Transport of cat to Germany

[micamaca]

Hi there,

was just beginning to do research about bringing my beloved moggie to Germany for a year of study and back.

I was happy to discover that Lufthansa do allow one to bring cats into the cabin in a proper transport container to fit under the seat.

However, the vet has suggested that although the airline might allow it, he can't see the people at Dublin Airport allowing me to waltz through security with a cat basket in hand. Have just checked the Dept of Agriculture website. They state clearly they want you to accompany the animal into Ireland but then they say the animal must go as cargo, not in the cabin. This doesn't make much sense to me. I can't understand if an airline is agreeable to a cat going into the cabin, why is it not allowed by Dept of Agriculture. I don't really want to ring them as I rang them recently and got through to someone completely disinterested and they didn't seem to have any answers either.

Has anyone had experience of transporting cats or other small animals through Dublin Airport recently? How did the animal react to going into the plane as cargo? Was it traumatised? Did it take long to recover?
thanks mica

 

[ClubMan]

Any use?

[broken link removed]

 

[micamaca]

Thanks Clubman, I was trying to find some information on that site earlier, but you're obviously better at this than me.

I think the problem is going to be coming back into Ireland as the Dept of Agriculture states that the animal (if travelling by an unapproved airline carrier) must not travel in the cabin. There are very few approved airlines on their website, mostly private jets. Bertie Ahern I am not!

This is the approved list.

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=pets/approved_carriers.xml

This is the unapproved list, which stipulates certain conditions. However these conditions may well apply to the approved list too.

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=pets/prior_approval.xml

Its condition number ten that bothers me. I thought the problem would be finding an airline to carry her in the cabin.

Has anyone gone through this process recently? or has anyone found a way around it? mica