Our two cats are currently in quarantine (and almost done!). We did all of the vet visiting, moving, etc. ourselves after reading pieces of this site.
Looking back, we'd do it ourselves again. We worked with a vet who was not overly familiar with sending animals abroad. The guidelines from Sing are pretty clear, though. Be sure to get the shots/ external and internal parasites meds done on time. And, we got a state health certificate for export (what the vet required before he'd certify them as healthy to go to Sing). Finally, be sure to reserve your quarantine space. I'd say all said-and-done we'll end up with about 1,300 per cat. The cost of their 30-day quarantine stay is the largest expense.
Flights from original destination to Seattle on Alaska airlines and then on Northwest. The cats were cargo on each flight (they had flown before, but always underneath the seat in front of us). We paid, I think, around $150 per cat. Alaska had slips that we were given once the cats were boarded on each leg (even given these on the Northwest legs) that said "relax, I'm on board too." This also let us know that the pilot knew there were live animals on board. This helped a lot.
We did not see the cats at any stop (Seattle or Tokyo or Singapore) as they were kept in secured areas. We were, however, able to check in with Northwest staff and learned they were fine. We arrived too late on a Saturday, so the animals were held in the holding area until quarantine opened Monday (they tell you not to do this, but my husband didn't know when he booked tickets). The holding guys were just fantastic (we got to meet them later). They even emailed later to ask about the cats. We also have been happy with the quarantine (especially as friends had real horror stories from other countries). They are friendly and efficient.
I have gone often for visiting hours. From the City Hall stop, if you take the MRT red line towards Woodlands you'll get off at Yishun. Follow the signs for a taxi or bus (#171, after several turns you'll see the quarantine sign on your left; can take #171 or #169 back to the MRT - just walk past where you originally got off and cross the street for the return stop). I find that it takes about 45 minutes to an hour from City Hall.
I've seen multiple people bring extras for their pets during visiting hours (e.g., cat bedding, treats). We always bring cat treats (not super easy to find here, try Jason's in the basement of the mall attached to City Hall), wet cat food, and our furminator (an amazing dog/cat brush). The food is helpful, as our cats took a bit to adjust to quarantine food and environment, so we encouraged them to eat more via treats.
Hopefully this helps some. I will check back here for specific questions as I too am new enough to Sing that I can't PM.
