Bring Your Cat to Japan. Process, Experience, and Advice.

[@taralynnweekslovely11art58]

Thank you for this video. I want to move to Japan to work and I will not leave my baby boy 🐈 behind!

[@Z-life-online]

Completely understandable!

[@MrEthang2011]

We are going to be moving to Japan from the US in August/September for a two year work assignment. We just found this out. One concern we talked about was what would we do with our cat when we visit our family in the US? Thank you for this encouraging video!

[@Z-life-online]

Thank you and this is a real concern! Japan of course does offer “cat hotels,” but depending on the hotel and who you ask they don’t seem desirable. I’ve never used one personally. The other options are use a service that will come to your house each day and take care of your pets (feed, play, not sure about medicine). Obviously with this is great for the pets and less stress. However you will be handing your keys over to a stranger and you need to trust they will actually do it (good to require photos or video maybe). Finally friends. We are luck that we have a friend we can bring our pets to and he takes care of them for us for 7-10 days (we try to not be gone longer). This is a trade off as we have to travel to their place with the cats (on the train) with all of their gear. But we know he will look after them and they have all of their toys (he also doesn’t charge us). The friend angle seems the best to me but I realize that’s easier said than done.

[@deirdreryan3932]

Very informative, thank you. I am suddenly moving to japan for work next month for 3 years, and have just started this process with my cat. I am concerned about the costs and did not anticipate paying that much, on top of now having to place him with a friend for the next 6 months. Seems overwhelming

[@Z-life-online]

It certainly can be stressful and sorry to hear you will be separated for that long. In the end it is doable but just need to stay organized and planned out.

[@annmariealanes1373]

Literally gasped when you said “they can destroy your pet”. 😱 Dear God - in what instance would this even happen?!?!

[@Z-life-online]

Thank you and I absolutely agree! I don't think it's as draconian as I might have made it sound. I'm very confident they would ask you to take your pet back home, pay for quarantine in Japan, or some other course of action. But if for some reason the owner abandons their pet it seems within their right to destroy the animal. All the more reason to heed the steps laid out.

[@isaomasato135]

I just got accepted to a japanese university for masters program. I have a two year old pet cat, and she means the world to me. There is no way I can leave her behind and so i am planning on taking her with me to Japan. Thanks for the info, ppl on reddit sounded like a bunch of karens

[@Z-life-online]

@@isaomasato135 Congrats on getting into your program. It is definitely possible to bring a pet just make sure you follow the most up to date steps. Don’t let anybody tell you different! 😄

[@zakiyaparvez2322]

Broo did uh get through mext scholarship?

[@Wrendition]

This is so helpful thank you!

[@Z-life-online]

@@Wrendition Glad to hear it helped! Make sure to always get up to date information as my experience is getting somewhat dated.

[@Alexis-ll2cd]

This is so helpful! I have a question, the blood sample needs to be sent to a specific approved lab, did your vet take care of that? Or did you have to contact the lab before the sample was sent?

[@RikerLovesWorf]

Questions: 1. Did you have to pay for the extra seat next to you? 2. What was the toilet situation like on the whole trip?

[@Z-life-online]

@@RikerLovesWorf Hi! Luckily in my case, no I did not have to pay for the seat next to me. It could have been a huge coincidence, but I booked my ticket quite early and called them very quickly (at least 60 days before the flight) so they knew about Moki. I can assume they tried to sell all other seats around me first to keep other passengers from being bothered (allergies, etc). Maybe I’m wrong and I just got lucky, but call ahead as early as you can. As for toilet I did have a portable littler box, some litter, and a ziplock bag along with a plastic bag just in case. Moki went #2 either the morning of the flight or the night before. I did not feed her breakfast the morning of the flight. In the end she did not need to use the bathroom and gave no indication she needed to use it. Once we got her off and to the hotel littler box was immediately set up. Also we had removed her normal litter box and started her on the portable little box about two weeks before the flight so it smelled of her. She was so good on the flight! If your cat has a toilet issues I’d talk with your vet early about it.

[@kellyj.azania4371]

Thank you! Yours is the most up to date video.

[@Z-life-online]

For sure! Happy the information was useful.

[@brandonmartabano1451]

thank you for making this video, it has been really helpful!

[@Z-life-online]

No problem! I hope it helps.

[@MikeSewell-dy3zv]

Thanks very much for making this helpful video.

[@Z-life-online]

@@MikeSewell-dy3zv You are very welcome! Thank you for checking it out.

[@AshleySilvermann]

thank you so much for this video

[@Z-life-online]

You're very welcome!

[@lisachien1312]

Great information!

[@Z-life-online]

Thank you!

