Cat Travel

October 29, 2006 9:52 AM

I'm considering taking my cat with me across the country via plane.

I've never considered bringing my cat with me before but now that I'm going on a 3-week trip it sounds like a pretty good idea. The carrier sounds like an easy deal. I just wonder what others have experienced as far as the cat being traumatized by the experience, etc. I'm staying with family so it wouldn't be a hotel kind of thing. Any tips to make it less stressful to the cat would be appreciated.

posted by prodevel to travel & transportation (24 comments total)

You'll probably get a lot of good comments for different aspects of your trip. I have two to offer.
For the actual flight, you may want to consider getting a mild sedative from your vet to help calm the animal during that time. We used that to transport our two cats cross country, and it made a big difference both for the pets and the surrounding passengers.
Also, when you get to the location, put the cat in a quiet area and let it explore the new house at it's own pace.
Good luck!
posted by queue_strategy at 10:00 AM on October 29, 2006

More info previously here.

Cat's don't respond well to changes in routine, and especially travelling. If there is any way you can leave the cat at home I would do that, it will not benefit in the least from making the trip.
posted by fire&wings at 10:02 AM on October 29, 2006

I think it depends on the cat. Some cats travel very well, some don't. If your cat is the former, AND you are planning to take the cat as carry-on, then I say go for it (be very careful about using sedatives, it's not always the best thing to do, and it can often make things much worse for the animal, since sedatives make them more disoriented and dehydrated - perhaps have a sedative with you in case the cat gets distressed, but I wouldn't use them as a matter of course). Otherwise, I'd get a petsitter or figure out some way to leave the cat at home. It's only three weeks after all.
posted by biscotti at 10:11 AM on October 29, 2006

For several years, I brought my cat home with me from college for Christmas. While it's certainly doable, it was traumatizing for my cat and irritating for me. I would recommend that you find something else to do with your cat for those three weeks. Although, admittedly, your cat is going to be super pissed at you after you return from a 3-week separation.

Some things to keep in mind:

1) You can easily handle an extra two hours waiting for the next flight after your connection is cancelled. Your cat cannot. Likewise, when your connection is cancelled and you need to stay in Cincinnatti overnight, you're going to have a bitch of a time finding a hotel that'll take you.

2) At security, you have to take the cat out of the carrying case, put the case through the x-ray, and then carry the cat (by hand) through the metal detector. If your cat is the sort who might succeed in running away given such a completely panicky situation, you should not try it.

3) If you're picked for Super Secret Security Screening, you're fucked. You will have to simultaneously comply with Gestapo orders while holding a cat, since they won't let you "touch your luggage" to put the cat back in the bag.

4) There's a pretty good chance that your neighbor on the plane is going to spend the entire fucking flight telling you why they hate cats, don't want to sit next to them, how irresponsible it is for you to bring said cat on said plane, and other such noise. It's hard not to punch this neighbor, I assure you. (Every time I'm travelled with my cat, on at least one of the flights, some hairless ape has started shit over my cat.)
posted by Netzapper at 10:34 AM on October 29, 2006

I have flown with a cat a couple times on flights with layovers. He handled it ok, but he did pee in his carrier. Get a soft carrier with a washable pad bottom so that if that happens you don't get cat pee all over the plane. My vet did not reccommend sedation so I didn't sedate him. You will have to take the cat out of the carrier to walk through security, so be sure to get a harness and a leash so that you have a hold on the cat in case it squirms out of your grip.
You'll also technically need to get a health certificate from the vet before flying, which can be expensive. I don't think I ever actually had anyone check mine, but that's something to consider. Also don't forget the extra cost of taking the pet (about $100 each way I think) and be sure to get a carrier that is small enough to fit under the seat in front of you, which is really quite small.
I have a relatively easygoing cat that adapts quickly to new places; if you don't, I would say find a good cat sitter and leave him home. It really is very stressful for you and them.
posted by ch1x0r at 10:40 AM on October 29, 2006

My family moved a lot when I was a kid, and we flew cats with us around the world. It is a traumatic experience for them -- not permanently so, but it takes them a while to get over it. I think it's worth it for a permanent move, but it seems like a lot to put an animal through for a three-week trip. Couldn't you just lodge the cat at a kennel until you get back?
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:47 AM on October 29, 2006

I also recommend the cat sitter. I've left my kitties for up to six weeks (!) with the sitter; while my feline friends were certainly happy to see me once I returned, they hardly found the experience traumatic.
posted by thomas j wise at 10:56 AM on October 29, 2006

Several years ago I took a short (~90-minute) flight with a three-month-old cat. It went pretty smoothly, but then he is a ridiculously easy-going cat who travels well in general - likes cars, will walk on a harness and leash, etc. Plus that was before airport security got so crazy; it might be a lot harder now. If yours will wear a harness and leash, I'd try to keep one on him at the airport, except for at the metal detector.

