JHB-CT-ISTANBUL-DUBLIN-CORK – Gandalf, Baggins, Maggie, Jimmy and Frankie- 3 dogs and 2 cats

Emigration is not for sissies.

And that holds doubly true when you emigrate with your pets. For those of you who are thick in the admin of things required before you can move, just know that there is a shite-ton of planning involved in bringing your pets, and it needs to start well in advance of your/their flight date.

If you are still thinking about whether to bring them or not, please just ensure that their annual vaccinations are up to date, including, and most importantly, their rabies shots. That way, if you do decide that you are going to bring them, your timeline is not set back by at least 4 months. You see, all animals coming into Ireland must have a Titre certificate. This is a certificate showing that rabies antibodies in their blood is at an acceptable level – meaning they have immunity (for the duration of the vaccine life cycle). And this is where the 4 months comes in. Blood for the Titre test can only be drawn 30 days from the date of their rabies shot. The blood then needs to get sent to an EU approved lab (ours was sent to a lab in Germany). Then, your pets can only fly 90 days after the blood draw – and this is presuming they have passed the Titre test. So that is 120 days from shot to flight. If the bloods fail the Titre test, a booster shot is needed and bloods are then done again, which can add another 4 months to your timeline.

We always knew that we would take the dogs and cats with us – wherever we went, so I got them poked and prodded when we were still in the ‘gathering docs’ stage in 2022, just so I knew I didn’t have that to worry about when the time came. It was also before I started tracking costs for this move properly, but I recall it being around ZAR3500 for each animal. I do know some people have been charged more than 5k per animal. Depends on your vet and the lab, I guess. The Titre test is valid for life, as long as you get that Rabies shot done within 364 days of the last one. 365 days after and it lapses. My animals had another shot done last year in SA, and they have just had their shots in Ireland. The vet here in Ireland was curious as to why I wanted to vaccinate against Rabies annually as the standard here is every 4 years. But please keep it up annually as every country in the world has different requirements, and if you want to travel around Europe with your dogs, or if you find yourself packing up and moving again, it’s best to have all bases covered.

We received our Pre-clearance approval (British and SA passport combo) in September 2023. We decided to see out the school year, have one more Christmas with loved ones, and come across in January 2024. I had planned a trip over in early December 2023 to find a pet friendly house; but not long before I flew out, my knight in shining armour, and friend of 30 years, the indomitable Megan Paine – whom all of you on this site know or know of – heard of a pet friendly house that had just become available down the road from her. I mean, how lucky could we get!!! So the house-hunting trip turned into visiting a long lost friend, and shopping for the house trip. I honestly do not know what we would have done if she hadn’t found this house. I had been looking at pet friendly Airbnb’s as we had no-one with whom we could leave 3 dogs and 2 cats; but in all honesty, that is such an expensive route to go, and I don’t know how we would have managed. If you can, I would say leave them behind until you have found a place, and then bring them over, or fly back and get them depending on whether you go through an agent or you DIY.

We wanted to do DIY all the way to save money, but in the end, the dogs went through an agent, and we DIY’d the cats in cabin with us. There were a few limiting and deciding factors which led to this arrangement. Firstly, there is a limit of 4 to the number of animals you can take with you on a flight when you are DIY’ing, which means we would have had to fly on two separate flights. I am the British passport holder. My husband held the Pre-Clearance for him and our two children. That meant that the kids would need to fly with my husband, and I would need to fly alone. I had to arrive in the country with or before them – not after. So that created logistical hurdles. Which animals would I fly with, and which would my husband fly with? We wanted the cats in cabin with us (one a barely tamed feral, and we didn’t want to chance him bolting when being handled at any layover), but most airlines only allow one animal in cabin per ADULT passenger, so then the cats would need to be split up. One with me and one with my husband; and neither of them like him much. And how would we split the dogs? Me with one cat and one dog and 2 cases, and husband with 2 kids, one cat, 2 dogs and 6 cases? Or me with one cat and two dogs, or even all 3 dogs? Two of whom are completely bonkers. I am not sure I would have managed.

