Cats on a plane!

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Lori&Scout

Lori&Scout

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Hello there!

Does anyone have experience bringing their cat on a plane?

On Thursday, my brother and I are going to visit our parents in Florida. Scout is recently OTJ but I'm not comfortable leaving her for a week without regular BG tests, plus she's on meds for her neuropathy, so she is coming along for the ride! Southwest is letting me put her under the seat in front of me in a mesh carrier. It's a two hour flight with a 45 min drive on each end. Scout is a very docile sweet kitty and I don't foresee her having any issues... but then it's her first time on a plane so I don't really know how she'll react. When she has to ride in the car she will sometimes meow pathetically but when she gets to the destination she is happy enough to hop out and explore.

I could try to get a sedative or something from her vet just in case... if anyone has done that, what sedative should I ask for? Are there any special concerns with diabetic cats and plane rides?

I got her a collar and tag in case she manages to escape during the journey. Her new tag has her name and phone number and says "DIABETIC" ... I figure us humans have medical alert bracelets, why not cats? :mrgreen:

Also I plan to have canned food in my carry on. I hope that doesn't upset TSA. :roll:

Thanks in advance
Lori
 
Dont give her sedatives! It makes cats so disoriented, like drunk with spasms of fear, it'll just make things worse!

I have taken my cat on a plane (for a 8 hour flight) 4 times in her life. She is a 13 year old, VERY nervous cat that hates car rides but believe it or not, the airport (with all the noises and people taking) and going to the airport by car, is much more frightening to a cat than the ride by plane!
Once the plane has take off, she'll probably just sleep and feel comfortable knowing you're close to her watching a movie. Like I said, no sedatives, don't worry a two hour flight will just be a nap for her!

You might want to spray some stress calming feline pheromone in her carrying case though. It might help for the ride to the airport!

If you still want to by some sedatives, atleast don't give it to her until the plane is completely steady in the sky and you hear she is going crazy (and I know it's NOT going to happen!), otherwise you'll be giving her something she simply doesn't need!

Oh and if you have a little money you can spend on the carrying case, you can look at Sherpa bags, cats like them!
http://www.sherpapet.com/products
Make sure the case is not too big, and I'm not talking about the airline's standards here, but the bigger the case, the less reassured the cat will be. He needs to feel "locked-in", like nothing can make him fall.
Make sure your cat CANT look at the window when you are in the car. Hearing you talking to other people and not seeing the landscapes move at 110Km/h helps them a lot !

~O)
 
I fly across the country once a year to visit my dad.
I use a Sherpa carrier and I give a few drops of Rescue Remedy orally and add a drop to the top of each paw and put some drops around the pee pads in the carrier (I usually stack about 4 pee pads under my cat). My cat is scared for the car ride to the airport and while in the airport, but relaxes just fine in the plane. On the way home he's always happy, because he knows he's going home. I put extra bells on my cat's collar and add the tag that says he's micro chipped, and he wears a snug fitting harness and leash from the time we leave my house, until we are safely inside my dad's house.
I bring a small dish for some ice in case my cat's thirsty, and a baggy of freeze dried treats that I keep in my pocket and give him a couple every once in a while. I also bring a small bottle of FeBreeze and a gallon sized baggy to put any soiled pee pads in. Oh, and you will need a health certificate done within 10 days of departure.
 
I have never personally transported a cat on a plane, but a friend of mine
took Pauline to Texas for adoption by Patricia and Gang.

Some of the things we thought of:

Put a HARNESS on kitty. Make a home-made tag with this kind of information:
"I'm traveling" Her Name, Airline & Flight number. Your name and cell-phone number (so you can be
reached in the airport). Attach tag to harness and a duplicate to the carrier. Carry a leash with you.

Line the carrier with disposable pee-pads (you can get bed liners at Walmart in the incontinence products
section). Carry extras. If you have to deal with 'something', take cat inside carrier to the airplane restroom
and deal with it there. Be absolutely certain the toilet lid is DOWN before taking her out of the carrier.
Keep hold of the harness if possible or attach leash and hold it as short as you can manage.

