My first stops in Brasilia

With only a couple days left before we leave, I'm already making plans about what we need to do once we arrive in Brasilia. My employer sent us an e-mail outlining the plans they have to pick us up from the airport, take us to our furnished apartment, lunches and dinners with administrators throughout the week, sightseeing plans over the weekend, etc. They are very organized and have planned everything for us for our arrival. 


In addition, we've made plans to visit with friends during our first week there. A good friend of a good friend of ours has gladly volunteered to take us to where we need to go, show us around the city, and even help us unpack our suitcases. She's so kind. I can already feel the warmth and welcome of the Brazilian people. And to add to this, a VERY good friend of mine from Amazonas will be in Brasilia for work the week we arrive so I'm extremely excited to be able to catch up with her. I miss her greatly. 


But we'll also need to REST, settle in to the apartment, make the cat comfortable, unpack, and of course explore. We'll also have to make a few stops within the first couple of days in our new city to make sure we have what we need at home and to get me ready to live in a foreign country. These are....

Fellow American expat bloggers with cats....

....I need your help!

I'm taking my cat with me on a really long flight in a few days. I need some advice about maintaining him calm, helping him feel comfortable, how to feed him, give him water, and how to deal with him having to make a bowel movement or urinate. I'm taking him in a carrier that he's already very comfortable in and bought dog training pads in case he needs to use the bathroom it'll be easier to clean up.


The vet told me to just give him breakfast in the morning, the day of our trip, (we travel overnight) and then don't feed him a regular meal until we arrive. She stressed the importance of feeding him a little as we fly and she also prescribed him a sedative, but I'm sure there's more I can do. I'd like advice from Americans who have already traveled to South America with their cats. 


Sebastian is only 2 years old and he's normally a pretty well behaved cat. He only cries when he's in the car (maybe he gets car sick?); the rest of the time he's quiet. I want him to be comfortable. It's going to be a long trip - probably 24 hours from when we leave our current apartment until we arrive at our new apartment in Brasilia.


Suggestions? What worked for you? What would you have changed? By the way, he'll be in the cabin with us. Thanks in advance!

A quick visit to the USDA

This morning I made a very quick trip up to Gainesville to get Sebastian the cat's health certificate endorsed by the USDA. All I had to do was present the health certificate (4 pages) completed by the veterinarian along with the detailed rabies shot certificate to the woman at the USDA office, along with a $36 payment, and in about 5 minutes I was out of the office with a receipt. From a quick look at the paperwork that was returned to me, the health certificate was signed and stamped with the raised symbol of the USDA. Sebastian is now really officially ready to travel to Brazil. 


Again, for anyone planning on taking their pet to Brazil, according to the Brazilian consulate's website (Miami), the pet owner traveling to Brazil with a dog or a cat needs to do the following -

International Health Certificate for Pets (dogs and cats only) issued by veterinarians must be certified by the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). The International Health Certificate must show that the pet identified was examined by a veterinarian in the ten days prior to shipment, not showing any clinical sign of disease

US Department of Agriculture
6300 NW 36th Ave, Miami, 33147
Phone: (305) 526-2926 - FAX: (305) 526-2929

If Gainesville is closer to you then Miami, here is the address for the USDA in that area -

USDA, APHIS Services

8100 NW 15th Place
Gainesville, FL 32606
Phone: (352) 313-3060
Fax: (352) 313-3063

Vet Visit #2

Today we took Sebastian to his second, and final, veterinarian visit before moving to Brazil. For more information regarding taking a cat to Brazil ,read on here and then about my first vet visit just click here. This morning's trip to the doctor's was at the ungodly hour of 7:30 a.m. Apparently I thought when I made the appointment that since I was a high school teacher my body would be accustomed to waking up when it's still dark, regardless of the fact that the appointment was on a Saturday during the summer. Not the best idea, especially after a late night. E went along, but he was sleeping until the vet started including him into our conversations - she was good like that.

Note: If you're taking a pet with you to Brazil I suggest reading the consulate's website and calling the USDA for more specifics, as well as your airline. 

