Eva the cat was a VIP at Cochin Worldwide Airport on Thursday, changing into the primary pet to have flown into the airport from overseas in its 25 years of economic operations.
One-year-old Eva’s arrival from Qatar was made doable after the Cochin airport just lately acquired the Animal Quarantine and Certification Companies (AQCS) certification, changing into solely the seventh airport within the nation that may obtain pets from overseas.
The cat was introduced from Doha by Okay A Ramachandran, who has moved again to Kerala after spending 34 years in Qatar. An car mechanic by occupation, Ramachandran mentioned his son Rineesh, who can also be employed in Doha, insisted that he take Eva alongside on his return.
“She was discovered deserted close to our condominium in Doha a yr in the past. I took the kitten to my flat and nurtured it. Quickly, she grew to become a member of my flat, the place she remained in my room. She eats solely cooked fish and rooster. Veterinary docs imagine that Eva belongs to a Turkish breed. After I determined to return to Kerala, I couldn’t depart Eva orphaned once more in Doha,” he mentioned.
Arduous course of
Ramachandran, a local of Chelakkara in Thrissur district, mentioned the method of bringing a pet from overseas is an arduous one.
After a veterinary physician examined Eva, it was issued a pet passport with all its particulars, together with age, which was marked as one yr and three months. Then, an software was submitted with the airways – Air India, in Eva’s case – with copies of vaccination certificates, well being certificates, the proprietor’s flight ticket, and passport. All of the paperwork from the vets have solely seven days’ validity earlier than the stipulated day of journey, Ramachandran defined. Moreover, a no-objection certificates needs to be obtained from Animal Quarantine and Certification Companies underneath the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry as a way to convey a pet to India, he mentioned.
Whereas the cat didn’t require a flight ticket of its personal, Ramachandran mentioned he needed to pay 340 Qatari Riyals – a worth that is determined by the load of the pet (3 kg in Eva’s case) and its bag (2 kg) – to take it with him within the airplane. The bag with the cat was stored underneath his seat, he mentioned.
The cat didn’t require quarantine, neither in Doha nor in Kochi, because it had all of the required paperwork and vaccination certificates, Ramachandran mentioned.
“At Cochin airport, Eva’s arrival was an enormous pleasure for everybody. Customs clearance and different processes had been hassle-free. I by no means knew that my cat’s arrival was going to make historical past on the airport,” he mentioned.
