Relocation - need your opinions

I have never done this, but I can provide a bit of reassurance! A friend of mine moved from Canada to Ireland with her three cats about 10 months ago. Her cats are all seniors - I think the youngest is 14 - and she was very worried. They were transported as cargo and are doing great - adjusted to the relocation very easily. They had no real problems in transit - I think the oldest came down with an infection of sorts requiring a dose of antibiotics - but other than that, they are happy and healthy.

Hope others can provide more advice - but I know it is always good to read success stories...

I'm sure due to the quarentine regulations that is the reason why you cannot travel on board with the cat and the animal has to go in cargo. He needs to be checked in more thoroughly then just walking off the plane.

I know when we were coming home from Hawaii (honeymoon) we had to go thru 3 security checks and we could NOT touch the luggage after it was scanned for drugs, etc. And you could only take "approved" boxed pineapples out - not ones you bought in stores in Hawaii.

I don't think you will get out of not having the cat in cargo.

Hawaii is very strict. I have been there 4 times.

Ask away! My friend and her husband were so worried about their cats - obviously the senior thing really played into it, but because you aren't with them, you can't comfort them and see how they are doing. Natural to be scared!

Yes - three senior cats. And they are doing amazingly well. My friend said that when they arrived in their new home here (after all that travel) they just got out of their cages, used the litter box and had some food and then curled right up to sleep. Threw off their system for a while (jet lag!) but they soon re-adjusted.

These cats were not used to travel either - she had lived in a small flat in Toronto for years and the only travel they had done was in a taxi to the vet (and this was done only if she had to take all of them - otherwise, she just walked with them in their cages). Even then they freak out and meow non-stop (I have been with her to the vet here in Cork...our feral kittens are better travellers in cars than her cats!).

I am pretty sure her cats didn't get sedated - because of their age- but I can double check when I see her. She did use some Feliway in their cages and gave them some Rescue Remedy in their little water dishes. The flight wasn't non-stop, as she had to go through London (I think it had something to do with the quarantine - they had to go through Heathrow to get the all clear). So, they flew from Toronto to London and then on to Dublin (where they then had to travel 3 hours by car to Cork!). When she arrived in London, they informed her the cats were fine (relief!).

My friend was really concerned about her cats surviving the flight - considering their age, disabilities (one is blind, one is deaf) and their dislike of travel. But, they did really well.

I am pretty sure they flew Air Canada. She did a lot of research and calling various airlines to see which one had the policies she was happiest with, and even then, when she got to the animal check-in, they informed her that her cages were not right (ugh!). They only had vents on three sides. Luckily, the kind Air Canada people drilled holes in her cages to make sure they met regulations.

I remember she said she had long discussions with her vet about all this (naturally - she was seeing him quite regularly with all the various vaccines they had to administer!), and he was really reassuring.

Let me know if you have any other questions- I can ask my friend for more details. Like I said, we discuss this quite often as my husband is only here in Ireland temporarily, so we might be doing a long journey with our cats at some point in the very near future....