I am flying on a non-direct flight across the country with 2 cats. I am seeking advice and stories about your experiences doing this. My concerns are mostly about psychological trauma. I cannot do a direct flight, unfortunately there are none offered to my destination at this time, on an airline that allows pets in-cabin. The entire travel time will be about 10 hours. I am really worried the experience will really stress them out long-term. Is there anything I can do to make them more comfortable? Did your cats come out OK?
Yes, they will be flying in cabin, under the seats.
Updated below
My mom found a skinny, stray cat in FL once. It was Sunday, they had to catch a flight, AC couldn’t be reached, and the police were less than helpful. They bought a carrier and the cat flew home to MA with them (direct though). Cat was totally relaxed about it the whole thing.
I don’t have direct experience with flying though I have driven cross country with a cat several times.
I asked my vet each time. The first time, the vet recommended some children’s benadryl (liquid) as it has a sedative effect. The second time (years later, different cat) the vet gave me some ace. Mine came out of the sedation slowly and just sort of accepted what was going on without a fuss. But ask your vet about redosing or a longer acting med, as you probably don’t want to open a carrier in the plane or the airport.
good luck!
I have flown with multiple cats numerous times. I have never had a non-direct flight. Every time, cats always ended up fine with no lingering issues. The most problem I had was (besides me always being a nervous wreck) with cats being vocal. My longest flight was about 3 hours. I had one cat that I flew frequently with, and she never had any issues. Each time, cats were under the seat in the cabin. I used a squishy carrier. I tried using small, hard-side one when I first started flying with cats, but they didn’t appreciate it nearly as much as the soft one.
Get them use to being in the carrier. Put some cat nap in there.
How long is your layover? Can you get a hotel room if the layover is a few hours?
I would be worried about them being in a carrier for 10 hours. If I absolutely had to do this, I’d maybe split the flights over two days, and get a hotel room overnight. Or have a multihour layover and get a room (that allows pets) in between. Have a litter box for the kitties there.
My husband and I recently did this with our two old girls. We flew from Dallas to San Fran.
You say you’re flying with 2 cats- is someone flying with you? All the airlines that I am aware of have a 1-pet-per-passenger policy. If you have not already made booking arrangements with the airline you need to call them to verify you can fly with 2 pets.
Ask about weight limits. We found out at the ticket counter that the weight limit was 20lbs for cat AND carrier. Our fat cat weighed in at 19.5. It was close.
Get there EARLY. Most airlines have a policy where they do not accept payment for the pets until you are at the counter, with the pet. First come, first served. Our cats had a “reservation”, but it doesn’t actually mean your pet will be on the flight if other pets get there first.
It is not the policy of most airlines to put in-cabin pets next to each other.
Even if the airline tells you you do not need interstate health certificates, get them and put them in a carrier pocket. Put your name and cell on each one too. We also put a plastic tin of cat food (with label still on it for the TSA), a collapsible latex water bowl, extra wee-wee pads and a harness and lead for each.
We gave both of our girls a half tab of Ace before we left our house. They both rode in open soft-sided carriers. I STRONGLY suggest a carrier that has an open top option AND is stiffer (not really soft and floppy). It is MUCH easier to load and unload the cat(s) at security with a top loading case! We have an old side-loader and a new top loader, and the top loader is SO far superior;
This is fat-cat’s top loader (in Medium) It’s awesome. Wish we had two. However, the medium is large and depending on the size plane (adn class) you are flying on, you may have issues. We were in first class, and Fat Cat fit comfortable, however, I would have concerns in cattle class.
http://www.amazon.com/Sherpa-55531-Original-Deluxe-Carrier/dp/B00063433G/ref=zg_bs_3024133011_6
We had absolutely no problems with them crying. They didn’t make a peep. On the plane we threw blankets over their crates. Next time I fly with them I will bring a pillow case or something light that will fit into a carrier pocket for waiting at the gate. That was the most stressful thing for them.
We put wee-wee pads in their crates under their fleece pads, and put additional wee-wees in the pockets of the carriers, in case there was an accident. My plan was if there was a potty incident to take kitty to the plane bathroom (or the lady’s room) and clean things up. Yes, your pet needs to remain in the carrier at all times, but I was prepared to make a fuss in that situation.
They got to the hotel (about 8 hours of travelling from door to door) and acted like it hadn’t happened. They were more interested in being on the 4th floor and having a perch.
Hey Guys, thanks so much for all the awesome info! I do have soft-sided carriers. I am picking up wee wee pads and harnesses/leashes today. Thanks also for the stories about your cats arriving OK and not being too fazed. That makes me feel better. Yes, I have a 2nd person for the 2nd cat. One cat weighs about 7 lbs and the other one is about 13. I think we’ll be fine with the weight limit.
My oldest kitty has flown (MN to FL) and done a couple of 3 day road trips. She’s none the worse for wear.
All of the advice I can think of has already been covered. Safe travels!
[QUOTE=BeHooved;7686970]
Hey Guys, thanks so much for all the awesome info! I do have soft-sided carriers. I am picking up wee wee pads and harnesses/leashes today. Thanks also for the stories about your cats arriving OK and not being too fazed. That makes me feel better. Yes, I have a 2nd person for the 2nd cat. One cat weighs about 7 lbs and the other one is about 13. I think we’ll be fine with the weight limit.[/QUOTE]
I forgot to mention in my original post that when we got into the car in San Fran (7 hours after leaving the house) fat kitty was a little pokey and I think her blood sugar was low. I was a little worried about her (old cat was bouncing off her carrier, fat cat was like “Ugg… what’s happening…”) and I had to do the whole smear-on-gums to get her eating. After which she perked up.
So don’t forget a tin of something wet and tasty so you can get some hydration and calories into them if you need to. I also packed a 5cc syringe on the very off chance I had to force feed water.
This is what I brought:
http://www.fancyfeast.com/gourmet-cat-products/appetizers/flaked-skipjack-tuna
We made it! They made it better than I did. For posterity: I learned: ask for a private screening when going through security.
They didn’t seem to care about much, except for the elevation gain when ascending/taking off. They happily ate treats between flights, and the more gregarious of the two even rolled over onto his back and wanted his belly rubbed & purred for the 2nd leg of the trip!
YAY! So glad to hear everything went well and the kitties are fine!
