Moving a kitten within the UK

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  • #850539
    Glenn
    Participant

    Hi there,

    I’m new to this forum, and honestly I never thought i’d ever find myself posting in a forum like this, but here goes…

    I know the law is very strict about bringing animals, including cats, into the UK, but what are the laws for moving a cat already in the UK? More specifically, from Northern Ireland to England.

    A bit of background info…

    So, i’m English and i was visiting my girlfriend who was at home in Northern Ireland, she lives on a farm and has wild cats roaming around her garden. She told me that a little black kitten was alone so she brought it in to feed it…it didn’t hiss, struggle or bite. It happily ate the food.

    Initially the kitten was very shy or scared and would hide under the bed, we decided to put a blanket over a chair and put a little pillow under the chair so that it had its own little quiet spot. It liked it instantly.

    Over the few days, Sooty (it was a black long haired kitten) really came out of it’s shell and would let me stroke it, feed it, play with it, it even let me stroke its belly, and it was purring so loudly. This morning i woke up and sooty was fast asleep between my feet…i hear all of these things are highly unusual for a wild/feral cat. It even instantly knew what the litter tray was for!

    Unfortunately, today was the day i had to go home and i don’t like to admit it but i burst into tears and i’m holding back tears writing this…i’ve never really bonded with a cat before but it absolutely broke my heart saying goodbye to it knowing that i may not ever see it again. My overriding emotion is that i’m abandoning it and i really can’t live with myself feeling that.

    Sorry for the long post, but i really, really miss my kitten ๐Ÿ™ any sort of reply would be welcome, i know its really fresh but im finding it so hard to deal with this…i cant imagine how upset the kitten is that i’m not going to be there for it anymore ๐Ÿ™

    #850545
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Awww Glenn,

    Men love kits too! I believe she’s not necessarily feral because she would have torn you to pieces trying to get away. Wee Sooty is familiar with people but doesn’t want much to do with them. You’ve shown her that she can trust you.

    You can enter or return to the UK with your pet cat, dog or ferret if it has been microchipped, has a pet passport or official veterinary certificate and has been vaccinated against rabies. Since Northern Ireland is part of Great Britain, I’m not sure if she needs the Rabies vaccine.

    So your first step is to call a local veterinarian and find what you need to bring wee Sooty home.

    Let us know how you’re doing and good luck.

    PG

    Please follow these rules or your wee kit can be quarantined for up to 4 months.

    #850546
    Glenn
    Participant

    Thank you so much for your reply, i really appreciate it and i’ll be going to my local vets tomorrow!

    I know! I’m not usually a softy but I think we both just took to each other straight away. The thought of this tiny little kitten being out alone and potentially abandoned (my girlfriend thinks it could have been the runt of the litter?) really pulled at my heart strings and something inside me told me that I needed to make sure it was happy and settled inside a home. It does make me feel a lot better that by the time I had to leave, Sooty was freely purring and exploring our bedroom. I researched how to best settle the kitten and i was really surprised that things like breaking eye contact, talking softly and even sticking your tongue out actually worked!

    Thanks again, i will definitely keep you updated!

    Glenn x

    #850547
    TrufflesMom
    Participant

    Glen – according to this old post dogs can cross from N. Ireland to Great Britain without a passport. The movement of dogs from N. Ireland to GB Since this other, more recent site, that talks about taking pets across borders pretty much has all the same rules for cats and dogs I would imagine you don’t need much. That being said I would take her to the vet first anyway, get the basic shots done talk to the vet, they probably know at least where to look for the most recent and relevant regulations.

    Second link: Pet Travel Info

    Good Luck!

    #850548
    Glenn
    Participant

    Thank you very much! Great help ๐Ÿ™‚

    #850562
    Moonshadow_NZ
    Moderator

    Best of luck Glenn getting Sooty back to to you and his/her furever home in the UK.
    I hope your friend is keeping Sooty inside until you can make arrangements.

    #850579
    Glenn
    Participant

    Thank you! ๐Ÿ™‚ Yes, Sooty is staying in the living room right now with her bed and all of her toys. We figured this would be the best place for her right now as its warm, away from all the other animals and she gets human interaction, be it getting played with or just observing and getting used to being around humans!

    Does that sound okay? If not i can get her moved to somewhere more appropriate!

    #851406
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Glenn,

    How goes it with Sooty?

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