Quaranteen rules?

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Hi Pinkbear... Strange that as a couple of years ago i had a similar call, although cannot remember the country the cats come from it was not an EU one hence the 6 months quartantine.. I think i gave her the same blurb but never did get to here about the outcome...

I think if she went public she may get a few issues sorted, i wonder if the company is local to Kent, as all quaratine facilities have to have a licence as such, issued by Defra i think....

[blackcat]

The Pet Passport was originally designed to allow ease of access in EU countries. It has been selectively extended to some OS countries, but only ones that do not have Rabies, like NZ where i brought Shadow from or Oz. While i agree that there are obvious logical consistencies, or appear to be, I am sure that none of us would want some of the nasty diseases that exist to enter the UK and threaten our pets. The quarantine period is not just for vaccinatable problems, it is also for other potential health threats against which there is no vaccine.

[Den]

It works in USA and Canada too and they have Rabies over there.

[blackcat]

The Pet Passport was originally designed to allow ease of access in EU countries. It has been selectively extended to some OS countries, but only ones that do not have Rabies, like NZ where i brought Shadow from or Oz. While i agree that there are obvious logical consistencies, or appear to be, I am sure that none of us would want some of the nasty diseases that exist to enter the UK and threaten our pets. The quarantine period is not just for vaccinatable problems, it is also for other potential health threats against which there is no vaccine.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Well, I don't think it is anyone's problem but hers, BC. There's certainly nothing that CP can do for her. 

The cats are in quarenteen here, not South Africa. But she seems to be shocked that such a threat can be made in this country. All I could do is say I'm not, as we here this PTS dangled over our heads all the ruddy time... 

But my question was, if this Pet Passport is not a universal thing that allows pets to travel from country to country, irrespective of their country of origin, what's the point of it? How come a cat or dog, who has recieved the proper vaccinations and obtained the correct paperwork, can travel from France and not South Africa? 

[blackcat]

Um she would have  had to sign an agreement with the quarantine people before leaving the animals there. She can not possibly have been oblivious to the fees and charges involved and frankly, she has created the mess, it is not something that we can sort out for her. If the animals are still i SA then one has to wonder why. They can be quarantined here. The Defra site is, as always as opaque as possible, but i know from pesronal experience that if you email them at their PETS scheme email you receive a prompt and helpful response. How is this anyone's problem but hers??!!

Apart from advice regarding her legal rights (which may be irrelevant to the SA legal framework anyway), there is not terribly much we can do that I can think of.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Well, the full story is that she has 'fallen on hard times' since arriving in this country. She knew what the bill was before she shipped the cats but now cannot pay it all off at once. 

She sounded nice enough and was fretting something awful for her cats. I told her that I think, as Mark does, that it's just a scare tactic. It seems to work on her.. 

She did offer them a payment plan, offering to pay £3000 now and the rest in installments. They refused and said it needs to be paid all at once. Of course, if it goes to court they will get sorely chastised by the magistrate as an offer to pay must be accepted in you are to enforce legal prosecution.   

I adviced her to contact the local newspaper, as well as CAB. I can't see the RSPCA touching this with a barge pole. 

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

Found my email!
This is what I was quoted in 2006 for 6 months with pretty much them doing all the work - we ended up going the other route which was cheaper/easier on the cats but it still cost £2,500 (for one cat - Little Girl sadly passed away while in foster care).

QUOTATION FOR QUARANTINING TWO CATS SHARING.. 
All administration and collection from Manchester. £250.00
All administration and collection from Heathrow. £400.00
Vet inspection and rabies vaccination on arrival for both cats. £100.00
Boarding per month for both cats sharing. £280.00
Vet inspection and flee and worming treatment on release for both cats. £ 70.00
 The above prices are subject and include value added tax.
Airway bill (depends on airport and airline.) £90.00 to 250.00
Animal health cover for quarantine period per animal.(optional) per cat. £73.25

QUARANTINE CONTRACT CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE.
 Please read the following terms and conditions and sign below. 1)A deposit of £200.00 is required in order to book kennel space. If a cancellation is made within six weeks of the arrival date. The deposit will be forfeited. If due to any delay of arrival by more than one calendar month, the deposit may be forfeited. 2)Payments to be made with the initial costs plus one month boarding in advance, paid within one week of arrival and subsequent months thereafter. All charges must be paid before an animal can be released. A surcharge may be levied if accounts are not paid by the due date.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Yes - I can't understand why she wouldn't have known the full cost of bringing her cats into the country from the outset.  Surely payment would have been discussed before now.  Something sounds very odd about this.

