Cats in Bali

[summerl]

Hi All,

In urgent need to know on how to bring in the cats to Bali. I know I read it somewhere that dogs/cats are forbidden but surely someone can help me bring in my 3 lovely cats. :cry: I will try anything as long as the cats are ensured a safe migration to my new home in Bali.

Please shed some light on where to acquire forms and permission for the transfer. Has anyone done this before?

:cry:

 

[Bert Vierstra]

No Cats, but Dogs.

Not for me, but for one of my clients. Everything was arranged by Bali IDE, see link to "VISA Indonesia" on top of the forum.

They had their dogs come from the Netherlands, via quarantaine in Singapore.

I think in ALL incl tickets and the lot they paid about US 4000 per dog.

Well, they are more fun then a Balinese dog. They run after balls, and even bring them back, jump into pools etc. My otherwise lovely Bali Dingo, looks at a ball, but thats all.

 

[summerl]

Heya Bert, know I can count on you. Thanks for the information.

Are you absolutely sure that there is no way around this? Oh dear, what do you suggest I do then? I am really at a lost.

:cry:

Summer

 

[Roy]

Bert is totally correct. Forget the cats. Cats have a very special place among the Balinese, especially the women...i.e. they are scourged! If a pregnant Balinese woman encounters a cat, she is convinced she will loose her baby.

Trust me. I'm an Amercian married to a Balinese, and I really like cats, and dogs. I wanted a cat early on, years ago, if for no other reason than to control the mice/rat population that is a reality here. NO WAY. It didn't happen then, won't happen now, nor ever will...even after buying Eri, (my wife), a copy of The Cat in the Hat video.

 

[Bert Vierstra]

Re: RE: Cats in Bali

Heya Bert, know I can count on you. Thanks for the information.

Are you absolutely sure that there is no way around this? Oh dear, what do you suggest I do then? I am really at a lost.

:cry:

Summer

Pay!

Ask Bali IDE if they can arrange it for you..... the official way. Allthough with some tricks and so, the time it takes can be shortened...

 

[summerl]

Hi Roy, thanks for your input. I know about the restrain on bringing cats into Bali but I am in total desperation. Need to try every means. Sorry to hear about your situation too. If movies don't work, perhaps try some cuddly stuffed toys next time. :wink: Good luck.

Bert, I have emailed Bali IDE, thanks for pointing that out. You are way 8)

 

[Roy]

Sorry to hear about your situation too. If movies don't work, perhaps try some cuddly stuffed toys next time.

No worries. I've that cuddly department all taken care of...the two legged variety...soft, silky and she even purrs! :shock:

 

[summerl]

ROY!!!! :lol: You are hilarious!!!

 

[Roy]

What can I say? I grew up in New England, home of the Reader's Digest...specifically...laughter is the best medicine. No prescription required. :shock:

 

[rien.gluvers]

I have heard some do it like this:
- on Java it is possible to import a cat officially
- find a friend over there
- let him import your cat
- take the car / and ferry from java to bali ( no customs there)

Good luck

 

[summerl]

Hi there Rien!! That is a fantastic idea!! Like I said, I will try anything. Do you by the way, know the name of the port? Is it Ketapang from Java to Gilimanuk on Bali island itself?

Bert, Bali IDE replied, somewhat to my embarassment, that they only deal with visas for human.

:mrgreen: for ya, Roy.

 

[FreoGirl]

Hi Summerl
I totally sympathise with you on this situation, I recently moved to Indonesia and had to leave my much beloved russian blue back in Australia. Of all the 'down' side of making the move, it was the hardest hardest thing to do. He was like my child.
Sounds like you are going to say you can't live without your cats, but have you thought through what it will be like for them in Bali? E.g. are you going to let them outside? what about the diseases etc the other cats have? What about the dogs? Or are you going to keep them inside, and can you with a Balinese style house?
Personally I knew my lovely Russian who is litterally twice the size of an average cat in Indonesia simply wouldn't survive in Indonesia - he is too Westernised and just couldn't adapt. He is too used to his comforts and living in a clean, safe environment.
Just something to consider
FreoGirl

 

[mimpimanis]

Hi Freo Girl

I was the same. I had my two cats rehomed in the UK as I did not want to put them through a 30 odd hour journey door to door & all the stresses that their new life in Lombok would bring them. I am sure they were happy with there new owners & I now have 5 local cats!

