Just to get it straight in my own mind..

[Kayjay<P> <P><P>"Passer sa vie à lutter contre la connerie est le meilleur procédé pour mourir dépuisement."<P>]

Coming over with 2 cats.  They will have had microchips and rabies shots but it will almost certainly be within the 6 month period, so they won't be going back for some time (hopefully not ever!).  Given that they will then become "French residents", I believe that they will need to be tatooed as their UK chips won't/can't be registered.  Does that mean they will be tatooed with the code from their chips or will they have to be re-registered and end up with 2 sets of documents?  While I'm on the subject, what shots are compulsory for cats (and dogs,for that matter)?

Like most animal lovers I don't want to get this wrong!

[Deimos]

I can only speak from experience with dogs, but I would imaging it is pretty much the same for cats. French authorities allow a dog to be either tattooed or microchipped (or both). My dog who was microchipped in the UK several years ago has had his chip read by vets and port authorities in France several times without any problems.

With dogs you register the chip number within 3 months of arrival in France (though this can be difficult as e.g. my vets do not seem to think you need to).

The 6 month wait is 6 months after the blood sample was taken that showed adequate immunity. It is only a requirement for entry into the UK (and two other EU countries) and not for entry into France.

You will need Pet Passports (which can be issued without the blood test, results, etc.), just to show the animals ID and rabies vaccination details.

As you intend to, do get the blood test, etc. done as there seem to be so many pets needing to be re-homed these days because their owners “never going back” plans change and they cannot return because of this.

With dogs, relatively little is “compulsory by law” but anybody who cares for their animals will do them. Usual vaccinations (as per UK). Rabies (and make sure they are kept up-to-date or you need to repeat the blood test/6 month wait for return to UK). For dogs in most areas you need to be careful about ticks as there is Lyme disease and Piroplasmose (which can kill a dog in a couple of days). You can vaccinate but most people don’t (hunt dog seem the only ones who do and its not a completely effective vaccination). However, people are very thorough about tick treatments (e.g. Frontline each month for ticks). Risks here probably depend on where and how you live (e.g. in middle of Paris, probably less of a risk). Hope I’ve not missed too much out but I’m sure others will correct as necessary.

Ian

[Christine Animal]

Ian beat me to it!

I think your cats’ microchips can be registered here, vets probably have the forms. But they can also be identified by tattoo with a different number in the ear. People over here might not think to see if a stray cat has a microchip, but they can see straight away if it is tattooed.

The usual vaccinations for a cat, apart from rabies, are Typhus and Coryza and there is also one for Leucose Féline.

For dogs, apart from rabies, the most usual are CHPPil : Maladie de Carré, Hépatite de Rubarth, Parvovirose, Leptospirose and Toux du chenil.

[saddie]

La puce electronic (microchip) is becoming more common here. Taking one of my cats for here annual vaccinations I told the vet that she had a chip. He read it and copied my English document and arranged for it to be registered on the French database. The advertising for the puce mentions that tatoos can be altered and are sometimes difficult to read - but of course they have an interest in the product.

[Maddie]

[quote]La puce electronic (microchip) is becoming more common here. Taking one of my cats for here annual vaccinations I told the vet that she had a chip. He read it and copied my English document and arrang...[/quote]

There are pros and cons with each form of ID. 

I had the same problems as Ian had getting my UK chip registered so I had both of mine tattooed.  The tattoos are clear and easy to read and were doen by a vet.  You would be able to spot it a mile off if they had been altered but then I've seen dogs with tattoos that look little more than a collection of dots and would be very easy to alter.

The problem with chips is that if you go to any event where you need to be able to identify your dog you have to carry your papers with you or remember your microchip no whereas it's far easier to have a quick look in your dog's ear to find a tattoo.

I know in the UK a lot of people are having their dogs tattooed as well as chipped as a result of dog theft - a real problem there.  The tattoo is an immediate deterrant to thieves.  That works for me!

[Christine Animal]

"I know in the UK a lot of people are having their dogs tattooed as well as chipped as a result of dog theft"

Nicola, I didn't know dogs could be tattooed in England.   (We learn more and more on here every day, a wonderful source of information).  Do you mean there is a separate tattoo system, or is it their microchop number that is tattooed, and where do they do the tattoo, in the ear or under the back leg as over here?  The tattoos that look no more than a collection of dots are probably the ones that are done with a clamp, although if well done they can be easily read.

Please never forget that many pets are stolen here as well.  Never leave your dog alone in the garden in your absence, shut him in somewhere.  Also leave them as little as possible alone in the car.  As I have already said, be specially careful if there are any "gitans" in your area.

We don't want to go into what they can manage to do with a tattoo or a microchip, the best being to have both, and either is better than nothing.  Before reading your post Nicola, about dog thefts, I was thinking about having dogs tattooed twice (with the same number), once in the ear as usual, and once somewhere else under the hair where a thief could not know about it, then, if the tattoo in the ear is damaged in some way, you can still prove it is your dog by indicating the area to be shaved with the tattoo underneath.

[Callandclan]

I never had to remember my dogs microchip number, its on his disc on his collar.  I was advised to not have his name as its easier to steal them, when you know the name.  My dog has lived in the UK, Cananda, Germany and now France. He was registered on the pet passport scheme.  We neve returned to the Uk, so now in Dept 46 he does not need to have his rabies vacc anymore. I have never had a problem registering him in any country.  He is now registered in France.  Sadly at the age of 13 he looks like he may not be with us much longer.

My cat was chipped the same day he had his vaccinations as a kitten.  My vet said there was no necessity to tatoo.

The next dog with be Chipped and Pet passported for trips to the UK.

Jan

[Callandclan]

I never had to remember my dogs microchip number, its on his disc on his collar.  I was advised to not have his name as its easier to steal them, when you know the name.  My dog has lived in the UK, Cananda, Germany and now France. He was registered on the pet passport scheme.  We neve returned to the Uk, so now in Dept 46 he does not need to have his rabies vacc anymore. I have never had a problem registering him in any country.  He is now registered in France.  Sadly at the age of 13 he looks like he may not be with us much longer.

My cat was chipped the same day he had his vaccinations as a kitten.  My vet said there was no necessity to tatoo.

The next dog will be Chipped and Pet passported for trips to the UK.

Jan

[Maddie]

I thought it was the norm in France to have dogs, in particular, rabies vaccinated regardless of the pet passport scheme.  Everyone I know with dogs certainly has and it only costs an extra €3 on top of the normal annual vaccinations.  If you get stopped and asked to produce proof of rabies vaccination (which is quite possible given the recent scares) then you'd be up the creek without a paddle and in all likelihood your animal confiscated and possibly destroyed.

My dogs have both their tattoo and microchip references on all official documents - pet passports and Kennel Club/breed registrations.  It has not caused any problems and the dogs are registered in both countries' databases

The tattoo can be done on the ear for dogs (mine if perfectly clear and you would easily be able to tell if it had been altered) the other place I've seen it done is on the inner thigh.

The folk who I know in the UK who have had tattoos done are predominantly labrador owners.  There is a huge problem with labrador/gundog theft and many are taking as many precautions as they can to protect their dogs.  See http://www.dog-register.co.uk/.

[Deimos]

Certainly is. Should your dog be arrested, I have heard of dogs being put down because the owner cannot produce a current rabies certificate. Whilst this may not be the true regulations (I’m not sure), I’m told it does happen and try telling a gendarme they are wrong. I have been told by my agility club that I should always carry my dog’s rabies certificate with me when going anywhere with the dogs and we have not been involved in any of the recent incidents (not even in the next department).