What do u buy for travelling?

Hello

what do you buy to put your cats in for travelling? Just say taking them on a plane or long car ride ? Any type of carrier that you can put a litter box in if they want to go to the bathroom?

On a plane, you'd need a soft-sided carrier in order to have cats in the cabin (which is the only place they should fly-- cargo is dangerous). In a car, you'd need a hard sided carrier.

If you will regularly be making long (several hours) car trips, you could invest in a dog crate that a litter box could fit in, but most people do just fine with a regular hard-sided carrier. If you plan to fly alot, you can get just a soft-sided one...but make sure you can belt it into the car seat.

You can line carriers with puppy pee pads and change them if the kits have to go, some people also stop at rest stops and let the cat out to use the litterbox on a leash. They also make diapers for pets. I don't know anything about them though.

why cant we use hard sided carriers in planes? and why cant we use soft sidded in cars? IM just thinking of what i should by. I dont even know the diff between the 2! I have 1 cat carrier but i dont know what kind it is ?

The soft-sided carrier on the plane allows your cat to fit better. Hard-sided carriers won't fit under the seat in front of you, which technically carry-on luggage (cat or not) must do. Most people leave it on their lap.

You could get a soft-sided carrier and use it in the car, it's just that hard-sided carriers are better in the event of an accident, and much easier to clean, and if you are packing to move you can put stuff on top as long as at least two sides (including the door) are open and accessible. Soft-sided ones just make me nervous in the car, if anything happens.

I would recommend getting a hard one for now, and if you have to fly then get a soft-sided one. They also make soft-sided ones with formed edges, which I guess is a little bit of a compromise but defeats the purpose on an airplane.

Here is an example of a hard one:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...4&N=2002+62745
And a soft one:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...5&N=2002+62745

This might not work for everyone...but its what I did when driving Leo to his forever home on Sunday (2 hours away) and it worked a treat...

I placed a covered cat litter tray on the back seat and along with Leo in a large cat carrier left open, with water bowl attachment.

Leo only came out of the carrier once to use the cat litter tray...he was not sick and he didn't cry... which makes a change from my usual cat travelling experiences.

Obviously this will only work in a car! And with a calm cat that chooses to stay in the carrier.

I found that leaving the carrier open just relaxed him throughout the drive. If he had of course wanted to wander throughout the car, I would have had to close the carrier completely. But luckily he was a sweet as pie....no vomiting, no foaming at the mouth (you know that usual 'cat in the car' thing), no crying, no toilet accidents..

How old is your cat? I successfully trained both my kittens to enjoys car rides! You can get these really cool dog booster seats with 'pet seatbelts' in them so the cats can see out the window.

I started out by taking my kittens in the car to 'happy places' like my mums and my grandmas where they would get to play in a new environment and have treats! Now they love it!

I usually just pop them in a little carrier and they sleep - or I belt them in with a pet belt and they stare out the window and 'comment' to me every now and then.

If your cat is going to get really stressed out - a soft sided carrier will prevent it injuring itself as much. If you spray it with feliway and put a flufy blanket in then hopefully it will be calm and sleep. Have plently of treats handy too.

Remember cats can 'hold on' a long time! If your trip is under 12 hours then I wouldn't worry. Kitty probably wont want to pee in a forgein and unstable environment anyway!

most airlines insist on a hard carrier which locks so your animal can't escape . and this is in the cabin. I wouldn't even consider cargo for a beloved animal.

In the car I use the hard carrier and strap the carrier in w the seatbelt, then I cover the top with a light towel, its keeps her calmer. I also spray the car with feliway and never feed her before traveling. I face her towards me so she can see me and talk to me.

For long trips she is harness leashed trained and I have a litter box in the car she can use for stops but she generally holds it until the trip is over. I also have water available at all times. At rest stops I let her climb around inside the car and get a break.

I have one small hard sided carrier for the car. The other is a soft-side for travelling in a plane/shows. I use both interchangably - I like the soft one for showing as you can sling the cat over your shoulder and go My cats only weigh 6-7 lbs so its easy to carry them around.

