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Sep 3 2006 / Aaron

My Cat Needs a Passport

It turns out my cat needs one of these, and they are not easy to get:

One thing that came as a huge shock to me was that moving a pet cat from Canada to Ireland is not a simple matter. I had assumed that moving pets around modern countries was a fairly common need and that there would be slick procedures in place to do so. Otherwise how would Paris Hilton jet around the world with her purse-puppy?

Ireland, being a small Island, is rabies-free and very paranoid about keeping it that way. When I looked into it, I was shocked that the easiest option by far is to:

  • Get cat vaccinated for rabies and wait several weeks for antibodies to show up in blood
  • Get a rabies blood test (had to draw blood and send it to a special lab in Kansas)
  • Wait SIX MONTHS quarantine for the cat to not die of rabies.
  • Get a European Union Pet Passport
  • Get some more shots 24 hours prior to leaving quarantine, and entering country.

So the end result is…. we have to leave dear little Vega in Canada for six months before she can be brought over to Ireland. Luckily we are able to leave her with Christine’s sister who is moving into our house while we’re gone. It will be hard spending all those months without her though. My precious little kitty. God, I’m such a softy. But LOOK HOW CUTE SHE IS, DAMN IT! I fear that won’t be the end of the troubles though — finding a place to rent in Dublin that is pet-friendly will be no easy task. She’s an expensive little fur-ball to keep around.

20 Comments

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  1. Doug / Sep 3 2006

    I’ve got a hunch that Hilton probably just takes a chartered plane, then forks over whatever fine/penalty is needed.

    There was a story about 6 months ago about how she was keeping some baby monkey, which although not allowed in California, was apparently a-ok with the government as long as she kept paying the fine.

  2. victims: aren-t we all / Sep 10 2006

    Someone had to draw blood from Vega? Now why do I find that strangely satisfying?

    Perhaps it has something to do with her hisssstory.

    Don’t worry, I won’t rat her out to the feds.

    ~d

  3. maria / Nov 4 2006

    how to get a cat passport

    • Luc / Jul 25 2012

      Where can i get cat passport here in oman?

  4. Eline Spanjaard / Jul 3 2007

    How can I get a Passport for my cat
    if I want to go to Holland (Amsterdam)

  5. Eline Spanjaard / Jul 3 2007

    Where can I order this pasport

  6. roger / Nov 8 2007

    yes my dog need 1 passport
    thank

  7. mantas / Dec 1 2007

    Hi how can i get a passport for my three in half years
    sphynxs cat and where.how much it cost.Can i get the
    number were to call.
    MANY THANKS

  8. Brad / Jan 9 2008

    Seriously, people are actually believing this? I am just surprised you posted a picture of a passport and didn’t blur out the passport number. Not too bright.

  9. Aaron / Jan 9 2008

    Or maybe I am bright and photoshopped in a fake passport number and changed the bar code.

  10. sandy / Feb 14 2008

    Hi.

    We are wanting to go on a driving holiday to France in September this year, and want to take our Bichon with us. She is 8 months old. Can someone tell me what exactly we need to do to get this pets passport and what sort of costs there are.

  11. giedre / Apr 9 2008

    hi…how can i get a passport for my cat if i want to go europa .where can i order this passport…price…things

  12. joanna psonis / Jul 22 2008

    Where can I order this pasport

  13. Vinod Anjallo Fernando / Aug 23 2008

    Hello there,

    I got my cat from place call ras al khaimah, in United arab emirates, When i got that cat they didn’t had any documents for my cat.
    Just cat they gave me.
    So now when im planning to travel with my country i will have lots of problems i know,
    So in this case i like to know how can i get particular documents with new passport for him,
    my cat name is shone,
    And they told me his from UK.
    And im from srilanka, so most of the time i will travel to srilanka with him, And i like to know how to get a documents for him and passport for all the country’s.

    Thank you,

    Vinod Anjallo.

  14. rKo / Jun 29 2010

    We humans dont have passports in gulf, living as stateless, what a shame world animals is better then humans unfare world

  15. Kelly Murphy / Jul 2 2010

    Hey I read that your cat won’t have to go throuh all that.Check out agricultue fisheries and food.They will tell you.Man I do know how you feel I have a beautiful and wonderful cat named Sweetbe.And if I were to travel she would most deffently be staying with me.I think about all things.She is also diabetic.But I would do every thing inadvace.Kelly

  16. Fox / Sep 6 2010

    I have X_TYPE_ANIMAL named Y… how to get passport from M to N
    kthxbye

  17. Odille Esmonde-Morgan / Jan 13 2011

    The requirements are all here – but basically no animal from a rabies infested country can come to a free country without the passport and 6 months quarantine. Here in Oz we are rabies free and I am all for it – we don’t want rabies here thanks very much.

  18. Montecristo Travels / Dec 19 2011

    Incorrect – this is the correct info:
    I live in a non-EU country and want to bring my pet to Ireland, what are the
    restrictions?
    If you want to bring your pet to Ireland from a qualifying non-EU country, the pet must
    undergo the following in this order
    • Be microchipped
    • Be vaccinated for rabies
    • Be blood-tested after rabies vaccination and microchipping at least six months before
    entry
    • Be treated for tick and tapeworm between twenty-four and forty-eight hours before
    departure
    • Have a Veterinary Certificate (passport) issued or endorsed by the competent
    authority in the country of origin
    • Be accompanied by the owner, or a person acting on their behalf, on an approved
    carrier into Ireland.

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