Moving to Bangkok with Kinako: A Scottish Fold's Long Flight

When my company offered me a post in Bangkok, I said yes in ten seconds. Then I looked at Kinako, sleeping in her pink blanket in our Tokyo flat, and said: 'But what about her?' My Scottish Fold, with her folded ears and round amber eyes, was not going to stay behind. So we started to plan.

Preparing a cat to move to Thailand takes time. I contacted the airline and the vet very early and made a list of everything required for import: a microchip, rabies vaccination, a health certificate and permits from both countries. The rules change, so I always checked the latest official information and asked our vet and the airline to confirm. Do not rely on a forum from three years ago, even this one! We started almost a year ahead, and in the end it took all of that time.

Choosing the way to travel was the second big question. Kinako flew in the cabin with me, in a soft carrier under the seat, as our airline allowed. I know others prefer cargo, but for a calm cat who goes limp when she is scared, I wanted her next to me. We practised at home: the carrier was a bed for two months, with treats and her pink blanket inside. I also talked to our vet about travel stress, and she told me that I should not give any sedative without her advice.

The flight was an overnight one. She did not make a sound for five hours, then gave a small, offended cry over Vietnam, and I whispered to her in Japanese through the mesh the whole night. At Suvarnabhumi the officer checked her papers, looked at her face and smiled, and in forty minutes we were in a taxi on the way to our condo in Thonglor.

She hid under the bed for two days. Then she came out, looked at the city through the window, and started to chase a ribbon up the wall. The first week we kept the same blanket, the same food and a quiet room. We found a vet two streets away who speaks English and Japanese, and I put her name and the clinic number in my phone before we even unpacked.

Kinako now lies on the pink blanket in the afternoon sun and watches the skytrain go by. If you plan the same move, start early, double-check every rule and be patient with your cat. She forgave me in three days. I am still working on forgiving the paperwork.