Relocating my cats from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur

Early this year, my father passed away in January 2022. 

It was quite a difficult time especially for my mother, as my parents have been married for 50 years. My mother requested that I come home to stay/help/accompany her…

 My mother is now 70, and lives alone at home. My brother stays an hour away. It was not an idea that I was enthusiastic about, but I have only one mother. 

 Below are the pictures of my two cats. I own two cats. One is Thor. The other is Blackie. They are now 4 years old and have lived in Melbourne through 4 Autumns. 

 When I made the decision to bring them along with me, my mothr was not keen on the idea. It was not that she didn’t like cats, but she was of the older generation that didn’t like to spend more money than is necessary. 

 In a way, my mother and father lived quite a simple, and frugal lifestyle. More so my father, as he had come from a poor family, and only has one mother to raise two children in the 1940s. 

 Starting the research: 

 To start the research, I had to find animal exporters both in Melbourne, and Kuala Lumpur. It was in 5 months after I returned to Melbourne, that I could only start the process. 

 The cats had to take their rabies vaccine (quite expensive for two cats!) before the importer could make a booking with the Malaysian Quarantine dept. 

 Then the cats also needed to take their F4 vaccines (which is the common yearly vaccines domestic cats in Melbourne are encouraged to take on an annual basis). 

 After that, I could get the importer to arrange for a date for the cats to go into quarantine.

 Another word of caution: give at least 2 months prior to booking the rooms, as the rooms get booked out quickly! 14 days prior to my flight to Kuala Lumpur, I had to take my cats for a Hendra test. 

The Hendra test was the super bomb expensive at $600 per cat! 

That was also a nightmare, as Malaysia doesn’t accept Hendra Test results that are more than 14 days old. 

I had to push the vet who did their blood tests to get their results in time! 10 days prior to my flight to KL, I scheduled for the cats to be picked up by the Exporter. 

The cats did not need to fly with me, and it was encouraged that they leave earlier so the owner can settle things or tidy up the house without the cats around (less stressful for them).

 On arrival in KL, they were picked up by the Importer at the airport. If the cats arrive at night, they have to be sent to an animal hostel first (which will cost a bit more) for the owner. 

 My cats ended up staying at the Quarantine for over 14 days being looked after by the importer’s company and his staff. 

 IT WAS WORTH IT 

 How much did it cost? It cost too much..

 In Australian dollars, it cost me at least $6,000+. 

But it was worth it, coz it was my own money, and I could not bear the thought of the cats being sent back to the council or the shelter at this stage of their life. 

 Sending them to the council could mean that they be put to sleep again, or they might not find another caring owner. ..

 HOW ARE THE CATS NOW? 

 They are now in Malaysia, adapting to a new climate and shedding their winter coat like mad 😂

 Transitioning their diet to home made cat food has been a nightmare as Thor turns his nose up on home made food (without all the manufactured chemical additives in factory made ones). 

 Blackie is a bit more open to dietary changes, but he still likes factory made food. It's a conspiracy, I say.