Text by Emma Stephenson, Founder of "Cat Rescue Maldives"

Importing a Cat to America

If you live in America, you can import your cat pretty much hassle free. As the Maldives isn’t classed as a rabies high-risk country by the USA, you don’t technically need to provide anything except a Pet Health Certificate. However, you don’t want to risk your cat being forced to quarantine and as the microchip, rabies vaccination, Pet Health Certificate and export permit are all so easy to acquire (and all relatively well priced), I would strongly advise acquiring these prior to your travel. 

It does mean though that you don’t need to pay all that money getting a blood sample and FedExing it off for a Titer Test, and your cat also doesn’t need to wait 3 months to enter the country! You can read more about America’s import regulations here. 

Please keep in mind that different airlines may require different paperwork, regardless of the countries import requirements. It is also possible that there may also be some charges set by customs when arriving. It is best to contact your airline and work out what is needed prior to travel.

Importing a Cat to Canada

Canada’s importation rules are a little different to America. You will need to get your cat vaccinated against rabies and obtain a vaccination certificate, signed and dated by a vet, and present this upon inspection by the Canada Border Services Agency. It is possible they will also assess that the cat is healthy enough to enter the country before allowing it entry. There may be some charges set by the airports custom agents so it’s best to check ahead of time. Don't miss to read more information here.

Should you require any assistance throughout your rehoming journey, please feel free to get in touch with myself at Cat Rescue Maldives. You can find me via our Instagram page @cat.rescue.maldives or by donating directly to our GoFundMe page. As you will now know, the cost of rescuing a stray cat in the Maldives can be quite expensive so any donations you are able to give are greatly appreciated.

Good luck and happy stray-cat-saving!

Emma Stephenson
Founder of Cat Rescue Maldives