[@astralsheepu7379]

Man there rlly should be more info on this out there. I succeeded but when I came here there wasn't much out there about the process or advice, and when I asked on reddit they just told me to kill myself.

[@Z-life-online]

I agree! Most of the information I found didn't always fill in the cracks for me, or focused on the flight or how the cats adjusted to Japan. My aim was to give some concrete details about the process and what one could expect. Thank you for your comment!

[@brendanosorio9890]

Extremely helpful! Any advice on pet insurance or any other plans that could help lower the cost of this whole process? Thanks!

[@Z-life-online]

I am happy the information helped! Unfortunately no advice on pet insurance. We didn't even look into it as I assumed the deductible for the vaccinations wouldn't be worth it, and I doubt they would cover the blood draw and test as it isn't health related (from their perspective). If you find anything out let us know!

[@SarahVarcoe]

Hi your video was brilliant and very detailed which my partner and I very much appreciate. I had a few questions about the after such as, finding a place to rent or stay with a cat (what's it like? Do most landlord accept cats?), also the cost of cat food, cat litter (the types of litter avaliable), what cat necessities did you bring with you and how did you bring them with you? If you could make a video of your experience or answer my questions via the comments that would be fantastic! Otherwise, it you know of any others videos that would answer my questions please suggest them. It would be much appreciated! Hope you are enjoying your time in Japan!

[@Z-life-online]

I'm really happy the video helped! As for your questions, we didn't find it too difficult to find a place to rent that accepted cats. Just be up front about it and make it one of the first criteria you have. Of course you will have to pay an extra cat deposit. I can only speak for Tokyo but our agent didn't seem this would be an barrier to getting an apartment. For cat food we order online at www.e-tomcat.com/index.html for our dry food and generally get 10-20kg worth (same for the litter pellets). You can look at the prices but i didn't find them to be all the expensive especially with the weak yen (our first few months we were spending USD on our cc). As for what we brought with, I had the cage and portable litter box, etc. mentioned in the videos. We did also bring toys, a box she would sleep in, a cat scratcher toy, and some extra treats and what not that she was familiar with. Your idea to make a video is a great one and I think I'll try to get that done in the next few weeks.

[@SarahVarcoe]

@@Z-life-online this is fantastic! Thank you so much for your reply. It is a big help. I'll look forward to the video!

[@CsTruth]

thank you for the really informative video! wanna ask if the process is the same as well if I just want to bringmy cat along for a maybe 2weeks holiday?

[@Z-life-online]

@@CsTruth hi, and happy the video was helpful. Unfortunately I don’t think there are my exceptions based on the amount of time you will stay in Japan. If you plan to bring a pet it would have to go through all the steps outlined.

[@CsTruth]

@Z-life-online I see, thank you for the prompt response.

[@LilianRodrigues-ym5yk]

Hello! Thank you for the video. I'm going to move to Japan in October/25. One of the things that I'm having a hard time with is finding some information about cat well being on Japan. 1. Are the houses big enough for them to play? I have 2 adults cats that like to run around, play on the cat wall playground, etc. They have been living in at least 47m^2 apartments so I'm worry about the Japanese students apartments size. 2. Which are the good Japanese cat litter? I'm from Brazil and we aren't used to use cat litter like silica, paper, pine etc. A lot of Brazilian's vets say these are harmful. I buy one called "Viva Verde" (made of cassava flour: very clear without perfume). Thank you!

[@Z-life-online]

@@LilianRodrigues-ym5yk we have two cats in 60 meters square and now we have a small outside yard with a cat pen. I think there is plenty of space in many apartments but you mention you will be a student and working part time which means I really can’t say what size apartment you will be living in. Also location will change the size of your living space. I recommend googling for a real estate agent who may be able to help you find a place (you should be able to find English speaking agents as well if you require it).

[@riditarahman3501]

In our country we vaccinate cats at the age of 3 months and it is only for once like we don’t need another after 30 days . We simply get that after a year on the same date … I am really worried how it should be done.. and great infos!

[@Z-life-online]

Hi! Thank you for watching my video! It is the same in the US. Usually just one vaccination after 90 days of age. I'm not sure what the regulations are for a pet that is born and bred in Japan, but for bringing a pet into Japan from outside the country the two vaccinations are required (at least 30 days apart).

[@ZoSo828]

Do you know if it is easy to find a renting place that accepts cats?

[@Z-life-online]

I didn't think it was too difficult. Of course not all places will accept animals, but if you specify from the start you have a pet any real estate agent or online search portal should be able to narrow down those places that do accept pets. I will say, in Tokyo, I think cats and small dogs will have no problem. Big dogs, or if you have a number of cats that might be more difficult.

