I have to introduce you to the two family members I absolutely adore… my cats! Now, for those of you that do not like cats, I get it, but you have to admit mine are quite adorable. Just take a look at their faces!
Meet Sidney (left) and JoJo (right). These are my two kitties. They have been with me for four of their five years of life. They are sisters from the same litter, though they don’t act or look the same.
These furry friends are coming with me to Thailand. Since I will be there for a long time, they get to experience it with me. Travel for a pet can be traumatic, since this will be their first flight (a whopping 20+ hours of flight). However, due to the pandemic, pet travel has been a little traumatic for me, too!
Pandemic trauma for pet owners
My travel journey and plans this year, have been nothing but,…we’ll say, “unexpected”. Though that is a gross understatement, I can’t imagine being away from them for years! That would be traumatic and a huge heartache.
Under “normal” circumstances, they would be able to fly with me as an extra bag, and cost me a couple hundred dollars for their ticket, vet and permit paperwork, and an airline-approved carrier. However, as we all know, the last year has changed the norm, including for pet travel!
However, as we all know, the last year has changed the norm, including for pet travel!
Lauren (Me)
Let’s take a look at the requirements (note: this is a list based on my experience and flying to my location as of March 2021, the requirements may not be the same for other locations or times, based on continuously changing requirements). Sidney and JoJo needed a vet appointment, and because we were dealing with international travel, they let me come inside the building (some clinics will have you wait in your car for your animals). During that appointment, I found out all the details needed:
- They needed all their updated vaccines, over 21 days prior to departure
- with the original, signed paperwork coming with the pet(s)
- Each pet needs to be microchipped, over 21 days prior to departure
- A pet import permit has to be completed (takes 10-15 days to be returned)
- permit requirements differ based on country, for Thailand, my travel documentation, all the vet paperwork, and pet “passport-type” photos were reqiured
- Once the permit is complete, there needs to be a USDA health certificate completed by a USDA approved veterinarian (though it has to be completed, no more than 10 days prior to departure)
- The pet(s) will have to be examined by a veterinarian, 2-3 days prior to departure and must sign off on the health certificate
- The pet(s) must have an airline-approved pet carrier that is determined by the size and weight of your pet(s) (you must measure them…that is the difficult part)
- You must provide food, bowls (which attach to the carrier) for water, and the carrier can have a mat or bed, but can only be a maximum of two-inches in thickness/height so it does not take up too much space for the pet(s) to move around.
If that list isn’t long enough, I have good news for you. Due to the pandemic, a lot of countries are requiring that all human travelers quarantine for 10-16 days in an approved-quarantine site. This helps their tourism bottom-line, because it is not cheap! In Thailand, the alternative state quarantine sites (ASQ) do not allow pets. This left me with a couple of options.
| Option 1 | Option 2 |
|---|---|
| Pets travel with me and “quarantine” in a pet hotel for 16 days | Pets travel after I am out of quarantine and meet me there |
As a pet owner, you have to weigh the pros and cons of each option and look out for what is best for the pet, not what is the easiest. Option 1 would be cheaper because they would come as extra baggage, however, when pets arrive, they have to go through customs, see a vet and possibly quarantine there. This process could take a couple of hours or up to a maximum of 30 days! With your quarantine guidelines, most places send a shuttle to pick you up after you clear customs and gather your belongings (approximately 20-60 minutes after you land), and take you straight to the quarantine site. If your pet clears on time, with no quarantine restrictions, they leave it to you to pick up, they do not deliver to a pet hotel or keep them until your quarantine ends. This could be very traumatic and even deadly if they are not properly cared for for several days or weeks! This option could work if you have someone that could pick them up and take care of them until you are out of quarantine, or take them to a pet hotel/boarding site.
Option 2 is where the pets travel on a later flight and arrive after I am settled in my new location. Here is the kicker, though…the airlines no longer deal with individuals sending live pet cargo alone, so they have to go through a company that handles them directly. Since I will be hours from the capital (where I am quarantining), I am paying extra for the agents to get them through customs and deliver to my city. I never thought I would be paying so much for my precious cargo to be with me.
Though there is far more of a headache from this roller coaster of logisitcs, I will save you from shock and boredom with all the details. If you are considering longer-term travel abroad and want your pet(s) with you, Go For It! A word of caution is to make sure you double and triple check all the requirements for you and your pet(s) during the pandemic, and be prepared to pay for the knowledge that your pet(s) are safe and cared for along the way.
Leaving Soon
Since I am leaving in about 72 hours, without my cats, I will have a hard separation from them. Other than two weeks of vacation, they have pretty much always been with me. So, leaving them for a month is going to be quite difficult, but it will hopefully pass quickly. Until then, they will be loved and cared for in my parents’ home and hopefully will be sound asleep for most of the long travel journey ahead. In about two months, I should have an update of how they are acclamating to life in Thailand! Be sure to keep updated on the journey through my updates!
