Kokua Line
By June Watanabe
Wednesday, January 20, 1999
Kokua Line
It is so upsetting to know my cats cannot be here with me in Hawaii because of the quarantine law. How can I get my cats over here and what do I need to do? Animal quarantine
laws explained
in info packetCall the Animal Quarantine Station at 483-7151 and request the packet of information that will detail what you need to do.
Under the state's new quarantine law, which took effect in May 1997, dogs and cats that meet specific requirements -- both before and after their arrival in Hawaii -- may have their quarantine period reduced to 30 days.
But a word of caution. Even if pets meet all the requirements pre-arrival, a required second blood test, post arrival, may detect problems, said Animal Quarantine Branch chief Dewey Sturges. In that case, the pet will have to be quarantined for the full 120 days.
The first thing that needs to be done is to buy a $17 microchip from the state and have it implanted in the animal before it arrives in Hawaii, he said. The information packet contains an order form. If you live here, you need to go to the Animal Industry Division, 99-941 Halawa Valley St., where the animal quarantine branch is located, to pick up the packet.
If your cat is an adult with a history of rabies vaccinations, then you need to make sure that the cat arrives here not less than 90 days and not more than 12 months from the date of the most current vaccination. You have to have written documentation of those shots.
If your cat has never been vaccinated, it must have had two vaccinations occurring at least six months apart, with the last one falling within that 90-day to 12-month period, Sturges said.
Then, after the microchip is implanted, your veterinarian has to draw a blood sample and have it analyzed by a lab at Kansas State University (if you're a civilian) to see if it has an adequate antibody level. Kansas State would then send results to the quarantine branch.
"The reason we have to have the microchip implanted first is that chip number has to accompany the blood test," Sturges said. "When the results arrive here, I compare that against the microchip I sold them."
If your cat has had its rabies shots, all this will take about 110-120 days, he said. If your cat has never been vaccinated, you need to add another six months, Sturges said.
In 1998, 3,064 dogs and cats qualified for the 30-day quarantine, he said. About one percent of the total animals tested, however, had to go through the regular 120-day quarantine because a problem was detected during the second blood test.
That second test may show that the antibodies have degraded with time, Sturges said. "Some animals respond differently than others," he added, or "they may have some other ongoing disease process that interferes with the immune system. It could be any number of things."
To the woman in the silver subcompact who repeatedly blasted her horn at me on Dole Street on Jan. 5, as I rode my bike to UH-Manoa. I had slowed down because I saw a man walking strangely behind a parked car, carrying hubcaps. The next day, I saw that same car on blocks, missing all its wheels. I sure hope I had not witnessed a theft, because your obnoxious action caused me to forget about the man and instead concentrate on your rude driving. -- Khal Spencer/UHM faculty Auwe
To Ken who found my wallet on the bus and brought it to my house. I really appreciate his taking the time and effort to locate me. Thank you, Ken, very much. -- Darsie Mahalo
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
