in law taking her into their lovely home. We are however taking our spritely and very young dog. I think the decisions are made depending in the specific situations.

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 01/01/2018 22:26

I'd take her, but it can be really expensive and involve lots of paperwork/ vet visits (I'm a vet and have recently had the headache of helping clients export animals to Australia and New Zealand, absolute nightmare!) However, cats adapt really well to most things and given her age I would say take her just don't ask me to do the paperwork

Original poster

PossumMama · 02/01/2018 10:24

Thanks all. My vet wasn't particularly helpful, just recommended handing the responsibility to a specialist cat-shipper. They make things easier but there's still a daunting amount of treatments the cat has to have before we go, then the journey, then 10 days in quarantine in Melbourne before she can come over to Perth (another long flight) and live in rental accommodation with us (I hope!!) whilst we build a new house. It's a daunting prospect for all of us, I don't want to traumatise her too. It's good to know your cat adjusted well Mercenery, I need to hear what the reality is like.
It's certainly not cheap- neither is my Visa- perhaps both of us should stay in London...
And you're all right- she could live a long time with us. Long enough for DH to change his mind and come back to the UK even...

OP posts:

ToesInWater · 04/01/2018 06:03

If she is an indoor cat I would go for it if you are very attached, but outdoor cats are seen as a menace to wildlife here. Only one person in our neighbourhood has a cat (mind you, I haven't seen it in ages - hopefully it is now an indoor cat rather than anything more sinister!) but everyone has dogs.

Kotare · 04/01/2018 06:14

We brought our rescue cat to NZ when we moved. Mainly as no one would take her permanently and we didn't want to have a cat we were responsible for on the other side of the world. She was fine, settled well and had a good life here. Cat jet lag was funny to watch though!

One issue we did face was getting rentals with a pet. Initially it was fine but once the housing crisis hit it became a lot harder. It'd be worth investigating.

Veterinari · 04/01/2018 06:25

She’s your cat - you have a responsibility to look after her - the journey/quarantine won’t be any more stressful than being in a chattery and likely less stressful than rehoming. She’s still young - plenty of time to adapt

CluelessMummy · 04/01/2018 06:29

We brought our cat to New Zealand with us. It never would have occurred to me to leave her behind!

TwuntingCrow · 04/01/2018 06:37

We brought both of ours when we emigrated to LA - vet gave them something to make them dozy and they adjusted fine - although they were really vocal when we picked them up !!
Both adjusted really well and very fast - they both loved the what and one became a sunbather !
He also discovered he could catch small snakes - lovely little cat that he was !!
Best of luck OP - it does cost a fortune and the paperwork is a nightmare but it was something I've never regretted - they were our family

Pikachuwithyourmouthclosed · 04/01/2018 08:07

Another pair of cats to NZ here.
The process of getting them here was not much fun for them, it's true. I felt bad at the time. But now they're here, no regrets. They have adapted beautifully.
Rentals can be tricky with animals (oz and nz similar in that respect), but way worse with a dog than a cat. I've found 'no pets ' actually means no dogs in most cases.
We used a pet export service and appreciated offloading all the red tape to them.

specialsubject · 06/01/2018 09:45

I've met people waiting excitedly for pets to arrive from the other side of the planet. Apparently it would be cheaper to buy it a first class seat...

I also met someone taking dogs back, his concern was that he'd spend a fortune and then the older one would drop dead on arrival. Hopefully it didn't.

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