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First of all: NEVER put ANY animal in cargo. It is not only traumatizing to the animal, there are many, many cases of dead animals at the end. Do some digging, it is MUCH more than what you just see in the news.
Second: If you have an allergy (I have Celiac disease, and have had cancer related to it, for those of you with allergies) and it responds to an Epi-Pen (mine does NOT, I wish it did!) it IS your responsibility to carry and use it. If you are THAT allergic--who is to say the flight before you didn't have an animal (cat or dog) and that you could have reacted from that? The planes don't get sterilized.
Third: People flying with their pets in the cabin pay an additional fee (generally at least $100) to have their animal. They aren't just paying the same fare as you. With that in mind--you can always call BEFORE a flight, and ask if there is an animal next to you and have the airline move you. They will do that. There are only a certain amount of animals allowed per flight in the cabin and it does cap, as they keep a tally.
Lastly--I flew JFK to LAX, with my cat. I paid the extra fee (well my company did, since we were moving for work.) I got him a harness with a leash and made sure that he was used it. I already had a TSA approved soft carrier (Amazon has them!) I consulted my vet who prescribed him 1 medication--which we tried, he didn't do well. So, back we went. The second medication worked for him. Again--tested before the flight.
Day of--harness on, meds given before security. He had to come out at TSA and I held him. He went right back in after. Literally NO complaints from other passengers and he was a little dazed, but did well.
Also, I've been on those peanut flights. I'm not someone who is going to ask that there is anything on the plane that can affect my Celiac (again, cancer here!) because I realize that's not realistic. We live in a crazy world and each have to make the best of it, as we each can.
But--get a harness and soft sided carrier, pay the fee for your cat, and talk to the vet about meds.
You don't understand extreme allergies. Why should a person be exposed to that, when the cat can simply be shipped in cargo?
I have an extreme autoimmune disease, which is exasperated by certain foods and including AIRBORNE things. I cannot keep myself in a bubble--that is no life. I DO understand extreme allergies--I still disagree with this. See my separate reply.
I think it's safe to say that people should agree to disagree, on this thread.
I didn't wade through all of the responses, but I don't understand people who say, "Why don't you re-home your pet if you are leaving the state?" or whatever. They are part of your family, why on earth would people think that is a good choice? The poor pet didn't ask its family to relocate. People said that when we relocated to another state, "Oh, are you going to give your dogs away?" Heck no, they are family and we love them.
I didn't wade through all of the responses, but I don't understand people who say, "Why don't you re-home your pet if you are leaving the state?" or whatever.
They are generally lazy and/or too stupid to figure out how to take their pets with them.
I ignore them. Yes, pets are family. There are times when farm animals need to be re-homed, such as goats, when moving to an apartment in a city, but dogs and cats will generally travel just fine.
I have an extreme autoimmune disease, which is exasperated by certain foods and including AIRBORNE things. I cannot keep myself in a bubble--that is no life. I DO understand extreme allergies--I still disagree with this. See my separate reply.
I think it's safe to say that people should agree to disagree, on this thread.
Fine.
But no cat/dog owner should be putting anyone else in an enclosed area at risk of a reaction, extreme or otherwise. There is no reason, period, no reason that a cat owner's comfort level supersedes that of a human being's medical issues. Ever.
You don't understand extreme allergies. Why should a person be exposed to that, when the cat can simply be shipped in cargo?
I understand extreme allergies, considering almost everyone in my family (including me) has them... but I also know that we can't live in a protective shell, and have therefore learned to take responsibility for our own health/safety. I also know it's not that "simple" to ship a pet in cargo, in fact there are many risks that some of us would rather not take. I mean, if the option exists to purchase on-board travel for them instead, shouldn't we have the right to use it?
And if your allergies are really that severe, contact the airline ahead of time, and/or come prepared with the necessary medications. What would your grandchild do if a seeing-eye dog was on the plane, or anywhere else? Their rights would trump hers, so you'd have to manage somehow! I don't know how old she is, but it's never too early to learn about handling her allergies.
But no cat/dog owner should be putting anyone else in an enclosed area at risk of a reaction, extreme or otherwise. There is no reason, period, no reason that a cat owner's comfort level supersedes that of a human being's medical issues. Ever.
I'm sorry if some can't see that.
The reason is that airlines kinda suck at safely transporting pets in cargo! And what if the pet itself has medical issues? My old boy (Cyrus), for example, has stage-3 renal failure + deafness + muscle wasting in his legs. I probably wouldn't fly him anywhere at this point, but what if I had to for some reason? I'd never trust baggage handlers to manage his transport without hurting or killing him. Maybe it's "just a cat" to you, but he's been part of my family for almost 18 years.
Bottom line, lots of people have medical issues, thus flying might be risky for them... but we simply cannot accommodate everyone, and if you are so fragile that one small cat in a carrier (especially at the other end of a large plane) could kill you, then maybe driving is a better option. Again, what would you/they do if a legitimate service dog were on your plane? The law states that their assistance supersedes anyone's allergies or fears, so then what?
The reason is that airlines kinda suck at safely transporting pets in cargo! And what if the pet itself has medical issues? My old boy (Cyrus), for example, has stage-3 renal failure + deafness + muscle wasting in his legs. I probably wouldn't fly him anywhere at this point, but what if I had to for some reason? I'd never trust baggage handlers to manage his transport without hurting or killing him. Maybe it's "just a cat" to you, but he's been part of my family for almost 18 years.
Bottom line, lots of people have medical issues, thus flying might be risky for them... but we simply cannot accommodate everyone, and if you are so fragile that one small cat in a carrier (especially at the other end of a large plane) could kill you, then maybe driving is a better option. Again, what would you/they do if a legitimate service dog were on your plane? The law states that their assistance supersedes anyone's allergies or fears, so then what?
Most cats/dogs are not legitimate service animals, and we all know that, so don't deflect. There is never an instance that a cat/dog should ever, ever be viewed as equal or over that of a human. Ever. Cargo works just fine, never mind the 3 cases you may have heard about on social media.
But no cat/dog owner should be putting anyone else in an enclosed area at risk of a reaction, extreme or otherwise. There is no reason, period, no reason that a cat owner's comfort level supersedes that of a human being's medical issues. Ever.
I'm sorry if some can't see that.
Your comfort level indicates driving would be best.
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