This final exam was to get the International Health Certificate, make sure Sebastian is still in good health, check his weight (gain?), and ask the doctor some questions about his imminent trip abroad. Sebastian IS in good health; the vet said that his teeth are beautiful and his lymph nodes are healthy. He IS 15.5 lbs (only .1 lb more than his May visit), but he is a big boy - tall and long from head to toe. However, this vet said that she'd like to see him lose a bit of his belly...maybe just a pound. 

The vet today was excellent. She was friendly and informative and knew how to talk to pet owners. She gave us the certificate, which I verified and signed, and then she even filled out a health certificate in Portuguese/English. I don't know if that's standard procedure or if she just did it to be kind, but I'm glad I have all of the forms completed and signed, and that she is an accredited veterinarian (otherwise the USDA won't accept her signature). Nice touch that there is a bilingual form, if you ask me. She also noticed that the rabies certificates that we showed her were not signed by the first vet, Dr. Hart. Hence, my trip back there to see that doctor later in the afternoon. I had noticed he didn't sign it either but didn't think much of it since it does have his name written on it, but it's better to be safe than sorry, especially with Brazil so I stopped by his office. It's too hot for that. With that being said, it wasn't so bad stopping by his office because it was nice to see a pet owner so grateful for all that that he has done for her pet. A lady there was thanking him and his secretaries a million times. He was also a good vet and Sebastian really seemed to like him.

Dr. Krampotich (from today) took her time to talk to us and answer our questions, despite the fact that it was before 8 a.m. on a Saturday, and to be honest, that is what I appreciated the most. Oh yeah, and that she called Sebastian "munchkin" - so cute :). My first question was about Sebastian's behavior on the plane. Turns out we have an 8 and a half-hour flight from Orlando to Sao Paulo and then another 1 and a half-hour flight from SP to Brasilia (and that doesn't include our layover which can be up to 5 hours, if not more). I was thinking about buying a spray that is made to calm cats. The only issue with that is that each cat is different. What if it didn't work on Sebastian? What if he went crazy(ier)? So what did the doctor suggest? Sedatives. Sure, I'll take them. She gave us a bottle (of 5) and told us to try one out today. Which we did. Sebastian is sleeping like a baby now; he looks and acts like he's all drugged up and I think it'll be best to travel with him like this. I only gave him 1/2 a pill which I mixed in with his wet food. We'll do this again next week before we leave for the Orlando airport.

By the way, the vet told me that she likes male cats to eat wet food because it's good for their urinary tract. And I know that males are more susceptible to getting said infections and that it's very painful for them. I'm happy then to make my little guy happy since he loves to eat wet, canned food.

My other major question to the vet was regarding how much/when Sebastian should eat and drink before traveling. I really don't want him to use the bathroom on the plane, nor do I want him to have to but then not go because he's uncomfortable. (Cats tend to do that). The vet suggested since our flight is at night to give him breakfast that morning and then not feed him until we're on the flight, only giving him very very small portions at a time. She said that as he is a big cat and has fat in his body, his body would attack his fatty liver if he didn't eat food and we don't want that. 

We left the vet's office with the health certificate in hand (in English and Portuguese :), Sebastian's pills, a healthy cat who had one more car trip under his belt, and a number of questions answered in a professional manner. Sebastian came home and is now sleeping soundly. In three more days we'll go to Gainesville to make a visit to the USDA, sans the cat, and he'll be ready for the following week and his first international flight.

The boys

Crazy cat

Nosy

Sleeping beauty

If you're looking for a veterinarian in the Orlando area, I'd highly recommend the following doctors. I hope that someone does find this information useful because I know when I was looking for a vet to help with this process it was difficult for me to find any information on-line. 

Dr. Roger Hart, DVM

8219 S John Young Parkway

Orlando, FL 32819

(located in PetSmart)

Dr. Eva Diana Krampotich, DVM

7424 E Colonial Drive

Orlando, FL 32807

(VCA Animal Hospital)

Wordless Wednesday: Sebastian is ready to fly

Sebastian and his fancy schmancy self is ready to fly on an airplane for his first time ever. He even got a new carrier just for the occasion, and it's blue because he's a boy. He's tried it out and given his approval. 


Meow,

I'm back!

I've returned from New York and am back to reality - moving overseas. My cat was SO glad to see me as I walked in the door. He kept "talking and talking" and purring and just seems excited that he  doesn't have to be home alone anymore. Poor thing.


