Mary Allen
The summer holidays are approaching – and once again the question arises whether you should take your beloved cat with you or not. A decision aid.
It’s a nightmare scenario. You are on the long-awaited vacation and then it happens. A traveler can no longer get out of the holiday home. This is what happened to a couple who traveled to Iceland a few weeks ago with the cat in their luggage. The cat was promptly put down because they had disregarded the entry regulations for pets.
Fortunately, very few countries are that strict. However, some island states want to protect themselves from diseases and are planning a quarantine of several weeks, including Iceland and Hawaii. Other countries, such as Great Britain, have relaxed their regulations and allowed entry without quarantine on certain routes. However, among other things, a blood test is required here, which confirms the rabies vaccination and must be carried out six months before entry. Listing the entry requirements for each country would lead too far here.
The Box is Mandatory
In principle, cats who like to travel always need a pet ID card, a microchip or a tattoo that was done before July 2011, and a current rabies vaccination. This is sufficient for most EU countries. However, there are many informative sites on the internet that you should take into account when planning your holiday (see note at the end of the text). Otherwise, the vet will be happy to help.
But the question you should ask yourself in advance is: do you really want to do this to the cat? Many cats are stationary, feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings, and don’t believe in longer stays in the transport box. Because it doesn’t matter whether you travel by plane, train or car; it doesn’t work without the box. It should also be the right size so that the cat can sit, lie, stand and turn. With a bit of luck, you can get them used to the transport crate beforehand on some excursions (e.g. with treats) – but that doesn’t mean that the journey will be stress-free for the animal.
If you have the cat close by in the car or train, this is not necessarily the case on the plane. Although many airlines allow you to take them with you in the cabin, depending on the size and number of animals, they sometimes end up in the hold between the luggage. Unfortunately, they are all too often treated in the same way and thrown through the air during a stopover, since the staff usually has little time to bring the luggage from one plane to the other. Apart from the fact that there is nothing left of the water provided in the transport box afterward, there is a risk that the animal will suffer trauma. Sedatives can help, but you should always consult a specialist.
At the Resort Under House Arrest
Many experts are critical of air transport. The animal psychologist Véronique Hufschmid from Sisseln AG even advises against it. She also doesn’t think much of taking cats to hotels: “There are cats that are very attached to their people and have no problem driving to a holiday home or holiday apartment. On the other hand, the cat in a hotel room is very restricted in its freedom of movement and may be irritated or even frightened by the room staff, which means it is stressed.”
One more reason to make the cat’s unfamiliar stay as comfortable as possible, for example by packing your favorite toy or the tried-and-tested cuddly blanket, common food, and cat litter. To be on the safe side, you should also have a small first-aid kit in your luggage to be prepared for diarrhea, vomiting, or vermin.
But what about freelancers? Should you let them outside the door at your holiday destination? «If a cat knows its holiday home because the family spends its holidays there again and again, after a certain time you can let it go outside with small steps. Otherwise, please don’t!” says Hufschmid decidedly. After all, it’s not just the environment that’s new, which means stress for the house cat anyway. He could also get lost or come into contact with sick animals.