Moving my belongings to the USA

[Blumchen 0]

Long time lurker, first time poster! I had my interview with the Vancouver Consulate on friday morning (easy peasy), and this morning I picked up my passport and visa from DHL. It was actually great timing, because I was on the way to take my fiance to the airport so he could go home, so we went there on the way! What with the Labour Day weekend, I was not expecting to get it so fast, so I am thrilled it got here while he was still around and we could receive it together. All in all, I'm so pleasantly surprised with how painless this whole process has been, and can give nothing but high praise for Vancouver's Consulate.

But that's not what my post is about..

He and I have plans to put my belongings in the back of an SUV and drive down to California. I've got a pet cat, and all my belongings are packed up in paper crates. I've been reading this article and it's a little vague in some places.

- I am unsure if Canada is a rabies free country.. Should I get a rabies vaccination for my cat?

- Does anyone have experience with driving long distances with a cat? Recommendations?

- I had some stuffies of copyrighted characters, handmade by friends... do I need to leave those behind?

- I have an NHL jersey, and it may not be authentic.. do I need to I leave that behind?

- Does border patrol go through the belongings for inspection? Do they search laptops, cds, mp3 players, etc?

- How extensive/descriptive does my itemized list of my belongings need to be?

I've been nervous about every step of my Visa process, and have done everything to the letter, so I haven't had any problems yet... but I'm only taking down items of necessity or sentimental value, and I don't want to mess up and have something seized or destroyed. Who else has driven across the border with their life in the trunk? Any suggestions?

[Inky 1,111]

This should be in the CANADA section not the k-1 section.

CBP didn't look in my Uhaul truck at all. Dog had to be up-to-date on all shots and bring vet papers but they didn't look at them.

If your importing a car you must have the compliance letter and import it at the border. You need 6$ USD to pay for the I-94 when you activate your K-1.

[Blumchen 0]

Whoops, sorry.

The car belongs to my fiance's family, so they'll have proper documentation for it. But that's very encouraging, thank you!

[TBoneTX 47,113]

Do NOT let the cat loose in your car unrestrained. If it gets under your brake pedal, look out. Also, if you open your door or even a window, the cat could bolt. A strong leash, firmly attached to a strong collar, will enable you to let the cat stretch its legs during your breaks. Finally, besides the veterinary papers, be sure that ID tags and veterinary tags are on the cat's collar, and that one ID tag has your destination address on it.

These are merely common-sense-sounding ideas that popped into my mind. The expert on importing cats (and from Canada, too!) is Kathryn41. If she doesn't naturally happen along soon, send her a PM, si man.

[hikergirl 277]

I travel in vehicles with my cat all the time. Access to the litter box is important. I take her out on her leash at rest stops to let her stretch out and breath. That's also when i offer her food and water. Her favorite blanket helps her relax and rest. My daughter will sit and brush her during trips as well. Best of luck on your trip.

[Blumchen 0]

I was thinking a carrier, and a leash with the harness... the blanket and taking her out at the rest stops is a great idea, thanks!

[kaukas 2]

My friend moved from the US to Canada with a cat and a dog, but he needed the papers to show that all the shots were current. It doesn't hurt to have them anyway unless your cat is super old. As for driving long distance with a cat in general, I usually travel with a huge crate that would probably fit minimum 3 cats (even for one cat, that is). Small kitty litter, yummier than normal canned food (if your cat fancies that), and water container should do a trick inside the crate. I also cover the crate with a blanket with only one side open so they can peek if they want, and stuff it with their favorite blanket. None of my cats wanted to eat, drink, or get out of the car. They were too scared. I let them out to roam free (stuffed the space under the seats completely so they won't sneak up on me at my feet) but they hid in the crate anyway. Some recommend acepromazine (ACE) that you can get from vets (tho you do need to dose them before hand), but I don't have personal experience with it. Some say it works like a charm.

Personally, I won't worry about a dubious jersey or handmade stuffies your friend made you unless you have a crateful of each you can potentially sell them in the US. But that's only my personal opinion. I moved to the US (long time ago) with some personal (read not commercial) things like your stuffies, but it never even crossed my mind about that, and I never got inspected in detail at the POE.

Good luck with your move, and congratulations!

Sorry for the long post; I like cats.

[canafornia 7]

I once moved from southern Ontario to Fredericton, New Brunswick with my cat, it was his first trip and I gave him this meat-flavoured valarian paste from a holistic vet. It was supposed to take three hours to work and last for three hours, but for two days on the road my cat was such a rag-doll, pupils dialated, stretched out in the sun on the dashboard of the rental van going 100km down the highway. Sorry I don't remember the name but you can google holistic vet in your area and ask for it.

Also he/she will need the rabies vaccine, we do have rabies in canada.

[Blumchen 0]

I'm going to ask around about acquiring some acepromazine, because my cat is rather tempermental and doesn't handle moves well as it is, and is facing a stressful period of adjustment.. so anything to make it easier on her, especially a full days drive, is going to really help out.

I guess the vague descriptions of what is considered pirated matter would be if i had these items in abundance. I've been trying to read up as much as possible because I've got two weeks to get it all done, and I'm working full time for those two weeks! I've read that there's some forms I need to fill out, on top of supplying the itemized list of contents for my belongings, but I can't seem to find much info on those. The pet immigration is so vague... some sites say I need the documents for my pet, rabies certificate issued 30 days or less before inspection at the POE and animals that don't pass get exported or destroyed... others say she just has to be inspected and appear free of disease communicable to humans.