Last updated: February 24, 2023

Moving from California to Berlin with my cat Cleopatra was an adventure, and I’m so glad I brought her with me. She reminds me of home, and she’s such a sweet and funny little cat. Although I’m very happy with my choice now, I was initially very apprehensive about the work involved in moving her, and I only wanted to bring her here if I could do it safely, and for her benefit. After plenty of preparations everything came together quite smoothly, and we had a great move and flight.

Throughout my research I knew I wanted to eventually write a post about the information I accumulated during this process in hopes that it can make someone else’s move a little easier. Here is my guide to bringing a cat to Germany.

P.S. This guide can also be used as a general guide for bringing cats, ferrets, and dogs into other parts of the EU (although certain countries have more or less restrictions), and bringing a ferret into Germany is technically the exact same process as bringing a cat, however I wanted to title this post about my specific experience in order to be most accurate. ☺

5-6 Months Before Your Flight . . .

Bringing your pet with you overseas can be a rewarding experience, but you should first consider a few things.

Assess your cat

Realistically, do you think your cat is okay flying?
Are they healthy?
Do you think they’re too old to fly?
Are they comfortable in small spaces?
Are they skittish?

Assess yourself

Are you able to balance bringing a cat with you and acquiring all the right paperwork, along with prepping for an overseas move?
How much stuff are you bringing with you; do you have enough hands to take care of your cat while keeping track of your travel and lugging all your stuff along?
Are you okay with doing extra work to find a cat friendly Airbnb or apartment?
Also, if you decide bringing your cat with you doesn’t make sense, do you have a comfortable and loving home for your cat in the states?

The first thing you want to do after this is research. This post is a good place to start. ☺ Time to create a plan for the next few months.

Familiarize yourself with Important EU Pet Travel Requirements:

1. International Standards Organization (ISO) Microchip Implant

Your cat must be micro-chipped to enter Germany and it must be ISO compliant. If your cat is micro-chipped, but the chip is not ISO compliant then they must get re-chipped. My cat had to get re-chipped.

If your cat is already chipped with a non-ISO compliant microchip and you’d rather not re-chip them then your only option is to travel with a compatible microchip reader. To me that seems like more trouble, since you might have to continue to haul it around at the vet or if you move again.

This must be done before or the same day as your cat’s rabies vaccination. If your cat was vaccinated before they received the ISO-compliant microchip, even if your cat isn’t due for a vaccine, you must still get your cat re-vaccinated. These dates were closely checked by officials at the APHIS office in my experience. I’m not sure why the order is so important, but it just is.

If your cat already has an ISO approved microchip, and was vaccinated after that with vaccines that are still valid after your flight date then you’ve already completed two big steps!

2. Rabies Vaccination

Again, this has to be done after or the same day as the ISO microchip implant. Your cat has to get vaccinated at least 21 days before the flight, and the cat must be at least 15 weeks old by the day of flight.

Rabies vaccinations valid for 1, 2, or 3 years are all acceptable, as long as their dates are compliant with previously mentioned regulations.

3. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Accredited Vet Issued European Union (EU) Health Certificate & Wellness Check

You might have to contact a few offices before you find a Vet who is qualified (and willing) to do an EU Health Certificate. Be sure to ask them if they’ve issued one before, what the process is like, and what they’d like you to bring to the appointment.

Remind the vet that all dates must be written in Day/Month/Year format. My vet didn’t do this, even though I asked her to, so I had to have a grumpy man at the APHIS office oversee me as I crossed out all the dates, wrote them the correct way, and initialed everything.

This is essentially a wellness check: your cat will be weighed, examined, have their temperature and pulse checked, etc. My cat had a little excess mucus in her nose so the vet made a note of it on her certificate, but all that matters is you get the certificate. Your vet should also be able to prescribe your cat with anti-anxiety medication for the flight during this appointment.

Make this vet appointment in advance because the health certificate has a small window of validity. Your pet must arrive to the EU within 10 days of the health certificate being issued or it is no longer valid.

4. EU Health Certificate Endorsed by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

Be sure to make an appointment in advance with your local APHIS office, and bring your organized paperwork. You have a small window of time to visit since this appointment must be done both before your flight and after receiving the EU Health Certificate.

Alternatively, if your APHIS office is far away you can also mail it in. If you do this you should pay for overnight shipping both ways just to be safe. You also do not need to bring your pet to this office.

More information about these requirements here.

3-4 Months Before Your Flight . . .

Make your first Vet appointment

Make the appointment to microchip and vaccinate your cat. Even if these things are already taken care of it’s smart to make an appointment for a general wellness exam for your cat so there are no surprises down the line. Your cat might also be due for other vaccinations; my cat also got her Feline 3-in-1 (FVRCP) at this time.

