I searched and I couldn’t find any other similar posts.
I recently moved to Japan in November. It was a very short notice move and therefore I was unable to prepare my cats to bring them with me. Now I’m thinking it seems cruel to subject my two kitties to the 14 hr plane ride that I hated so much… I have a 9 yr old “old man” cat that is so sweet and I am afraid that putting him thru that will cause him too much trauma. (My other cat is 3 years old and healthy and I’m not so worried about her. They are safe and being taken care of by my parents who are super supportive!)
Am I overthinking this?? Any pet owners who brought their babies over with them have any advice?
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Quarantine system for dogs and cats (import): https://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/animal/dog/index.html
I took my two cats from the states a few years ago. They both went with cargo since I can’t bring two cats in the cabin with me. I had no issue whatsoever during the trip and both cats seem completely health when they reach their new home. I flew with ANA, United ground crew handled the crates in the states and ANA ground crew handled them in NRT. In NRT you need to have the cats checked by government vet and it only took about 15 minutes for both cats.
A few tips from my trip – most of the horror stories I’ve read on the internet are from pets overheating while they are being transported from airport to the plane. My trip was in the winter so while it might not be the most comfortable, winter temperate in southern US and Narita are not going to have any real health treat to the cats. I also got the largest crates the airline allows so the cat have some space. I froze a bowl of water and tied it to the crate so they won’t spill on the trip, and will unfroze once it’s in the cargo hold. I also had to rent a full sized van at NRT because there is no way I can carry two huge crates plus three suitcases on public transportation or taxi
We brought our 13 year old cat and aside from the mountain of paperwork required before the flight everything was very smooth.
He rode in the cabin with us (United) and was grumpy but overall fine.
The two animal control agents at customs were super kind and thoughtful. Their inspection process was a breeze.
It was stressful for all of us in the moment but completely worth it to have our cat in Japan. He loves hot Japanese summers and Churu.