I'm relieve to see that my apartment looks emptier than I remembered. But enough of that, it's crunch time; we have fewer than 2 weeks before we move. Time to go to bed. Until tomorrow...

Why I speak to my cat in Portuguese

I speak predominantly to my cat in Portuguese. Anyone out there who owns or loves cats knows that it's not strange at all to have conversations with them, so it shouldn't be weird that I speak to mine (as often as I do) in a foreign language. 

E and I speak predominantly Portuguese at home, on a daily basis. It's rare that he speaks, or responds to me, in English. I don't know if it's because that's the language that we used when we first met each other and started dating, because after all, we were in Brazil and he didn't know any English at the time. I mean, why change things up?

Even after all of these years, and the fact that he has since learned and been immersed in English, we still speak Portuguese. Maybe it's because I speak Portuguese better than he speaks English, maybe it's out of habit, or maybe it's because I'm an annoying English teacher (which I don't think so; I do help him and he appreciates and learns from me, but still....). 

How does the cat fit into this equation? Since I speak Portuguese at home, it only makes sense that I'd talk to my cat in the same language. I speak English at work, with friends, every time I leave the house, etc., but at home it's Portuguese all the way (unless I'm on the phone or on Skype). We watch TV and movies solely in English but that's about it. 

E talks to his friends on the phone in English, uses Facebook (never Orkut) and is otherwise surrounded by English, but I'm the exception (and the few Brazilian friends he has here). Even if we're out with Americans, speaking English, he'll almost always address me in Portuguese. We won't do this to be rude, I just see E and think "Portuguese" so it makes sense. I even discussed this once how I dreamt in English until he appeared in my dream, then I spoke Portuguese since I was talking to him. Must be habit then, correct? I think so. He hasn't given me any other explanation.

I do, however, believe that each time we're in New York with my family and childhood friends he speaks more English to me. Our goal is rarely to alienate someone (we can use our knowledge of a foreign language when we're out in public and want to have a private conversation). We therefore usually speak English around my family unless we want to say something to each other in private - then we shift to Portuguese.

All of this Portuguese speaking leads to the fact that I address my cat, Sebastian, in Portuguese as well. I mean, why would I speak to him in English if I don't speak to his "father" in English? Plus, it's more fun to call him gatinho, bebezinho, Sebastiaozinho, chatinho :). 

Oops, time to make adjustments

I have too much stuff. I actually know that the "problem" is me so I can't say "we have too much stuff" because that wouldn't be true. Maybe it's because I've lived in the U.S. for 20-something years, maybe I'm a hoarder (I don't think so), or maybe it's because I'm a saver of all books that I read a professional and have to keep my books. Honestly, I like the last option. I don't own that many clothes so that'll make packing easier; regardless of the reason, I have just learned that I need to make some major adjustments as to what I take and what I leave. Now. And most of what I need to chuck needs to be that which is heavy, takes up a lot of space, and does not need to go. It's for that reason that we've already begun our initial packing. 

At least I can confirm that those shoe boxes and the magazine are not mine

We have bought our suitcases and are now ready to begin the real packing process, even though E has been slowly packing away clothes in his smaller suitcase. He knows what he won't wear before we leave and what he wants to take with him (i.e. new shirts and socks) so that can be packed away now. As I'd mentioned earlier, I have two piles of mostly books and papers that I planned on taking with us. Now with the luggage staring me in the face, I've had to reconsider my options. I packed up 5 grocery bags of books and will be donating them to my co-workers tomorrow. I figure if I've read it once than that is enough. Because let's be real, only so much is going to fit in our 6 suitcases and 1 box (plus cat sans carry ons).

These are our new upright Samsonite (chic, I know) suitcases. I kept stressing to E while we were at the store, the importance that they must be large, durable, and expandable - so we didn't buy anything smaller than 30". We've also bought a heavy duty box that I can jam full of 70 lbs of books; I just don't know how we're going to lift it, but I guess we only need to do that a couple of times.....and didn't I marry an MMA fighter? Well, yes, yes, I did :). E also bought a duffle bag-type suitcase which is very large and has wheels. All of our suitcases are cloth. And all of them come from Ross so we got awesome new luggage for a decent price. 


