Cruising with a pet cat - coming back to UK

[ChattingLil]

A bit late in the day, but we've just realised that just because our moggie has a pet passport, it doesn't mean we can bring him home after a weekend across the channel. Anyone got any workarounds? Aside from any issues of responsibility vis rabies and more, what is the reality of having said pet confiscated and put into quarantine? We are faced with cattery prospect but don't think our mog will cope. This is putting a serious crimp in our plans.

(FWIW - we don't have to worry about him picking up any diseases when abroad because he is so shy he never leaves the boat and he can be easily contained if there was any risk, he doesn't even come out from his hiding place if anyone else is anywhere near.)

 

[[3889]]

Only legal means is to transport the cat on an approved carrier. So one of you could get the ferry back. Or you could medicate the cat as required by the passport and ask yourself how often you have been checked for pets on return to the UK and make a risk based decision.

 

[ChattingLil]

Only legal means is to transport the cat on an approved carrier. So one of you could get the ferry back. Or you could medicate the cat as required by the passport and ask yourself how often you have been checked for pets on return to the UK and make a risk based decision.

this is what we are thinking, but suspect the risk of having him confiscated will be too much to bear. :-(

 

[JumbleDuck]

A bit late in the day, but we've just realised that just because our moggie has a pet passport, it doesn't mean we can bring him home after a weekend across the channel. Anyone got any workarounds? Aside from any issues of responsibility vis rabies and more, what is the reality of having said pet confiscated and put into quarantine? We are faced with cattery prospect but don't think our mog will cope.

It's worth checking out a range of catteries - you may well find one you're quite happy with. Or can you get someone to go to your house and feed the mog there? That's what we used to do. The critters could cope perfectly happy by themselves for a weekend and for longer we'd have a friend go in every couple of says and dole out some more hard food.

 

[ChattingLil]

thanks for the advice. Unfortuanately, we now live aboard and mog has come with. We used to leave him at home, but that's not an option anymore!

 

[Biggles Wader]

Whatever you do dont break the law after posting this question on here,a public forum.That is all.

 

[jerrytug]

Whatever you do dont break the law after posting this question on here,a public forum.That is all.

Why not? Surely that's the whole point of the thread...
I'm going to break the law, later on after lunch.

To Lil, I have known quite a few people get away with it, you would have to be properly rummaged for anyone to find a sleepy cat under a pillow. I wonder how severe the penalties actually are these days?

 

[ChattingLil]

It's an annoying problem. As long as pet owners are responsible re the passport, the rabies and the tapeworm treatments (which can all be evidenced) - why should it matter how the pet is returned to the UK? What difference if it comes on a ferry or in a private boat?

We have no intention of breaking the law as, like I said above, the risk of being caught and him being quarantined is not worth it.

Interestingly, the gov website says:
"You are not permitted to bring a pet into the UK on a private boat or plane from outside the UK. "

sooooo, seeing as the boat is not FROM outside the UK, is that ambiguous...? Or am I stretching it...!?

 

[syc1]

Surely the boat would be from 'outside the UK' if you were returning to the UK!

 

[JumbleDuck]

thanks for the advice. Unfortuanately, we now live aboard and mog has come with. We used to leave him at home, but that's not an option anymore!

Ah. I see the problem. Do have a look at catteries, though, as you may well find one that both you and your cat like. we used to use one from which one of our cats would come back smelling slightly scented - he obviously spent most of his time there in the owner's house, being doted upon.

 

[mjcoon]

Interestingly, the gov website says:
"You are not permitted to bring a pet into the UK on a private boat or plane from outside the UK. "

Maybe it's similar to the USA visa waiver (at least when I went by yacht 10+ years ago) that it only applied via commercial carrier. Yachties had to get own visa.

Mike.

 

[duncan99210]

Back in the days of quarantine, there used to be a couple of companies that did pet 'escort' where you could had over the moggie to the in France and they would then oversee its transport to the quarantine kennel. There might just be someone offering a similar service now for pet passport animals for folks in the situation you find yourselves in. Hmmm, business opportunity someone?

 

[ChattingLil]

thanks everyone. It's all food for thought.

I suspect the poor thing will end up the cattery. It's a shame because he really is very timid and anxious which is why he comes everywhere with us and never leaves the boat. Putting him with someone else to transport back to the UK doesn't really solve his personal anxiety issues! Also, we won't really know where we will be when leaving the continent, so it probably just makes sense to bit the bullet and put him away.

 

[bush boat]

I looked into this some time ago. The best I came up with was that there are taxi firms in Folkstone that will come over to France via the Chunnel, pick you up with your pet and return you via the Chunnel. Only problem left then is having enough crew left to get the boat back to blighty. You cannot use the Ferries as they don't allow foot passengers with pets although I suppose you could hire a car! The whole situation is a red tape farce IMHO.

 

[l'escargot]

It is my understanding that if the cat stays below when in foreign ports and doesn't leave the boat then it can return. The difficulty could be proving that is the case.

 

[Vara]

Observation at Dover would indicate that the chance of you being detected importing a cat on a boat is vanishingly small.

loads of cloggies and grenouilles with animals on board which couldn't have been imported within the law.

 

[SimonD]

There have been a couple of lengthy discussions on this subject recently on the forum (titled dogs). In summary, it is an offence to land a pet from a private vessel if it has been landed in another EU country. If it hasn't left the boat, you're fine. It also follows that you can't be apprehended unless you're spotted getting off the boat with cat under your arm. This means that the chances of being caught are vanishingly small. The chances of being successfully prosecuted are even smaller - Defra has told me that there have been two prosecutions since January 2012. I'm waiting for them to tell me what these were for.

Because the situation is such a nonsense, I am planning to write to the Secretary of State to propose an alternative. Meanwhile, if you get a pet passport and have the cat treated in accordance with the regs before leaving France (say) you will not be creating a threat to the UK's biosecurity if you bring your cat back. I see no harm in that approach (although I cannot of course condone breaking the law...)

Simon

 

[Skylark]

I hope it all works out ok for you and, more importantly, for pussy's welfare. Personally, I would stick to the legal route, not worth the risk.
Before there was such a thing as a pet passport, I imported a Colesseum stray in the 1980s and she had 6 months in prison. Not a nice experience if you are a cat lover.

 

[[3889]]

Because the situation is such a nonsense, I am planning to write to the Secretary of State to propose an alternative. Meanwhile, if you get a pet passport and have the cat treated in accordance with the regs before leaving France (say) you will not be creating a threat to the UK's biosecurity if you bring your cat back. I see no harm in that approach (although I cannot of course condone breaking the law...)

Simon

Agree it is a nonsense. The cost of the passport scheme is out of all proportion to the risk, for dogs at least, don't know about cats. The reason approved carriers must be used is to have an independent agent check the microchip; meaningless, I know as we have always scanned the dog inside the vehicle and could easily have a chip in our hand and take any dog through, but that's bureaucrats for you- far too keen to devolve the business of government to private organisations. We'll just have to wait for a celebrity to be inconvenienced then the law will be changed :nonchalance:

 

[Mudisox]

LD lines now allow foot passengers with pets on their Le Havre to Portsmouth Route. The need to come over in a car is therefore sidelined. The more that this service is used, the more likely it is that other Ferry lines will offer the service.