Cat Export Preparations Update #1

So, last month I mentioned the astronomical costs associated with taking our cats with us to the Philippines and detailed exactly what some of those costs are.  Today, we had the opportunity to take that list down a notch by getting our cats their first round of vaccinations.

We had to do some searching around for good pricing.  I was really surprised by how much prices on the same set of shots varies from vet to vet here in Singapore.  The low end was 21 SGD and the high end was 54 SGD.  We did the sensible thing and went to Clinic For Pets in Geylang, which was charging the lower amount.  It’s farther away, but since we were doing multiple cats at once it balanced out the extra taxi fare in the end.

The cats received a 3-in-1 shot that included Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calici-Panleukopenia, and Chlamydia Psitacci Vaccine.  Did you know cats can get Chlamydia?  I didn’t.  I recently found out that cats can carry a feline version of HIV too.  We were also given deworming tabs and a medical strength shampoo to apply to their coats to make sure any fleas, lice, etc are completely eradicated.  Those are supposed to be applied within 7 days of their departure, to be noted on the Health Certificate we have to get from the vet, which in turn has to be certified by the AVA.

There’s still a lot more to go in this process, but the fact that we’ve taken the first step is a relief.  Honestly, if not for these cats I could just buy a ticket and board a plane, but I’m not the kind of cruel bastard that just dumps my cats when it becomes inconvenient.

Total ‘damages’ so far: 108 SGD (shots, tablets, shampoo, taxi fare)
Total to go: Roughly 780 SGD

As for the cats themselves, they seem to be taking it pretty well.  They didn’t much like the ride to the vet, but they were quiet while there and on the way back home, even when we got caught in a deluge of rain while trying to hail a cab.  Dapper still seems a little shook up and is seeking refuge in the dirty laundry basket along with my smelly socks and used underwear.  I don’t know why but she really likes it in there.  I think the noise and all the stuff going on around her while she was in the carrier rattled her nerves.  She’s sensitive.  She grew up in an apartment on the 13th floor, so she’s used to things being quiet, peaceful and relatively unchanging.  Even now we’re on the 3rd floor so she looks out the window and watches things below her from a ‘safe’ perch.  She must have been really unhappy to actually be in the middle of everything with buses, trucks, and cars zooming by on the road and the train shooting past us overhead.  Poor thing.  I’m sure she’ll be fine in the morning!

I’ll keep a running log of updates on their status here on my blog, of course, and when it’s all done with I plan on writing up a detailed post about taking cats from Singapore to the Philippines, that way someone else can easily follow the steps without having to comb through so many different government web sites for information.  I’ll probably set that up as the first post on my Philippines blog, after I stop publishing to my Singapore blog.

Update: I rolled all of my blogs into just this one, so the last sentence above can be disregarded. For a detailed look at the export process from Singapore and the import process to the Philippines for dogs and cats, please see the following link:

http://www.bradleyfarless.com/importing-your-cats-to-the-philippines-from-singapore/

The above-linked page includes detailed information and examples of the web pages and forms used in the process.