You will be asked to take kitty out of the carrier when going through security. Ask to be taken to an
enclosed room before letting the cat out. The harness is there to provide something to grab onto.
Be absolutely sure the carrier is closed up properly when she is put back in. Check and double-check.

Get a disposable litter box or make one and carry a bit of litter. Before boarding, go to the family bathroom
and encourage litter box use. You can toss the litter box away at this point, since there won't be room on the
airplane.

Check with the airline about carrying insulin, syringes, food and water. You never know and there could
be delays.

Good luck and bless you for taking your kitty with you. We never went anywhere but Smokey went with us.
Fortunately, he was a good traveler.
 
For a 2 hour flight I really don't think you're gonna need pee pads! Unless your cat has urinary problems and you don't give water 10 hours before the flight (canned food has enough water to keep her well hydrated)

Also I don't know how they do it in the state where you're living but the customs everywhere I've been with my cat only asked me to take her out of the cage to pass the "metal detector gate" so I held my cat in my arms and since they ate pretty used to that situation you just take your time and hold the cat firmly close to your body then just put her back inside her cage.

You can take the peep pads but I'm pretty sure she will just want to hold it in!
And Karen is right you should really check on your airline website or call them to make sure their policies about needles and insuline is ok
 
Great suggestions already!

I've not traveled w/ any of my cats (yet), but last September I transported a small beagle rescue (dog) from Raleigh-Durham to Chicago O'Hare on American Airlines. Bess did great! The prep for her flight was MUCH more cumbersome than the actual flight.

Because of her size, and the regs that the animal has to be able to stand up and turn around in their 9" tall crate w/o hitting their head was outa the question - but the Sherpa (soft sided) was fine. I think most cats will be fine, regardless.

We had the health certificate, which AA required for checked animals - not necessarily the in-cabin ones. But due to her size, 17#, I had a friend drop me off at the airport and wait - with a hard-sided crate in the car. The certificate was an insurance policy so I didn't forfeit both our tickets.

Bess had to have a "reservation" - they only let so many animals on a plane. Check w/ your airline and see if this is necessary. She also needed a "ticket" (I think about $100), despite the fact that she didn't get her own seat!

We had to check in at the counter - no kiosks, as the staff had to make sure she was cute enough (or the right size) to ride in cabin. She walked through security on a leash. Don't think the TSA even looked at me, she was so cute!

The flight was uneventful. She slept quietly in the crate. Because she had been a shelter pull a month or two before, she was still very skittish. She didn't potty in the carrier - or before the flight - despite our attempts. If you can get your pet to "go on command" - great! but the suggestions above are great!

That's my experience, and it was a good one. I would do it again without much thought. Bess didn't seem traumatized by the trip at all.

Good luck,
Lu-Ann
 
I have never had the cat on a plane, but I do 2nd the thought of piddle pads! Every time I used to take Midora to my dad's when I went on vacation (about a 50 minute ride) she ALWAYS peed and/or pooped when we'd get about 5 minutes from my dad's! Better safe than sorry!

I have to say when I moved down here to Orlando from Phila, my dad drove down with me and insisted that we get a sedative fromt he vet, as his aunt had moved to VA the year before and the cat (a siamease) cried the entire way between wilkes-Barre and Fredericksburg. He was not keen on that type of adventure. I had the pills, but never used them (I think they are still in the cupboard). Midora was as good as gold in her medium sized carrier (which was my dad's and we swapped; too big for an airplane though). I used the piddle pads and would change it every time she went. One time we had stopped for lunch (and we had to eat in the car since she was with us) and she pooped as we were getting back in 95. Dad pulled over and I swapped out the pad (not easy) and will admit to "fertilizing" the woods off the side of the ramp (meaning I flung the poop). It was pretty funny.

I'd advise an asile seat. Good luck on your trip! Oh, and see if they will let you on before everyone else, since you have an animal. I am not a fan of SW, but since you can pick your seat where ever you want, getting on early instead of having to stand in that stupid line would certanly help.
 
