But What About the Cats? (The Paperwork)

Aweh, guys!

So, we have two unholy twin terrors, Spock and Ripley. Do not be fooled by their adorable faces and curly fur… they are always up to mischief! They are a rare breed called Devon Rex and they are missing a fur layer, so they do not shed as much (yeah right). They are also extreme acrobats and once possessed with the zoomies, there is never a moments rest. Of course, they had to come with us!

Bipple and Spocky

Once we knew we were emigrating, I joined a wonderful Facebook Group called South Africans Emigrating with Pets, where I started putting out feelers about the process and I got such a wonderful response. Luckily hubby’s best friend had done a similar move with two cats to Poland and was able to direct us to a pet relocation company, Keringa Petwings.

Our first step was to do the titre test. This is a test to check the amount of rabies antibodies to ensure that the pet isn’t a rabies hazard and it applies to both cats and dogs entering the EU. To do the titre test, we went to our vet who gave them a rabies vaccination. We then had to wait a total of 30 days before going back to do the blood draw. They shaved their necks, gave them a bit of gas and drew their blood. Apparently, Spock needed to be gassed due to his rather negative response (read hissing). The blood was then sent to the lab in Onderstepoort where they tested it for the antibodies. The results took quite a bit of time (we tested in December and only got the results in February), so if you are in a rush please make sure you do this well ahead of time. The results are lifelong so long as you vaccinate every year. Once their results were cleared, they were certified to enter the EU. It is also important to note that the microchip needs to be inserted before or the day of the titre. It cannot be done after and it is a requirement. Our microchips were a lesser known brand (GetMeKnown) so I needed to have the vet certify the certificate and do a declaration that they were in working order.

The next step was to book with Keringa, and since we were awaiting our visas, we did this very last minute. We booked our tickets on the Tuesday we received our visas and paid the full amount to Keringa. It cost around R18000.00 in March 2019 which were more than our own tickets. Included in the price was their room and board (we dropped them off on Thursday and they flew direct the following Tuesday), their shipping and handling and the kennel cough vaccine. We also needed to send the following documents via email:
• Vaccine booklets
• Titre certificates
• Microchip certification and vet confirmation
• Contract and shipping information

The final step was delivery. On the Thursday we dropped off our babies. They were given their own holding cell which was very nicely furnished but it was quarantined off from the other inmates as they needed to receive their kennel cough vaccine. I also gave them all the original documents that would be attached to their crate during shipping. I would receive these back once we collected them at Schiphol Airport. Speaking of Schiphol, we landed on the Monday, they flew on the Tuesday and we were to collect them on the Wednesday… Find out more in Part 2: But What About the Cats? (Picking Them Up)