Monkey...a Swiss Citizen?

Many of you know some of the hassles we underwent to move Monkey over to Switzerland with us. We used a pet relocation service (yes...they exist), because we lived in a hotel for a week or so before flying over to Zurich. We also knew that we wouldn't be completely settled in when we moved into our new apartment. So, to reduce stress on Monkey (and ourselves) we used the pet relocation service. He arrived safely (and relatively happy) without any incident. However, prior to having the pet relocation service pick Monkey up at our home in NJ, we had to take him to the vet for a full examination and have our vet fill out tons of paperwork regarding the health and vaccination history of Monkey. Swiss law also required that we have a microchip identification device "installed" in Monkey. So, we did all this and Monkey was allowed into the country. (Note...it seems most Swiss cat owners allow their cats outside most, if not all, of the time. So, these microchip devices must come in pretty handy.)

A few months ago, Monkey had some issues with one of his hind claws and since he hadn't been to the vet in over a year, I decided it was time to take him. We trekked to the vet via bus (an interesting side story all together) and had him examined. Now, first of all, Monkey's hind claw was perfectly fine (although dirty), and he was healthy. The vet gave him an immunization that he needed. Then he asked to see my cat's health book. Whoops - didn't have that. Also hadn't had his microchip registered with the appropriate Swiss authorities. And on top of being totally delinquent with the first two items, the vet asked me if I was aware that my cat's front paws were declawed. (Shock and dismay in his voice.) I know this might not sit well with animal rights folks, and although at the time, I didn't realize that declawing is pretty stressful/painful for a cat, I am still glad we had it done. Apparently in Switzerland it's illegal to have tail/ear cropping or claw removal done to a pet. I was getting worried that we were about to get the boot right out of the country. I asked the vet if I needed to get some documentation that this was done prior to our arrival in Switzerland. He made a note in his records and said that we would be fine, that it was a "known problem that the US has". Hmmmmm. Then he gave me a health book for Monkey to keep track of his immunizations and also had me fill out the paper for registering Monkey's microchip with the Swiss company that keeps track of these (and of course charging me 50 CHF for the honor of keeping track of his microchip data). The funny thing about Monkey's health book, is that it's a pet passport. See picture below. So, I guess he's legit now. It even has a space for a passport-sized photo of your pet. (The photo is at least optional.)


Now, back to the declawing thing. I feel bad that I had this procedure done to Monkey to make my life easier. But I adopted Monkey from the Human Society and feel overall that his life is much better, even with the declawing. I do think it's somewhat frustrating that my vet made me feel like the worse pet owner ever, especially when the cats here in Switzerland spend all their time outside, half of them are missing eyes or tails because of cat fights. (We hear cat fights about once a week, at least.) Brady and I have a favorite outside cat that we see when we go to the grocery store and he's always got burrs and ticks in his fur. I don't see how that's any healthier. I've read countless articles that say cats that spend anytime outdoors often have more illness and shorter lives. So, anyway, my feathers were a little ruffled by the attitude this vet had towards me and Monkey. But I still think it's funny that he's legit even while missing some claws!