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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 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. |
What are you talking about? Cats are absolutely a substitute for babies. I would never allow a filthy human baby into my home....and no, I am not being sarcastic. I really don't understand why anyone would choose a human baby over a feline or canine one.
As for the cat-eating comment....that may be true, but I don't allow Koreans into my home, so we're good on that. |
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Illysook
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 3:58 am Post subject: |
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Most vets and humane societies will tell you to keep your cat indoors, and as far as I know, Koreans don't eat cats, but they do eat dogs. They use them in a soup that they eat in the summer and like most wierd foods, dog is supposed to help with "male vitality."
I brought my kitty, pulling up her food the night before and using a direct flight from Chicago to ease her stress level. We traveled to Chicago from Columbus, Ohio in the car a few days before, so that I could visit my grandmother in hospice care.
Kitty stayed in Gramma's apartment and when family members came by, she went from lap to lap enjoying every bit of the visit. When it was time for her flight, she'd been in and out of her cage so many times that she didn't protest at all. During the flight, she wanted to whine a bit, but after, I covered the front of the cage with my jacket, she went Wright to sleep...in her litter box. We used the litter made from recycled newspapers for her flight. It weighs less and takes care of odor fairly well.
We have been here for a little over a week and she has settled in very well. Familiar foods, and plenty of attention are probably the keys. She is 13 years old and I'm very attached to her. |
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rollo
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: China
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| Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:08 am Post subject: |
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| Keep an eye on kitty. Cats shoulnt have to be cooped up in an apartment just to satisfy some misplaced urge of the owner. Kittys need freedom. Of course you can put cute little hats on them and take pictures and put them on facebook so I guess that is worth it. or little booties. |
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Steve_Rogers2008
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:28 am Post subject: |
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| air76 wrote: |
Would you leave your baby at home if you decided to move to another country?
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Would you lock yours up in a metal crate for 12 plus hours, so you could forget about it for 10 hours at work?
Next topic- "Can you hug your child with nuclear arms?"  |
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air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| Steve_Rogers2008 wrote: |
| air76 wrote: |
Would you leave your baby at home if you decided to move to another country?
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Would you lock yours up in a metal crate for 12 plus hours, so you could forget about it for 10 hours at work?
Next topic- "Can you hug your child with nuclear arms?" |
I am not entirely sure what your question is referring to. Clearly the answer is no...whatever it is that you are implying....and I've already made it clear that I don't plan on ever spawning any offspring, so I will never have the need to solve your nuclear arms riddle. |
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