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Question Re: Needed Documentation for Flying with a Cat
wonderpug
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Very shortly I am going to be flying from Massachusetts to New Mexico with my cat on Southwest Airlines. I've paid the fees and such and understand the rules about the cat being in a carrier that fits under the seat in front of me (whoever is flying on that plane with me: I'm sorry) but I want to make sure I'm not screwing things up with any rules about veterinary documents.
Their pet policy says
"Southwest Airlines accepts small vaccinated domestic cats and dogs," ok.
And according to their Pet FAQ they say "Southwest does not require a health certificate or any other documentation from the Customer's veterinarian for pets to travel."
I'm taking this to mean that they require vaccinated animals but they're not going to force you to prove anything. That sounds great.
What I'm worried about is if there's going to be some other agency along the way other than Southwest who is going to demand documents. The Boston Logan Airport, the airport I'm transferring through (not sure which at the moment), the TSA...
Anyone know what I should or should not have to be worried about? Recent experiences flying with small animals? If I can get by without having to do a last minute trip to the vet, that would really help out my last minute logistics.
Their pet policy says
"Southwest Airlines accepts small vaccinated domestic cats and dogs," ok.
And according to their Pet FAQ they say "Southwest does not require a health certificate or any other documentation from the Customer's veterinarian for pets to travel."
I'm taking this to mean that they require vaccinated animals but they're not going to force you to prove anything. That sounds great.
What I'm worried about is if there's going to be some other agency along the way other than Southwest who is going to demand documents. The Boston Logan Airport, the airport I'm transferring through (not sure which at the moment), the TSA...
Anyone know what I should or should not have to be worried about? Recent experiences flying with small animals? If I can get by without having to do a last minute trip to the vet, that would really help out my last minute logistics.
wonderpug on
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Honestly though, it's not going to hurt to take your cat to the vet, get them checked out, and pay for a certificate of health for traveling just in case something comes up at the airport. Take the time and do it.
For what it's worth, it's a really standard request for vets, so it's pretty easy. The only sticky part is that the exam had to have been completed recently (within 10 days, I think). But if you take your cat to the vet annually anyway, you could just schedule an appointment for a week or so before you leave, and then you don't need to go back for another year.
As far as my experience, I can say that it was a lot easier than I expected (I assumed it would be awful). The cats hated being in their carriers obviously, but after about 2 hours, all 3 pretty much shut up for the rest of the trip. I think once they realized that they weren't gonna get out, they calmed down. I was worried about them on the flight, but sometimes when I checked, they were actually sleeping.
One thing I would recommend is getting a body harness with a leash if you don't already have one. They make you take the cat out of their carrier to go through security. And since cats can be pretty unpredictable when they're scared, I was worried about what would happen if one of them got loose in the airport. So we just put the leashes on before they got in the carriers, and it went fine.