Getting our cat to Bulgaria

Try contacting some of the animal rehoming charities - they often take animals to Europe, and I'd guess the UK also from time to time.  If they have an otherwise fairly empty van returning to BG they might be willing to do a deal...

Otherwise, I guess you're looking at maybe driving some furniture or whatever over before the main move and bringing the cat with you, then driving the car back to sell - assuming you have someone here to look after it until you return..

We have a house but haven't made the move yet. With five (possibly six, another seems to have adopted us) cats, the cost of moving them with a pet moving company would almost pay to fly them there on a private jet! Or to buy a left-hand drive campervan on ebay to drive the mob there.

If you decide to drive your household goods over yourself, it should be easy enough to set up a nice big puppy crate securely strapped in for the mog to travel in.

@71terrythetree

For 2k for the cat, plus your own costs for flying, it seems very tempting to drive over in your own car. Especially as you can fill it up with far more stuff than you could easily take on a plane, and you'll immediately have a vehicle in Bulgaria instead of a rental. If you get a new MOT before leaving, you can hang out with it in Bulgaria for the best part of a year. Then drive it back to UK, get a fresh MOT, and sell it there, or re-register it in Bulgaria and keep it. We have 3 UK vehicles (2 cars and a motorcycle), plus a small trailer. All Ebay bargains, and far cheaper than buying equivalents here. The RHD is a minor inconvenience as far as I'm concerned, especially as they've been dirt cheap runabouts for some years. The full Vectra and trailer was a ton of stuff, I still haven't unpacked most of it. :-)

@janemulberry

You are aware that EU law only permits 5 pets (which to the EU means dogs/cats/ferrets 😂) to be imported?  More than 5 requires you to provide proof that they're over 6 months old and are "participating in a competition, exhibition or sporting event"...whether BG frontier control will give two hoots is another matter, but I'd be loath to take any chances on such an emotional issue.

Hi, sorry I'm confused, I only have one cat, that's it for pets unless I count the kids as pets too

Sorry, just saw that you were commenting on another person's post

Hi, sorry I'm confused, I only have one cat, that's it for pets unless I count the kids as pets too - @71terrythetree

That was aimed at Jane 😎

Thanks, Jim, yes, I know.  We probably couldn't try to get all six in at once, and it's possible the cat that adopted us might decide to return full-time to her "official" home, just a few doors away,  before we move. She does spend some time there still, but far more time in our garden. But if she chooses to move back, that would resolve the issue.

She does seem much happier and healthier since being with us,. Poor girl was dumped with a family member when her previous human, a single woman, moved overseas. But the family member has three active noisy kids, the cat became stressed as she was used to a quieter life, and she developed a massive overgrooming problem. When I first saw her in our garden, she had a full normal coat of furn on the front half and was completely bald from the waist down! We've treated her and given her a peaceful environment, and her fur has grown back. But she doesn't come in our house, and I'm not sure she'd cope well with being moved.

As far as I know, more than five can be moved in total, it just has to be in separate batches, and to avoid any issues it would be best to use a different name on the manifest and even a different address. But this cat presents a problem. It wouldn't be right to just move away and leave her to cope with the stress of her other home. But it might not be fair to her to ask if they would give her to us, and then expose her to that huge stress of moving so far, either. Plus her original human may return to the UK and claim her back. So it's a conundrum that almost makes me glad we have two years to wait before we can move!

@71terrythetree

I'm not sure you can put the kids in puppy crates in the back of the van for the drive, though it could make for a quieter trip!

Sorry, I hijacked your thread by discussing our moving intentions!

@janemulberry

It's not unusual for cats to "go missing"...😎

One of ours in London did, until the Canuck couple a few doors down fessed up to "alienating his affections", as the old divorce petitions used to say.  He was a gentle and unassuming soul, and finding himself with 7 feline brothers and sister and two huge canine cousins was more than his disposition could handle.  We waved him off when he eventually flew off to his new home in Canada...

@71terrythetree
I'm not sure you can put the kids in puppy crates in the back of the van for the drive, though it could make for a quieter trip!
Sorry, I hijacked your thread by discussing our moving intentions! - @janemulberry

A couple of tranquillisers would do the trick - for any of the family who make too much noise...😎