Have Cat, Will Travel

This is my darling cat Razu:

This is what he looks like when he's being mischievous which is, oh, about 98% of the time: 

It may not be totally obvious from the pictures, but Razy is a big cat: He's 13 pounds, 20 something inches tall and 20 something inches long!  Fortunately, he fits into a carrier and is the correct weight to fly (however, if he gains 2 pounds we are both S.O.L.).  

Bringing a cat overseas is quite the process, however.  Here is the checklist provided by the French Government as to what I need to do to bring him into la belle France:

I. Dogs, cats and ferrets

The European Union adopted new measures for the importation of pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) into the EU member states.

In order to bring their dogs, cats and ferrets from the United States into France , travelers must abide by the following conditions:

 each family is limited to 5 animals.

 every animal must be identified by a microchip (standard ISO 11784 or annex A ISO standard 11785) or a tatoo. If the microchip’s standard is different, you must bring your own scanner in order to read the microchip. In the United States , you may acquire the microchip standard ISO 11784 on the web at : http://pettravelstore.com. It should be implanted only by a veterinarian.

 every animal must have a valid rabies vaccination, even if less than 3 months old. If it is the first rabies vaccination for the pet, you must wait 21 days between the last shot of the vaccination protocol and departure.

 the health certificate will be valid for 4 months after signature by an official veterinarian (certified by the USDA) or endorsement by the competent authority (USDA). The list of USDA Area Offices of Veterinary Services may be consulted at the following URL address: www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/area_offices.htm

 the blood test is not required for animals coming from Canada and the United States .

And this is the form my vet has to fill out: Veterinary certificate to print.  Oddly, the instructions are all in French, but the actual form is in both English and French.

Razu and I are in the final stages of preparation.  He has a microchip (which is registered and everything), he has a reservation on the plane (we are flying United and Lufthansa, who have a good pet policy), he has a vet appointment and he has a very nice Sherpa cat carrier, which looks like this:

I wasn't sure how he would feel about the carrier, but I left it right next to his food and I catch him napping in it every now and then!  I read somewhere that if your cat has you in constant eyesight on the plane that he'll meow non stop - so I bought some cute infant receiving blankets and put them in his favorite spot, so come the day of the flight I can cover his carrier with one and it'll smell like home.  He really loves the blankets and sleeps on them every chance he gets - I'm hoping that they will provide him with some comfort during the long trip!  

I've also been practicing taking him on mini trips to get him used to being in the carrier and away from home.  Yesterday, we ventured to the pet food store which is a 2 minute drive from home.  He made a lot of noise in the car, but once we were in the store he was quiet and happy as a clam.  Hopefully he'll be the same way on the plane!  

One final thing I've done is purchased a harness and leash.  Apparently, when you go through airport security they will run the carrier through the x-ray machine, which means that you have to carry the cat!  Razy isn't much for being held, and I can't imagine he'll like it when surrounded by a ton of people and noise, so for his own safety I got him a bright red harness and leash - that way if he tries to run he won't get far!  

Our only remaining steps is the rabies shot and to have the form filled out - which is an appointment I've scheduled for this week!  Even though the certificate is good for 4 months, I want to have it as current as possible. Once the certificate is filled out, all I need to is get it certified by the USDA office - which is, luckily enough, very close to home.

It may be a lot of work to bring the cat, but I just can't imagine leaving him at home!  Besides, he's my Chagall cat!:

(this is one of my all time favorite paintings and I just so happen to have a giant print of it in my room. 

 The other day, my mom pointed out that the cat in the painting ... he looks just like Razu!)