Air Travel With Cats

[pica_nuttalli]

Ok, first item: my cat will NOT travel in cargo. i've got her a "kitty ticket" and she's going as a carry-on item. anyone who responds to this topic thinking that she's travelling as baggage will be mocked. you have been warned.

that said, who else has recently travelled with a cat as a carry-on item? i've got her a back-pack style carrier that fits the dimensions specified by Delta for a soft-sided carrier and i've got some absorbant pads to go in the bottom. at this moment in time, i'm not planning on using any sedatives since most of the places i've looked at strongly recommend against it. but i am considering the use of some sort of "cat calming spray" just to reduce the chances of her wailing the whole way to California.

my questions:

1) can anyone recommend a particularly effective "calming" spray?

2) does anyone have any particular lessons learned about cats on a plane that they would like to share?

 

[Danno]

I just looked up some information on the net. They said chamomile works.

 

[lljdma06]

I just looked up some information on the net. They said chamomile works.

I've flown a lot with both my Pomeranian and my Turkish Angora.

My Angora never traveled with a sedative, but she's a strange cat. Very calm and as long as she's pretty much squished, she's great. Angoras really feel relaxed when they are confined into a small space. Wierd, huh? The smallish sherpa bag was literally my best friend for those trips. I could fit the cat and a lot of extras for her and myself in the zipper pockets it has. With the current travel contraints, it comes in handy. That, and a small personal item is pretty much all they'll allow you to take on the plane. A pet carrier counts as the carry-on, not the personal item.

Make sure the flight attendants understand that the cat cannot go in the overhead bin! The sherpa I have looks a lot like a travel bag and several inexperienced flight attendants have insisted that I put the bag in the overhead. I've had to call the head flight attendant on several occasions and they've had to explain to the others that cats and other pets don't go in the overhead bin. They automatically think that the bigger bag should go in the overhead and 95% of the time, they're right, but not when there's an animal. I've even had attendants, on very short commuter flights on small planes, that wanted to stick the animal in cargo in the middle of Winter.

I've heard good things about both lavender and chamomile, again, I've never needed to use it. Body language will help too. If the cat sees that you are pretty calm, she/he will feel better. It helps a lot to take the cat on practice trips in the carrier. The more used she/he is to traveling that way, the better the cat will feel. If push comes to shove a vet can prescribe Valium for the cat, but I personally prefer not to sedate the animal when traveling. Just to let you know, the cat will have to be removed from the bag during the security checkpoint. They have been really strict about this when I have flown. I've even had some personelle physically check the animal and they definitely searched the bag. So the less you carry, the better. It's really hard in a busy airport juggling pet and your personal stuff, so I'm just letting you know. It will take longer at the security check point, so plan accordingly. It's not hard traveling with a pet, but it does take a bit of planning.

Oh, I find it best to treat the cat like it's going to have a procedure the day before the flight. No food after 8pm the night before and I think it's no water after midnight, or something like that. You don't want any accidents. Before the liquid restrictions, I carried a tube of Nutrical just in case, but now, I don't think that can be an option. The tube is greater than 3 oz.

Finally, some people will be very mean, so expect to have to be moved around the plane. I was in a flight once where I was asked to switch seats 3 times because people next to me claimed to be allergic. They showed no symptoms, of course, until they finally noticed the cat, like 2 hours into the flight. Someone truely allergic would have had symptoms right away. Remember, the pet has the right to travel too, you paid for its ticket.

Sorry for the length, I hope this helps a bit. Have fun traveling with your cat.

llj

 

[Arimus]

Not sure what the name of it is in the US but Feliway is a feline hormone spray which is supposed to have a calming affect...

We had two cat's from the US flown over via Vancouver... didn't seem too bothered by the flight

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Just to let you know, the cat will have to be removed from the bag during the security checkpoint. They have been really strict about this when I have flown. I've even had some personelle physically check the animal and they definitely searched the bag. So the less you carry, the better.

thanks for the heads up! i'll definitely have to get some sort of harness for her in that case; this cat's a wriggler. thank goodness that she'll only go through security in B'ham--it's a dinky airport. do you think that i could request that she be examined in a closed room?

back to the lavender and chammomile, how would those be administered? as a liquid or in a sachet?

