Importing a Cat to the United States

Name: Wolfgang
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Cat
From: South Africa
To: USA, Michigan

Dear PetRelocation,

Besides the health certificate to be issued by a vet within 10 days prior to relocation, is there any other procedure/document required for my cat to make this trip?

Thanks,

Wolfgang

 

Hi Wolfgang,

Thank you for contacting us. It sounds like you're on the right track -- and in addition to the health certificate you need to make sure you can show proof that your cat is up to date with the rabies vaccine. Take a look at the cat import rules for the United States here.

You also need to have an airline-approved travel crate and work to help your cat get used to spending time inside of it if she's not already. Here are a few cat crate training tips.

Additionally, we recommend taking care to choose an airline with established pet policies (we often use carriers like KLM, Lufthansa and United, for example). Check with the airline you end up using to find out about their most current pet preferences.

The United States is one of the easier places to bring a pet, but it's normal to still have questions at this point. Just let us know if we can be of further assistance, and good luck with the trip.