-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by MoTokyo » Thu, 16 Nov 2006 3:53 am
Hi Trudi,
I currently have 2 cats at the AVA quarantine facility, and yes they do allow friendly pets to stay together. If they fight or harm each other, they will be separated or so I've been told. I would not recommend placing them in the outdoor facility, it is best to have them stay in the air conditioned facility. The humidity, mosquitoes, torrential rainfall and sounds of howling dogs will probably be more than most cats in a strange and unfamiliar place can bare, which is why I recommend the AC facility.
Request a room facing the outdoor area if possible. They have 2 rows (maybe 12 per side) in the air conditioned facility for cats, with the outdoor-view seemingly smaller than the rooms facing the wall. A trade off I suppose.
The size of the room is around 3 1/2ft. wide, 6ft. depth and maybe 10ft. height with glass windows on either side so cats can watch each other. All rooms also have a top ledge for cats to sleep on, it is around 1 1/2ft. depth.
The AVA Website says all items brought into these kennels may be destroyed after the quarantine stay but so long as the cats don't appear sick, they'll release any items you place in the kennels after their quarantine period. I placed a cat bed, scratching post, and blanket on the ledge for my cats. They also allow you to bring your own food and will feed based upon the animals time schedule / diet.
While expensive considering the mandatory placement, the facility is well run and staffed with friendly personell. Additionally, the quarantine area for cats is sound-proof so they won't hear dogs (air conditioned rooms only), and classical music is played non-stop during the daytime. My cats were frantic the first couple of days but quickly settled in afterwards.
It is very important to reserve a room for the cats at the earliest possible date as the facility has a lot of pets moving through quarantine and you wouldn't want your cats to be in the outdoor facility !
Flying -
If you're flying for more than 4 hours, I don't think any airliner would allow you to place the cats onboard. This being the probable scenario, it is best to book available room for your cats well in advance as most planes only have 2 or 3 kennel slots in the luggage compartment per flight. Not to worry though as the area should be climate controlled and well separated from the luggage compartments. When I fly with cats I usually stop their food intake 6 hours before the flight and water-3 hours prior to boarding.
The process explained from A-Z for anyone interested:
If you're importing the cats personally and arranging all of the paperwork, I can explain the process quickly as it took me a bit of legwork to figure everything out. The process is a lot easier than it seems :
1. Each cat will need 2 separate vaccinations (3 + 2) consisting of the 5 listed on the AVA Website. The vaccinations must be completed between 2 weeks - 1 year prior to export. They will also need to be microchipped with an ISO standard tag. 3 days prior to export, each cat needs an anti-parasite pill and have flea drops placed on the scarf of their neck. The latter requirement is solely to protect your cat from other cats in the facility.
2. Have you vet place the vaccination information (and date), microchip number, name, color, age, parasite medicine information and flea-drop information on one form with their accreditation or clinic name.
3. Reserve a room for your pet at the Sembawang Quarantine Facility. Then apply for an import permit through the AVA Website after the cats have been vaccinated & microchipped (processing took around 1 week - I applied 3 weeks prior to export). You can list more than one pet on the same application. Once they've processed the paperwork and the permit is paid for online (credit card), print out several copies of the permit for later use.
4. Call the airline you're flying with and ask them if the country you are leaving from requires an export permit. Japan did and I almost missed my flight as I spent 2 hours in the quarantine facility at Narita Airport. Luckily I had all of the original documentation from the veterinarian (actual vaccination records, microchip record + 'veterinarian form with all the info').
5. Cut off the food and water as listed above before flying, and be sure to have a hardshell case to protect the pets! For those with a little time on their hands before leaving, stay up all night and keep the pets up with you. That way they sleep directly through a long flight.
--
6. Once you have landed in Singapore, head down to the "Lost & Found" area and let them know you have pets waiting. They will direct you to a room around the corner from where you will be asked to sign a few forms and present your 'veterinarian form with all the info'. They will also need a copy of the permit you paid for through the AVA Website. This process took maybe 10 minutes total. Ask whomever you speak with to write down the address of the Changi Animal & Plant Quarantine Facility (CAPQF).
7. After they process the paperwork, they will transport your pets to the CAPQF. If you are carrying a lot of luggage and would like to quickly visit your animal after the flight, ask for directions to the luggage storage area at Changi Airport. Drop your luggage off there and hop in a cab with the directions to the CAPQF. The ride takes maybe 15 minutes. Have your passports ready as you and whomever you are with will need visitor tags to enter the freight terminal. They will hold onto the passports while inside the freight terminal but not to worry as Singapore is a very safe country and everything is handled professionally.
8. Once at the CAPQF, they will make copies of the 'veterinarian form with all the info', ask you to sign a form and then you will be able to see your pets. At this facility, they will receive a rabies vaccination, be inspected by a veterinarian and if all forms are in order, will be sent to the quarantine station the following day. On your way out of the CAPQF, they will ask you to obtain a GST-exempt receipt for your pets at the gate where you first obtained your visitors pass. You can obtain the GST-exempt receipt from a large white-block building directly behind the stall where you obtained your visitors pass.
The officer asked me how much the cats are worth, I said, "Nothing, I like my pets and that is why I brought them." Since both of my cats look mixed, I wanted to claim 20, he said 200$ and I wouldn't get taxed. Fair enough. If you want to declare your pets into the hundreds or thousands for insurance purposes, expect to be taxed on their value. Keep the receipt he gives you. The Sembawang Quarantine Facility (SQF - where the pets are quarantined for 30 days) will need it to move your pets through the freight terminal without paying tax.
9. Voolah. That is the entire process explained. Call the Sembawang Quarantine Facility the following morning to see if your cats have arrived. When visiting your pets by taxi, it is probably best to use a map obtained from someone at CAPQF. Taxis are not familiar with this facility but they do understand where "Khatib Camp" is, which is right down the street from the quarantine facility. --- Khatib Camp --- AVA Plant Quarantine --- AVA Animal Quarantine --- Stop Light
Visiting Sembawang Quarantine:
For those on a budget :
If you are interested in saving a few bucks and so long as you have been to the Sembawang Facility at least once by taxi (to familiarize yourself with the area), take the RED LINE MRT to Yishun Station (nothern Singapore). At Yishun, ask the information counter where you can board the 171 bus. The 171 will take you all the way towards the facility which is only 5 stops from Yishun Station. The easiest way to remember the stop is to look to your left while moving towards the quarantine facility in the 171, and hit the STOP button once you see "Khatib Camp". Can't miss it.
Walk maybe 3 minutes further up towards the stop-light and there will be a large sign for the Animal Quarantine Station on your left.
Going back to Yishun - Walk towards the stop light, cross the street and walk in the opposite direction you came from towards the bus stop. The 171 going the opposite direction or 169 will take you directly to Yishun Station.
I figured that out this weekend with my wife as the 171 picks up in front of Newton.
For those not on a budget, it's still really cheap :
Taxis to the quarantine facility only cost 10$ excluding pickup fee to go from Newton to Sembawang
That was really great help !