Mimpi

 

[Bert Vierstra]

somewhat to my embarassment

Somewhat to mine as well.... :shock:

 

[summerl]

Hi Freogirl, and Mimpi, believe me, I have given that a thought. But the current residence for the cats is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is just a stone throw (4 hours at most) away from Bali. Moreover, I am right now living in a small apartment, as compared to having a relatively huge compound in the house in Bali. And, I would be spending most of my time in Bali too. So naturally, I couldn't leave them in Malaysia. But its really taxing (pardon the pun) to bring them over as it is. Glad you two share my sentiments. :wink:

Bert, was just teasing you.

 

[Sanurian]

Just a couple of thoughts about cats in Bali (or anywhere, for that matter).

Cats are essentially hunters and will kill whatever they can unless they're 'controlled' in some way. Well-fed pet cats, if they get a chance to get into their surrounding environment, will still try and hunt (for feline fun, I suppose). They stalk and kill all kinds of wildlife, such as birds (of which Bali seems to have less every day). If they 'get out', they're a menace to local fauna. Cats in Bali, of course, have to be particularly brave to get amongst the huge dog population here.

Bali is a pretty fragile eco-system already. I'm not sure that bringing more potentially damaging influences is all that wise. I have nothing whatsoever against cats, per se, but please think carefully about the future consequences of introducing more destructive elements here.
:roll:

 

[FreoGirl]

I understand where you are coming from Sanurian, cats are a terrible problem in Australia destroying the wildlife, and the food of other animals higher up the chain.
Maybe in Sanur there are not so many cats - as Sanur seems to be dog city. Here in my village in Lombok there are no dogs (it is a muslim village, only a couple of Hindus). It is lovely not to be woken at night with barking dogs I can tell you! But we have dozens of cats running around here. There are not very many birds, and the lizards run fast :shock:

As to the potential immigration of a couple of cats from Malaysia, Bali also already has a huge cat population, I really don't think the addition of two more will make much difference.....

 

[Roy]

I really don't think the addition of two more will make much difference.....

That's very likely exactly what the folks moving to Australia in the 19th century thought. "Oh well, what's two more cats?"

 

[drbruce]

Freogirl,

Actually as I've discovered over the past few years, many Muslims have dogs. In Sumawa where most of the folks are Muslims, we have large packs of dogs that run around and which have collars (like many of the other animals here) which signify the owner. Pakistani Muslims are also quite fond of dogs. However, in our neighorhood in Bali, no one has them, and they consider them quite dirty.

 

[Sanurian]

Hi Freogirl

Maybe there aren't many birds where you are because of all the cats.

A couple more cats might not be much but what if everybody thought like that? If your part of Lombok is being overrun with cats now, what about in a few more years? It all has to start somewhere.

There are so many dogs on Bali now that I sometimes refer to this place as The Island of the Dogs. Several years ago when I was living in a certain village in the Gianyar region. the dog population exceeded the people. Even the Balinese were having trouble sleeping. Their "solution" was to round up and kill as many as they could over a week or two. Needless to say, that wasn't exactly 100% succesful, except in the short term.

Given the amount of rats and mice on Bali, one would think more cats here could be a good thing. But there are rats here that can make any cat cringe and run for the hills (and that's if they're game enough to take on the dogs in the first place). All I can say to that is it's probably well and good that Balinese dogs can't climb trees (yet).

The mice population on Bali has an interesting Balinese twist to it. In past times during mice plagues, the Balinese would capture as many as they could and destroy them - all except for one lucky couple who were released back into the fields in case some Balinese Rat God got grimpy with the village. As far as I know, most Balinese don't extend this kind of leniency to dogs.

Dogs are pretty much essential here fulfilling their roles such as "security", eating discarded offerings and human excrement and maybe keeping the cat population in check. It's a pity most Balinese treat dogs in the appalling manner they do.
8)