He was very good during the main part of the flight, but takeoff and landing did freak him out and he meowed a bit. The pressure change must be freaky, I would think. Be prepared for that - if he's not sedated, you'll want to distract him somehow. A favorite (non-smelly) treat might be a good idea - I had a little ziploc bag of very rare roast beef, and I fed him tidbits throughout takeoff and landing. That seemed to help. Depending on the design of your carrier, you may also be able to slip a hand in and pet/soothe him even while he's under the seat.

All that said, even though my flight was very easy, I'd be hesitant about a longer flight. I wouldn't want to board a cat that long, but if you can get a reliable pet-sitter, it might be less traumatic for the cat (and you) to let him stay at home with a daily visit from a sitter.
posted by Stacey at 11:06 AM on October 29, 2006

i recently took my cat-sized dog on a twelve hour plane trip. we had her in a carrier thing, so she was with us at our feet. not amazingly comfortable, but oh well. make sure your cat pees before, or else she will pee during the flight. i really really recommend giving your cat a mild sedative, perscribed by his/her vet. Definately don't even THINK about putting your cat in the cargo hold where they put big dogs. that's traumatic.
and my dog wasn't asleep but she was "fuzzy" the whole flight so she just sort of napped the whole time and didn't make a fuss. and it was very untraumatic for her, and usually even car rides can be stressful.
good luck and have fun with kitty :)
posted by alona at 11:14 AM on October 29, 2006

We moved cross-country with our cat and it was really, really not fun. We had heard that sedation could be bad, so we used a very small dose of a very light sedative from our vet. We should have sedated him more - he cried for the beginning of the flight, then woke up completely and flipped out. We ended up being the "wailling baby" people on the plane, what with the yowling and the thrashing against the carrier.

If you do travel with him, put ripped up newspaper in the bottom of the carrier to soak up any urine - that worked nicely.
posted by ilyanassa at 11:32 AM on October 29, 2006

There's a pretty good chance that your neighbor on the plane who can't get a grip about his case of the sniffles is likely to get a cat rubbed all over his seat when he gets up to use the lavatory.
posted by jjg at 12:20 PM on October 29, 2006

That said, don't take the cat. Not out of respect for the jackass cat-hater sitting next to you, but because the trip will be miserable for yourself and the cat.
posted by jjg at 12:25 PM on October 29, 2006

The best way to make your trip less stressful for you cat is to find an excellent, local boarding cattery that can take your cat for the duration of the trip. For just three weeks, it's not worth stressing your cat to any degree!
posted by Arqa at 1:06 PM on October 29, 2006 [1 favorite]

I think it totally depends on your cat's temperment, so you'll have to judge whether s/he will tolerate it. I've travelled on planes (pre-9/11 only) a few times and had very little problem. I didn't sedate my cat either and he was totally fine on the plane. He made a few fussy noises and then basically just went to sleep. And contrary to a lot of others who have posted, I got nothing but smiles from curious kids and other cat-lovers. But he was a super mellow cat - my current cat would likely be a little more freaked out, at least if any recent car trip is to be used as a guide.

For any travel, it seems like the smaller carriers worked best. My cats have always seemed much calmer if the carrier had a more nest-like aspect. A lot of extra room seems to just create room for jostling and sliding around. But of course, you want it to be big enough so that kitty can move around just a bit and stretch.

Check with the airline you'll be flying to see what their requirements are both in terms of health certificates and carrier size. And hope for good (non-delaying) weather. Try not to feed your cat too much prior to leaving so there won't be anything to throw up or otherwise expel if she ends up getting sick. Also, if my cat ever got a little fussy, it seemed like reminding him that I was close by helped. Talking to him and/or sticking a reassuring hand into the carrier worked really well.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 1:28 PM on October 29, 2006

jjg: Not out of respect for the jackass cat-hater sitting next to you,

If I was sitting next to you on this flight, and you had your cat, I would be miserable the entire time. Not because I'm a "jackass" that hates cats, but because I'm horribly allergic to them. Everyone here is thinking solely about how the cat would handle the flight; what about considering your fellow passengers?
posted by inigo2 at 1:31 PM on October 29, 2006

I travel and feel bad about leaving my cat at home, but I bought a small fishtank for him. And I know it keeps him amused when he is conscious. Add in a cat sitter and it's not so bad.
I avoided the cattery because he is old, and I did not think a change in environment plus separation would do him any good.
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 2:04 PM on October 29, 2006

Oh good grief, inigo2, take it up with the airlines. They let people carry animals on the plane (I think they only allow 2 in-cabin pets per flight). I'm sure if someone sat down next to you on a plane with a cat, they'd have no problem moving you to a seat far, far away.

2) At security, you have to take the cat out of the carrying case, put the case through the x-ray, and then carry the cat (by hand) through the metal detector.