We also looked at flight routings, and the shortest possible time to get to Ireland. KLM initially looked great, but at that time of the year, the layover in Amsterdam was either too short (45 mins – not enough time to offload crates from one plane, drive around and load onto next) or too long (they don’t take animals if the layover is in excess of 3 hours). When time zones change for European summer, then the layover becomes doable, so take that into consideration when you plan. Then, you have to look at the type of plane used from Amsterdam to Ireland on the days you plan to fly. Some of them can take large dog crates, but most of them cannot. We struggled to find one that was suitable for our larger dog. Also, KLM only allows 1 x 23 kg bag per passenger. Air France is another short routing, but they were just horrendously expensive, and also only allow one bag. We knew we would have more than one bag, so then we looked at prices for excess baggage, and prices for flying animals. Oh, and you can only DIY your pets from Cape Town as ORTIA does not have the facilities for animal handling close enough to the terminal. We looked at flying all 5 animals down to CT on Cemair, and on all other airlines. The amount we would have to have paid in tickets and excess baggage was eye-watering.

In the end, with all the additional costs involved in getting all animals and extra baggage down to CT for a DIY flight, it ended up being around the same cost to go through an agent for the dogs, who would then fly from Jhb. This also meant all 4 human family members could fly together. If only it was possible to DIY from Jhb, that would have been a real saving! We went with Fox Creek On The Move. They were slightly cheaper than all the others, way cheaper than some. But they also said they would throw in the documentation and state vet clearance for our cats too (even though this is a simple process; just book an appointment well in advance, within 5 days of travel, and take all correctly completed documents with you. Please join the Facebook page EMBARK South Africans Emigrating with Pets for all the information. The have files with step-by-step instructions of what to do when for DIY); and the dogs boarded at their wonderful kennels for one night free of charge before they flew out as well. In addition, they built custom wooden crates for the dogs, which were far cheaper than the plastic airline compliant crates we would need to have bought.

We ended up booking on Turkish Airlines. I had heard some horror stories of animals flying with Turkish Airlines in the hold – being forgotten and left in cages for days on end with no food or water, animals escaping etc. But as the cats were coming in cabin with us, I knew they would be looked after and not forgotten – and the tickets were much cheaper than all the alternatives, and they allowed 2 x 23kg bags. If you have a cat, you have to book a window seat, and there is a surcharge for prebooking seats. I had to book 2 window seats, and it was an extra 4 grand. I have given a cost breakdown below. Have not included the cost of our tickets – just the cost of the animal component. I’ve also included van hire costs to give you an idea.

A couple of days before departure, the agent came and dropped off the dog crates, and collected the dogs’ and cats’ documents (my cats had just had their ready to fly appointment at the vet). On Monday 15^th Jan we picked up the big van that we had hired to get us, our cats, and our luggage to CT. Looking at how packed that thing was, I don’t think we would have fitted another 3 dogs and their plastic crates as well. So perhaps it would have been 2 hired vans down to CT. The agent came to collect my dogs that afternoon, and dropped off the cats’ state vet certificates and all their docs they would need to travel. The agent had found decently priced tickets for the dogs on Emirates, but it did mean that the dogs needed to spend a day and night at the animal handling centre in Dubai as their flight from Jhb to Dubai landed shortly after the flight from Dubai to Dublin left. I wasn’t thrilled with this, but the only other flights available would have them arriving in Ireland a day before us, and they would have had to board overnight anyway, and the animal handling centre in Dubai is world class, with loads of staff, and vets on call. Facilities are great and the animals are let out for exercise and sleep in much roomier accommodation than their crates. And they send regular reports to the agents who then send them on to us. Not all airlines do this, so my mind was put somewhat at ease.

So back to Monday 15^th, whilst we spent our final night in our empty home, sleeping on the floor, my dogs were having a ball at Fox Creek. We got video footage of them that evening and running around the next day. My one dog, Maggie, did get a bit stressed that night, so she was taken out of the kennels and taken into their home.

We left Jhb very early morning on Tuesday 16^th Jan in the massive van with the cats in their special collapsible cat carriers, that were of the correct size to fit under the seat in front of you on the plane. We had a fold up litter box set up under one of the seats in the van and water under another. Extra litter was packed in my carry on bag. Baggins wailed a bit to start, and then they were both very silent. We eventually let them out of their carriers, and they stalked around the van wide eyed, before jamming themselves into the smallest, most inaccessible spot they could find. They did not like the car.

We got to our pet friendly accommodation in the Karoo early afternoon and let them out to roam the small apartment – making sure all windows and doors were very secure before we did that. Neither one had used the litter box in the car, but they both wee’d almost immediately, and both pooped overnight. They ate well and were in fairly good spirits after most of the day in the car. Got news that the dogs were good, were being loaded onto their flight to Dubai, and got videos and pictures of them at the airport. They flew out that night.

