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Removals and Cats


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My wife and I will be moving to France someitme in October 2009 and we would be grateful to hear from anyone who can recommend a reliable revoval firm, able to take our furniture etc from the UK to South West France.   We have a cat who will also be relocating to France with us, and we would be grateful to hear from anyone who knows the best way to make her journey comfortable and with the minimum of stress.  We have a choice between flying or driving to France but have not yet decided on the best option.

Thank you again.

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For us the best option for our cat was to drive. Transmanche ferry. We put a small litter tray in the cat's transporter cage, but left the door open so he could make himself comfortable in the car. Put his fluffy bed on the back seat. Obviously we took turns driving as it's a long drive and we did it in one go (12 hour drive)

The cat spent most of the trip curled up in the footwell behind the driver's seat. Had to be careful at toilet stops etc but for us it put much less stress on the cat than him flying.

Can't recommend a removal company - you'd need to give an indication where you're moving from anyhow. I can certainly tell you a firm NOT to use because they were rubbish!
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I would recommend Eurotunnel and not one of the ferries.

Our dog goes to France 5 times a year and I can imagine her being very frightened on a ferry car deck, especially if a little rough and the car alarms go off (by the way she is a big fierce Dobermann - do not believe all you hear).

On the Shuttle she is in the car with us so does not become distressed and the crossing is only 35 minutes.

Paul

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We brought our two cats over from Southampton via the tunnel in May 2001. Each was in one of those large plastic transporters with metal grills, intended for small dogs, with a small litter tray and water trough clipped to the inside of the cage door.

 

We set off for the tunnel just after lunch and timed our journey so as to arrive at Paris avoiding the rush hour and arriving at our new home in Deux Sevres at around 1am. They handled the journey well and stayed in the cages for the whole time, I would not have risked letting them loose in the car. They switched off, as cats do, for most of the trip. The cages had a soft blanket on the floor so they would not be sitting on cold plastic and they seemed quite happy. Tranquilizers are not recommended for cats as too many breathing problems associated with that and from our experience not needed.

 

It was quite hot weather at the time and I am glad that at least a major part of the trip was conducted in the cool of the evening and the night. We had the foot and mouth epidemic going on at the time but the French authorities at the tunnel did not want to see the cats or examine the required paperwork though things may be different now. I don't remember food being given just before or during the journey. I think the fewer changes in environment during the journey the better which is one of the reasons why we chose the tunnel.............................................JR

 

PS Some advice here http://www.purrfectcatbehavior.com/transporting_your_cat.html and make sure the water you give them en route is the stuff they are used to drinking as strange water may upset them and you don't want to drive with a cat having the squits!
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I would agree that the tunnel is probably the least stressful for cat and owner.  We did the journey from Cheshire to Pau, right down by the Pyrenees, with our cat (in a large cat box) and broke the journey with an overnight stop in one of the B&B chain hotels, which allow pets.  This worked fine and allowed the cat to stretch his legs, eat and use his litter tray with no danger of escape.  We all slept well and were in our new home by mid-afternoon the next day.  I don't know where you are based in the UK but we used Roy Trevor Ltd in Warrington who were excellent (www.roy-trevor.com).

Val

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Hello... welcome and good luck with your move.

I'm not sure where you're moving from but we moved from Devon and used Rose Removals... they were excellent.  We took our two cats in indiviual travel baskets.  We didn;t give them anything by way of drugs as we had heard this was not a good idea... it had been suggested prior to this that we give them a sedative.  We drove to the ferry and did the quick crossing (4 hours) to cherbourg.  They seemed totally fine on the other side, had a wander around the inside of the car and had a drink but didn't want to eat.  They stayed in their travel baskets until we reached the Dordogne and they just seemed to sleep the whole way.

We let them into our bedroom when we had made up our bed (a matress on the floor and sleeping bags [:)]) and they ate and drank and slept until morning.  They seemed totally unfazed by the whole thing... we were worried silly but they were fine.

Hope this helps. [:)]

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I think the tunnel better for pets, and quicker too.(Unfortunately more expensive, especially with our trailer.) We stopped en route as felt it too far to drive in one day.  Stopped at  Ibis and the cat was quite happy in the room.  Ibis had a little space outside the bathroom just right for the litter tray!  Now have a very nervous rescued dog and so will do the same when we visit UK soon. 

The French customs didn't even stop us - after we went to the trouble of getting the cat a passport.

 

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