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Flying in with cats and have food/medication questions!


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Hello,

     We are flying into Guadalajara on Sat. with our two cats and are trying to sort through what is okay to "import" in for them.  We have all of their health care paperwork and they are all set in that regard.  It is really around the meaning of what we are reading here: https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/445895/List_of_agri-food_products_for_tourist_import.pdf

     Maybe this list doesn't apply since it is for "tourist" and we will be entering as Residente Temporal?   In any case, we just want to bring in about 2-3 14lb. bags of dry cat food and potentially some wet (humid??) canned food as well.  The dry food is only chicken/turkey/fish sources and from approved country (USA), so don't imagine problem necessarily but curious about wet/canned food which may be getting referenced as humid at that link.  Would like to have a bit of this too if possible and don't mind paying overweight fees but are ultimately restricted by what Mexico allows in...some combination of wet and dry food perhaps?

    The other concern is we have prescription medications for our cats (Revolution flea treatment) that we bought in the US for hundreds of dollars (a year's worth/monthly application) that appears to be prohibited???  We understand that there is Revolution available there, so if this will just be confiscated, we will have to figure out getting it there.  There is really a lack of clarity around some of this and we have been researching for a month or so and can't really get "straight" answers, perhaps largely due to whether you enter by land or air and potentially the mood of customs inspectors.

      Any clarifications on this would be helpful as we know it is already going to be a pretty long day of travel.

Thanks,

Dubhead

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There are oodles of options for pet food and medications here. Flea products are way cheaper than US prices, but you can bring what you have, declare it and hope for the best. As for the food, I would bring only enough for a week and save myself a headache. Head for Lakeside Friends of the Animals in Riberas when you arrive to buy what you need.

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Yes there are oodles of options for pet food and medications here. It would probably be more helpful to you if you told us what brand of food (wet and dry) that your kitties are used to and that will save you schlepping it down. That's a whole lot of baggage that you won't be paying extra for.

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What brands (with specifics if applicable)  of wet and dry food are you currently feeding?  Many options here to buy all kinds of food.... more than available at Friends of the Animals store.... and if you can't find exactly what you want, you will find something similar and acceptable.  (Have 6 at the moment, on  two different "special" diets, plus 3 on various meds, so not  without some knowledge in this area)

Revolution is here.  Sell what you have to a friend NOB and save yourself the hassle of ?? at the border.  And realize if you are going to live here, you might as well get used to the idea that you may have to change your cats' diet a little, but there are lots of options if replacement is needed.

Hope your kitties do well with the move!

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And by the way.... if your cats are not already totally indoor kids, be sure they become that immediately on arrival.  LOTS of dangers here.....    of the disease, poison, and many other kinds. Learned that the hard way (3 events between 2002 and 2004) and my doors have been closed ever since.

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Thanks for these responses.  We can return the medications easily and get full refund as our good friend is their vet, we will do that to avoid hassle of losing that investment at customs.  Regarding the foods we use for our indoor-only cats (12 years old each - brother and sister), we have used both Orijen Fit and Trim dry food as well as Acana Meadowlands (sometimes Grasslands but has restricted Lamb in it).  For the wet food (once a day in evening), they receive Weruva B.F.F (except any beef flavors) and Fussie Cat Super Premium which are also Carrageenan free and all chicken-based.  Was informed really that Chapala had nothing like these types of foods, so it will be great to see that there are equivalents to them possible.  Otherwise, we don't mind expense of bringing down a supply from time to time since we will be going back and forth a number of times a year for a few weeks to visit with family.   Natasha, so sorry to hear about the incidents with your babies, we do plan on continuing to keep our cats indoors for the remainder of their lives and hope to avoid any unncessary exposure to poisons, diseases, etc. by continuing this practice.

 We will definitely head to Lakeside Friends of Animals shop and see what they might have.  Where do we find Revolution and do we still need a prescription and could use one from NOB?

Dubhead

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You will have no trouble finding Revolution there, or at most vets; and there are many in the area.  However, I do suspect that you should not try to bring more food than you need, just for the trip and a few days.  It will probably be confiscated, or just refused entry & you will have to abandon it at the border.

Your cats will adapt; believe it or not. Even if they are stubborn enough to go hungry for a few days.....then, they will 'adapt'.  Oh..fresh fish are readily available, even still alive, and few cats refuse fish.

Now......will you adapt?

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1 hour ago, RVGRINGO said:

You will have no trouble finding Revolution there, or at most vets; and there are many in the area.  However, I do suspect that you should not try to bring more food than you need, just for the trip and a few days.  It will probably be confiscated, or just refused entry & you will have to abandon it at the border.

Your cats will adapt; believe it or not. Even if they are stubborn enough to go hungry for a few days.....then, they will 'adapt'.  Oh..fresh fish are readily available, even still alive, and few cats refuse fish.

Now......will you adapt?

Live fish.... REALLY?  NOT in the best interest of the cats..... can have worms etc you can't see plus in no way a balanced diet. 

All cats need actual cat food since it has taurine added.....  essential for all mammals, but while dogs and people can "make" it from the foods they ingest, only cats living in the wild and eating entire birds, mice,  and other prey --- so get skin, hair, guts, feathers, bones etc. --- can survive, because cats CANNOT make it when eating anything else. (Unless of course you have a source of taurine to add, and a really good recipe for making a complete and balanced diet that serves each particular cat's needs.)

That said, agree with RV Gringo.      Highly unlikely you will be allowed to bring wet or dry food with you.  Importers of U.S. animal food products jump through a LOT of hoops and pay a lot of fees in order to do this, and are subject to a lot of rules and reg'.s

Sent you a P.M.

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Like anything else you will be bringing, it all depends on how much you will bring. If you plan to bring 100 lbs worth of food and many boxes of meds, of course, you will attract attention and certainly be told to pay imports and possibly confiscations. But if you are bringing a two weeks supply of food and a couple of months worth of meds, I wouldn't worry about it. Check with local shops, including Pet Coto see if they carry what you need. Just make sure your vet docs are done correctly and shots are up to date. I would be more concerned about that stuff than about the food and meds. Safe travels. 

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