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

When we were looking into putting Penguin and his sister into Quaranteen they set a monthly price which was around £300, we couldn't afford it but coming from the US they were allowed to have all the tests done without going into quaranteen they just had to wait the 6 months.

We had to pay a foster lady to take them in though since they could no longer stay with my mom.

Still you had to get a quote etc from the cattery keeping them, which I can't find my email from...

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Cat's from South Africa will need to undergo 6 months quarantine once they arrive in the UK.  At the time my sister and brother in law moved over with Fuddy, the bill was roughly £700 for 6 months stay. (nearly 10 years ago)

You are permitted a weekly visit with your cat as well as the usual things included in the cost of boarding.

I do know that a) you can't transport your cat (put it on the air craft) until all relevant paperwork is in place, vaccination certificates, medical records etc including details of the cattery where the cat will be quarantined.  b) if you have the details of the cattery, then you will also know how much it will cost and they will have worked out a payment plan already.

So, with respect to this lady, either you have not been told the whole story Julie, or this cattery is dodgy and should be investigated.  If the woman hasn't told you the full story, then  1) she will have known the cost for 6 cats, as she will have had to pay for the transport of the same 6 cats and that's not cheap. Surely she would have done her homework as to what it would cost her to move countries?    2) the cattery will not have taken the cats in without her signing the relevant waivers etc (vets visits etc), and getting her to sign the payment agreement and/or taken a deposit (my sister had to pay upfront), 3) surely she would have chosen a cattery close to the city where she is now living, so will have visited... surely the money situation will have been discussed with her before that? And if she didn't I would question why.

If she can backup all discussions she had with the cattery and has relevant paperwork, etc, then it might be advisable to report the cattery  to Defra.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/pets/contacts.htm

[Den]

The Kennel/Cattery I used to work at had a thing saying any animals unclaimed will be PTS and you couldn't claim without paying. It was just a scare tactic as no animal was ever PTS but plenty of people had not payed up and a few animals got dumped  Likewise it said any items that come with the dog can't be guaranteed to be returned.

I'd have thought the owner would know the price and maybe even sign a contract. Plus everything would have been explained. Questions get asked in a normal place and I would assume Quarantine would ask a ton more.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I have a friend who came  to the UK from South Africa a bout 5 yrs ago and she had to leave her beloved dogs behind because she could not bring them into the country without quaranteen.

I know she is still heartbroken about this and she even tried to move them to a friend on the continent and get them in that way but still couldnt.

I think maybe sometimes peoples love of their animals and desperation to be with them makes them overlook the basics and hope that it will all just work out and maybe the rukles will be relaxed for them............just doesnt happen cos rabies is such a terrible disease.

There are many countries which are not party to the pet passport scheme.

I would have thought she would have sort of contract with the quaranteen kennels and that would tell her the cost and what happens if the bills are not paid.

[Mark]

The more I think about this, the more I wonder. I really think anyone would get a price before putting cats in quarantine. Maybe she is hoping someone else will pick up the tab? - call me suspicious but something isn't quite right 

[MBll]

As the cats are still the owners property they cant PTS as this is an illegal action & will find themeslves landed in court, the onwer should inform them of this.      I know this is a big bill to pay off but possible to pay something towards the cost for now & get advice/help asap.


Re rspca for advice sorry mark that would be a waste of time & phone bill ...it would be like asking that kebab shop that pink suggested for advice ...best to ask the CAB.... if i was  in this situation i would.

[Mark]

Surely she must have known the cost before putting her cats into quarantine?

Exactly!

The thing is I think it's an empty threat , if they PTS - they will never get paid - at the same time, the bill is probably mounting so she needs to sort it quickly. I would phone the RSPCA helpline if I were her (they have to be good for something?)

[Dawn F]

does the pet passport work for all of europe?

[sheryl]

Cats from cerrtain countries do still have to serve quarantine - £1000 per cat sounds abour right too Im afraid.  Could she arrange a payment plan or something.  Surely she must have known the cost before putting her cats into quarantine?

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

I took a call from a South African lady today. She's being bullied by an animal care facility over a bill of in excess of £6k for quarenteening 6 cats.  They are threatening PTS and she wanted to pick my brains... whadda I know about quarenteen! She'd be better off asking in a kebab shop! 

Anyway, I said that with hindsight, she should have organised pet passports and rabies vacines for her cats and she'd have been able to fly them straight in. She said that it wouldn't have worked as she's from South Africa and because it's a rabies country they would still have to go through quarenteen.

So... who is right?