My friend travels with her small dog a lot and uses a soft-sided carrier on the plane.

So, if I took my kitty (he would be 9 months old) on a plane with me -- do you think he could "hold it" for 6 hours? (that would be total time including car and plane). My only problem is he cries non-stop in the carrier. I would feel soooo guilty!

Is it true you have to remove your cat from the carrier at security and then put him back in the carrier? That sounds difficult and scary!

My husband and I will hopefully be traveling for weekends, once a month, with our 2 cats. When we moved, we put the cats in a large hard dog carrier with a small litter pan. They're still kittens so they fit in there nicely. It was kind of a tramatic experience for our cats as one of them got car sick- vomiting and diariah. We were going through alot of hills at the time, so I'm positive that's what caused it.

This time on our trip this weekend, we're going to try this. We're going to cover the backseat with a large blanket and put a litter pan in a small carrier on the floor. We're going to block underdeith the seats so they can't run up front and I'm going to keep them from jumping over the seats. They'll have another carrier that they can go into so they feel safe. I really think that the one carsick cat will feel more at ease when she doesn't feel traped in a carrier. We'll see how it goes! I'm pretty nervous!

I used to have a pretty "flat" hard carrier that would fit under the plane seat, but a normal small hard carrier will NOT fit - the soft-sided ones work very well.

The flat one I got rid of as you could not put a cat that was bigger then 6 lbs in there comfortably - they should be able to move around and stand if they want - the soft one allows that.

As far as I know, the airlines only require the hard carrier if riding in the cargo area - not on board with the people; they recommend the soft side for that.

i think my cat needs a good locked carrier because he tries to get out of it all the time. He doesnt like to be locked up in it!

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http://www.tutycat.4t.com
http://www.myspace.com/tutycat

do those purse carriers work with the head hole? You put your cat in with his harness and attach the harness inside so they can't jump out? Not for long term travel but for things like window shopping???

I just booked an airline ticket with delta, and they have guidelines for the carriers as far as how long and tall it is, but I think as long as it fits under the seat, it's ok. Oh, and it has to be leakproof and ventilated on at least 2 sides. I got a soft sided one because you can squish that, if need be. Other than that, I just make sure i have the towel that she likes to sleep on, some toys (although she doesn't really play with them while in the carrier), some treats, water and some wet wipes and ziplock bags, just in case. But Vodka is such a good kitty and will probably be justs fine during the trip. I guess we will find out!

PS-You also need to get a health certificate from your vet within 10 days of your flight. Mine cost $15.

OMG how much extra did you have to pay to take your cat on board?


What if we are travelling with a big dog like a german shepherd? WE can exactly put them under the seat LOOL

continental has a really good pet travelling thing. check them out it's called pet safe

I second Continental. They were great.

My boys each have a sherpa bag for flying. Seamus is able to push his head through the zipper on top though, so I have to safety pin it.

Airlines charge different rates for pets in the cabin. We've paid $50-$80, each pet, one way. Most airlines let two pets travel in coach and one in first class. We did get lied to by United once. We'd made reservations for both cats in the cabin and the day before flying when I called to double check, they'd given one of our reservations away. So Seamus has flied in the cargo area. But, it was pressureized and heated, and we had a direct flight, so I wasn't too worried. We did have to go out at the last minute and buy a hard carrier for him.

Regarding dogs in the plane, the airlines charge different rates depending on how big your kennel is. Your german shepard would be more expensive then my Shiba Inu.

I dont get why people always say OH we are moving far away flying so we must find a home for the cat?? I just dont see any logic to it, if its that easy to fly your cat with you ? Why do so many people act like cats are forbidden on planes? I Guess any excuse to get "rid" of their pet? BUt then the sad thing is they move to their new destination and get another cat there!

i think it's just one of those 'myths' that people never really bother to check out.

Originally Posted by chausiefan

OMG how much extra did you have to pay to take your cat on board?

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Delta is charging me $50 one way. I checked a lot of the other airlines, and they were the cheapest. They also seem to be one of the most agreeable as far as allowing pets.