I need to also make a mental note to call TAM and find out how much we're allowed as far as carry on baggage because I heard it's not very much. And then we have the cat so that'll add luggage. We're really going to have an adventure at the airports. That's a fact. But with that being said, this is definitely not my first time traveling/moving abroad and I have had to deal with situations similar to this before so we'll figure it out. Plus, we still have another month, I just wanted to start packing/planning now so I know what we're up against and I can decide on what is really important/necessary to take with us. At least we made a list (which of course we also had to shorten, crossing out items that we now realize that no-way-in-hell will fit in our luggage).

We're getting there folks.

A couple images from a couple moving abroad

It's true. We're all tired of it. 

Cheers to Not Going Alone

I've been doing more and more thinking about the actual day that we move to Brasilia and may I say, I'm increasingly becoming more excited. Big surprise, I know. See, the last time that E and I really traveled internationally together was when he moved from Brazil to the U.S. (I say "he" because I arrived first and then returned to get him). We have traveled outside of the U.S. together, but our drive across the Canadian border to Niagara Falls and our cruise to the Caribbean don't really count. I mean, we don't even have stamps in our passports to prove we even left the country. Therefore, now that we're moving all the way to Brazil, I'm feeling quite excited. You know how I much I love to travel. travel. travel. And travel abroad is even more exhilarating. Add that to moving abroad and you can imagine how I feel. The thing is that I love to live overseas.  

It's actually kind of funny that each time that I graduate from school/college I'm simultaneously preparing for a move abroad. In high school it was my adventure to Bolivia to be an exchange student. Two months after my college graduation I embarked for Brazil to spend a year teaching in the rainforest. Fast forward 7 years and I've graduated again and now I prepare to head off to Brazil (again) in fewer than 6 weeks. Each time in the past I was going alone, unfamiliar with my destination, yet extremely excited about the adventure and the unknown. But this time is different. Brasilia is still a city I can only daydream about since I have never visited it nor thought much of doing so in the past 5 years or so. However, I'm not going alone. I don't have to worry (though I never really did previously) about not having any friends or not knowing too much about what to expect. Yes, I've been to Brazil before, and even lived there, but I still don't know what my life will be like there - as an expat in the capital with a job similar to the one I have here.

This time, this move abroad, I will not go alone. I will go with my husband. Oh yeah, and the cat :).  Not only do I get to travel again with E, which I love, but I also will be able to hold someone's hand as I move from my old life to my new life. I will already have a friend, I will know someone else who's going through the same uncertainties as me, and I can double my luggage allowance. 

Vet Visit #1

This afternoon I took my cat to his first veterinarian visit before he crawls onto a plane in a few months and moves far far away from the only home he's ever known. Well, when I say it that way it makes it sound like it'll be a tough move for him. The truth is, maybe it will. 


Although Sebastian was well behaved at the vet's office - even when the doctor felt him up to make sure he is healthy (which he is) and when he got his rabies shot. He didn't make a noise. Good boy. He jumped up on the scale and stayed long enough to be weighed. And how much does he weigh, you ask? 15.4 lb!! Woah. He's a big boy. But like the vet assistant said, it's not that he's fat; he's just tall. The issue with the weight is that I can take up to 10 kg - cat and kennel combined. As of now we should be fine, but that means he can't gain weight. For all you Americans out there, 15.4 lbs is 7 kg.


The problem that Sebastian gave me were on the way to the doctor and the way back. He cried and cried, non stop. Maybe he gets car sick. Well, he's going to have to get used to it (my poor baby) because he's about to take off on the trip of his life. Honestly, I'll think he'll be OK. He'll be with his parents, he'll be breathing in calming kitty spray and should calm down once he's settled on the plane. I hope. I'll make sure to buy him a comfortable carrier and take his toy with him. I also will ration what he eats before he travels so he doesn't have to use the litter box.


I'll take Sebastian on one more vet trip; next time it will be to get his international health certificate and to have a final exam a week before we depart. I feel confident that everything will go well like it did today and my kitty will be ready for his flight. Let's hope we're as ready as he will be :),

Taking a cat to Brazil

I have shared a brief explanation of what one needs to relocate with their pet to Brazil but I know that when it came down to the nitty gritty details I wasn't too sure about what I needed to actually get Sebastian, my pretty kitty, onto the plane. Well, now that we have our plane tickets and I don't have a choice but to be ready, I know exactly what needs to be done to take your cat to Brazil. Maybe I can help someone or at least explain what it is that we had to go through, and how to cut corners when preparing to take your cat abroad. I know that another couple American expats already living, or moving to, Brazil have helped me.