Register your cat

Register your cat’s microchip online, and make sure everything is up to date. Add a photo to your cat’s profile too.

Book your flight

There are only a few airlines with routes from the US to Germany that allow pets. After doing some research, Air France, Lufthansa, and Aeroflot appeared to be the best options. I decided to go with Aeroflot* because it made the most sense financially, and Aeroflot seemed to have the most reasonable pet policies. We had only one issue with them (more on that later), but it was an overall fine experience, and I’d fly with them again.

Be sure to research each airline you’re considering before purchasing your ticket, and call the airline before you buy your ticket to verify that they’re allowing animals on that particular flight and are still selling pet tickets. Make certain that you’re comfortable with all their policies also. I wasn’t sure if I wanted my cat in the baggage hold or to travel with me in the cabin, but since she weighed less than eight kilograms with her carrier she was only allowed to travel with me in the cabin, which ended up working out well.

*Aeroflot would not be a feasible airline in 2023, but Lufthansa and Air France were also good options I considered.

1-2 Months Before Your Flight . . .

Start making your airline/airplane friendly purchases

It’s best to order items as early as you can so that you can familiarize your cat with them and have the option to exchange them if it doesn’t suit your cat’s needs. Things I purchased during this time include:

Cat Carrier
Aeroflot requires soft pet carriers to not exceed 126 centimeters in dimensions, but each airline has different requirements. I decided to go with this carrier in a large, but for the future I think I’d like to go with an expandable option. I like that the inside of her carrier is visible at all angles, and that there’s a zipper at the top so that I could let her stretch and pop her head out without removing her from her carrier. Make sure your carrier is big enough for your cat to comfortably lie down, stand, and turn around in.

Collapsible Food & Drink Bowls
These made it really easy to make food and water accessible without taking up too much room.

Pet ID Tag
Your cat probably already has an ID tag, but it might not have a way to contact you that will work while in Europe. I bought a new customizable one to include my WhatsApp and email address, and later purchased another once I got a German number.

Cat Allergy Pills
You don’t know who you’ll be sitting by, and they might not be a fan of cats, or even allergic. It’s good to have allergy pills to offer to anyone sitting near you, but if there’s someone who doesn’t want to sit by your cat ask for help from a flight attendant to help resolve the situation.

Pee Pads
Your kitty’s not going to have access to a litter box, so you need absorbent training pads to line their carrier with, as well as extra for replacements in case of an accident.

Wipes
If your cat has an accident in their litter box be prepared with cat safe wipes, and disinfectant wipes (most disinfectant wipes are out of stock right now, but you get the idea).

Harness & Leash
This made it easy to let Cleo out of her carrier without fear of her running off.

Make an appointment with a Vet for the EU Health Certificate

If possible talk directly to the Veterinarian and ask them if they’ve issued one before, what the process is like, if you’ll receive the certificate the same day, and what they need from you. Let them know the country you’re traveling to too. Remember this appointment must be made for a date within ten days before entering the EU.

Make an appointment at your local APHIS office

Make an appointment for a time between receiving your cat’s health certificate, and your flight date. I called in to make an appointment, but some offices have online systems. If you decide to mail in your paperwork most people choose to do overnight shipping both ways with a service like UPS Next Day Air or FedEx Priority Overnight.

Familiarize your cat with pee pads

My cat didn’t pee the entire near 24 hour journey from when we left our apartment in West LA to when we arrived to our AirBnb in Berlin, and it worried me. I read later on that cats can go 24-48 hours without peeing and that a few people had similar experiences with their cat (some however had the opposite experience). I think in the future I will stick the pee pads under her litter box or do something to make her feel more comfortable with using them. Although I was grateful that she didn’t have an accident in her carrier, I was worried she could possibly be in pain from holding in her urine for so long.

Begin to crate train your cat

When I first got the crate I lined it with soft bedding then introduced my cat to it without zipping her in to get her acclimated. Every so often she would hop into her crate on her own because it was a dark and hidden place that she enjoyed napping in. Cleo doesn’t like treats, but I’d give her lots of pets every time she chose to spend time in there.

As time progressed I would put her in her carrier and zip her up for an hour, then two hours, then three and four. I stayed in the room with her whenever she was in her crate, and would sometimes put her carrier on the floor in between my feet while I sat at my desk to mimic what our setup would be like on the airplane. On occasion she would whine to be released and I’d unzip the top of her crate and see if I could give her some attention and coax her into staying a bit longer. Sometimes when my timer would ring I would open the crate and she’d hang out inside for another half hour or so. She’d normally fall asleep in her crate, but if she was awake for awhile then I’d give her access to her water bowl, in case she was thirsty.

