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My daughter is planning to move out of state and will be taking her cat with her. He's never been on an airplane before. I've read online that they need to be in a carrier. I can just picture him yowling all the way there! Would it be wise to sedate him somehow? If so, with what? I also see conflicting opinions of people online whether a health certificate is or is not needed.
No sedation.
Get them used to the carrier first. My cats have flown a lot and they are always fine with it.
My daughter flys with her cat all the time, but only short distances. The only real problem is that he has become a big fat cat who barely fits into his approved sized carrier! He's a Persian so it's 90% fur but still...
My one cat flew with me about 4 times and she was fine. No meowing or other verbalizations, but, her general personality was good. She never fussed much about things. I never would sedate her, but can understand if someone has to, maybe a light dose. Another idea, might sound "weird," to some, but rescue remedy, a homeopathic, might be an option. It comes in drop form so you could squirt a few drops in him/her mouth.
Don't mean to hijack the thread but I'm moving from NY to AZ in September with one cat. I'm flying with a cat for the first time. Nine hour flight, one plane change. 13 year old calico. Very good advice on this forum. This is my tentative plan:
- vet visit a about a week before flight to get vet's advice on sedative or no sedative. I really don't want to give her one.
-cut the food off about 6 hours before flight.
-Hope my cat doesn't hate me when we make it to AZ.
One item to mention, make sure you and the cat have practiced getting in and out of the carrier like you will need to do at the security checkpoint. According to TSA, most pet issues occur because the person was not prepared in removing the animal from its carrier, placing the carrier on the belt for x-ray, carrying the cat through the metal detector, and putting it all back on the other side. This is going to be done in a hectic area under fast paced conditions. Have a plan and practice doing it.
As for sedatives, if bringing the cat in the cabin with you, they appropriateness is between you and your vet. It’s only an issue when you are not traveling with the pet because in the event something isn’t right because of the sedative, nobody is present to fix it. That’s why many airlines won’t accept animals for unaccompanied travel if sedated.
^^ Good plan, except that most airlines won't let you have any kind of water in the crate.
Also, visit your vet sooner; e.g. to give time for a trial run on the sedative issue, if you're going in that direction.
And your cat won't hate you! They live very much in 'the now' and after the trip is done, she'll be fine.
I was thinking of asking the flight attendant for some ice so my cat can at least have that during the flight and I'll give her a couple of treats during the flight.
I've flown overseas and back several times with up to three cats (between 14 and 17 hour trips), typically with one layover. I usually have them draw straws to see which one of the lucky three gets to sit with "Mom" on the airplane - once it was the oldest, and once it was one with a heart murmur. I have multiple copies of their health certificates, and if any go in the hold, one copy is taped to the carrier in an envelope with the contact information on the outside of the envelope. Knock on wood, we have always made it fine, and these were my rules/experiences:
1. Never sedate an unaccompanied pet in a carrier in the hold. As stated earlier, you don't know if the pet could have an adverse reaction and no one would be around to help him/her. Also, although it can be frightening, vets recommend they just hunker down - once it's dark and there are no people and things moving all over the place, they should just settle in and tough it out. They can deal with things better if they are alert and aware of their surroundings.
2. I've used a mild sedative with the one in the cabin once, but I found that it was really disorienting for her and she didn't travel as well as I expected. Plus, once on the far end, she didn't have her faculties to orient to her surroundings. My two in cargo dealt much better.
3. For the one in the cabin, I travel with a leather sherpa bag, which has sides and a top which can roll up to give them more air or visibility or else stay down for a bit of privacy. These can open either via the zip open top or one end to take the pet in and out. At least one end is all mesh for ventilation. I try for a window seat, and if she gets anxious and no one is nosy, I sometimes just put the sherpa bag on my lap and quietly unzip the top just enough to slip my hand in... she settles down... and doesn't try to escape at all. You can also just drape one of the airline blankets over the carrier a bit to make it darker and quieter to help them settle in. Watch the treats en route... their tummies will tend to be a bit "delicate". (Note: if your kitty barfs in the carrier, security guys don't tend to linger, but travel with a spare pet pad or two.) you may also want to have a harness on the in-flight kitty for the security check... easier to catch the litter sucker if he/she makes a break for it. Baby-changing rooms or the handicapped bathrooms are convenient for you to make any "quick clean-ups" if necessary - just leave things neat and tidy when you're done and no one will be the wiser.
3. For those in the hold, make sure you label the carrier with the pet name, your name, flight and contact information ALL OVER THE PLACE. I also put a baggie with some dry food taped to the outside of the carrier just in case there is some kind of delay or we get separated en route. I do put one of the plastic clip-on water containers in the carrier and typically freeze the water... not full. Dunno how that works en route, but they seem to make it ok and they're dry when they show up.
4. Do stop feeding them several hours before the trip, and put one of the pet pads on the bottom of the cage to try and soak up any "accidents".
5. If you do have a layover, the cabin crew should confirm your pet(s) are on board in the hold for an connecting flights. The loading personnel are supposed to confirm with the crew this is done. (They used to actually have a "claim check" to show you that they are boarded, but not anymore.) I insist that the stewardess get confirmation before I will sit down and buckle up. That is not an unreasonable request. The pilot should have all the paperwork and it will show that any pets have been loaded in cargo for you, if the stewardesses can't get anything from the loading crew. MOST cabin crew personnel are sympathetic to your nerves, as long as you are polite about it.
6. Lastly, depending on the airlines, several times the crew have allowed me to board with "families with small children or those needing extra time to get settled". It is to their benefit to let you get in and settled with the pet so you're not holding things up while everyone else tries to board - again a window seat means no one will be climbing over "kitty" when everyone else boards. A polite request often helps with this at the gate before boarding even starts.
Good luck with the trip! Cats are amazingly resilient and should do just fine. I can guarantee you will be more of a wreck during the trip than they will!
Many anti-anxiety drugs have only minimal sedative effects.
If your cat can tolerate a (long) car ride, it can probably handle a ride with you on an airplane in the paseenger compartment. If your cat doesn't handle travel well, ask your vet about a prescription for a very low dosage of a benzodiazepine or a non-sedative anxiolytic such as BuSpar.
I doubt drugs are necessary for the average cat; probably more important to get the cat accustomed to the carrier. I flew with an adult male on a 2 hour flight, he spent the whole trip in a small Sherpa cat carrier under the seat in front of me and I think I was more uncomfortable (no leg room) than he was.
Probably the most stressful part of the whole experience was going through airport security.
Don't mean to hijack the thread but I'm moving from NY to AZ in September with one cat. I'm flying with a cat for the first time. Nine hour flight, one plane change. 13 year old calico. Very good advice on this forum. This is my tentative plan:
- vet visit a about a week before flight to get vet's advice on sedative or no sedative. I really don't want to give her one.
-cut the food off about 6 hours before flight.
-Hope my cat doesn't hate me when we make it to AZ.
I figure one day of flying is better than 5-7 days in a car going in and out of hotels.
I too welcome any advice.
My little traveler was a Calico, too. Hope it works out fine for you. They do better than we do sometimes!
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Many anti-anxiety drugs have only minimal sedative effects.