We timed our departure the next morning, Wednesday 17^th Jan so we would get to CT International in good time for our flight, but not with too much time to kill with two cats at the airport. We checked our bags in, and then I went to pay for the cats (counter just around the corner – almost like paying for excess baggage). I had been stressing so much about the part where you have to take the cats out of the carriers at customs and walk them through the metal detector with the bag going through the x-ray machine. I had visions of them going mental, getting out of my clutches, and bolting through this huge terminal with throngs of people, terrified out of their minds. So when I had to take them out, I kept a tight hold on their harness and lead (which we had put on before getting out of the van), and folded my shoulders, arms and head around them. They were so terrified they remained completely still and sunk into me. I took them through one by one. We then went to one of the lounges to get away from the noise, but the aircon was broken and it was unbearably hot. It was actually cooler down at departures. We found a relatively quiet spot, and opened up the carriers’ expanding sides to allow the cats more room. We had in the meantime received news that the dogs had arrived safely in Dubai, their wellness check was positive, they were settled in the animal centre, had all been fed and watered, were out of their crates and had gone to the loo without issue.

Then we boarded. And the hell started.

The plane was very full. Two cats are not allowed to be near each other on flights. One had to be with me, and one had to be with my husband – airline rules. The cats are better with me and my daughter, so my daughter sat with my husband, and my son sat with me – about 10 rows apart. Luckily, we each had a seat between us. However, we were told very early on that the cats had to be under the seat in front of us, and under no circumstances could we have the cat on the middle seat, even in the carrier. Now, for all that the bags were bought because they were supposedly the size of the space below the seats, they weren’t fitting. Maybe the manufacturer failed to take the life jacket housing into consideration. With much squashing and manhandling we managed to get the carriers about ¾ of the way under, but the cats had to be lying down flat, and there was no way in hell they would be able to move or turn around or even curl into a ball to sleep. I am still thankful for that middle seat (even if it went unused), because if the cats had been at our feet, our feet would have had nowhere to go.

Baggins started crying almost immediately we sat down. And would not shut up as long as he was in the carrier. I spent most of the night going back and forth to the loo with him so I could take him out of the carrier. Even in the tiny loo he was desperately looking for an exit. He kept thinking the mirrors were openings and leapt at them, faceplanting against them and dropping to the floor. He cried in there too, but at least he ate, drank and used the facilities (my roll up litter box). Gandalf (the tamed feral) was silent throughout the flight. I did fetch him a few times to take him to the loo and let him out. He didn’t eat, didn’t drink, didn’t wee and didn’t poo. I was worried, but sucked it up because I thought we could let them out at the pet relief area in Istanbul airport and settle them during our layover.

When we landed in Istanbul early on the Thursday morning, I hadn’t slept a wink, and my family hadn’t fared much better. Emotions were high. I was super stressed, and Baggins was still crying. Prior to flying, I had read up that there were two pet relief areas after the security check at departures. I didn’t see any. I asked and was met with blank stares. No one seemed to know what I was talking about, and the language barrier didn’t help. Someone took me to a family bathroom, but there were huge gaps under the doors, and multiple escape routes so I could not risk letting the cats out. That airport is MASSIVE! My aimless wondering didn’t get me stumbling across any pet relief area. Baggins screaming, Gandalf not drinking or weeing, me worried about his kidneys now and almost crying, husband very annoyed with my stressed state, kids exhausted. It was not a happy time.

We again found a quietish spot close to our departure gate, opened up the side flaps of the carriers so they cats could move around a little, and tried to block them from the rest of the world. Baggins stopped crying for a time; Gandalf still wouldn’t eat or drink anything. When we boarded the thankfully shorter flight from Istanbul to Dublin Baggins started wailing inconsolably again. So it was another flight spent in the lav with him, with staff and passengers glaring. Rows were only two seats wide, so there was no extra floor space, and the seats, leg room and under seat space seemed to be even more cramped. I wanted to kiss the ground when we landed in Dublin; but it was -4⁰C; and totally ice encrusted. The grass along the runway looked like a field of crystals.