Practice longer gaps in between meals

Don’t underfeed your cat, but practice longer gaps in between meals a couple times a week, or empty your cat’s food bowl for set hours every day to show your cat that not having food isn’t a reason to panic (your cat might have some loud complaints about this). They’ll hopefully learn that food will eventually come so that restrictions during the journey don’t feel so intense.

This method actually helped out my cat’s relationship with food in the long run and now she rarely whines for food, isn’t typically bothered if her bowl is empty or a meal arrives late, and grazes throughout the day.

1 Week Before Your Flight . . .

Go to your appointments

Bring your important documents and cat to the Vet appointment to get your cat’s EU Health Certificate. You can also request cat anti-anxiety medication. Then bring your paperwork and EU Health Certificate to your local APHIS office and get your APHIS endorsement next.

Research the airports you’re flying in and out of

Do some research on the airports you’re flying in and out of. See if there are any pet designated areas for your pet to stretch their legs. At LAX, where we flew out of, there are multiple animal relief stations that are available for animals before and after security. This is more common in big US airports, and less common in European ones, but you should still see what your options are. At our layover in Moscow (SVO) an airport worker led me to a baby changing station as a safe area to let my cat stretch, and have some food and water.

Figure out what happens when you arrive to your destination

Plan out how to quickly get essentials for your cat upon arriving. You can bring along a bag of dry food so your cat’s first couple meals are taken care of. If you’re staying at an Airbnb or with a friend see if they’d be willing to pick up a litter box and litter for you. If this is something you’ll have to get yourself make sure there’s an available grocery store or pet shop nearby that you can pop into to pick up necessities. Make a note of the store’s hours too, if you’re arriving in the evening or on a Sunday most stores will be closed. You can also order necessities online and ship it to your accommodation.

We had a 24 hour REWE across the street that we got litter from, but they had no boxes so my boyfriend and I crafted one out of aluminum foil. This actually held together really well, and the following afternoon we went to a proper pet store and got our cat all the essentials and a few treats.

Continue to crate train your cat

Nearly every day the final week I crate trained Cleo for at least two hours.

Test out your cat’s medication

Test out the anxiety medication you got from your Vet in the recommended dosage. You don’t need to get medication for your cat, but it’s recommended for overseas flights.

Consider getting a pill popper if needed. I was able to gently pry open my cat’s mouth and drop the pill in with little resistance without one, but I had my Dad’s help. Monitor your cat’s behavior. If the medication has no effect, an abnormal effect, or seems to harm your cat then contact your Vet. Most pills should make your cat lethargic and relaxed, but it shouldn’t act like an instant sleeping pill. In fact sedating your cat is banned on most flights because it’s dangerous and can increase heart and respiratory problems.

Only give your cat medication that has been approved by your Vet, and only in the recommended dosage. My cat was prescribed Trazodone in an amount based off of her weight.

Make a printout of everything

Make copies of your most important paperwork to bring with you including a copy of vaccine records that includes your cat’s most recent vaccination, a boarding pass that includes your cat’s ticket, and a page that has a current photo of your cat, your contact information, and your cat’s information.

24 Hours Before Your Flight . . .

Get everything in order

Prep your paperwork in a folder, and put it somewhere safe. Pack the dry food and bowls, and make sure you have easy access to everything. Pack everything important in your carry on. You already know by now if any of the airports you’ll be at have pet friendly zones, but if you haven’t already make a note or take a screenshot of where they’re located (most airport WiFi is not the best so it’s good to save in advance), what terminals they’re near, and their hours.

Prep yourself mentally

After all your preparation, most likely everything will go effortlessly, but prepping yourself for uncomfortable situations is good. Don’t riddle yourself with anxiety, just remember there might be a couple hiccups along the way, and that’s okay.

Prep your cat

Give your kitty extra love, comb them to get rid of excess fur, and do one last crate training session.

The Day of Your Flight . . .

Give your cat their last meal

Give your cat one last full meal, then take their bowl 4-5 hours before you leave to the airport. I fed Cleo at around 9PM and woke up at 4AM to take her food, and she had already finished most of it at that point. This is so your cat can digest their meal so that they are not nauseous on the flight, and ideally they’ll also have time to use their litter box once more while they still have access to it.

Go with the flow & expect not everything to go as planned

My paperwork was closely looked at by the Aeroflot check in attendants. They seemed familiar with the process and scanned copies of most of my paperwork, measured the cat carrier, and weighed Cleo in her cat carrier.

All of that went smoothly, but after that we were told our seats (that we had paid extra to reserve) had changed. Dan and I specifically chose two seats in a four seat center aisle close to the airplane’s bathroom so that we could have easy access to the aisle to quickly take Cleo there if she had an accident, and because I knew I’d be getting up a lot with her in general. They told us that they had a policy where pets can only travel with passengers in a window seat and that their software should have let me only choose a window seat when picking my seat. They also had no available window seats that were any closer to the bathroom than our newly assigned seats.

