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Keep the cat in the carrier and with most of the carrier covered (making sure air circulation is good) as much as possible. I'd also check with the TSA about screening the carrier in a side room with less chance for chaos.
4 times out of 5, no one cares abut the pet health form and proof of rabies vaccine, but if the gate agent checking you in asks and you don't have it, then kitty is not getting on the plane.
If you are thinking sedation, do a trial of that at least a week before. While it helps many cats, some like the late great Five cat react poorly to it because they are aware enough to realize something isn't right with their body.
I had a note on his carrier that he might nip strangers- he really wouldn't but it discouraged people from getting too close to him and stressing him out.
I am planning a cross country move next year from Seattle area to (SC, GA,FL). I will be renting a Penske truck and towing my Ford. I have two terriers and two cats. One cat does not travel well at all-he is very sensitive to change and goes feral. I am thinking I will take the dogs with me then have the cats flown out in, cargo as they will be flying alone, a week or so later. Has anyone had any experience with this?
Last edited by PJSaturn; 06-24-2019 at 02:40 PM..
Reason: Moved thread from Travel to Cats forum.
Sorry for the kind of repeat-I posted in a wrong forum, it was moved without letting me know, then edited and now I can't change it.
I am planning a cross country move next year from Seattle area to (SC, GA,FL). I will be renting a Penske truck and towing my Ford. I have two terriers and two cats. One cat does not travel well at all-he is very sensitive to change and goes feral. I am thinking I will take the dogs with me then have the cats flown out in, cargo as they will be flying alone, a week or so later. Has anyone had any experience with this?
Please, DO NOT ever have pets travel by plane in cargo ! Temperatures in cargo sections can easily reach 150 degrees and more.
There are several posts in the pets/cats forum regarding this.
There is a very high probably that the kitties will not arrive alive. That is one of all airlines' worst kept secrets. !!
Find room for the kitty crates on the front seat of the truck, even if you have to tie them together one on to p of the other, and use the seat belt(s) to tie the crates down. Your vet can give you some mild medicine to give them once a day to keep them calm.
Have all of your pets visit the veterinarian a couple of weeks before you leave to make sure there are no issues during traveling.
I have moved cross country, which included being my 15 year old car with me.
And I have some strong opinions on this topic, which some will not like and many will disagree with me. These are my PERSONAL OPINIONS.
I would never, never, never put my pet, dog or cat, in the cargo hold. Dangerous and frightening for the animal, who will be all alone in a strange environment. I hate to say this (and glad I never had to make this horrible decision), but is rehome before I'd put my beloved pet in cargo.
My solution to moving my cat was to buy a round trip plane ticket for a friend. That friend hand carried my cat with him On the plane. I also arranged for a mild sedative for the cat.
For two cats, it would be two friends with RT tickets.
Our dog does NOT enjoy car rides. But we've done several cross country trips with our dog. We've traveled from Phoenix to Guadajara Mexico twice with him. For his safety and oues, he rides in his crate, and we stop for overnight more frequently than when he isn't with us. Additionally, if he remains in our hotel room alone, he is in his crate. That protects him from getting out of housekeeping or maintenance enters the room. No, the do not disturb sign is NOT adequate protection. This is the main reason why our 17 year old guy was crate trained. (We have stopped taking him with us for anything beyond a due hour drive due to his age.)
We had a cat do three trips...upstate NY to LA, back to upstate NY and back to LA. Always direct flights. Also with a mild tranquilizer from the Vet. We used a local cat whisperer to ship and receive the cat in upstate NY. Amazing guy. Would literally walk around his back acreage with a half dozen cats at his heels including ours. I knew you could do that from a prior experience where I watched herd of around 50 cats be led by a herder. But this was the only pet boarder I ever came across who could do it.
The cat survived all three flights with flying colors. Was perfectly happy when arriving in LA.
We flew her only on direct flights and had some pull at the airline. Member of the upper tier flier group. But it was quite uneventful.
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Flying Cats on a Plane Across Country