Thankfully customs was pretty smooth sailing, although we did queue for some time. Baggins was still wailing but this time he was being answered by another cat wailing up ahead of us in the queue. At least it wasn’t only us! Our luggage came out relatively quickly, and then we went to animal clearance desk, which was very easy to find. They checked microchips, took all the documents to the back to check and process, and then we paid the €50 per cat. Was very quick.

We had hired another big van to drive down to Cork. There are flights into Cork, but not with Turkish Airlines, or any of the other airlines with larger baggage allowances that would allow cats in cabin. The cats were so relieved to be out of their carriers in the car. But no eating, drinking, pooping or weeing. By the time we got on the road, I got the alert that our dogs had landed (about an hour after us) and they were starting the clearance process. I was worried about them being stuck on the plane, or taken somewhere without heating. It was seriously cold! I think it was the coldest snap of the entire winter. I was emailed an invoice from the animal handling agent in Dublin, which I paid immediately so they could clear the dogs. I had also arranged transport for the dogs from Dublin to Cork on the same day. It was cheaper than us hiring a second vehicle to accommodate the dogs. And that’s all I heard from them, which was very disconcerting. Wasn’t told if they were okay, or where they were being taken. Nothing.

Our drive down to Cork was easy. Cats were dead quiet and hiding again in the most inaccessible spots in the car. When I had visited in December, I had bought litter boxes, litter, food etc; My darling Megan had come down to the house earlier in the day, had made beds, set up litter boxes, delivered a delicious lasagne and salad, stocked up on all the basics and turned the heating on. And was there to great us. What a relief it was to see a friendly face, smiling through the tears; I collapsed into that hug.

We got the cats out first. Each went into their own room to decompress. Gandalf the feral had only been with us since May 2023; we rescued him when he had a broken leg out in the ‘wild’; and him and Baggins were still not on friendly terms. Baggins made swift use of the litter box, ate and drank. Gandalf didn’t eat, drank a couple of sips, and didn’t use the litter box. And this went on for days…

It was mid afternoon when I finally got a call from the chap driving the dogs down to let me know what time he expected to arrive. I could hear Jimmy (13 year old Jack Russell) barking his head off in the back, and he sounded hoarse. I asked about the state of the dogs. He said that Jimmy had not stopped barking since getting in the van. He also told me that when they offloaded Maggie, she was found with her foot half protruding from the top of the door of the crate. She had somehow managed to work the top closure loose and got her paw through the gap. She could not pull her paw back in though. Her dewlap was shredded, and it is unknown how long she was left standing on her hind legs with her paw stuck. The vet at Dublin airport did check her over and said that she would need some basic wound care, but barring infection, would be okay. There were no issues with my third dog Frankie, but I just wanted all of them home! They arrived early evening, and were so excited to see us! The state of Maggie and Jimmy’s crates were not for the faint of heart. Poo everywhere! Maggie had completely destroyed her food and water bowls. Wonder if that happened on the first or second leg. Jimmy still had some water. Frankie’s water had spilled all over her bedding and she was freezing! I am not convinced there was heating in the back of the van. So the dogs had a good bath first thing, and took a while to calm down; but then fell into a deep sleep.

Maggie, Frankie (dogs) and Baggins (cat) bounced back very quickly, although Baggins was furious being confined to a room (and then to the house) for a month – he’s a real wanderer and has a tracker around his neck so he doesn’t get lost in this new world. Jimmy (old dog) had severe separation anxiety and would bark nonstop when we left the house and wouldn’t stop until we returned. It has vastly improved over the last 4 months’, and he isn’t barking anymore when we go out. Gandalf was dehydrated and severely constipated and had a few trips to the vet, was eventually put on a drip and had to have his bowel cleared out under sedation. Because there had been no movement for a few days, everything had turned rock hard, and he just couldn’t pass any of it. He had stay at the vet overnight. All exceptionally traumatic for a mostly feral cat. It took about 3 weeks for him to get better, and he is so happy now. One of the good things about the cats going through this trauma together, and being in jail for a month is they are now firmly bonded, and absolutely adore each other.

It was a very stressful process for us and the animals, but I am still so glad we have brought them over. We will not be putting them through that again in a hurry, so Ireland is stuck with us! If I had to do it again though, I would still go the DIY route (for all of them if we had 4 or less), but I would put the cats in the hold rather than have them in cabin. They would have been happier I think with more room to move around, and with the dark and quiet. And we would have also been less stressed.

Breakdown of costs: