Pet Move Spotlight: Relocating Cats to Hawaii & Tarzan’s Move

Shipping Pets to Hawaii

Compared to some countries, it's relatively simple to transport pets to the United States or go from one US state to another, but shipping pets to Hawaii is a little different because this island paradise is rabies-free. In addition to facing a long flight to get here, you'll also need to navigate the quarantine requirements.

Hawaii requires a 120 day quarantine for pets entering the islands, however it's possible to shorten this time by meeting the requirements of the 5-Day-or-Less Program.

Pet travelers who follow all the steps correctly (see the official website) and within the proper time frame (a rabies vaccine must be done in the last year and at least 90 days before arrival, for example) are eligible for direct release at the airport (if flying into Honolulu). A fee of $224 per pet is also required.

It sounds complicated -- in fact we recently had a client who just missed completing everything on the right schedule. Her cat, Tarzan, ended up flying to meet her and spent about 20 days in Hawaii quarantine. The good news is the owner was able to visit Tarzan, and she was pretty comfortable and happy at the facility. It may be a bit inconvenient to face such circumstances, but lots of pets have handled the experience just fine.

Even the First Dog, Bo Obama, has to follow these rules (we read about Bo's trip to Hawaii a while back), but the White House team was on top of things and they were able to secure Bo's same-day release from the airport.

As you can see, if a move to Hawaii is in your pet's future, it would be wise to start planning well in advance. Find out more about pet imports to Hawaii, and please contact PetRelocation with any questions. We'd be happy to help you avoid the Hawaii quarantine and head straight for the beach!

Need help with your pet's move to Hawaii? Contact us for assistance -- we'd be happy to help!

Photo: Tarzan, hanging out in Hawaii quarantine for a few days.