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Transatlantic move, with cat. Please help!

post #1 of 5
5/29/11 at 4:22pm
Thread Starter 
It looks like we are moving from the UK to the midwest in the USA in August. It will require 2 flights. Our cat is coming with us, obviously. But I am really worried about how to do it to minimize the stress. Please help!

Here are my concerns:
1. In cabin or in the hold?
2. Hire an expensive pet cargo company to take care of it all?
3. Where do we buy a good travel case? (I wanna get it asap to help make it 'home')
4. If we take her in the cabin, how does security work? She is too timid/unpredictable to be removed from her cage; my great fear is she bolts and I've lost my cat at O'hare or something.
5. On the flip side, it will be the midwest in late summer, so I am really worried about her overheating while being treated as cargo.
6. She will be about 20 months old for this move. Her health is fine, and obviously I will consult our vet as well.
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post #2 of 5
5/29/11 at 6:40pm
I don't have any advice but wanted to say that I'm sympathetic and hope someone has some actual advice for you soon! Sending prayers you're way!
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post #3 of 5
5/29/11 at 6:52pm
I did Japan to the east coast of America with aya 2mos ago. I did half as cargo and half in cabin (four flights on 2 seperate days)

I honestly think in the cargo hold is better unless you have a really calm small cat. the allowed size for the under the seat carrier is so small that most pets find it uncomfortable. The hard sided carrier for cargo is nice and big. you can get a liner for teh inside to absorb accidents and toss in a towel so they can hide under it.

Aya demolished the soft sided carry-on carrier trying to scritch her way out and indeed did escape. She meowed for the entirety of a 3 hour flight.

I foudns ecurity to be very undestanding. They'll want to x-ray the carrier not the cat, so just ask if they have a room where you can take the cat out. Let them know you're afraid it will bolt. They take the carrier and scan it and bring it back to you.
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post #4 of 5
5/30/11 at 1:00pm
I flew 3 cats to Ireland, and then 5 cats back to NYC! I used to have another username here & there was a long thread about it, I'll try & dig it up later.

Until then...

- Research the rules about flying pets into the US very carefully. They will need their paperwork in order.

- My cats flew in Pet Mate carriers: http://www.petmate.com/vari-kennel-2
Some of the older models have no air holes in the back & on the way to Ireland, they had to drill more in. Make sure you have a food & water bowl that can be clipped on.

- Line the carrier with puppy training pads so that if they make a mess, it will help absorb & keep them comfortable. I put these under the bedding.

- I flew to & from with Continental. The cats were not allowed in the cabin. I chose them because they have a climate controlled "quickpak" area where they would put my cats. Take a look here & it should give some guidelines, also regarding the size of carrier you will need.: http://www.continental.com/web/en-US...s/default.aspx

All in all, the stress is unbelievable. It's SO scary to fly your kitties, but keep in mind that it's ONE day of stress for them & a lifetime of love to follow. My cats were less shaken up then I was.

Other helpful tips:
http://ramblincat.checkoutmypage.com/faq.html
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post #5 of 5
5/30/11 at 1:08pm
Here ya go! My old user name was Sheena13. Changed email address & couldn't figure out log in info!

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=169604

and

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=194162
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