 

[lljdma06]

Just to let you know, the cat will have to be removed from the bag during the security checkpoint. They have been really strict about this when I have flown. I've even had some personelle physically check the animal and they definitely searched the bag. So the less you carry, the better.

thanks for the heads up! i'll definitely have to get some sort of harness for her in that case; this cat's a wriggler. thank goodness that she'll only go through security in B'ham--it's a dinky airport. do you think that i could request that she be examined in a closed room?

I think they'd just look at you funny and possibly get suspicious if you made a request like that. Nor would they go through that much trouble in B'ham, Atlanta or Chicago, maybe. It's not that bad. Chances are that it won't happen. It's only happened once in the time I flew, and I sometimes wonder whether she was actually checking my cat, or if she just wanted to pet it. Turkish angoras aren't common and she's pretty exotic-looking. I just wanted to give you a heads up in case they do, so you'll know what to expect. It's kind of similar to the human pat down that they sometimes give. But the removing from the bag, that's always happened.

 

[dthoffsett]

do you think that i could request that she be examined in a closed room?

I used to be a flight screener, and every passenger requiring a physical (or in your case kitty) check has the right to request a private screening. This may not be in a closed room, but a screened off area out of the passenger traffic area. If the screener refuses your request for private screening (whch they should not), calmly but firmly ask to speak to their supervisor. The key to working with screeners is to remain calm, you'll get much better results than screaming.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i just don't want them to open the bag in the freaking middle of the airport. i dread the thought of having to try to chase her down.

 

[dthoffsett]

The areas they have for private screening is either in a seperate room or a screened off area out of the main traffic flow, just get your cat used to wearing a harness that way you can keep a good hold on her. I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[h@g]

oh, i think it's hard to travel by air with your pet. The best way you send them to pet hotel!
they take care pets as well...thanks

 

[pica_nuttalli]

yeah, even if everything goes well, i think it'll be a while before i try this again! finally got kitty a harness and kitty does not like!

i had entertained notions that i would be able to use her carrier in the future for vet trips and the like, but i forsee her shredding it soon after our arrival in CA. it worked pretty well last week, but she cried the whole way in the car. since that was only a 10 minute trip, i don't have much hope about her being quiet on the 5 hr flight

the vet gave me a sedative; i'm going to try a very low dose tomorrow and see how she reacts. fortunately, the plane ride will be in two legs so that if she doesn't do so hot in the first section, i'll have an opportunity to drug her during the layover.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

um, bump. with the big day coming quickly, i don't want this topic buried.

 

[rdd1952]

Personally, I've never traveled with a pet but had a friend that had to fly her german shepherd and cat from Atlanta to Portland (via Delta as they seem to be the best at handling pets). This was in November and both were in cargo. She gave them both sedatives. One pill put the cat out but 2 didn't do anything for the shepherd. You may want to experiment with the sedatives if they gave you more than one. A half pill may be all you need. Based on the sedative our cat recently had when he had to go to the vet, it takes them a couple days to completely get back to normal afterwards. He was very lethargic for a couple days.

 

[lljdma06]

yeah, even if everything goes well, i think it'll be a while before i try this again! finally got kitty a harness and kitty does not like!

Well kitty is just going to have to deal. Good call getting the harness. At least if it freaks, you've got it on a tight leash. I doubt it'll bolt, though, it'll want to be near you, especially in a strange place.

I must have a zombie for a cat then, she never cried.

Good luck to you on your travel day. Remember, dress comfy and travel light.

llj

 

[pica_nuttalli]

yeah, even if everything goes well, i think it'll be a while before i try this again! finally got kitty a harness and kitty does not like!

Well kitty is just going to have to deal. Good call getting the harness. At least if it freaks, you've got it on a tight leash. I doubt it'll bolt, though, it'll want to be near you, especially in a strange place.

I must have a zombie for a cat then, she never cried.

Good luck to you on your travel day. Remember, dress comfy and travel light.

llj

"travel light" my foot! i'm carrying the last 200 lbs of my life with me! my parents are flying out with me and all the things i didn't ship are going into their checked bags.

i really hope that she's a good kitty...