I recently posted about bureaucracy and the need for patience. After all, the word itself is French. But I also noted that the US is not immune. I am in the process of relocating my aged cat to our house in France. The USDA has a website with instructions. So does Air France (I want to keep things simple by doing both legs of the flight on one airline and not having to deal with flying through a third country, so I’ll be flying Air France through Paris). The two sets of guidelines differ. And every state has a different USDA Certification process (so a NY vet cannot complete the paperwork for my NJ cat). I finally found a vet who could perform and certify the final examination, and they had another layer of requirements. I’ll update this if we both actually arrive as planned, but in case anyone else wants to do this, here is the process with links to useful sites. Be warned it is expensive:
If you have not done so yet, call the airline to make sure there is space for your cat (only 4 cats per flight, even though they go under a seat and you pay for them). Book a flight with available cat slots and reserve a space for your cat (or dog). I suggest confirming the required carrier size, weight of cat + carrier, and other rules (Air France says one cat per person; I am told United allows two). Space must be booked and confirmed 48 hours before the flight, not just at check-in;
Find a vet who is USDA Certified to issue the required International Health Certificate. You can search for one near you via the USDA website — but note, that the list may be quite out of date (In NJ about 2 out of 3 practices on the list no longer have someone qualified to do this). Some have a several month waiting lists; Fagedabout walk-ins. Start this process early — maybe even several months before the trip so you are not forced to drive to a city you have never heard of for the one time-slot available within the specified time period (see below). Be patient. You will find one and the they will be lovely.
Visit the USDA Certified vet who will complete your paperwork a month before travel for a regular (several hundred dollar) check up and instructions. You’ll need to complete this USDA form first. This “requirement” is not listed on any of the websites I checked, so must just be a vet preference aka bureaucracy. It is, though, a good moment to check the chip, get a rabies shot, and ask other questions (such as sedation during the trip);
Make sure your cat has a USDA approved microchip, none other will do (well, okay, maybe it will, but you will have to carry your own chip scanner with you in case the airport doesn’t have one for your kind of chip.) Better to get a new chip!
Confirm that your vet scanned said microchip before they gave the Rabies shot. Any shots administered before the chip, even 3 year shots, do not count;
The rabies shot must be given at least 21 days before arrival, including booster shots. No exceptions;
Gather your pet records as far back as you can including all vaccinations (even if they were given before the chip was installed). Did I mention bureaucracy?
Book another appointment for the pre-flight wellness check and certificate preparation “within 10 days of arrival” (I am told that in the US, legally, the day of the “triggering event” is day 0 and the day of arrival can be day 10; No idea about Europe, but that is how it worked in the UK back in the days of the 10 day Covid quarantine upon arrival). I decided to have arrival on what I think is “day 9” just in case). Check the USDA website page for France for details about the process and timelines (the website notes “This page provides the most recent entry requirements and can change without notice,” so it is probably a good idea to check it);
Take all of the pet records, the rabies certificate, chip information, and cat to your appointment. The vet has to prepare the certificate and then send it to the USDA where it must be “ink-signed and embossed” then returned to you in time for you to take it to the airport with you. Bon Courage on that. If the certificate does not arrive in time, return to step 3 and repeat steps as necessary until your stars align.
Make sure you have the right size carrier. You also need a leash and body harness because you will have to remove your cat from the carrier to go through TSA check in the USA. I’m told some airports have a private room for cat and cat carrier checks. I’ll update if I learn more;
I was advised to put layers of puppy pads in the bottom of the carrier, give the cat gabapentin (drowsy but not unconscious), and take some food (I assume in 3oz containers in with my toiletries, but maybe it works like baby food. Can’t get clarification on that).
I also learned from the amazing “Expats move to France” FaceBook group that the French immigration people almost never check any of the documentation, scan the cat, or even necessarily pay any attention to the cat. One person said she kept telling them she had a cat and they admired said cat but seemed perplexed by her insistence. Many of my French friends and relatives load their cats into the car and take them on vacations with the family, so I guess this is not such a big deal. I’ll find out….
Do register your cat with a local vet once you arrive (technically required, and I am told essential if you want to bring kitty back to the US at any point).
Meet Mia
And this is the cat for whom I am going to all this trouble. Yes, I do love her. We have been though a house fire and its aftermath, when she had to stay in what was left of the only house she ever knew with her three siblings for 5 weeks until I could find somewhere for us all to live; several relocations since then; the sickness and ultimately death of her 3 biological siblings, one of whom she spent most of her life grooming and being groomed by; and now this. And she sits on that chair supervising while I write. Hopefully she can learn French faster than me and acquire the same taste for duck that her sister had . . .
