Kitty is a Brit!

Though he officially landed in the U.K. January 8th, I wanted to make sure I had proper photos only after he had some time to get over the jet lag and get accustomed to his new home.  Things went just fine - at least the part I witnessed.

For those of you who haven't had the privilege of moving a pet to the U.K. there is a crazy amount of process you need to go through, starting 7-8 months in advance of the move.  

There is the microchipping, then the rabies shot, then the blood test to prove he had a rabies shot, which requires a certificate from the University of Kansas.  Then, all of this information must be gathered and entered into an official government form by a certified veterinarian, which then must be signed by the USDA in Des Plaines, IL.  Then, 6 months of waiting (for me, for him it was more like 6 months at Grandma's house getting all the goodies you want).

Finally, two weeks before departure you book a ticket with one of only two certified airlines allowed to transport pets into the U.K.  The cage needs to be precisely measured to pre-set multiplicative factors to your pet's dimensions, and he must be given a flea and tick treatment no more or less than 24 hours before flight time, again by a certified vet that must enter all this batch information into the now sacred form.

The day of the flight they need to arrive in the cargo area four hours prior to takeoff, where he is succumbed to some pretty intense screening.  All went well - we passed.  So, off he went, to what I am sure was some pretty scary circumstances, until about 14 hours later when I picked him up outside of Heathrow airport.

All in all, he really didn't seemed to rattled.  However, in the cab on the way home, he was struggling to keep his eyes open and his head up ... poor guy, he did so good!  Now, my little buddy is happy in his new home, that is so quiet and warm!  And, he has his Mom with him again - 14 years and still going strong.