Good point Doombuggy. I always ask if I can board when they annouce those needing more time to board or those traveling with children to board.
I always get a window seat, though. I unzip the front of the carrier door once we're in the air, and J.D. stretches out full length between my feet. With leash wrapped around my hand, mind you, should I fall asleep and he decide to take advantage.
 
Just wanted to mention the weight issue and size restrictions....
please contact the airlines for their rules and guidelines; neither of my diabetics could fly in the cabin as they weigh too much.

Should your animals need to fly in the cargo section, Continental has an amazing system, and I believe the DCIN uses them for transfers. My Oliver flew with them from Toronto, ON to Seattle, WA with a stop at their hub in NJ or some place, and he did quite fine.

Pee pads should be a must, but look up the airline you are using and find out what they want done. It would suck to get to the airport and find you don't have kitty in a fashion that meets the airline's rules.
 
Mikey and Smidgen have both flown successfully (pre FD for Mikey).

I DID sedate both with a small amount of Ace before we left. Mikey HATES being in a carrier and the sedation helped a lot-he didn't throw himself around in the carrier with it. Both of them slept most of the way, and didn't disturb anyone with yowling like they tend to do in carriers. With Mikey now, I would definitely sedate because of stress and FD, but not with Ace, because that can cause seizures in cats with neuro issues, which he has had since he was 2 years old due to a stroke. He did fine on it before, but no chances.

Definitely use a harness instead of a collar. You will have to take Scout out of the carrier when you go through security to put the carrier through x-ray. If I hadn't had a harness on mine I would have lost Smidgen in a very busy airport!

You will need health papers from your vet, less than 10 days old, I believe, and proof of rabies vax. Mine didn't get weighed: as long as they fit comfortably in the carriers that fit under the seat (able to turn around easily) they were fine,so that must depend on the airlines. The carrier will count as your carry-on, though, so you can only have a purse or other handbag with you; you will have to check a suitcase or other bags.

It turned out to be a LOT easier than I thought it would be-just make sure you have the paperwork in hand and that the bag will fit under the seat. The cats had their happy pills and Momma had a stiff drink before we got on the plane and all was well!
 
I've traveled cross country with both my cats and like everyone else, the ride to and from the plane was the worst. On the plane was fine. If you do feel you need a sedative, I was given 5mg valium and told to give a quarter tab but it's really not necessary and just makes them very disoriented and dizzy.

My cats wouldn't have accidents, they would just hold it so Since my trip was so long I brought disposable kitty litter pans w litter in them, took them to the bathroom 1 at a time and they did their business. I also gave insulin on board in my lap in her sherpa bag. I brought their food and gave them water, etc in their own bowls that I brought. They are allowed their own bag since they paid for a ticket and their carrier does not count as one of yours usually. Despite about 12 hours of traveling all together, they did just fine but were really glad to get out of those bags when we got where we were going.

Melanie & Racci
 
Thank you all for the advice and encouragement. I'm not going to drug her up. I am a little concerned about getting through security with her in my arms (when she is scared she clings to me like grim death!) but I think if I trim her claws and wear a sweatshirt I'll be OK. I can't see her running off if she gets loose, Scout is more of the cowering under something or running TOWARDS mom type. BUT I've got a tag and collar for her and I will bring a harness and leash. I think for 5 hours total travel she can hold it esp if I limit her food and water the morning of.

Thanks again and I'll keep you guys posted when we arrive in Florida!

Lori
 
Don't just 'bring a harness and leash". Put the harness on her before you leave home.

You may not be able to manage it on a squirming cat in the airport or airplane.

Leave the collar on and put the harness on over. Be sure the harness is SNUG.

Better a little discomfort than a lost kitty.
 
I asked to go in the separate room with mine before taking them out of the carriers. I was taking no chances. Once in the room, I asked them to shut the door as well.

Melanie & Racci
 
Update: Scout may be constipated?

Update: Scout and my brother and I flew to Florida on Thursday. The trip went pretty smoothly!

