Bess is our much-loved and very English tortie cat. It's hard not having her with us in New Zealand but we had to make the difficult decision to leave her based on what we considered best for her and due to practical considerations.

Warning: This is a post about cats. If you're allergic, look away now.

Difficult choices

There were three broad choices we could make in deciding what to do with Bess while we spent a year abroad in New Zealand:

1. Ask someone to look after Bess in her own home;
2. Take Bess with us to NZ;
3. Have someone look after Bess in their home.

The first option might have been ideal, had we a regular tenant. But we wanted to offer Bess as much continuity as possible, which meant looking closely at the other two options. Ultimately my Schwiegerpatenkind in Germany volunteered to look after Bess while we were away.

Importing a cat to New Zealand

According to Import health standard for the importation of dogs and cats into New Zealand from the United Kingdom, which can be found on the MAF website here, we could have brought Bess to NZ without the need for her to be in quarantine. An import permit would not be required, but she would have to meet certain eligibility, identification, health and transport standards and be accompanied by specified documentation. But paper formalities and transport costs aside, there are other practical considerations:

• Bess is not young. How would she tolerate 12,000 miles in a noisy plane, isolated and afraid for 24-36 hours? Our vet recommended against sedating a cat of this age due to the risk of overdose. She'd have to make the same journey in reverse 12 months later. We felt the stress of such a journey might exceed the stress of separation.
• We didn't have any certainty over the type of accommodation we would be living in: would it be suitable for an outdoors cat?
• Would the landlord even permit pets?

Pet travel within Europe

European Regulation 998/2003 took effect on 3 July 2004, setting out the rules for pet animals travelling between European Union (EU) countries and into the EU
from other countries under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). We found it hard to learn about these Regulations, and our local veterinary practice wasn't as helpful as we would have liked. Without this factsheet we'd have been lost.

Getting a passport for Bess involved the following:

• Insertion of an ISO-compliant microchip (already present in Bess' case);
• Vaccination against rabies;
• Blood testing (to confirm vaccination efficacy);
• Passport completion by a Government-approved "LVI" vet

Bess with her Pet Passport

In terms of preparing for travel to Germany we had planned on potty training, but Bess just wasn't interested. We did take her for a couple of short drives in the car to get her used to the sound and movement, which she needless to say didn't enjoy. We also put on her holster to get her used to the feel, but she wouldn't be led. Oh well.

Shopping list

Although they have cat foot in Germany we sent Bess with a small supply of her favourite food, thinking the familiarity might help her settle into her temporary home. Other than this we purchased a new radiator cradle to replace her "live in" one, and a year's worth of her regular medications (Droncit given 6-monthly for worms and Stronghold given monthly to avoid fleas fleas).

Packing list

We have a travel packing list for humans but, thankfully, Bess had a much shorter list:

• Document folder (containing her vet record, test results, passport, etc.);
• Cat shelter (a plastic rainproof kennel of sorts for outside use);
• Radiator cradles (for winter warmth, as in the above photo);
• Brush (for therapeutic grooming);
• Toys (e.g. mouse on a string);
• Pouches (soft food for when bribes are required);
• Pellets (regular hard food for dental hygiene);
• Bowls (water x 1, food x 1);
• Feeding mat (helps keep the floor clean);
• Holster (for roadside toilet stops and acclimatizing forays in her new environment);
• Litter tray (for use during transit and when the ground freezes);
• Travel cage (for vet excursions, keeping her safe in the car);
• Basket (woven basket for alternative familiar accommodation);
• Cardboard box (because of this);
• Authorization letter (to avoid cat-smuggling accusations).

Our authorization letter read like this:

To whom it may concern,

This is to confirm that Bess, a female neutered tortoiseshell & white cat, is travelling to XXX, Germany, in the care of the XXX family with our blessing. We have obtained a European Pet Passport for this express purpose and authorise the XXX family to take whatever actions may be required in our stead to support the lawful export of Bess to Germany and her ongoing care whilst residing there.

Yours sincerely,

Travel tolerance

It's 1000km to Frankfurt, and for Bess involved a crossing of the English Channel by sea. It's about 12 hours door-to-door, which is a long trip whether you are human or feline. We gather she was a bit upset at first, but soon decided it was best to sleep through it. The only trauma occurred when she had to go to the bathroom, but at the time the car couldn't pull over as it was stuck in a jam. Poor Bess got wet fur.

Settling in

Bess has settled in well and we understand has all her servants firmly under her paws. Initially, however, she was anxious outdoors (doing her business and not lingering) and needed some coaxing to eat her food. But she didn't run away which was our biggest fear, and this may be in part because she already knew and had attention from our friends in advance of the move. They came to stay with us for a couple of weeks in the UK before taking Bess to Germany; she was already used to their presence. While it might seem excessive, sending Bess with her packing as above likely also contributed to the creation of a familiar (yet different) environment.

If Bess hadn't settled, we would have been in something of a pickle. Pets may not enter (or re-enter) the UK under PETS until 6 calendar months have passed from the date that a vet took the blood sample which gave a satisfactory rabies result (the wait isn't necessary if subsequent boosters are given on time). We didn't have a backup plan: things had to work out!

Will she know us?

Disturbing evidence (no reference, sorry) apparently suggests that cats forget their owners quite quickly. It's hard to believe this fully as we've experienced a clear change in behaviour (i.e. clinging) after returning from 2 or 3 week holidays. But a year away is a long time. We look forward to being reunited with Bess and if she acts indifferent towards us then we will rise to the challenge of regaining her trust and affection.

Bess will need to be covered for rabies (by the original vaccine, or via a booster) and have treatment (by an EU vet) against ticks and tapeworm within 24-48 hrs before check-in for re-entry into the UK.

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