We decided to agree because this was something we could deal with. However, be intuitive to your pet’s needs and be willing to argue for your pet if necessary. This blogger talked about Air Canada not wanting to give her dog water for a fifteen hour flight in cargo (they said it could spill and be messy), and she had to argue with them for an hour until they relented, and she nearly missed her flight as a result. Although incidents like these are rare, it’s important to know where to draw the line for the sake of your animal.

When going through security I was told to remove my cat from her carrier, and to take her leash and collar off of her so that all those items could go through the X-Ray machine. I was then instructed to walk through the metal detector while holding her. Unfortunately there were a lot of issues with different people’s items passing through the X-Ray scanner so I had to stand there for nearly ten minutes holding her while we waited for the scanner to start up again. She squirmed a few times in my arms because she does not like being held for this long, but was fine.

After security we found our gate then headed to a grassy indoor animal relief area at our terminal. We let Cleo drink water, explore the new area, and run around. When it was nearly time for boarding we gave Cleo her anti-anxiety tab and were on our way.

Cleo was an absolute angel on the flight. She meowed a bit, and mostly slept. We mainly had her carrier on the floor, but we picked it up a few times and let her look around and pop her head out. Dan and I took turns sticking our hand in the carrier every half hour or so and waited until she licked us to let us know she was okay. Dan and I sat in a window and middle seat, and luckily our neighbor in the aisle seat was an old Russian woman who wanted to get the blood flowing in her legs quite often, so she got up to walk a lap nearly ever hour throughout our twelve hour flight. I used this time to bring Cleo into the restroom. Every time I set up a pee pad for her and offered her water. She had a couple sips of water once, but other than that used her five minute bathroom quota for sniffing and exploring, or simply just stayed in her carrier.

When we arrived in Moscow airport staff led me to a baby changing station to let Cleo stretch her legs and I changed her bedding and offered her food for the first time in over twenty hours. Again, she was more interested in exploring, and stuck to a bite of food, and a little water. There was a mother with her toddler in the baby changing room who seemed confused by us at first, but soon were very understanding and friendly.

The second flight from Moscow to Berlin involved very cramped quarters, and Cleo’s carrier barely fit at our feet. She was doing so well I decided to go through the 2.5 hour flight without getting up. I needed some rest at this point too, even with all of Dan’s help.

When arriving in Berlin I declared Cleo at the incoming agriculture and livestock counter. They spoke English, gave Cleo a few pets, scanned her ISO-compliant microchip, and went through her documents. In just a few minutes Cleo was legally welcomed into Germany.

Prioritize your cat when settling in

Upon arriving to your accommodation set up your feline’s litter box, food, and water as quickly as possible. Your cat might be eager to relieve themselves, eat, and get to know their new home. Cleo urinated a few minutes after we set up her litter box. Her appetite had finally come back and she finished her bowl of food, drank plenty of water, hopped on the couch, and fell asleep.

Congrats!

You made it! Now you can relax. Collect all your cat’s essentials within a few days like more food, more litter, a litter box, and extra treats to make your space homey like toys, a cat scratching board, and a cat bed.

Eventually you’ll want to look into pet health insurance and finding a vet, but your cat has just recently been checked by a vet in preparation for this journey, so you can take a long breather first.

Breakdown of Costs

These costs will of course vary for everyone, but here’s a rundown of how much I spent on my cat purely to fulfill the requirements, and safely transport her. This does not include my personal costs for traveling, or ongoing regular costs for taking care of my cat.

ISO Microchip Implant - $25.00
Rabies Vaccination 3 Year - $54.00
Wellness Check (included for free w/ rabies vaccination @ Vetco) - $0.00
EU Health Certificate - $75.00
Trazodone 50mg tablets - $15.00
APHIS Certificate - $38.00
Aeroflot Cat Ticket - $100
Amazon purchases (including cat carrier, collapsible food and drink bowls, pet ID tag, cat allergy pills, pee pads, wipes, harness, and leash) - $90.00

Total - ~$400.00

Final Thoughts

My overall experience was great. I was most worried about the flight, but Cleopatra was really well behaved. The most difficult part ended up being making sure I understood all the requirements, alongside balancing and keeping track of all the appointments, especially those last ten days when I was also busy trying to see family/friends while finished packing. My cat’s health and safety was my top priority, and everything ended up okay. As I’m writing this Cleo’s napping next to me. I can hear her softly snoring, and I’m so happy I brought my little feline with me.

Cleo4 (1).jpg — Me & Cleo a few days after arriving to Berlin

If you have any further questions leave a comment below, or send me an email, I’m happy to help!
♥

How I Brought My Cat From the USA to Germany (Guide)