Flying Cat

[maddy]

In a few days I will be taking a one way flight to claim a new hometown. I'm taking my cat onboard with me in a little carrier that will fit under the seat. My cat is not particularly fond of being in a carrier, he likes to have his freedom to roam aimlessly and unrestricted. He doesn't travel well in the car, and thus only goes to and from the vet's office as I get impatient with his continuous meow's that I'm certain can be translated into something along the lines of "get me out of this box!"

Has anyone flown with a cat before, what words of wisdom do you have to make the two hour check in, three and a half hour flight, and hour to the apartment seem to speed by for the poor critter that just wants OUT?

[Lilith]

Your vet can give you a sedative to ease the poor baby's nerves.

[Steph]

Yep, I suggest tranqs, too. When I flew with my dog (he didn't get to be on board, tho' :() I always went to the vet for some pills.

[treeview]

WE love cats but we also know that they aren't the favorite pet of everyone. Besides, there are people who have allergies to cats. If your kitty were yowling away you are likely to get the wrath of the allergics on the flight. Better to travel in stealth and give the kitty a nap.

Here's the fur ball that shares the place with me,

http://www.pixies-place.com:81/forums/showthread.php?t=25539

[maddy]

I know all about cat allergies... I suffer from them as well, even though I live with one of them! I was actually shocked last year when I learned that it is very much accepted and commonplace for airlines to allow pets under 20 lbs on board... but yet they can't serve peanuts!

[Fangtasia]

Cats + Plane = Sedative pills *L*

[Sugarsprinkles]

If you do get sedative pills for the kitty, I sure hope they work for you. I drove from Michigan to Missouri with 4 cats, in carriers. Got sedatives from the vet, but I still spent all but about two hours of my 13 hr. trip with yowling cats.
Best of luck to ya, Maddy!

[maddy]

the furry critter and I made a trip to the vet this morning for his flight certification. Unfortunately no sedatives for him since he has a nasty little heart murmur that I have failed to take further action on. I was thankful though that for the most part it was a quiet ride to and fro, and he behaved well at PetsMart too! Maybe he's really been listening to the talks I've been having about flying ;)

[wyndhy]

LOL^^
good luck, maddy. i hope your pussy behaves on the plane and doesn't accost and stewards or pilots :D

[osuche]

Kitty muzzle? :spin:

Really, I have no clue..........and it's a bummer about the sedatives, 'cause I think that would be your best bet. I can only imagine how incredibly anxious he will be all the way!

[Oldfart]

You're in my area now.

IATA rules say that an animal must have room to stand naturally and turn

freely within the container.This is obviously not a high priority for US domestics.

Livestock is not allowed in the cabin under any circumstances. Not only because if

released it could cause grief among other travellers, it would be terrifying for some poor

cat or dog to spend the whole trip seeing nothing but ankles and feet , movement and noise.

In the hold of the plane it is calm and dim, ideal snooze time.

[treeview]

Are you saying that no animals are allowed in the passenger cabin on a flight?

Not more than ten days ago I was on a flight with a little dog that was in a "purse" under the seat. the dog looked like shaggy version of P Hilton's foo foo. When I was in the Atlanta airport a women walked by with a Siamese cat on her shoulder. She was obviously traveling.

It is a good point about pets allowed, peanuts not. Not that I'm really sad about not getting peanuts. I do understand the allergy issues though.

[wyndhy]

the hold is also freezing, isn't it/
and the peanut thing? i think it's cause peanut allergies can be deadly.

[maddy]

The cargo area is quite cool. AA doesn't allow pets in cargo in my area... they have restrictions as to min and max temperatures at all grounding points on a flight. Unfortunately for me, Texas is quite a bit higher than the max. As far as I have been able to tell, each airline (domestically anyway) seems to have their own restrictions about pets onboard and in cargo. International flights add another dimension and often involve a period of quarantine upon arrival.

My vet suggested treating the cat in a carrier like a baby in a car carrier... keep it covered with a thin blanket so they can't see much to cause additional stress. And after a moment or thirty of meowing they will usually settle down and sleep.

[BIBI]

The worse drive of my life was when my Dad picked me and my kids up to drive to a cottage that was three hours away.....His siamese cat "Love Bug" (the most miserable, nasty cat in the world) howled and growled and hissed from the moment we left until we arrived......lol we were all in tears by the time we arrived. My dad had a mild heart attack while up there and to this day I blame the stress of him driving with the cat. ;)

[treeview]

Otherwise quiet cats can pull car-traveling-noises from some strange part of their being, that's for sure. When I moved last year my two cats travelled just fine. The back of the van was backed with goods so they had caves to go hide in. At times they would come up front to talk with me.