Air travel?

Hey everyone, so I got lots of helpful advice about getting my first cats. My main sticking point now is what to do with travel. I live away from home. I should have pet sitters, or even can do a pet hotel for short weekends away from home. My question is what can I possibly do for a long vacation? It appears I'd be ok to take two kittens as carry on, but if I were to have 2 adult cats they wouldn't fit as carry on.

Would they be able to fit in a larger crate for under the plane travel? I know taking pets on a plane is not suggested, but I'm talking about a once a year thing. Even if I can get a larger carrier for them to fit in, I'm reading that I need to take them out of the carrier to go through the metal detector. That might be a bit difficult to handle two skittish cats on my own. I'm also reading US Airways, which is where I travel 90% of the time, and it appears they only allow pets in the cabin with you. So in that case they would need to fit in a small under-seat carrier together.

Does anyone know what else I could possibly do, other than just leave them in a pet hotel for the whole time? 

I've flown with my cats several times and I have friends who frequently fly with their show cats. You do have to check the pet policy for each airline because they aren't all the same. Some airlines allow only one pet per carrier, others allow two pets only if they're under 6 months old. US Air is one that allows two pets as long as they're the same species and are small enough to both fit comfortably.

They will give you maximum dimension for the carrier which you have to follow closely if you use a hard carrier. I recommend a soft carrier because it can be a little larger and squishes down to go under the seat. The most common size limit I've seen is 19"L x 12"W x 9"H. My carrier is 19" x 12" x 12"H and I've never had any problem getting it under the seat. You want to avoid an aisle seat because the frame under the seat usually leaves a narrower space.

You do have to take the cats out of the carrier and send the carrier through the X-ray machine at the security check. I put jackets (you can use harnesses) on mine and have a short strap with clips on both ends. Clip the strap to the jackets on both cats. That way if one wiggles away she can't get too far because she's attached to the other cat. If you're really worried about them getting loose you can ask to have the security check done in a private room with the door closed.

Leave the carrier out where they can get used to playing or sleeping in it so it's not a scary thing on the day you travel. It's a good idea to put both of them in and close the carrier to see if they'll tolerate being together. You can start out with just a few minutes at a time, increasing it gradually. You could also take them on short car trips to get them used to it so they know it's not a bad thing.

If you find that they truly don't want to be in the same carrier for any length of time there are carriers with a zip-up divider in the middle. Those work well if you've got two cats that will curl up in the space at the end of the carrier instead of stretching out full length. When I got a new kitten I didn't have time to get him and my older cat used to the carrier before the first trip, so I borrowed a divided carrier from a friend. By the end of the flight the little brats had unzipped the divider and were cuddled up together in one space. :rolleyes2

Flying with pets can get expensive. You have to pay a pet fee (per carrier, not per pet) for each flight, so once going out and the same on the return flight. The carrier counts as your carryon luggage, so you could end up paying to check your own suitcase. Overall it's probably not as much as boarding the cats for a week. My personal preference is to fly Southwest if they fly where I want to go. Their pet fee is lower than most other airlines and your first two checked bags are free.

Thank you!! Now, I'm having trouble picturing the dimensions. Once the cats are full grown, can you really fit two in a case that size? I know US air says they simply need to be able to lie and turn around comfortably.

And yeah I know about the fees. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. If you're replacing your own carry on, why would you have to pay 125 per flight?? That's just insane to me, but I guess it is what it is.

Yes, you can get two full-grown cats in one carrier, but they have to really like each other. One of my friends puts her 17 pound longhair and 9 pound shorthair in one carrier. They usually just cuddle up together and sleep the whole way. Neither of them can stand up in the carrier (not many cats are that short), but they can move around without difficulty. I've never seen anyone actually check to see if the cats can stand up.

I took my 10 week old cat Arya with me to Kansas from VA and it went very well. I took her in the cabin. There was a $250 round trip fee for her, but otherwise, the airline treated her as one of the two carry on bags you're allowed to take. Be sure to take your cat out of the carrier and let him stretch his legs, if you have time, and a connection. If it's a direct flight, don't worry about this.

She was very well behaved in the cabin, and only cried during the landing for one time. Most airlines only care that you have a carrier that will fit under the seat in front of you - size was not even considered for my cat, only her age (they required she be over 10 weeks old). Do you have a carrier that is big enough for the cat to stand up and turn around in, and also will fit the carry on size requirement?

I was also allowed to take home a stray foster kitten that I found in Kansas back to me in the same carrier as Arya (my kitten I originally brought with me) for free, because they were both so small. As long as they are not HUGE cats, they should fit in a single carrier, so you should be just fine finding a carrier that will fit the size requirement and still be comfortable for your cat.

A note about letting the kittens out in the airport - both had harnesses on and leashes attached so that they would not run away and cause a ruckus.

You might want to consider a mild sedative (get your vet's advice), so it will be less stressful for the kitty. I used Valium in tiny doses for my kittens (as prescribed by a vet) because neither would take Benadryl (and it didn't even make them tired, so it would've been a bust anyway). Just a thought - I know some cats cannot take meds easily so I recommend asking your vet about proper sedatives if you go this route.

ETA: I trained both cats on harnesses weeks before we took the flights (i had connections) just to be prepared for the day. A cat will usually not like harnesses the first time they wear one so I just would get them both used to wearing harnesses by putting them on for about 30-60 minutes every other day and letting them roam around my apartment/my grandparents' basement in the harness, then removing it. I even took my kitty on some walks in the hallway of my apartment building to ready her to be used to using the leash, too.

Again, disregard if you're doing a direct flight, there;s no need to let them out if you aren't stuck waiting for a connecting flight.