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Yes, this! I am highly allergic to cats and would be pretty pi$$ed to find myself seated next to one on a plane.
Highly allergic here as well. Anyone seated near me with a cat would be the winner of a flight filled with snotty Kleenex, continuous sneezing, coughing, scratching and nose blowing. I would not be upset if their trip was as miserable as mine.
Highly allergic here as well. Anyone seated near me with a cat would be the winner of a flight filled with snotty Kleenex, continuous sneezing, coughing, scratching and nose blowing. I would not be upset if their trip was as miserable as mine.
and a lot of perfumes or colognes can trigger a migraine for me. It doesn't mean that I'm allowed to say no one can fly while wearing scents.
and a lot of perfumes or colognes can trigger a migraine for me. It doesn't mean that I'm allowed to say no one can fly while wearing scents.
Of course not, nor would I ever say no one can fly with a cat. If it’s ok with the airline, then it’s ok. I’m just pointing out that there may be unpleasant consequences for those who bring along their cat and have the misfortune to sit next to me. I take allergy medications daily, but nothing works on the level of reaction I experience around a cat. I can’t control it, so they’d just have to deal with it. As would I.
Carry an inhaler and deal with the fact that there might be an animal on the plane. Air on an aircraft is rigidly filtered and only about 50% of it is recycled. Fresh outside air is cycled through. You will survive. How do I know? Because NO ONE has EVER died of a companion-animal-induced asthma attack on an airplane. Doesn't happen. Your fears are unfounded (and obnoxious).
It's not up to everyone else to completely change the way we live our lives because you have an allergy.
If you are seated next to a cat you can ask to be reseated. Problem solved.
Edited to add: I guarantee you have flown on a plane with a cat or dog onboard (more than one, most likely), and never even noticed.
Sorry, mizzile. Believe it or not, I love cats. I think they're fantastic pets! But I also had to quit having them or petting them or being around them due to my asthma which is not "just" allergies; asthma attacks can and do kill people. But well before the person dies, and before a person gets their lungs unblocked, there is often suffering and fear of not being able to breathe. What if one forgets ones inhaler and no one has one on the plane? Regardless, people should not be threatened with an asthma attack just because you don't want to ship your animal in cargo.
Airplanes should be for PEOPLE, not animals. Do people fly in Cargo? No. And nor should cats and dogs and birds etc fly in coach or first class.
*I do make allowances for people with a true need for an animal such as a blind person. But many people use the "therapeutic" pet thing to get their pet on the plane where people sit, and it seems the airlines are going to crack down on this. Hopefully they will ban all but the most necessary - proven necessary, with certified documents from an MD - pets.
It may be true that no one has ever died from a pet on a plane, but I guarantee you people have had very uncomfortable allergic reactions.
As to perfumes and colognes and other offensive smells, I'd be fine with banning those too. You go on a plane you are part of a group of humans. As a fellow human you should try to not cause problems for your fellow humans.
Seated areas are for people.
Cargo is for animals.
Period.
Last edited by movingvanmorrison; 05-25-2018 at 05:04 PM..
LOL. My cat LIKED to travel. Odd, that one. So, I took her with me most times. She was awesome. If I didn't get the travel litter box set up in time in the hotel, she was smart enough to use the bathtub, which is easy to clean up after. If animals really do live multiple lives to evolve, she was highly evolved. I showed her her boundaries at a rental condo, and she stayed in them just like at home. Her yard was as far as she could go. After I showed her, she showed off by walking the entire boundary herself like see? I am smart, you didn't even NEED to 'teach' me that, silly human.
Someone left me a sweet rep comment that every cat should be like this cat. I agree! I wish she had been immortal. I miss her. Thanks for the comment.
When I moved, we had my cat in her carrier in the car. She was calm so she got to sit in it looking out the window, and loved it. My dog liked to snuggle and they were good friends. But she was completely okay with the ride.
