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Flying with a cat
Zeromus
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, it can't be avoided: Toward the end of December, I'm going to have to fly with my cat Rex—which, naturally, I've never done before.
I've already booked the flight, reserved his spot on it, and purchased an airline-approved carrier. We'll also be going to the vet beforehand to get all checked up.
I'm mostly concerned about getting through the airport—I have to remove him from the carrier to go through security—and handling him on the plane itself. He's fairly small but very energetic and vocal, and he's never been able to spend time outside of our apartment before, so I'm really not sure how he's going to react to the experience.
Any general tips, especially on keeping him calm, are appreciated. I've read that tranquilizers are actually not the way to go, but I'll have a conversation with the vet about it.
Thanks!
I've already booked the flight, reserved his spot on it, and purchased an airline-approved carrier. We'll also be going to the vet beforehand to get all checked up.
I'm mostly concerned about getting through the airport—I have to remove him from the carrier to go through security—and handling him on the plane itself. He's fairly small but very energetic and vocal, and he's never been able to spend time outside of our apartment before, so I'm really not sure how he's going to react to the experience.
Any general tips, especially on keeping him calm, are appreciated. I've read that tranquilizers are actually not the way to go, but I'll have a conversation with the vet about it.
Thanks!
Zeromus on
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we drove cross country with our two guys and drugged them. one was doped up and slept the entire time while on the pill, the other got so paranoid that he pooped in his bed in the car. needless to say he didn't get the pill anymore and was actually fine with it.
you can try to desnesitze him to the crate but it could backfire on you and make him hate it even more.
assuming you are flying him in cabin right?
Yes, in-cabin.
Security was a bit tricksy, but all I had to do was keep a firm grip on her. If you think yours might bolt, it may be worth getting a harness leash thing just for the security step. For some reason they also had to swab my hands for explosive residue after I went through the metal detector.
If you care to, bringing some Benadryl in case you have a flight neighbor who is allergic.
I got a soft-sided, Southwest-branded carrier (I'm flying Southwest, so, you know, consistency :P). They don't really have much info otherwise, though.
Benadryl for my neighbor is a great thought, I'll make sure to do that. Thanks!
The security checkpoint I'm a bit worried about. My cat is fairly small and I'm pretty much always able to control him no matter how hard he tries to wrestle out of my grip, but still. Is there a harness/leash product anyone might recommend?
Absolutely not true. For some cats, but definitely not for all and not for such a short trip. My cat went coast to coast twice with no sedatives and was just fine. 13 hours in a carrier both ways.
Can you explain a bit more about your experience, Esh?
Fed my cat at 8pm the night before, made sure he used the bathroom before the trip. Put him in his soft carrier, held him while they searched it at security. He stayed in his carrier without a peep the entire trip. Occasionally opened the top during flight to pet him. Rinse and repeat for the flight back 10 months later.
And he's a neurotic, very chatty Siamese.
Obligatory photo...
so you are suggesting he take the cat out of its carrier so he can remove the harness in the airport, a harness he wants to put on the cat because he is worried that the cat will get away from him in the airport when he takes it out?
its at most a 1.5 hr flight. leaving the harness on is not going to be the end of the world.
Thanks, I appreciate it. Sounds like I probably don't need to sweat things so much. And what a cool-looking cat!
If it wasn't clear, I suggested the harness as a way to ease his worries about the cat bolting during the security screening, but then I realized that the metal fasteners may give him issues with the metal detector.
Leaving the harness on for a 1.5 hour flight definitely wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would also seem kind of silly to do since the cat would be locked in a bag for the 1.5 hours.
BTW, you'll likely be given a seat at the rear of the plane with other small pets and babies around. Airlines like to keep potential disturbances together I guess. Oh! If he's a smushed-face breed you might want to re-think flying him. Apparently those breeds can really struggle breathing with the pressurized environment.
Good luck! Cats are tough and adaptive. You'll be fine!
Really? I always choose my seating on the plane. I've never heard of an airline doing something like this.
Hmmm. Maybe it's a Canadian Christmas rush thing.
My brother and his girlfriend tried to do this and their cat immediately made a break for it, almost making them into those people in the news who end up inadvertently delaying the flight so that the flight crew can look for an escaped feline. As it is the neighbors on the flight were nice and they were able to find and recapture him before things got out of hand, but... just be careful. Maybe try it in a car first.
I would agree. From what I understand, sedatives aren't recommended, because they can be a bit unpredictable (especially if the cat hasn't tried them before).
Just for a brief anecdote, I moved from Seattle to Austin with three cats about a year ago, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. My main concern was that the meowing would bother people, but there were some mitigating factors:
- As soon as we put them in the carriers, they meowed like crazy. All the way to the airport, through security, and then waiting for the plane. But after about two hours (almost exactly two hours, weirdly), while we were waiting for the plane, they got almost totally quiet. I think they realized that they weren't going anywhere, and they finally gave up. So throughout the flight, they would make an occasional noise, but not often. And when I would check on them, they were usually relaxing/sleeping. They didn't love it, obviously, but they were fine.
- And something else you don't realize when you're not on a plane is that the ambient noise in a plane is really loud. Just the sounds of the air, the whirring from the engines, and whatever else means that sound doesn't travel nearly as well as you would expect. Even if the cat was meowing non-stop, only people within a couple rows would hear it.