Hi cat lovers, my gorgeous Maine Coon "Cuglie" is almost 25 lbs. I am looking for Maine Coon experts to find out how to move him 3,000 miles to our new home. Either fly or drive. Both are stressful and he will not fit in a carrier under the seat of a plane! He is 14 yrs old. Not sure what to do. No way are we leaving him behind!
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Newbie here. Check out my big boy!
- Thread starter ildipoo
- Start Date
Welcome to TCS! I have no advice on moving a cat via airplane for you, but I'm sure someone will be along shortly to help with answers. We have a lot of expert advisors and mentors here!
Its great here, with lots of advice, help, support and friendship.............oh and we have a bit of fun now and then
Cuglie looks a real peach
We flew from UK to Spain and the only way the cats could go was in the hold
My eldest cat Dino has a heart murmer, so we were really worried about him. Pepsi is a more relaxed cat and we rescued Moofi here. My vet in the UK didnt believe in tranquilising the cats for journeys, he said that the cats would go into a sort of "shut-down" mode and they would be fine. So thats what we did, it was very stressful for us all, the cats seemed fine and settled back to a normal way in about 3 days.
Anyway that was 7 years ago now and I am not up to date with the latest thinking on cat-travel, obviously it is different if you are not travelling out of your own country ?
My friend did the same journey (UK-Spain) with 2 cats and they drove, they had the back seat down and put a sort of dog grill between the front and back, they let the cats out during the journey. They had food, water and a cat-lit box in the back with them as well - so all those things were catered for. They stopped overnight at places that allowed pets. So that all seemed to work pretty well.
Well I hope you come up with a satisfactory solution
Do keep us posted ! and enjoy the forums
Welcome!
Cuglie is a sweetheart!
I hope you decide on the most comfortable and least stressful choice of travel for him.
Cuglie is a sweetheart!
Hi and Welcome to TCS!!!!
See you on the forums
See you on the forums
Hi there
we're so happy to welcome you and Cuglie to TCS. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay with us - we're one great big family and you'll find loads of friends here. If I can help at all while you're finding your way around TCS just click on my username and send me a Personal Message - I'll do what I can to answer your questions
I have no experience of moving kitties long distances - but there are other members on the site who have done so. Perhaps posting a question in the Cat Lounge might be a good place to start. Good luck!
I have no experience of moving kitties long distances - but there are other members on the site who have done so. Perhaps posting a question in the Cat Lounge might be a good place to start. Good luck!
Dear Ildipoo and Cuglie!
OH DO I LOVE TO HEAR that "no way are we leaving him behind"! That's the RIGHT thing to do. Don'cha wish EVERYONE was like you??? I know I do!
Well, if he won't fit under the seat, you basically have two options. You can fly him in cargo, which will mean a carrier large enough for him to easily and comfortably stand and turn around (obtainable at Petco, PetsMart, Drs. Foster & Smith at http://www.DrsFosterSmith.com and others, I'm sure) and you'll have to fast him after 10 pm. the night before his flight, make sure all his innoculations are up to date, and clear him with the airline as to their specific regulations; or you can buy a similarly large carrier which has a travel-size litter tray (or disposable ones, if you prefer) and clip-on food and water trays, and simply drive him! I've transported cats both ways, with 100% success. You may also want to go online and see what some of the animal transport organizations have to say. Google "pet airline transportation carrier services" or some such, and you'll get a bunch of references. Personally, if you're driving cross-country anyway, I'd opt to drive him and you can ask your vet about mild tranquilizers such as BuSpar, if you think he may be stressed otherwise.
Cuglie sure is a handsome guy, all right! My folks' blue cream Maine Coon went over the Bridge last year; we aren't sure exactly how old he was, but he sure was a great, big, wonderful boy, too!
OH DO I LOVE TO HEAR that "no way are we leaving him behind"! That's the RIGHT thing to do. Don'cha wish EVERYONE was like you??? I know I do!
Well, if he won't fit under the seat, you basically have two options. You can fly him in cargo, which will mean a carrier large enough for him to easily and comfortably stand and turn around (obtainable at Petco, PetsMart, Drs. Foster & Smith at http://www.DrsFosterSmith.com and others, I'm sure) and you'll have to fast him after 10 pm. the night before his flight, make sure all his innoculations are up to date, and clear him with the airline as to their specific regulations; or you can buy a similarly large carrier which has a travel-size litter tray (or disposable ones, if you prefer) and clip-on food and water trays, and simply drive him! I've transported cats both ways, with 100% success. You may also want to go online and see what some of the animal transport organizations have to say. Google "pet airline transportation carrier services" or some such, and you'll get a bunch of references. Personally, if you're driving cross-country anyway, I'd opt to drive him and you can ask your vet about mild tranquilizers such as BuSpar, if you think he may be stressed otherwise.
Cuglie sure is a handsome guy, all right! My folks' blue cream Maine Coon went over the Bridge last year; we aren't sure exactly how old he was, but he sure was a great, big, wonderful boy, too!
