27-01-2010 om 10:00 by Amanda Potter

One of the best decisions we made when moving to Maastricht was bringing our cats with us. They keep me company while I’m home and keep us on our toes. Einstein, our black and white, is the more excitable of the two, but Agatha, the tabby, has actually escaped into the great outdoors of our balcony (if temporarily).

The Maastricht area is a great place for pet ownership, as evidenced by the number of cats, dogs, and even the occasional horse (on the edges of course) can attest to. As an expat, or simply new resident, here are a few things to keep in mind when moving with your four-legged children.



Moving with Animals from Abroad
Assuming you’ve decided to bring your pet with you, one of the biggest restrictions is your country of origin. That will restrict the types of animals you can bring with you as well as what vaccinations and check-ups are required. Coming from the US, for example, cats and dogs are permitted and with proper paperwork they will not be held in quarantine. The Royal Netherlands Embassy’s Travel with Pets (English) covers the rules in detail.

Your airline is also an important consideration. To decrease the amount of time our cats spent in the bowels of an airplane, I flew directly to Amsterdam and then we drove to Maastricht since the local airport is quite small (you can read more about our adventure here). I don’t recommend flying through the UK as they have very strict animal/airplane regulations.

Dog Tax
You probably already know you need to sign yourself in a your local Gemeente. But did you know you also need to register your dog? Every dog should be registered because your town probably has a yearly dog tax. Its not a good idea to dodge this tax since the township will check up on you. We don’t own a dog, but one day in November I came home to a stern notice indicating that Animal Control had stopped by and that I was to contact them if I had a canine so they could return for an inspection.

Cats, birds, and other small pets are not taxed in Limburg, although some critters (like toxic snakes and some parrots) are simply prohibited.

Pet Food
Pet food for cats, dogs, birds, and rodents is easy to find either in a pet store or your regular grocery store. I’ve always tried to seek out foods with real meat as the first ingredient for my cats, and there are varieties like that available. I now order a special food online because of the problem below. Pet stores have lots of toys and other equipment as well.



Vets & Boarding
The Maastricht area has good veterinarian support, including a pet medical emergency number (3520455). The individual offices also take turns being on-call on Sundays, much like the Apotheeks. We had our first medical scare with Einstein who got a Urinary Tract Infection; a potentially deadly illness. The vet we visited was helpful and kind; even telling me to call him on his day off if Einstein stopped using the litter box altogether.

Boarding for vacations is a little trickier to find, but available. Many people have a neighbor check in on their pets, but when we travel for a long period of time we put our cats up at the Kattenhotel "de Gelaarsde Kat". We’ve been happy so far with the service and I like coming home to a clean house. The Expat Guide has a list of locations to get you started.

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