| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Patrick Murtha
Joined: 23 Mar 2010
|
 Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 3:29 pm Post subject: Question for People who Have Brought Their Cat(s) to Korea |
 |
|
...
Last edited by Patrick Murtha on Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:11 am; edited 2 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Banana_Man
Joined: 01 Mar 2010
Location: Busan
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 7:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Sorry but I read your post very quickly and I thought you were going to fed ex your cat!!!
On topic, I haven't brought a cat but, I got on about a year ago - most procedures and what not are the same as in the UK and my local vet is a lovely guy! ^^* You should have no problem if all the papers are in order (fed ex is best^^*) - make sure you know all the possible outcomes that may occur at customs - be prepared. There was a really good thread about this a week or so ago. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
venus envy
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Location: chicago
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| The rabies vaccination has to be done at least 30 days before your furry friend can fly. If not, Korea will quarantine your pet for something like a month. The vet clearance must be within 10 days of leaving. You might find more information on the forums at http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/ *bol* |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Patrick Murtha
Joined: 23 Mar 2010
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
...
Last edited by Patrick Murtha on Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:09 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
himynameishowie
Joined: 03 Mar 2009
Location: Daegu
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Is the USDA certification a new thing? I brought my cats in November 2008 and the vet just gave us a state health certificate--I didn't have to send it anywhere for certification.
Oh, and if you fly Korean Air, the in-cabin weight limit is 5kg WITH the carrier, so check your cat's weight with the carrier. My kitties had to fly in cargo, but they were fine. The airline took great care of them, both stateside and once I landed in Korea. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| himynameishowie wrote: |
Is the USDA certification a new thing? I brought my cats in November 2008 and the vet just gave us a state health certificate--I didn't have to send it anywhere for certification.
Oh, and if you fly Korean Air, the in-cabin weight limit is 5kg WITH the carrier, so check your cat's weight with the carrier. My kitties had to fly in cargo, but they were fine. The airline took great care of them, both stateside and once I landed in Korea. |
Officially you have always needed the USDA stamp, but the thing is that guidelines such as these are always up to the discretion of the customs or immigration agent. In most cases if you have a rabies cert. and a health check then they're not going to give you any grief, even if it's 15 days before and not 10 or whatever. We've taken our cat through customs and not even had our paperwork checked at all before...I am not recommending that you go without the proper paperwork, just saying that the rules are basic guidelines and not set in stone...hell, they could decide to quarantine your pet even if ALL of your ducks are in a row. We have found that the Korean customs officials were totally lax about bringing in our cat.
They don't necessarily have a checklist and then turn your cat back if it's missing one little thing...that being said, it's best to play it safe and do everything exactly by the book...but yeah, surely there are lots of cases with folk who didn't have paper A or paper B, but they had enough for the customs agent to look at the animal and say "looks ok, no worries"...in general customs isn't too strict about dogs and cats that are just your pet. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Patrick Murtha
Joined: 23 Mar 2010
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 9:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
...
Last edited by Patrick Murtha on Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:07 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
himynameishowie
Joined: 03 Mar 2009
Location: Daegu
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 5:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Patrick Murtha wrote: |
| himynameishowie wrote: |
| IOh, and if you fly Korean Air, the in-cabin weight limit is 5kg WITH the carrier, so check your cat's weight with the carrier. My kitties had to fly in cargo, but they were fine. The airline took great care of them, both stateside and once I landed in Korea. |
Currently my cat and carrier together weigh 11.5 pounds, which is about a quarter-kilo over the 5 kg. Do you think they'll ding me for that? Should I put her on a diet the week before? It would be like a wrestler or a jockey having to "make weight." |
It's totally going to depend on the people checking you in for the flight. Chances are, if they do say something and you just explain that you have no problem keeping you under the seat for the flight and she's used to it, they'll be okay with it. However, you never know. You might want to be prepared for her to have to go in cargo. (If that's the case, she'll have to have a hard carrier.)
Also, don't forget that different airlines have different regulations. If you go to the airline's website, there's always a section for people with pets. You might have to dig around to find it, but it's there. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 5:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Patrick Murtha wrote: |
| himynameishowie wrote: |
| IOh, and if you fly Korean Air, the in-cabin weight limit is 5kg WITH the carrier, so check your cat's weight with the carrier. My kitties had to fly in cargo, but they were fine. The airline took great care of them, both stateside and once I landed in Korea. |
Currently my cat and carrier together weigh 11.5 pounds, which is about a quarter-kilo over the 5 kg. Do you think they'll ding me for that? Should I put her on a diet the week before? It would be like a wrestler or a jockey having to "make weight." |
It might not be a bad idea...also, do you have a hard case or a soft case? If you have a hard case you might want to buy a soft case as it is much lighter (but still bring the hard case just in case she does have to go under the plane)...we also take her toys and blankets out so that it's lighter on the weigh-in. Plus, cats can go something crazy like 20 days without food and water, so it really is best to not feed them or give them water for 24 hours before a flight...it might sound mean, but it actually makes the flight much more comfortable for them as they don't need to go to the toilet. Plus then you've got a little less weight since the cat has taken a dump and hasn't eaten anything.
Or just train your cat to stand on 3 legs.
And before the comments come flying in....yes, I know that won't work. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Patrick Murtha
Joined: 23 Mar 2010
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 5:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
...
Last edited by Patrick Murtha on Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Patrick Murtha
Joined: 23 Mar 2010
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 5:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
...
Last edited by Patrick Murtha on Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:02 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Illysook
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 6:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Which Airlines have the best pet policies. I've checked out American and Delta so far. American told me that kitty will have to go in cargo for the overseas portion of the flight, but they seem to be paired up with Korean Air, so do I need to check out the Korean Air policy? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 10:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Korean Air used to allow cats in the cabin...I assume they still do, but the last time I flew with them was just over 2 years ago. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Illysook
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 4:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I went with Korean Air, a direct flight from Chicago. It was a 14 hour flight. They let me board at the same time as the people with children because I asked nicely. They also changed me from a middle seat, to a window seat at the back of the plane where her cage fit next to the seat and there were only 2 seats in the row. I confirmed ahead of time that the only paperwork necessary concerned her rabies shot. We pretty much breezed through customs and Koreans at the airport were taking pictures of her like she was a celebrity. She's a silvery calico and a polydactyl, so maybe she seemed special, but I assure you, she's an ordinary "domestic short hair" from St. Louis, Michigan. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
