Cats moving to Australia- what would you do?

stir_crazy

Oh, if the OP does try to rehome the cats herself, I would advise against advertising as "free to a good home". This allows people who are not suitable pet owners to pick up animals easily and possibly abuse them. Charge for the pets, and offset it with food or bowls or litter trays and the incentive that other people have recommended.

duchy

On such old cats the stress of such a long journey would be awful.
Frankly you have twelve months to find them both good new homes -if you really don't want to put them to sleep (which would be awful) you have lots of time to find them homes and ensure they are settled . Yes it would mean you would be letting them go before you actually leave......but you do owe these cats a responsibility for their well being so it would be the decent thing to do.

candytwinkle

Wow .. thanks for the replies. The thought of being without my cats is unbearable but circumstances are what they are, and it's my job to ensure I make the right decision for them. Im not going into
personal details about why were emigrating.
For those of you who can see into the future and know exactly how your life will be for the next 15 years or so, all i can say is ..well done. Can I come and live in your world, do you have any idea how impossible that is??
For the person who called me "a disgusting person" and the people who thanked them for it! humm ... well what can I say. Probably best not to respond to that remark.

candytwinkle

This is going to be one of the hardest decisions of my life and it's not something I am looking forward too which ever way i choose to go.
Putting them to sleep was never really an option, but I would do it if it was best for them. I cried when I had to leave her at the vets for her thyroid operation.

We have always lived in the country and now live in a quite road, backing onto fields in South Devon so if we rehouse them It will have to be a very strict remit .. rural location, no other pets, must be housed together etc

I really can't bear the thought of being without them and hadn't considered the fact they would be house cats if we took them to Aus as they have always been free to go in and out. Thanks for that info

Please don't reply to my post if you are going to insult me there really is no need for it.

Mojisola

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

But this is where I have to be brutely honest OP, you say you adore them and that they're part of your family....then how could you even think about putting them to sleep? It makes me so angry when people say that :mad: Any vet who would ptts wants struck off in my opinion. They could live out the rest of their days in a happy home somewhere.

candytwinkle wrote: »

This is going to be one of the hardest decisions of my life and it's not something I am looking forward too which ever way i choose to go.

Putting them to sleep was never really an option, but I would do it if it was best for them. I cried when I had to leave her at the vets for her thyroid operation.

Sometimes choices have to be made which are very difficult. I may be going to upset some people but if I was in candy's situation and I couldn't rehome the cats with people I was confident would care for them, I would rather they were put to sleep.

Knowing that they had gone gently after a good life with me would be preferable to them spending their last years separated or not cared for or having health issues neglected and so on.

Putting them through the journey to Australia and all the stress involved with that wouldn't even be an option I'd consider.

Troutwrestler

Iain_L wrote: »

Maybe one of you that's vilifying the OP would step in and offer a home for her cats.

It's very easy to be judgemental without knowing all the facts. Let's stick with trying to help shall we.

Iain

I would but I have or already stepped in to take three cats who were left to sleep behind wheelies bins in all weathers because they didn't like the owners new puppy. :mad:

As someone said a pet in a lifelong commitment, for me there is no get out clause, I would have been slightly more sympathetic with the op had she not suggested killing them as a solution.

Troutwrestler

Op try putting a notice up in your vets, or ask your vet if he knows anyone who could help. I acquired 2 cats this way, my vet called asking if I would be interested in taking them on..worth a shot

gingin_2

Troutwrestler wrote: »

I would but I have or already stepped in to take three cats who were left to sleep behind wheelies bins in all weathers because they didn't like the owners new puppy. :mad:

As someone said a pet in a lifelong commitment, for me there is no get out clause, I would have been slightly more sympathetic with the op had she not suggested killing them as a solution.

It was the last option of 3, I take it to mean the last resort. It's obvious she wants what's best, she's explained she has to go to Oz and is trying to find what's fairest for her cats. Some people are jumping on one comment she has made and ignoring everything else that points to her being a good cat owner.

MillieMoodle

Quick note as an experienced pet traveler who brought 4 cats to the UK from the US, the planes will not let you sedate them! I never thought mine would do ok on a flight - we had 2 that were 5 yrs old, 1 who was almost 10 and the last one which was 14 yrs old (and lived to be 18 here). All made it on the flight. It was work to bring them here but I couldn't live with myself in any other way. We had a 5th who was planned to come and she got sick a few months beforehand. My husband and I discussed how to handle her as she was very sick with kidney problems and I said as long as she is alive I wouldn't give her up (and I knew no one would take an older and sick kitty). She eventually has cancer and passed away before we left - I feel it was her way of saying I can't make the trip with you. She was a great kitty and I am glad I never gave up on her and let her make that decision. But for the others, two of which were older and certainly were not kitties I would have expected to do so well, made it fine. One lived for another 4 years to a ripe old age and the other is still going. The younger two are also perfectly fine and we've come into possession two more (it seems the world was determined for us to have 5 so for each loss, a new one showed up at our doorstep very soon after - literally). One of them was a left kitty from landlords who left to Singapore (though I wouldn't recommend that you bet that your next occupants will take a cat - they were lucky with us)

But as it is a year out, prepare is my best advice. Find them a home or figure out what is necessary to take them. For us it was a long process with rabies vaccinations, airplane requirements (there can be heat embargoes), worming and fleas, microchipping, etc. It took us the best part of a year to prepare. I do not know Oz's requirements but if there is any chance you would take them and then if there is any chance you might show up again in the UK, you'll need to be prepared for all of it with their health.

So conclusion - I couldn't put mine to sleep. You are their caretakers, they've depended on you and trusted that when you took them, you understood their lives were in your hands. Find them a good home, consider taking them (and prepare for it!!!) but putting them to sleep doesn't seem like an option that considers their well being, certainly not anymore than putting them on a plane!

MillieMoodle

oh and I might add, just as I see the comment about not knowing what the future could hold for the poster, well we certainly didn't. In fact, our lives haven't been easy since coming here and we've moved 3 more times, apart from our international move, across the country. So life isn't easy and no we can't know that we have security but it depends on if you have the persistence to see it through - all kitties (including the one who was the oldest) made it through all of that! 4 moves and 5 different houses. Not trying to be rude but I feel it is necessary to say it isn't impossible - I am proof of 5 years of much uncertainty in a new country and difficulty and bringing kitties who have been happy and healthy with me each step of the way.