(oh, before I tell you, when Emily went to Italy we went to Dr. Shatto, our veterinarian for all her shots, papers, certifications, etc. in two visits...one more than 30 days before the flight for a rabies booster and the other visit within ten days of the flight for her health certification)
In February, make our plane reservations and with those, separate reservations for the space under our seats to be occupied by our cats. Cost: Euro 90 EACH...you do the math. The nice Lufthansa lady tells Angel he can go to the airport now and pay, to get it out of the way.
Angel takes the bus to the airport, finds out there is NO WAY you can pay until the cats pass weight inspection the day of the flight...8 kilos ((17.63 lbs) for each cat which is to include the weight of her individual carrier. Sounds like a lot, until you weigh Emily and find out our big American cat weighs 8 kilos all by herself (Annie weighs 3 kilos). We put Emily on a restricted diet (she had gained 3 pounds after moving here, depression and less activity in an apartment).
Visit in February to Dottore Dal Zovo in to find out what the process is and what the timeframes are for the pieces of the process.
Visit in April to Dottore Dal Zovo with both kitties to begin the process: rabies shots, health exam. Annie, the Italian, gets a new microchip implanted in her neck. Dottore Dal Zovo assures us that Emily's microchip is sufficient because, in his words, if you travelled to ten countries, it would make no sense to have ten microchips. We agree.
Not less than 21 days later, May 5, visit to the Canile (the dog and cat pound) with both kitties so that their microchips can be read and matched to their new passports. The receptionist agrees with our information from Dottore Dal Zovo that Emily will not need another microchip. We believe her.
We see Dottore Pavan. Emily needs another microchip, as the American A.V.I.D. system is not readable by the European system. OK. Dottore Pavan very carefully completes all our paperwork. He also gives us a ten-minute explanation of the ins and outs of using the passport in all the countries of the world, and how important which pages are for which updated certifications. He is very nice. The receptionist gives us a bill to be paid at another building in another part of town on another day. We take a cab back to the apartment.
Addendum typed on 14 May: I forgot that Angel also had to return to Dottore Dal Zovo, without the kitties, for Dottore Dal Zovo to stamp and sign the passport to certify that he indeed had given the kitties their rabies shots. No charge. Isn't that nice.
May 12 we go to the Department of Health, Pet Section, to pay our bill. The little miss at the window rejects the bill, saying it needs a codice (code). What code? The one that should be supplied by Dottore Pavan. We leave a callback for Dottore Pavan, and start for home (25 minute walk). The good doctor says he will call the Sanita (Health Dept.) and straighten things out, and call us again.
We stop for another coffee to await his call. Angel returns to the Sanita while I go home. Angel calls me to ask for my codice fiscale (like a SS#) because...this is good...my codice fiscale is NOT IN THE SYSTEM. Why? Because we were, as immigrant pensioners, required to have our own private health insurance, so we did NOT sign up for the National Health Service, which covers both humans and pets. This passport thing is administered by the National Health. So, when the little miss types in my codice fiscale, I am a non-person. She says to Angel, You must have just arrived. He agrees, not wanting to open this can of worms.
The bill is paid...all Euro 33.26.
The kitties now each have her own formal blue passport (same size as a people passport):
UNIONE EUROPEA
REPUBBLICA ITALIANA
REGIONE DEL VENETO
PASSAPORTO PER ANIMALI DA COMPAGNIA
Emily has lost 3 lbs., or 1.36 kilos, back to her pre-move-to-Italy weight, so she is good to go. We are over the last big kitty hurdle...we think.
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