I'm hoping someone out there has gone through this before.  At the end of
September, my wife, myself & our three carpet sharks will be relocating to
Paris for 18-24 months.  This should be an exciting time for all of us,
but I'm very apprehensive (at least my wife's French is intelligible).
We're trying to be thorough in preparing for the move, but I'm sure that
I'm forgetting stuff, and I don't want our 'kids' to be included in what I
miss.
 
We've been told that all vaccinations need to be current and administered
at least 30 days prior to departure, that we need to have certificates of
health from our local vet no more than 5 days before arrival and that this
certificate needs to be translated into French and have it's translation
certified.  We've also been told that the French quarantine requirement
can be met in our Paris residence.  That is the majority of information
that I have so far.
 
Here's what I need help covering:
What will the U.S. return quarantine require?  Is there any way to find
qualified Paris vets that care for ferrets (and, preferably, speak english)?
How can I find kenneling for the ferrets while my wife and I look for an
apartment (we'll be in a hotel for as much as two weeks)?  How can I find
apartments and / or hotels that accept ferrets -- we're hoping to find
housing in the 5th, 6th or 7th arrondissement?  My oldest ferret, Shadow is
on prednisolone treatment after surgery to remove tumors was unable to
completely eradicate the growths.  The information we have so far just
indicates that we need health certifications, not what will happen in a case
like hers.  What differences should I expect in the type of care available
for French ferrets?  Our ferrets have always been house-bound, and caged
while we are not around -- will I encounter resistance to house-ferrets?
 
My last, but most stressful concern is the transportation itself.  I need
some advice regarding preflight tranquilizers for the ferrets, which are
good & bad, how long they last, etc.  Also, I haven't been able to find
any soft-sided carriers with waterproof bottoms (which is what I'm told is
required).  And so far, Air France & American Airlines (the two carriers
serving Chicago - Paris that I've heard back from), both are claiming that
ferrets are not allowed in cabin carriers (since, "they haven't been
domesticated for more than 50 years") and must be transported in a cargo
area.  They claim that the cargo area is heated, but I don't trust this,
since I've seen several news reports over the years about the trauma that
pets go through on _domestic_ flights from temperature, in-flight jostling,
take off and landing, etc.  Has anybody been able to successfully bring
ferrets as carry-on?  If so, which airline, from what point of departure,
etc.  If not, has anybody been able to get the airline to provide some kind
of assurance regarding the safe arrival of the ferrets?
 
Thanks for any and all advice,
Allen & Laura with
Bonnie Blue Banzai
Clyde the glide (Buddha)
& Shadow (who's just misunderstood)
[Posted in FML issue 2400]