I don't feel confident discussing how to take dogs and cats abroad because each country has their own laws, and we don't have a dog so I can't speak for those pets. I can only say what I know, about taking my cat to Brazil.

The first thing that has to be done is know the airline's pet policy. Where one airline may only charge $75 per pet, another, like TAM, may charge $300. You should also know if you need to make a reservation for the pet. I know with TAM we had to call and ask permission to take our cat in the cabin, and then wait a week before calling back to ask if Sebastian was approved. This particular airline allows 4 pets in the cabin on their largest planes (our international flight) and then 3 pets on the smaller planes (our domestic leg of the trip). This is important to know if you are taking multiple pets.

Once your cat's request to remain in the cabin has been approved by the airline, and you learn the cost for transporting him/her, you need to find out the approved dimensions of the pet's kennel. Not only that, but you'll need to know if the carrier has to be plastic with a metal door or if they'll allow soft carriers. If the latter is allowed, then you may be able to get away with a larger carrier because you can make it appear to be smaller and it'll be easier to maneuver. That's for sure.

As far as taking cats into Brazil and their health is concerned, they must have their rabies shots up-to-date as well as have an exam and a completed International Health Certificate before their departure. The trick is that the certificate must be completed no more than 10 days before the flight, and this must be endorsed by the USDA.

In order to break it down, this is what I've learned and have broken it down into steps because it can all be quite confusing otherwise:

1. Verify that your cat has had his rabies shot (or booster) because this needs to be up-to-date in order to be written on the health certificate

2. Once you know your date of departure, you can make an appointment to have the cat visit the veterinarian to have the examination certifying that the cat is in good health. Note: this cannot be done more than 10 days before departure

3. Then, with the rabies certificate, the USDA can endorse the completed health certificate. In Gainesville, Florida this costs $36 (no cash). Now you can mail the health certificate or take it to the office. I'd recommend taking it yourself because at this point you're only days away from moving abroad so you wouldn't want to risk it - in my opinion

++ At this point I'd like to recommend some ways to cut corners on all of this veterinarian business as far as price is concerned. I figured this all out as I was trying to find a USDA vet in central Florida. I did some searching on-line for vets in Orlando and while I did this I found coupons for two different vets in my area, one in a nationally known hospital in a popular pet store,  and another in pet hospital (which is apparently all over the nation). Both allow for a free initial exam for new patients (i.e. ME). So....what I did after calling and setting up the appointment with the USDA was call the other two vets mentioned. By the way, I was sure to print the coupons before doing anything.

I had already called other vets in the area to ask about prices, but wanted to speak with these two hospitals because I'd heard of other people taking their pets there, and they have locations near my house. Once I spoke with both offices I realized I could be smart and use both coupons by going to two different veterinarians. I made an appointment with the vet who charges less for the rabies shot, but more for the health certificate (who is USDA accredited, though he doesn't need to be) to give Sebastian the rabies shot for $20. The exam is free because of my coupon. Then I made an appointment to get the health certificate a few days before the USDA visit, but within the 10 days. That vet, also USDA approved, only charges $40 for the certificate, and because I have the coupon, that exam is also free. So if I were to add up all of the costs (without coupons and at the higher price), I'd pay $174.80, but instead I'm paying $60 for both. Sounds good to me!

This way I'm paying for the service, but not for the vet exam. Fair deal, wouldn't you say? All I'll need is the cat kennel and once I find it I'll make sure to recommend the best that I find.

PS: For more information, and if the Miami consulate is in your jurisdiction, you can visit their website for information about taking live pets to Brazil.

My pretty kitty

My adorable baby Sebastian (AKA DJ Sebby Seb) was approved to fly with us on our flight to Brazil. He is allowed in the cabin as long as he stays in his cat carrier for the duration of the flight. Poor thing will probably have to lose a bit of weight because he and the carrier cannot weigh more than 10 kg and Sebastian is a big boy. As of now he's probably just there as far as his weight and we don't want to take any chances.

