Ship's cat?

[Abaker]

Ship\'s cat?

Another yachtie in this winter's liveaboard community of a hundred boats has just reported chasing a rat out of his cockpit, apparently a first at the marina. My search in our onboard library for rat prevention advice turned up Bill and Laurel Cooper's strong endorsement of cats as ratters. My wife Anne heartily agreed because she already wants and has lobbied for a ship's cat, regardless of its hunting ability. I like cats too, but have resisted so far because I don't want the trouble of managing a cat's toilet and documentation needs. Now that ratting has been added to the pro-cat argument, the jig is almost up. We're planning to cross the Atlantic this summer, intending to reach Falmouth about the end of July, followed by a three-year cruise of Europe and the Med. What bureaucratic hoops will we and the cat have to jump through? Would it be simpler to bring a cat from Canada, or to acquire one in England or on the continent? (I know, I know; cats acquire you, you don't acquire them.)

 

[chippie]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

To digress a little, your post reminds me of the old joke:
How do you get a rat out of the lee berth?









Go about!

good luck with the puss

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

Bringing a cat from North America woul pose a nightmare I believe. When I last looked at bring a cat from the US to the UK I was told the usual six month quarantine regime would be applied. And the penalty for disregarding the restrictions are severe

However, within Europe, I believe there is no a pet passport scheme in operation. The animal needs to be vaccinated for rabies and "chipped"

I think the countries within the scheme are limited somewhat and the animals are only allowed into the country on certain routes. So you might have to take a ferry with the animal and get rest of crew to sail!

This link could help

http://www.saintfrancis.co.uk/care/passportpo.html

 

[Guest]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

I think it would be easier by far to acquire the cat in UK and then take him or her with you to Europe. Animals do require a pet passport to import into Uk and it is not a simple matter, they also cannot be brought in aboard a private yacht. As long as animal is chipped and vaccinated, Europe is not so much of a problem but where we are no animals are allowed in the Marina (we are in Jersey) I don't know if lots of marinas in UK have the same restrictions.

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

Strangely enough, a co-worker wrote this today:

LONDON, April 2 (Reuters) - Plans to allow dogs and cats from North America to enter Britain under an extended version of the country's "pet passport" scheme are being considered by ministers, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.
His comments followed a report in Britain's Times newspaper that laws preventing pets from the United States and Canada from entering Britain without first spending six months in quarantine were likely to be lifted next year.
"I can confirm that the issue is being examined, but would stress that no decisions have yet been taken," a spokesman for the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) told Reuters.
He said ministers were considering two reports from universities on veterinary risk assessments relating to diseases such as rabies, which are found in North America.
The "pet passport" scheme, brought in to replace Britain's draconian anti-rabies laws, currently operates for animals travelling into Britain from Europe, Australia, Japan and Hawaii.
It requires pets to be micro-chipped, vaccinated against rabies and blood-tested to ensure the vaccine is effective. Pets must also be deloused, dewormed and given a full veterinary inspection.
The newspaper said on Tuesday that Animal Health Minister Elliot Morley hoped to make a formal statement on extending the scheme to North America in June.
But veterinary experts have warned that the system, if approved, would need to be foolproof and much stricter than the one currently in place.
"There would have to be a full veterinary check on every animal coming into the UK from North America and rules insisting that owners register their pets with a vet on arrival in the country," Joe Brownlie of the Royal Veterinary College told the Times.
He said rabies was "rampant" in the United States and British wildlife had to be protected. But he added the greatest threat was from diseases that could be passed on to humans.
The Times said the government had been under pressure to reform the quarantine laws from the U.S. administration because many American diplomats and servicemen had refused British postings to avoid being separated from their pets.
((Michelle Green, London newsroom, tel +44 20 7542 5706, fax +44 20 7542 7921, email michelle.green@reuters.com))

For related news, double click on one of the following codes:
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Tuesday, 2 April 2002 02:18:43
RTRS [nL02293310]

 

[paulineb]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

That's correct. Pet Passports do not apply to boats. You have to bring the animals through customs points, which means using Eurotunnel, ferries, planes etc.

Pxx

 

[Abaker]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

Nick
Thanks for your very informative posts (and to others for theirs). The Saintfrancis link spells out the detail I needed to know. We have decided not to get a cat before reaching the UK at the earliest. Joe Brownlie's comment that rabies is rampant in the US (and I might add in some parts of Canada) is correct. It is carried and spread by wild animals, and the range of the disease sometimes extends quickly when animals accidentally hitch rides in highway transport vehicles. Cases of rabies in humans and pets are rare, but wildlife is another matter, e.g. foxes and raccoons. Of course many studies have been done and control measures attempted.
Alan

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

I was bitten by a Canadian fox about three years ago. Must have had rabies cos soon after that I was mad enough to marry her!

The poor girl is from Calgary Alberta, (dry and sunny and a long way from the sea) I made her live in Devon, wet and like living in tupperware, and frequently under water. I think the most amazing thing about her though is that she has let me buy a boat and actually helps out working on her....

If you really want a limey cat my mother has one she would happily see the back of... She has 6 at the moment. 2 are lovely, three are tolerable and one is a fat lazy slug that does nothing but demand food... The rigours of an ocean voyage might do her good... *grin*

Good luck on the transatlantic.

And if you make it to Devon, drop me a line, and we can meet up for a pint of cider or two.

Nick

 

[Abaker]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

Thanks for the offer Nick. If possible we'll get in touch late this summer to have that pint and chat more about cats, Devon (my father's birthplace), Alberta (my birthplace), and the joys of sailing in England.
Alan

 

[Guest]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

Get it in europe - we have had ours aboard for 9 years and have just returned to the UK for the winter using the PETS scheme. It allows animals from EU countries with vaccinations and chipped to enter by a COMMERCIAL route. It must also have a blood test at least 6 months old to show levels of rabies antibodies. We had to send it across by ferry rom Holland and sail across oursleves a couple of days later - You cannot enter it from yacht without it being sent into quarenteen. Hope this helps. This is our second cat on baord and have had no problems anywhere else.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

Oh dear Nick, your SWMBO will certainly get to hear of your comments!! Very dangerous business, posting here! Still my silence can be easily bought for numerous pints of old bastard!

 

[cynthia]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

Because of the chipping and blood test situation, it takes 6 months to get the cat Euro legal, so it's not easy just to pick up a moggie here unless you mean to stay in the UK for a long time before you set off to Europe. Sadly, it's not worth it for our 11 year old moggie so she is going to have to be re-located when we set off in June for the Med. The cat, truly, is our biggest problem. (The kids will probably manage to find us eventually!)

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

John.

yikes, forgot there were people here who might grass me up!... I wonder if there is enough money left in the boat account to buy you off in beer?.... There goes the hot water system I reckon!

Take care and see you soon about that fridge!

Nick

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

As previously mentioned..

"Fat slug of a cat called Jessica free to good home.. actually the home doesn't even have to be good as long as its not my mother's... *grin*

Hobbies include eating, crying for food, stealing other cats' food, getting underfoot, getting stuck between bannisters and shedding fur everywhere.

Having said that once fed, she is very affectionate and has a beautiful face... It just belongs to an animal about one third her weight!

 

[Abaker]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

Jessica unfortunately seems to be a weak candidate for the post of ship's ratter. She gets full points for appetite, but loses out on agility.

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Ship\'s cat?

That's a terribly sizeist argument! A few days with nothing to eat but the odd fish head and she'd be svelte and catching and eating everything that moves.. including the crew.. *g*... Now there's a movie of the week I'd like to watch...