She meowed a lot towards the beginning, but once the plane was in the air she actually lay down and slept for a bit. Once we got into the rental car I let her out of her carrier and she sat in the backseat for the ride to my parents' house. Her first night she explored and hissed at this cat she kept seeing in the mirror (facepalm) but by the second day she was playing and running around as normal. She had my dad handfeeding her bits of chicken today (spoiled brat!)

My concern is we've been here 3 days now and there's no poop in the box. She has been peeing in the box and I don't see her straining or in any way acting like anything is wrong. She has also not wanted to eat much for the past few days. She is eating, just not cleaning her plate. She's probably eating 2 oz of food per day instead of her normal 3-5 oz. I mix the food with a lot of water so I think she's getting enough water. Her BG has been normal range (70-80) with no insulin. She will eat treats and chicken.

I can take her to the vet to get her a laxative tomorrow, however we're flying home on Tuesday and I don't want to risk the laxative kicking in when we're traveling. I'm not sure if 3 days with no poop is normal for her or not. I have two cats who shared a box and I have never known her to be constipated before but to be honest I've never paid much attention. Since she is not eating much, I'm not sure it's even a cause for concern.

Any thoughts?

Lori
 
Re: Update: Scout may be constipated?

Lori&Scout said:
Update: Scout and my brother and I flew to Florida on Thursday. The trip went pretty smoothly!

She meowed a lot towards the beginning, but once the plane was in the air she actually lay down and slept for a bit. Once we got into the rental car I let her out of her carrier and she sat in the backseat for the ride to my parents' house. Her first night she explored and hissed at this cat she kept seeing in the mirror (facepalm) but by the second day she was playing and running around as normal. She had my dad handfeeding her bits of chicken today (spoiled brat!)

My concern is we've been here 3 days now and there's no poop in the box. She has been peeing in the box and I don't see her straining or in any way acting like anything is wrong. She has also not wanted to eat much for the past few days. She is eating, just not cleaning her plate. She's probably eating 2 oz of food per day instead of her normal 3-5 oz. I mix the food with a lot of water so I think she's getting enough water. Her BG has been normal range (70-80) with no insulin. She will eat treats and chicken.

I can take her to the vet to get her a laxative tomorrow, however we're flying home on Tuesday and I don't want to risk the laxative kicking in when we're traveling. I'm not sure if 3 days with no poop is normal for her or not. I have two cats who shared a box and I have never known her to be constipated before but to be honest I've never paid much attention. Since she is not eating much, I'm not sure it's even a cause for concern.

Any thoughts?

Lori
Click to expand...

I got into the habit of mixing powder into their food at least once a day.
Get some Miralax from the pharmacy and mix 1/4 or 1/8 tsp into the food and add extra water because the powder draws water from the body and into the stool to soften it.

I would not get a laxative from the vet; Miralax is good and will get things 'moving'.
 
OK I got her to eat food with 1/4 tsp of Miralax mixed in. I'll check her box again in the morning to see if there's any movement. Thank you!!

Lori
 
Please be careful about giving an osmotic laxative to a cat when you don't know for sure that that is all that is needed.

You can provoke vomiting if there is any kind of obstruction! Stop with the 1 dose and wait for evidence that things can pass through.

You might try a bit of kitty massage to see if her belly is distended and uncomfortable. If she normally lets you touch and now refuses, that might be worth going to a vet, to rule out GI obstruction.
 
How long does Miralax take to kick in? Its been 24 hours and no movement. She's still eating but not heartily. We're getting on a plane tomorrow so I'm certainly not giving her anymore. I guess I should take her to the vet if she is not better by tomorrow eh?

Lori
 
:-| Hope little Scout is just crossing her legs till she gets home. Maybe? Let us know what the vet says.
My civvie Hannah came up to see me as I was reading this, and said, "mow?" She must be worrying about Scout too.
 
Hi there,

I flew Oscar from Providence, RI to Virginia Beach on Southwest in February. He slept under the seat all the time we were in the air. We ended up changing planes in Baltimore (not planned). It all went very well. Actually, the middle seat had the most room for his carrier.

