Cruising with a pet cat - coming back to UK

[ChattingLil]

Having cogitated and investigated local catteries, we've decided on that option. Better to have him miserable for 2 weeks or so than risk the quarantine.
thanks for the input from everyone.

 

[Boo2]

...you would have to be properly rummaged for anyone to find a sleepy cat under a pillow...

Or </sudden thought> why not convert an old gas cylinder into a mini-submarine and tow the cat back to blighty in that ?

Boo2

 

[clyst]

Or </sudden thought> why not convert an old gas cylinder into a mini-submarine and tow the cat back to blighty in that ?

Boo2

Easier still just a polythene bag . I believe it's a tried and tested with surplus puppies and kittens .

 

[bush boat]

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.

Thanks for that I didn't know any were doing it. I suppose that the other side of the coin is that the more people that use it then perhaps the less incentive to change this unnecessary law?

 

[clyst]

Thanks for that I didn't know any were doing it. I suppose that the other side of the coin is that the more people that use it then perhaps the less incentive to change this unnecessary law?

Is it up to the company ? I thought it was a legal requirement to have the animal crated separately stowed if on foot or secured in a vehicle . Am misinformed ? Its difficult to keep up with these things .

 

[l'escargot]

Is it up to the company ? I thought it was a legal requirement to have the animal crated separately stowed if on foot or secured in a vehicle . Am misinformed ? Its difficult to keep up with these things .

From their website:

"Foot passengers wishing to travel with their pet should book via our call center and travel with their pet in a cage. Pets are taken care of by our staff from check-in to arrival."

http://ldlines.co.uk/good-to-know/pets

 

[Stork_III]

Thanks for that I didn't know any were doing it. I suppose that the other side of the coin is that the more people that use it then perhaps the less incentive to change this unnecessary law?

Stennaline into Harwich allow pets with foot passengers, on board kennel to be used.

 

[janeK]

Surely it would be better for the cat to stay at home and to have a neighbour/friend come in daily to feed and spend some time with him. its the company he will miss more than anything. That's what I used to do with my old cat and she was fine, (even if very grumpy with me on my return, whether it be for the weekend or longer)

If you could bear it there are some agencies that will come and cat/house sit for you, but I don't know their names sorry.

It's not worth the anxiety for you and him if you decide to take him over to France, just in case it all goes wrong in my opinion

 

[ChattingLil]

Surely it would be better for the cat to stay at home and to have a neighbour/friend come in daily to feed and spend some time with him. its the company he will miss more than anything. That's what I used to do with my old cat and she was fine, (even if very grumpy with me on my return, whether it be for the weekend or longer)

If you could bear it there are some agencies that will come and cat/house sit for you, but I don't know their names sorry.

It's not worth the anxiety for you and him if you decide to take him over to France, just in case it all goes wrong in my opinion

thanks, that's what we used to do but we cannot do that anymore because we are liveaboards, so home comes with us!

 

[chinita]

"Foot passengers wishing to travel with their pet should book via our call center and travel with their pet in a cage. Pets are taken care of by our staff from check-in to arrival."

What! I am not prepared to travel in a cage with my pet for anybody. Besides, it would need to be a buddy big cage!

 

[GrahamM376]

As a matter of interest, what are the quarantine rules from the Channel Islands if used as a stopover on way back from France?

 

[l'escargot]

As a matter of interest, what are the quarantine rules from the Channel Islands if used as a stopover on way back from France?

The rules for arriving in the CIs from the continent with a pet are the same as arriving in the UK.

 

[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.

Having cogitated and investigated local catteries, we've decided on that option. Better to have him miserable for 2 weeks or so than risk the quarantine.

Weekend or fortnight?

As long as you've found a nice cattery, he won't be miserable. The worst in my experience are those which run cat boarding as a sideline to being a kennels - few cats enjoy the sound of dogs barking nearby. Stick him in a cat-only cattery and he'll be asleep when you fetch him, waking up only to yawn and say "Oh. You're back, are you?"

 

[Slow_boat]

We had a similar problem of what to do with moggy while we sail for six months.

My proposal involving a sack, bricks and canal wasn't considered appropriate, so we've found a local 'mad cat woman' who is going to foster/adopt moggy while we're away.

 

[GrahamM376]

The rules for arriving in the CIs from the continent with a pet are the same as arriving in the UK.

I haven't looked up the rules but was told by a friend with cat on board they could take it to/from CI as long as it didn't go ashore. If they wanted to take it ashore it had to be UK cleared first. Worth checking up on.

 

[SHUG]

I know this wont suit the original poster but, an anomaly in the system is that there is free passage of pets between mainland Europe and Eire. There is also free passage of pets between Eire and UK.
So, if you make a port in Eire your point of arrival then you can sail to the UK without pet restrictions......I think!

 

[Stork_III]

I know this wont suit the original poster but, an anomaly in the system is that there is free passage of pets between mainland Europe and Eire. There is also free passage of pets between Eire and UK.
So, if you make a port in Eire your point of arrival then you can sail to the UK without pet restrictions......I think!

Nice idea but wrong. Eire to UK still require pet passport, and entry via Approved Transport Companies, no entry on private boat or plane from outside UK.

https://www.gov.uk/pet-travel-information-for-pet-owners See under Routes and Transport Companies, 4th paragraph.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Nice idea but wrong. Eire to UK still require pet passport, and entry via Approved Transport Companies, no entry on private boat or plane from outside UK.

Bearing in mind that there are no border controls of any sort between the north and the south of Ireland, how stringently is the pets-from-the-UK-must-have-passports rule applied? How stringently could it be applied?

 

[duncan99210]

Don't know if the rules have changed but I 2009 I took our cat to Dublin (via Howth) on our own boat to live with our daughter. I checked with the Irish ministry in charge of this sort of stuff by email and they replied that there were no restrictions on movement between Ireland and UK. Never bothered with the reverse route, as the cat was going to live with my daughter. There are no restrictions on movement between Ireland and Ulster, nor are there restrictions on movement between Ulster and mainland UK but there are restrictions on movement into Ireland fro the rest of the EU.

 

[l'escargot]

Don't know if the rules have changed...

They have.