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mervanm
Joined: 23 May 2010
Location: USA
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 Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:41 am Post subject: Bringing Cat To Korea |
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| Hello, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with bringing their feline companion with them to Korea. If so, what should I do/prepare for besides getting the rabies vaccine? Any real help would be great. |
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rollo
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Probably not a great idea. Think this through. the travel is stresful on the cat and Koreans are not animal lovers to say the lest. |
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n�fara
Joined: 14 Jul 2007
Location: The Island
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| Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 3:17 pm Post subject: |
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Hi there mervanm! Bringing a cat over and having a cat in Korea is not as hard as some people think. Of course this would depend on the age and temperament of your cat.
Good place to ask this question would be:
www.animalrescuekorea.org
They have lots of good info on there, and there are experienced people who would be able to answer you questions better.
Good luck! |
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air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| rollo wrote: |
| Probably not a great idea. Think this through. the travel is stresful on the cat and Koreans are not animal lovers to say the lest. |
Would you leave your baby at home if you decided to move to another country?
I would 100% recommend that you bring your cat...for one thing it makes coping with Korea that much easier when you come home to your cat. It's not difficult at all.
Here are the guidelines as posted on the National Quarantine web-site:
http://www.nvrqs.go.kr/Main_Index.asp
If you want to be even more certain that you will have no issues at customs....get a health certificate for your cat no more than 10 days before you fly, then get this certificate stamped at your local USDA office (or the equivalent if you are not American)...this isn't difficult to do.
Also...be sure to call ahead far in advance to reserve a spot for your cat in the cabin, unless he/she is too big and will have to fly under the plane. They have a special place for animals to fly that is pressurized and safe.
Do not give your cat any tranquilizers as the US veterinary service now strongly opposed this practice as it is dangerous...instead buy a product like this:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=71088&catid=166392
The product gets bad reviews on this site, but we were happy with the product....but you definitely need to wet the pills and hold your cat's mouth closed to make him/her swallow.
Also...play with your cat for an hour or so before leaving for the airport, try to tire them out as much as you can....another thing is that you should pull up their food/water 12-15 hours before the flight. It might sound cruel, but it makes the trip more comfortable for them as they won't have to use the toilet. |
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mervanm
Joined: 23 May 2010
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you nifara. I will contact the animal rescue korea and see what they say. I have a male cat and he is really well behaved. I do not see why it would be an issue, for it is not an issue here in my very small apartment. As far as I can tell, if Korea allows him in at the airport, then I will have no problem with him from there on out. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated, especially first hand knowledge. Thanks! |
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mervanm
Joined: 23 May 2010
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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air76, thank you so much for the info. It sounds like you have personal experience, which is what I am looking for. Honestly, I am just worried that the customs personel at the airport will hold my cat if I do not have the proper paperwork, so avoiding that at all costs is necessary. Thank you for the product that you linked me too, even though the reviews were not all that great, I think that it would be the best alternative to tranquilizer.
Thanks. |
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air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| mervanm wrote: |
air76, thank you so much for the info. It sounds like you have personal experience, which is what I am looking for. Honestly, I am just worried that the customs personel at the airport will hold my cat if I do not have the proper paperwork, so avoiding that at all costs is necessary. Thank you for the product that you linked me too, even though the reviews were not all that great, I think that it would be the best alternative to tranquilizer.
Thanks. |
I couldn't find the product at first...but here it is:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/316thGBZRmL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
This one is way better than the first one I gave you...I don't remember where I bought them from but our cat goes bananas over them and they really calm her down.
I honestly wouldn't worry about customs...they hardly even look at anything....you could probably get through with no paperwork at all. I am not recommending this of course, but if you have a health certificate that clearly shows a rabies shot then you will be fine.
One time upon arriving in the US, security patted my cat down for weapons...no shit...it was in San Francisco and I had to hold my cat up so that they could pat her down to look for weapons...not drugs...weapons, that's what they told me.
At any rate....the worst thing that we've had to deal with was that once in the US they took away some fish treats that were for our cat...that's it. We've never had a special inspection or anything....that's not to say it's not possible, but a healthy looking dog/cat should fly through customs without any questions....I think that they make the regulations seem difficult to limit the number of people flying with pets and also to make sure that they don't have dozens of people just rocking up with their animals, but most of the strict regulations are for animals other than dogs/cats. |
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whatever
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Location: Korea: More fun than jail.
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| Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 9:39 am Post subject: |
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my bad, but how is this work-related? are you planning to bring the mf to work...? haha
had a friend bring her cat no prob. getting him home was a pain, though. |
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venus envy
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Location: chicago
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| Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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| whatever wrote: |
my bad, but how is this work-related? are you planning to bring the mf to work...? haha
had a friend bring her cat no prob. getting him home was a pain, though. |
Can you elaborate a bit? I'm curious because I'll be taking my fur friends home this year and hope it's not going to be too difficult. *tia* |
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rollo
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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| I am a certified cat lover. they eat cats in Korea. Cats are not babies or substitutes for babies. I love my cats so I would not stress them out with a long trip by airplane or see them having to stay in doors for safety. But to each his own. I have seen humans put clothes on dogs so I guess it takes all kinds. |
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air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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| rollo wrote: |
| I am a certified cat lover. they eat cats | | |
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