This is true.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:21 PM on October 29, 2006 [1 favorite]

Your main concern should be the welfare of the cat, not the person sitting next to you on the plane.
posted by fire&wings at 2:50 PM on October 29, 2006

4) There's a pretty good chance that your neighbor on the plane is going to spend the entire fucking flight telling you why they hate cats, don't want to sit next to them, how irresponsible it is for you to bring said cat on said plane, and other such noise. It's hard not to punch this neighbor, I assure you. (Every time I'm travelled with my cat, on at least one of the flights, some hairless ape has started shit over my cat.)

Every time I've flown with my cat the people next to me haven't realized that I had a cat with me until maybe the end of the flight when I had him on my lap. The ambient noise on the plane was loud enough to drown out any meowing he might've been doing, and the carrier has dark mesh sides that make it hard to see the cat unless you're looking. So I really wouldn't worry too much about the obnoxious neighbor. But do make sure to tell the airline well in advance that you're planning on bringing the cat in the cabin, for the aforementioned 2 animals max in cabin rule.
posted by ch1x0r at 3:23 PM on October 29, 2006

You don't just "tell" them- you have to make a reservation with the airline, because you'll have to stand in the See a Human line when you check in so they can "inspect the carrier" and you can pay your pet fee (generally $50-$100 each way). And if the flight is already full of pets, you're SOL.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:30 PM on October 29, 2006 [1 favorite]

We flew our kitty from Halifax to Ottawa, and from Toronto to California (we were moving each time, so there was little other choice). It really, really depends on the cat's temperament. Our girl was a pretty relaxed kitty and was very good during the whole procedure, though there were hairy moments going through the security checkpoint (she had a definite intent to bolt, as she didn't like being picked up anyway. This was extremely stressful for me and I think is a fairly important factor).

We flew Air Canada last time. Before booking a ticket I phoned the reservations desk and checked to ensure that the flight I wanted had space for a pet (only 2 per flight usually). Then I booked online (to save money) and called right back to reserve a space for the cat. It cost $100 CAD to go to California one-way. However, they don't guarantee this and if we'd shown up and because of overselling or delayed flights or something, and there were too many cats on the flight already, we'd have not been able to take her. We paid the extra $100 right there at the airport, so have the money available/ready (they may require you to pay cash). We did not have to present any paperwork (even for the international flight, but we had all of her vaccinations, records, etc. ready in case), nor have the counter person inspect the carrier in any way, but it easily complied with the requirements. These are critical - the cat must go under the seat in front of you, and thus it must be a carrier that fits with enough room for your cat to be able to stand up in it. If you have a very large cat, you can't fly with the cat in-cabin. It also has to be a soft-sided carrier. This is far nicer for the cat anyway.

Most people had no idea our kitty was there. She was very good, made almost no noise, though she did not sleep, merely crouched in her bag while I felt like a horrible, horrible person. She recovered quickly, though slower the first time (the shorter flight) because we had to stay at my mother-in-law's for a little bit before we got our new apartment, which would be similar to your holiday. But again, I stress that it really depends - she was always a pretty easy-going kitty in life as well.

Not all airlines will allow you to take a pet, as a note - generally the discount carriers do not (thus flying Air Canada). And even then, Air Canada has changed to a new policy of not allowing pets in-cabin, only underneath in the cargo hold. That's an entirely different kettle of fish that I don't have experience with, so won't get into.
posted by livii at 4:37 PM on October 29, 2006

Just moved halfway across the country with my kitty. Had her checked out at the vet where he recommended that I not give her a sedative as it actually lowers their inhibitions. He compared it to getting drunk before flying -- instead of calming her, she'd be more likely to yowl/freak out/ be traumatized.

She did surprisingly well, though. My seatmates didn't even know I had her with me because she was so quiet.

I had to call the airport when I made my reservations to let them know she was coming and paid an extra $85 at the airport for her boarding ticket.

For security, I had to take her out of her kennel and carry her through the metal detector. She wore a harness with a leash, made it easier to keep hold of her.

You can predict how well a cat will do on a plane by how they act on a car ride. If they do reasonably well in a car, then chances are, they won't freak out on a plane.

Good luck.
posted by idiotfactory at 10:10 PM on October 29, 2006

When I flew with my one year old cat on a 5 hour plane ride to move across the country it was not a pleasant experience. The sedative that the vet gave me did not work. My normally loving cat actually bit me on the plane. Also, you need to call the airline ahead of time to make sure that they allow animals. They charged me $50 bucks extra as well. I vowed, if possible, to never do that to my cat again.
posted by catseatcheese at 10:16 PM on October 29, 2006

Wow, thanks for your experience, all.

My cat is a bit testy to begin with so it looks like he's going to be lodged at 16.50/night at the local cat hospital. I never thought it would be that much but it's worth it.
posted by prodevel at 4:32 PM on October 30, 2006