Everything you need to know when you’re going to travel with a cat

It may not be common to travel abroad with a cat, but when it happens, it’s important that you know what applies. The requirements are different depending on the country you’re traveling to, both when traveling out of Sweden and when returning. What applies in your case depends on which country you plan to visit. Mainly it’s what the rabies situation is like in the country you’re visiting that you need to prepare for. The world’s countries are divided into three categories depending on how widespread rabies is in each country:

1. EU countries and other countries with working routines for detecting rabies.
2. Countries outside the EU where the rabies situation is documented and followed up.
3. Countries outside the EU where the rabies situation isn’t under control.

1. Travel with a cat to EU countries and other countries with working routines to detect rabies

When you travel to EU countries and countries outside the EU with functioning routines to detect rabies, you have to make sure that your cat, among other things:

• is ID tagged with a chip by a veterinarian or approved ID tagger.
• is ID marked with an ISO microchip by a veterinarian. The rabies vaccine has to be valid for the duration of your trip and also be approved in the country you’re visiting. Otherwise, you need to revaccinate your cat during the trip.
• has a pet passport where the date of or reading of the ID tag and ID number is stated.

When you travel back to Sweden, you have to register your cat with customs. You can either do this when your passing through customs or in advance on the Swedish Customs Administration’s website.

2. Countries outside the EU where the rabies situation is documented and followed up.

According to the World Health Organization, several countries outside the EU have working routines for detecting rabies. You can check which countries these are on the Swedish Agricultural Agency’s website. When traveling to one of these countries with your cat, you have to ensure that your cat, among other things:

• is ID marked with an ISO microchip by a veterinarian.
• is ID marked with an ISO microchip by a veterinarian. The rabies vaccine has to be valid for the duration of your trip and also be approved in the country you’re visiting. Otherwise, you need to revaccinate your cat during the trip.

Some cats, despite vaccination, don’t have sufficient antibody protection against rabies. So you also have to make sure your cat has enough antibodies against rabies by taking a blood test from your cat before you travel. This can be done by a titer test.

When traveling back to Sweden, you can use your cat’s EU passport as long as the cat’s rabies vaccination was entered in the passport before you left Sweden/EU. This means that the vaccination has to be valid throughout your entire trip. You also need to register your cat with customs when returning to Sweden.

3. Travel with a cat to countries outside the EU where the rabies situation isn’t under control

If you’re planning to travel to a country that doesn’t have control over the rabies situation, it’s important you’re careful with your cat. You can easily check which countries have problems with rabies on the website of the Swedish Agricultural Agency. If you plan to travel to one of these countries, you have to ensure that your cat, among other things:

• is ID marked with an ISO microchip by a veterinarian.
• is vaccinated against rabies but only after the cat has been ID marked. The rabies vaccine has to be valid for the duration of your trip and also be approved in the country you’re visiting. Otherwise, you need to revaccinate your cat during the trip.
• has done a titer test. Meaning your cat has been to a vet who has checked that your cat has enough antibodies against rabies through a blood sample. The test can only be done at the earliest 30 days after your cat has been vaccinated against rabies.

When you travel back to Sweden, you can use your cat’s EU passport as long as both the cat’s rabies vaccination and the titer test was entered in the passport before you left Sweden/EU. This means that the vaccination has to be valid throughout your entire trip. You also need to register your cat with customs when returning to Sweden.

It’s not just rabies that can be a problem

In addition to keeping track of the rabies situation, there can be other requirements for traveling with a cat. The best way to find out what the requirements are is by contacting the country’s veterinary authority. For example, some countries require that the cat is dewormed against echinococcosis. And some countries only allow certain breeds of cats in the country.

Even the airlines sometimes have special requirements that you need to check before traveling. In addition, if the cat isn’t traveling with you, you need to obtain a pet owner’s declaration that gives authorization and states that you have allowed your cat to travel with another agent. You also need to send copies of your travel bookings so the agents know when you’re traveling and through which countries.

In Sweden there’s no quarantine for cats. This means that if you travel with your cat and don’t meet the requirements, you risk your cat not being allowed to enter Sweden. For safety’s sake, bring a chip reader with you that you have tested reading your cat’s chip. Otherwise, if the chip can’t be read at customs, you risk your cat not being allowed to enter in to the country.