[@Winterfallsdead]

So if you get this rabies quarantine we'll ahead of time you're good right? I have more than enough time but it sounds like so long as you meet these standards there shouldn't be a problem, or do these vaccines and quarantines expire? My cat is almost 2 years old and he would need to go through all of this. Wondering if I can knock this all out asap and I'll be good afterward. Does that make sense?

[@Z-life-online]

I think I get what you mean. I'm only going off memory but I think the test results are good for two years from the date the second shot is administered. However the rabies vaccination has an expiration as well. If that is also two years or more than, I believe you could start the process, wait the 180 day quarantine and then enter from day 181 or up 18 months from then. Double check this as I haven't looked at the documentation for quite some time and changes could have been made.

[@yurifrancis4181]

so did they try to scan your cat for the microchip? With a microchip reader? Or just verify the paperwork matched?

[@Z-life-online]

Hello @yurifrancis4181, It is a bit hard to remember but yes I believe they did scan Moki at Haneda Airport and confirm the microchip number matched the paperwork.

[@Yahello_Lydia]

I'll be flying with two cats at the end of the year from Houston, TX area. Does anyone know of pet friendly in-cabin airlines? I am going to call United tomorrow to see if I can bring my cats on an international flight in-cabin

[@Yahello_Lydia]

Update: United should let me fly with cats in the cabin internationally, but I just have to call after booking the and it has to be in economy

[@YongCyrus]

Hey im back again, can you explain the 10 day process? After they send the files electronically, do we get the international health certificate or is that needed? When the USDA approves everything is good? Thank you , I hope you see this!! Would mean a lot

[@Z-life-online]

Replied to your comment on the other video. But in short you need to receive the APHIS certificate before you board the plane.

[@YongCyrus]

@@Z-life-online any idea on the complications on leaving with the cat to America? Whenever I do decide to move back?

[@Z-life-online]

@@YongCyrus I've only done a very shallow dive, but from what I can tell it varies slightly depending on the state. For my state, Washington, I basically just need to show vaccination records and I can bring Moki and Minaju in. A bonus tidbit, I believe I can bring them back to Japan within 4 months as well without need for much more paperwork. But obviously I'd do more research if I were to actually make this trip.

[@YongCyrus]

Hey dude!! I brought my cat to Japan because of this video so thank you!! Do you know if exporting your cat back to Japan is the same thing? I hope I dont need to do all the same procedures again

[@Z-life-online]

Wow! That is so great to hear it was useful to you and happy your cat made it safe! As far as future travel I think your pet has a short window (3 months maybe?) to leave Japan and re-enter without needing to get all of the tests done again, but please double check that. As for "re-importing" them to the US, for myself Washington State, doesn't require much to bring her back in from what I remember.

[@DragonsGaura]

ive got 5 cats 😢

[@Z-life-online]

Wow!

[@VampireAnimeAngel23]

Wow! sounds like me LOL, We have 4 cats and 2 dogs

[@shirawiriamusu8607]

Had a question... when you speak about the government agency that you have to send your paperwork to, how is that spelled? Afis or APHIS?

[@Z-life-online]

APHIS I believe.

[@kiuionline]

Do you think it would be better to move there first and bring the pet a few months later?

[@Z-life-online]

That’s certainly an option. If you have someone who you can take care of them and you trust that can work. Benefit of course is it’s one last thing to worry about, but you’ll also be away from them!

[@EngineerSTG]

My vet will not do it. They want a company called air animal to do it and they charge about $5500. Anyone else having issues finding a vet that will help send off the blood sample for the rabies antibody?

[@Z-life-online]

If you are in the Seattle Area Sacajawea Vet Hospital in Federal Way is who we used. In other areas I can’t say.

[@darlenegraham3216]

Does anyone know a way to avoid the 180 wait period if your pet has already been vaccinated for rabies for years?

[@Z-life-online]

Not that I know of. The only exception to this rule that I have heard is if you have already brought your pet to Japan and take them back home, then can be brought back within 4 months. But this is just hearsay, please verify.

[@YongCyrus]

So I got my cat rabies shots on Nov 7th, and then I got his second shot on Dec 8th. Will this be okay??

[@Z-life-online]

Yes, I believe that meets the 30 day limit.

[@VampireAnimeAngel23]

This Video has been helpful, We are looking at possibly moving to Japan with 4 cats & 2 dogs, plus kiddo, one dog is a larger dog being a Pyrenees mix the other will be a Lab both who are Service Dogs so am also looking into all of that, but defiantly sounds like I've got my work cut out for me as well as some Hefty vet bills to look forward to.

[@Z-life-online]

@@VampireAnimeAngel23 wow! Yes that is going to be an investment in time and money! Best of luck and I am happy you found good information in my video. I hope the information isn’t getting too out of date and I appreciate your comments. Please let us know how it goes and if you experience similarities or differences.