She was leash trained, with her harness, but just wanted back in the car when we stopped. She broke the record in finding unusual sleeping spots at the motel stops.She found her way into a small corner of the bed stand which was a new one and I had to dismantle it from the bed to get her out. But in the car she liked looking out the window. She would hang around my dog since he was her good friend.
My pets who've moved with me have done fine, and the important thing is to keep watch on them. Don't let them wander around the car without a harness and leash (this is easy to train), as its too easy to lose them out the door or window. You can sit the cage where they can see out as well. And in the motel room, use the carrier. Much easier than a search of the room.
I'd hesitrate to fly a pet on a plane UNLESS they were in my charge, as in addition to not being able to keep track of how they are, if they are having problems they do not have their human to help calm them and keep them safe.
I respect those who have REAL problems from cat allergies, but I would think they also have them elsewhere (and no matter how much anyone doesn't like cats, they are around a lot of places) and would have some preventitive on them as well.
I'm allergic to bleach fumes, and if they were moping the floor in the hallway (at school) I'd have problems with the fumes. Fridays they started the weekend cleanup at noon. This is not uncommon. Allergies to pets are only one which which large open areas are not geared to. But students aren't excused from Friday.
And when its not that one is *allergic* to cats, but doesn't like them, then they should try tolerance. I'm sure there's other things going on by them which somoeone out there doesn't welcome.
I feel pretty sorry for the OP at this point, as very little in terms of useful advice has been offered, compared to all of the ranting about the pros and cons of pets on planes.
Didn't know you would be walking into a minefield, did you?
I have moved with pets, always multiples, several times. It is never fun. When I drove, I took them with me. Twice, I had to fly. When I did, they were on the same flight, in cargo. Most airlines limit pets to two per cabin, in carriers that will fit under the seat. Clearly, this leaves out people who have more than two animals, or pets that do not fit comfortably in such a small kennel. I did not like doing this, and was worried from takeoff to landing, but everyone arrived safe and sound, if not altogether happy about the experience. The only other option - literally, the only other one - would have been leaving them behind, and that was not something I was willing to consider. There are always risks involved in moving a pet, but I am quite sure that more companion animals die in shelters than during moves, either over land or by air. I have some particularly harsh thoughts for anyone who says it's better to rehome the cat, unless a solid offer of lifelong care has been made by one of those critics.
The most attractive option, IMO, is one of the pet transport services mentioned by another poster, but this is not feasible in all cases.
It's very easy to say, "never do this," or "never do that," but life isn't always so simple. Putting a pet in cargo is not necessarily an indication that the owner doesn't care about that pet's welfare. They may have no other choice.
Anyway, back to constructive advice. If you drive with your cat, please don't take her out of her carrier until you are actually in an enclosed space, like a motel room. This may mean that you have to make your daily drive time a bit shorter. If the vehicle you drive has sufficient space, you may be able to set up a kennel that leaves room for a litter box. That would be nice.
If you fly, the airline will require that your cat has a health certificate and proof of recent shots. This is true regardless of whether she is in the cabin or in cargo. When you get this done, you can ask your vet about any meds that might make her more comfortable during the trip, but as I recall, drugging animals for flight is not usually recommended. I would not put food in the carrier, but I would put water in one of those little snap-on bowls and then freeze it. This will allow the cat to lap at the water as it melts, without having it spill everywhere. Give her something that smells familiar to sleep on - I gave mine old t-shirts that I had been sleeping in. The bottom of the crate should also be well-lined with puppy pads, old towels, anything absorbent, really.
and a lot of perfumes or colognes can trigger a migraine for me. It doesn't mean that I'm allowed to say no one can fly while wearing scents.
I remember riding in an elevator with a man who must have poured an entire bottle of Old Spice on himself. I got off on the next floor.
I worked with a woman who did the same thing with a heavy perfume. We all knew she had been in a room long after she had left.
I worked for a doctor who strictly forbid any employee wearing any type of scent. But you always could find her well before you saw her.
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