Flying Ally and Ollie to Minneapolis

So here's how I decided to do things with the new knowledge that a family member wants to fly out to Minneapolis and meet me there to help me furnish my apt.

I drive myself, my car, and as much of my stuff as I can fit into my car to Minneapolis.

Then, the family member takes Ally and Ollie on a plane and flies up there to meet me a day or two after I arrive via car. By then I'll have set up at least a litter box, some cat furniture, and feeding area.

This will minimize the time period that they are stressed out from moving.

My question is - what should I get to fly them over? I don't think I can bring them with a litter box to use. My family thinks I should get a pet luggage piece (one of those mesh bags with a floor and supporting wires on the sides.

You asking what you should put them in while they fly?

If so, you don't have many choices--you'll have to choose an airline and determine their rules and regulations which are usually very strict.

Leslie

One person can only bring one pet in the cabin with them, so one or both would need to fly Cargo and not all airlines will fly pets. You'll have to check around.

To fly in cargo, you need a sturdy "pet taxi" or similar carrier. Each airline will tell you what their requirements are.

They won't use the litter box during their travels, but they'll be ok.

What to put them in, what to put in it with them, etc.

Originally Posted by LawGuy

What to put them in, what to put in it with them, etc.

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Airlines will tell you - I have travelled by air and 800 miles over land with cats and they won't eat while they are travelling, so all you really want to do is put them in the carrier with a soft blankie to lie on and maybe a T-shirt you slept in but didn't wash yet so it smells like you to give them a little comfort.

Check out the airlines and see what you can arrange. But, as someone said, one or both of the cats will have to travel cargo.

Another suggestion: Rent a u-haul trailer or something and put Ally and Ollie in the car with you. I don't think they'd be anymore stressed out in the car with you than they would be in the cargo area of a plane. Be sure to have the litter box handy in the car, and set it up in a room once you get to the place. Your cats just need one room to start....with some litter, some food/water, and maybe some toys.

Having just moved (across town, not across country!) with my two cats, I can tell you that they were happy to be confined to the bedroom for the first day. They did not eat/drink/use the litterbox the first night we were here...they just hid under the bed (I know you probably don't have one there yet).

I have never flown myself, but the idea of my cats in cargo would make me really nervous. That said, I know there are people here who have done it and had no problems.

It's too bad the new pet airline doesn't fly to Minniapolis!

Mine all came to me in cargo. They were in hard sided airline approved carriers, with a blanket inside.
Some breeders put puppy pee pads underneath the blanket just in case of accident.

If one goes in cargo, they both go in cargo so they can keep each other company during the flight.

Also, is it safe health-wise to fly my kittens? I'm talking more in terms of whether or not the pressure difference affects them negatively?

Originally, I wanted to drive them with me, but when I figured it all out on a map, I realized this would be a 4-5 day trip and that it would probably stress them out.

Originally Posted by mews2much


It is one cat per carrier unless they are kittens under a certain age.

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I had 2 come together in the same carry box, Ana was 12 weeks and Farley 5.5 months.

Mine were all flown from another state and I know people who fly kittens often, they are always fine.

If you are trying to minimize the stressful impact of moving, take them in the car with you instead of flying.

I drove 18+ hours (over 2 days) with 2 cats when I moved last summer and they were fine. I bought a large Petmate crate for each cat, the size meant for medium sized dogs. A tiny litter box would have fit in each one but I didn't put one in there. They wouldn't have used it anyway. I put a tiny thing of water in their crate but it just spilled so that was kind of a waste.

I fed them super early on the morning we were leaving. I waited until they used the litter box and then took water away. Then, they each went into their crate with a soft cushion. Each crate went into the back seat of our car. It was summer so we made sure to keep the air conditioning up the entire time, and we only ate at drive thru places.

We found a pet-friendly hotel and once we got there for the first night, we put their litter box in the bathroom and just shut them in the bathroom for an hour or so with the litter box and some water and food. They didn't touch anything for a while. We left the bathroom door open for the rest of the night and they eventually ate and drank and used the litter box, but it was not for a long time.

I wouldn't be able to fly any of our pets cargo, it would just make me too nervous. Flying in the cabin would be ideal but you can only do one pet per person and most airlines will have a max of 2 pets on the flight. They have to fit under the seat in front of you. If you do fly them cargo, I don't think the airlines will let them share a crate. They probably each have to go into their own airline-approved carrier, and you'll have to check with the specific airline for their requirements.

Most all airlines will allow ONE person and ONE cat to fly in cabin under the seat - so you can get a soft-sided carrier for the pet. If you have TWO people willing to fly - they both could take ONE cat apiece.

Otherwise you need to ship them in TWO hard sided carriers under the plane in cargo.

Do not put litter pans in the carriers - use a liner (like a baby diaper). If in cargo, they have to have a small attached dish for food and water.

Call the airlines you will be using to find out exactly what you need.

BTW the prices have gone up for shipping. We paid $250 for Jack to fly from WV to Minneapolis by himself.

That's pricey, here it's $150 from one side of the country to the other and our land size is not much different to the US. My kittens were only about $85 to get here.

It used to be about $75 to fly but that was probably 10-15 yrs ago. I was shocked to find out that its about the same price as a human round trip ticket. The the $250 is only one way now!

There is a new pet only airline that just started up - but is not flying to/from a lot of places yet.

My sister was cheated on the airline bill also.
It was $169 but she was charged $250.
That breeder sure lied on everthing.
I am not sure if my next kitten will be shipped or not because it all depends where I get it from.
Here is a link to the pet airline.
It does not come to any airports that I go to unless we drove to Southern california which is 5 hours away.
http://petairways.com/

The flying isn't going to affect the cats. I think my cats are doing six trips (12 flights) this year and luckily I can put them together (but ours have to fly cargo) and one is 12 months old and the other is 5 months