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How Do I Prepare to Move My Cat?

When you want to take your feline friend abroad or even down the road, the least of your troubles might be finding a reliable pet courier. If you’re one of the lucky people with a calm, docile kitty then you might not know the trouble that can be had transporting a cat.

Cats can be notoriously uncooperative when it comes to lots of things, let alone stuffing them in a box – let’s face it, cats do what they want when they want to.

Whether you’re taking your cat to the vet or hiring a pet taxi, we’ve prepared some tips on how to properly prepare/trick/coax your cat when it needs to be transported.

The proper cat transport carrier: Obviously your furry friends shouldn’t be given the run of the car when it’s being transported. The proper carry case is required, however, bigger is not always better. Your cat should fit snugly in the box, with enough room to turn around – too big and the cat will feel more insecure.

Introduce your cat to the idea of transport: Try to make sure that the first time your cat is going travelling it’s not an important trip. Let your cat explore the carrier naturally, place it’s food and water inside it for a few days so it’s familiar with being inside it.

Secure the carrier: Use the car’s seatbelt to secure the kennel on the seat (putting the case on the floor may distress your pet).

Avoid feeding your cat: Prior to transportation, don’t feed your feline for a few hours; cats travel better on an empty stomach.

Relax your cat: Give your animal some attention before trying to put it in the carrier, stroking it and trying to make it relaxed rather than excited will make transportation easier.

International Cat Transport

If you’re getting a pet imported or need to transport your cat overseas then things are a bit more complicated. You will need to organise the following:

Microchip: When moving your cat abroad it will need an ISO regulation microchip.

Vaccination: To prevent the spread of rabies, cats must be immunised against rabies, When entering the UK for the first time a cat must wait 3 weeks from the last vaccination it had.

Documentation When your cat is going abroad it will need a valid pet passport. If you’re buying a rare breed then you might want to ask for documented proof too.

Finding the Right Cat Courier

When you’re unable to transport your cat personally, you might want to employ the services of a professional cat moving company. These services are well versed in transporting all sorts of animals so you can be sure that your cat will be in safe hands.

When you come to compare cat transport companies there are three key things to consider:

- Make sure that they are DEFRA licensed
- Do they have adequate animal transportation insurance?
- Are they recognised and experienced with cats of a similar temperament?

Transporters can range from basic pet taxis to full services that provide extensive pet care. Additional care that a cat moving firm might supply includes:

Provide a carrier: If you don’t have your own box, then couriers can provide their own. This may cost extra, however.

Arrange quarantine/holding: On the chance that your pet does need to be quarantined when travelling between countries, pet taxis can usually arrange this for you.

Multiple leg journeys: if your cat needs to make a journey that entails multiple changes then the courier can often arrange these too.

Grooming and feed: If travelling a long distance your cat might get restless, this is why some pet transporters offer extra pet care like providing treats.

The greater the level of service you wish for your cat, the more you can expect to pay. If you’re importing an expensive rare breed cat then you may wish to opt for a luxury service, whereas if you are only transporting a pet a small distance then a simple A-B courier might suffice.

Final Feline Checks

When you have an idea when and where your cat will be travelling you need to find a cat collection service able to fulfil your requirements. Comparing different transporters can be tiresome and difficult. Hiring a pet courier can also cost a fair amount, so it’s in your best interest to get a number of quotes.

With Shiply, the transporters come to you. List your cat move with us and registered transporters will be able to offer you pet travel quotes for cat collection.

You can compare the prices the different cat collection firms offer, as well as reviews they have received from other deliveries they have made on Shiply.

Then you can just accept your preferred transporter and get your cat moving as soon as possible.

Collecting Your Cat

If your feline is arriving at its destination before you will, then you (or the transporter) will need to arrange a place for it to stay. Otherwise, you can arrange for another dedicated party to pick up your pet (but make sure you OK this with the courier beforehand).

Make sure that your pet is happy and in the same condition as when it left, if it was on a long journey check that it hasn’t lost weight and that it seems happy. Bear in mind that many cats won’t give the same large reaction to being reunited with you as a dog will. 

If your cat is moving into a new house, don’t let it out for a while. Giving your pet a chance to get used to its new home is imperative to ensure that it doesn’t end up running away.

When you and your cat are happily united we’d appreciate your feedback on Shiply. Pet transporter reviews help our users find reliable services to use, and helps the drivers provide a better service in the future.