Pet Travel Question: Traveling to Taiwan with a Cat

Name: Crystal
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Cat
Pet Breed: Domestic American Short hair
From: USA
To: Taiwan

Hi,

My boyfriend will be moving to Taiwan for a year. Due to family obligations, I will not be able to move with him for the entire year, but I was thinking of spending three months with him in Taiwan, then three months back in the USA, etc. However, I have a cat that would be traveling with me. Would my cat have to go through quarantine in both countries every time I traveled between them? If my cat requires medications (for high blood pressure), am I able to administer them while she is in quarantine, or will she simply be barred entry because she is not in perfect health?

Thanks,

Crystal

Hi Crystal,

Moving a pet to Taiwan requires a lot of careful planning, as you can see by looking at Taiwan's Pet Import Requirements. You'll see that there is a 21-day quarantine required whenever a pet enters Taiwan, in addition to a lengthy list of health requirements. Check out this additional resource on Moving Your Pet to Taiwan to get some useful information about what quarantine in Taipei will be like. You'll see there that you will need to provide the quarantine facility with your cat's medication and they will administer it to her as needed.

If you'll be shuttling your cat back and forth between Taiwan and the US, you'll also need to check out the (relatively short) list of US Pet Import Requirements. You'll notice that, unless she is going to Hawaii, your cat will not need to go through quarantine when she enters the US.

It is up to your vet to determine whether or not your cat is healthy enough to travel. That being said, long-distance pet transport can be stressful for a pet, so you might want to evaluate whether or not it is in your cat's best interest to be shipped and quarantined for only a three-month stay. Pet shipping is time-consuming and can be pretty expensive, so you might consider leaving your kitty behind with a close friend until you return to the US.

If you have any more questions, feel free to contact us. Thanks for your questions and good luck with your travels!