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When I moved from CA to WA, I just loaded my cats into carriers and brought them along. It was a tough two days, but they survived. I also brought my St Bernard along because I could not find a crate big enough to carry her. All of that in my little Dodge Shadow.
I had one cat in a crate large enough to hold a cat box so I did not take him out the whole trip.
The other cat, I brought into the motel room with me on the overnight stay and set up a disposable cat box for her. She was upset, but she cooperated, thank God.
I did have to leave two large dogs behind. I had a friend ship them one at a time by plane. She took them to the vet who administered a sedative and loaded them into their crates and she took them to the airport for the 2.5 hr flight. When I picked them up they were just waking up from the sedative. I gave them a quick walk, loaded them into the front seat of the car so I could pet them and talk to them and drove the 1.5 hrs from the airport to my home.
Everyone survived and everyone was fine.
I used Alaska Airlines. They were very good with the animals. They filled the water dish in the crate as soon as they received it and put the dog on the dock so it could get fresh air and see out of the crate.
I was warned by the airline that it is risky to ship animals during the wintertime as the compartment is not heated. Also, it can be risky if the oxygen supply fails in that portion of the baggage compartment.
I moved from St. Louis to Mexico with my cat in an airline-approved carrier that fit under the seat in front of me. The flight attendants let me take her out and put her on my lap (I checked with all the people around me first), and she did great. I brought her harness so she could get out and walk around on layovers. She moved back to the States with me that way, too, no problems.
Anyone have any experience with this? Warnings? Companies to avoid?
It's a very broad question you ask.
How far is the move? Are you under time constraints? Are you working on a tight budget? Is it national or international? All these individual items could add up to yield very different answers depending on your needs.
However, if you are re-locating nationally (i.e. it's physically possible to drive from point A to point B) and for reasons of convenience &/or expediency you need someone else to transport them for you, and you aren't flying them, then by far the most important thing you can do is background research on each transporter you're considering.
A) Ask to see proof of all insurances &/or any bonds that pertain.
B) Get a list of references and contact each person. I cannot stress enough how important that is.
C) Make sure they're USDOT licensed
D) In cases of sites like "UShip" or similar, it is a case of "buyer beware". While there are some really good transporters out there, there are just as many morons. It's your job to sift through them. It's not as big a job as it sounds - the moment you start asking for documents or references, the mavericks tend to stop replying.
Flying them is a different kettle of fish altogether.
The cat is going to be going from PA to UT. Thanks for the tip on flying in winter. He is an old man and I don't want him to suffer!
Can you take your pet as a "carry on" with any airlines anymore? I know I can look this up but I sweet talked my guitar onto planes before but who knows if that would work these days as I have not flown in forever.
Before I go I have to take him to the vets and make sure he did not pick up cat AIDS from our other cat that died last year(vet said it was that or poison ) and get his shots updated. I am looking for places for me to stay so I may not be able to take him with me right away if I have to settle for a month to month with a no pet policy at first.
I also have been thinking of taking a bus instead of a plane if that would mean it was easier on him and cheaper.
Thans for the tips on the docu. I would have not known about that otherwise. I probably would of just called the BBB only.
The cat is going to be going from PA to UT. Thanks for the tip on flying in winter. He is an old man and I don't want him to suffer!
Can you take your pet as a "carry on" with any airlines anymore?
OOOOOOOOH....I hope he can go that way...He is like my baby I dont want to ship him if I can skip it.
Thanks for looking that up for me. I was avoiding it because I did not want bad news...
You're very welcome. I would never ship my beloved pets as cargo, either. Best of luck to the both of you on your travels!
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