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Flying with a Cat
Fraz
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hi folks, I recently moved to the Bay Area from Miami, FL.
I left my cat with my Mom and I want to fly her over.
I have a couple of questions:
She's not a very big cat, probably less than 10 lbs, and I'm wondering if would be better to fly her in the cabin. I've see what the max size of a carry-on kennel can be (23" long x 13" wide x 9" high on AA) but I'm worried she won't be able to move around in one of those soft kennels that are probably meant for tiny dogs.
Or should I check her? It is a five hour flight, but I'm worried it will be worse that flying her in the cabin.
Anyway, any advice from people who have been through this would be appreciated.
I left my cat with my Mom and I want to fly her over.
I have a couple of questions:
She's not a very big cat, probably less than 10 lbs, and I'm wondering if would be better to fly her in the cabin. I've see what the max size of a carry-on kennel can be (23" long x 13" wide x 9" high on AA) but I'm worried she won't be able to move around in one of those soft kennels that are probably meant for tiny dogs.
Or should I check her? It is a five hour flight, but I'm worried it will be worse that flying her in the cabin.
Anyway, any advice from people who have been through this would be appreciated.
Fraz on
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What you should do:
Go to the vet who will prescribe you some tranquilizers. S/he should give you two dose so that you can try it out at home (some cats have an opposite reaction and get really hyper on tranqs). If they react well you'll drug them the day of the flight, put them in a carrier (your airline will tell you the maximum dimensions for a carrier - you should then be able to buy one from PetSmart, PetCo, etc.), and go to the airport. You'll have to take the cat out of teh carrier and carry it through security while the carrier goes through the metal detector.
After that just wait at the gate and get on the plane. Your test dose will also show you how long it will take for the tranq to wear off of your cat.
Second time I didn't bother with sedatives and the cat was quiet after about 1/4 into the flight time. At some point after take off the person next to me said "Do you hear a cat?"
By far the worst part is going to be the airport security. You HAVE to take your cat out of the carrier to go through the checkpoint. My cat is afraid of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE so she clung onto me for dear life, almost couldn't get her back in the carrier. Don't lose your cat!
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Tranquilizers and sedatives can have adverse or unpredictable effects on animals at high altitude. Also, some airlines require that you provide written consent from the Vet for the animal to be tranquilized. The airlines will not administer medication to your animal. Make sure your pet has been fed, watered, exercised, and has had a chance to relieve itself prior to your flight.
I called out to it, and it turned and ran right to me, obviously thinking, 'oh joy! someone recognizes me! must be owner!' It wasn't too happy when I picked it up and it realized it _didn't_ know me, and then the stewardess ran up and started telling me I couldn't take my cat out during the flight. I just held on tight and called out, 'Is anyone missing a cat?'
The woman it belonged had decided the cat should get a chance to come out of its carrier and stretch, and predictably, it'd bolted.
Because of the Christmas season pets weren't allowed to be checked - aircraft need the room for people's extra luggage - so I brought her as carry-on. Flying Westjet, it cost $50 to bring her into the cabin.
The soft carrier my partner and I had originally bought for the trip turned out to be too big to fit under the seat so we downgraded to a slightly smaller one. This turned out to be a good thing as the cat seemed to be much more comfortable in a little space where she could curl up and feel safe. During the flight I also draped my jacket over the carrier so it was dark and she couldn't see much. That also seemed to keep her calm.
We also bought some herbal cat relaxant from a pet store before we left. A couple of drops on her favourite treat every so often kept her nice and relaxed. Not drugged up or sleepy, just relaxed. I can't remember the specific brand, but if you have a good pet store in your neighbourhood it's worth asking someone who works there about it.
Anyhow, over a trip that turned from a 5-hour flight into a 25-hour crazy-time where we took off or landed 10 times, the cat was fine. No bathroom accidents or anything, though she did hit the litter box asap once we got to where we were going.
Also this. I actually had our cat in a harness (which we had taken the time to get her used to beforehand) just for going through security. A leash was kept handy to clip onto the harness too. Cat was petrified and just clung onto me while I made sure to keep some fingers wound through the harness. She was glad to get back into her carrier after!
The security guard who wanded me told me a horror story about a woman getting shredded by her cat - blood and skin everywhere. Sounded pretty gruesome.
Gabriel_Pitt said threw a fit, not "politely ask to be moved away from the dog". There's a huge difference. :P
If it was "threw a fit" rather than "insisted that he really couldn't sit next to a dog" then alright. I also respect the search and rescue dog. Let's not forget that airlines can be huge douche bags, though, and that a person has a reasonable expectation to not have to cuddle up with an animal that makes them stop breathing.
I mean, didn't airlines start banning peanuts due to food allergy concerns about "peanut dust" circulating?
Where did you hear that? My vet recommended the exact opposite.
As for the dude getting kicked off the flight, while I can sympathize that it would be a little upsetting to be told something your allergic to is on the plane and there's nothing you can do about it, as retold to me, his penultimate line was something like, 'That dog will not be on the same plane as me.'
The whole peanut thing was essentially there is the slimmest possibility that at some point, some person with the exceedingly rare allergy that makes them deathly allergic to even a single particle of peanut dust might ride, and it costs them nothing to serve pretzels instead.