I got him used to a harness before the flight and had a leash with me for the security drill. Also, I had a tag made for him. Usually, I don't put collars on cats, but the harness works very well.

Southwest seems to handle lots of pets. You should do fine. Please, as others have said, do not use a sedative. It leaves them disoriented for some reason which I don't pretend to understand.

Good luck with your flight.

Claudia
 
I flew with Fred and his brother Artichoke when I moved back to the US after having lived in London, England for a very long time. For a variety of reasons, I missed my first 2 planes at Heathrow (don't ask! the 2nd plane I missed it was because I was in the handicapped bathroom with the cats having spread litter down trying to get them to use it). Anyway, we were at the airport from about 9am that day until the 3rd plane took off at 7pm. Not great, but I had given them like a 1/2 dose of the sedative that the vet had given me. I think they helped, I don't think they caused fear or whatever. I bought a friend a ticket so we could each have one cat under each seat.

During the flight, during the dark movie I took each cat out and cuddled with them in my blanket. This was all great until some passenger complained! The cats were pretty much fine

I also later in his life flew with Fred from NYC to Texas and back, and drove with him many places, including a 12 day drive across the country in my MIni Cooper from NYC down to Texas to California and after 2 months, the same drive back. We hid in lots of hotels and he drove ....3000ish miles each way. What a trooper my baby was. He got used to the car.

One thing I would recommend is yes the wee wee pads (and human incontinence pads are cheaper, get the 11x17" size. But also DIAPERS. Buy baby diapers, or even kid pull up diapers. in the butt area you cut an X with scissors and then you can pull the tail thru. This won't be uncomfortable for your kitty but totally solves the peeing and pooping problem--VERY EASY to clean. Fred wore diapers a lot in his last year and it made everything so much easier.

When Fred and ARtichoke were younger I carried a small tupperware full of litter and in the airport bathroom just sprinkled a bit on...don't remember now, we didn't have wee wee pads back then, but something, just enough for them to realize this was their litter place but not enough for them to cover or anything since that was hard to travel with.

good luck it will be fine!
 
Thanks again everyone for the replies. The actual travel part of the trip went just fine. Scout did great!

She is so docile that security was a breeze! The only hard part was pushing my bags onto the x-ray belt while holding Scout. I had a harness on her so I could have a firm grip but mainly she just clung to my shirt and made all the other travelers squee with delight at her epic cuteness. She made several friends. I froze her canned food overnight before traveling and put it in my carry on. In one direction, TSA did not seem to notice it. On the way back, they hand searched the bag, had a look at the cans, then put them back in the bag. I asked the guy if it was cool since the cans were frozen and he said yes. IDK how it makes any difference, but apparently frozen cat food is neither a liquid nor a gel, and that's good enough for TSA. ;) I already knew that diabetic testing supplies and insulin are absolutely allowed by TSA, as is liquid/gel used to treat a hypo. Just take it out of the bag and put it in a bin so they can see it is medical, and tell them it is diabetic supplies if they ask.

If, however, I am every enough of a masochist to travel with my civvie Nipper, I will definitely ask for the separate room to have her screened.

The pee pads were definitely a good call. On the way there she did fine, but on the way home, she had peed before I even got through check in! I couldn't find a family restroom so I used a handicapped stall to pull her out, change the pee pad, and put her back in.

On the plane, she did fine. I sprayed her with a bit of pheromone calming spray just in case. She slept for a good amount of the flight. She was definitely concerned during landing though!

I have an Original Sherpa carrier, Medium size, which I bought on sale at Petco. It was sturdy enough for her but I don't know how a wily, fractious cat would do with it. I would be worried about them ripping through the mesh and escaping.

I hope the intel in this thread helps someone else who is traveling with a cat in future. Thanks again, you guys! :)

Lori
 
I would just comment that you're not supposed to spray the pheromone sprays directly on the cat.

You're supposed to spray them on the bedding or in the area where they will be confined. Then
wait a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate before placing the cat in the carrier.
 
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