TAM has strict guidelines (at least on paper) as to the dimensions of the kennel. They require that the carrier be no greater than 14L x 13W x 10H in size. And they do all of this for the low price of $300. Sebastian is obviously a very important cat.

DJ Sebby Seb

Enjoying the empty bookcase shelves as I pack

He's such a beautiful cat!

TAM Flight July 2011

The school has bought our plane tickets! 

I am relieved and excited that we will be officially leaving for Brasilia in almost exactly 2 months from now. The school bought us tickets with TAM even though each ticket was $500 more than the cheapest airfare. Their reasoning is because Copa arrives in Brasilia at an ungodly hour. Regardless of their reasoning, it was thoughtful, kind, and will save us so much money because....dare I say it....the best part of having our tickets with TAM is that they allow excess baggage on their flights!

Paying for excess baggage is extremely inexpensive (in comparison to shipping companies). Can you imagine $150 for 70 lbs?? That's amazing! Now we can take our most prized belongings without having to worry to much. We can't be foolish, especially because we have a domestic flight that may not be as generous with all of our baggage, but we'll see how that all goes.

My husband wanted to take his smaller suitcase which is ideal for domestic travel, but not so much for international-I'm-trying-to-shove-all-that-I-own-into-2-suitcases-that-can-only-weigh-up-to-70-lbs trips. Now that we don't have a limit we can take it all. I mean, within reason of course. We don't want to prevent the plane from getting off the ground because it's so full of coffee makers, blenders, a DVD player, and my books.

TAM also allows pets in the cabin as long as they're 10 kgs or less. Our cat is there, but with the carrier his weight cannot exceed 10 kgs so he's on a diet from now until July. This won't hurt him; he's a bit overweight. The only real concern should then be that the carrier case that we have is too large per TAM's pet policy. What's the solution? Buy a soft carrier that we can manipulate to look the right size.

Now we've flown with TAM in the past, but unfortunately we never bothered with frequent flyer miles. This time we'll get 'em. I guess then that it's a good thing that we have to fly all the way to Sao Paulo to turn around and head north to Brasilia.

Anyway, no need to start worrying about the cat, the long flight, or anything else. We're grateful that the school is looking out for us and that we are able to fly on the date that we chose. With our flight to New York next month and then of course this one, we have a lot to look forward to. I LOVE to fly and am excited to have the tickets in my inbox.

PAWsport for kitty

The adults are not the only ones preparing to ship off to Brazil; the kitty gets to go, too. People always ask me if I'm going to take my cat, which isn't such a weird question when even MORE people ask me if my husband is going. Um, YES. Why the hell not? I mean, are people serious? They must be because this is a common question that I get asked when I share my news of moving/teaching abroad.

Yes, the cat, my cat, my baby Sebastian (or Sebastião since I wanted my "son" to have a name easily pronounced in Portuguese) is going to Brazil. And he's excited! Tells me every day. E likes to make jokes that he won't be able to communicate with his neighbors (the cats, that is) because he "speaks" English, but I'm sure he's bilingual. After all, we do speak to him in Portuguese as much as we do in English. I don't know why or how but that's how it works.

Kitty doesn't need a passport, but he does need to be OKed by the Brazilian consulate 10 days before moving. The consulate's website reads:

International Health Certificate for Pets (dogs and cats only) issued by veterinarians must be certified by the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). The International Health Certificate must show that the pet identified was examined by a veterinarian in the ten days prior to shipment, not showing any clinical sign of disease


However, when I do a little bit more research it seems that Sebastian needs to have all of his papers in order, as well as his recent visit to a veterinarian. According to AngloINFO, a Brazilian website, we will also need:

A certificate of vaccination against rabies for any animal over 90 days old (obtained 30 days before entry in the case of animals vaccinated for the first time). This must be valid for at least one year

Proof of owners full name and address including state and country

Documents showing the animals name, breed, gender, size, colour, coat and any other specific markings

Copies of all relevant documents for animals imported as cargo

Fair enough. Not too complicated or expensive.

It's funny how E and I have grown to love this cat and think of him almost as a "son" when I promise you we never thought before that that could happen. I mean, what's not to love?


When we first got him

And distract his mommy from her school work



Sleeping beauty

He loves to watch TV, especially Animal Planet

Watching "Garfield"

Mommy's boy

Doing research on-line

Sebastian