Airtravel

I want to take my 2 cats with me on airplane. I heard the sedatives are not good for the cats on airplane. But what I can use to calm them, so I can handle them, and they won't be frightened adn meow all the way, so the other passengers won't complain. It is a long flight to europe, and I have to change the plane once.
Please give me some advice .
Aniko Kovesi

I flew with Miya from Japan to the US. It was a chore, but we managed. Here is what I did:

- I stopped feeding her at 6pm the day before so she wouldn't have a messy accident.
- I taped a small dish to the unside of her soft-sided carry on for water. I cut a very small hole large enough to fit one finger through so I could pet her a little.
- The vet, who was excellent, actually did prescribe a tranquilizer for her. I don't think tranquilizers are as strong in Japan as they are in the US. I gave her 1/2 a pill at the airport (the doors go all the way to the floor, so there wasn't any need to be concerned abouther escaping).
- I gave her another 1/2 a pill at the stop over and cleaned her up. She didn't yowl until we landed in the States, and that was only because she was wet...

I was not able to bring her back to Japan with me because the trip was just too traumatizing to her. Even with the tranquilizer I had given her, she was fighting it trying to tell me that she did NOT want to go back on the plane. I'm not too sure about what to do about that.

I was at Petsmart today and saw some "calming" chews (like cat treats). The package said to give them 3 chews before travel or vet or other stressful experience. I believe it contains herbs.

I know many swear by Bachs Rescue Remedy. I have looked it up on the web but still don't really understand where to get it and how much to give and how often.

The chews sounded neat because they had beef in them so it seems a cat would willingly eat them.

There was also some sort of liquid calming stuff that you give orally. I also saw a spray that you use inside the carrier to calm them.

i really think next time i have to travel by air with my cat i am going to save up the money and rent my own plane to fly me where i want to go.

Thank you very much for the advice. Actually it would be one way, because I move back to Hungary.I have 2 cats, and 1 cockatiel to take with me. I hope the vet will tell me what to do. Even it would be hard to put on a harness (they never had one) and put them in the soft carrier.I hope I get lucky and everything be fine and I hope I don't have to take them out at the security gate.

The airline may not allow you to use a soft carrier - you MUST check with them ahead of time. We moved a long distance a few years ago with 3 cats and the vet gave them pills to take just before flying, and they were fine (and a lot more relaxed than they would have been otherwise).

Hi,

My parents just flew their two cats out from CA to Florida, and they did fine. They stopped feeding them the night before so they wouldn't have accidents. They also bought them cat harnesses / leashes so they could hold them when they were in the airport; both cats seemed to like being held and soothed during such a traumatic experience. And miraculously enough, they were both perfect travellers; they slept or lay quietly in their carriers throughout the flight. And this IS a miracle, considering one cat is very neurotic and the other has been nicknamed a "howler". My parents also put soothing items in their carriers--i.e. blankets with my parents' scents on them, so the cats would still feel close by even when they had to be in the carriers.
Good luck!

I flew my 2 rescues from Mobile, Alabama to Winnipeg Canada last year and they were both perfectly fine. They took off at 6am and I didn't get them until 5:30pm, and they still had a 2-hour car ride after that. When we got them and put them in our SUV for the trip home, I opened the carrier door so I could get a good look at my new babies and my girl came to the front and immediately began preening lol, while my male just lay contentedly in the back of the carrier snoozing away.

I know numerous other people who have flown with their pets and had no problems whatsoever (kitties in the cabin, under the seat) so I'm crossing my fingers your little girl will be one of them as well. Sometimes I think it's more traumatic on us than it is on them lol.

Good luck!

Not sure how international travel works, but in America you can only have ONE cat in a carrier per person. And I think only 2 animals are allowed on board - anyone else has to go cargo in a VeriKennel carrier - not the under the seat kind of carrier.

Do NOT sedate them - most cats don't like take off/landing but are ok once you get in the air. Nothing you can do if they meow a lot other then try to comfort them without taking them out of the carrier. Kinda like a crying child - not a lot you can do.

BTW where in Europe are you heading? You know England has a 6 month quarentine time.

Thank you very much all of your help. I am going to Hungary, it is no carantine there I just have to have a health certificate. My husband is coming too so we can have both 1 cat. I don't know how can I take my bird also.
The soft carrier what I saw on the internet, it says airline appropiate. So I don't know the soft or the hard one is better. Also they never had harness on, so I don't know how they will take it. Once i tried toput collar on, but they get histerical and tried to take it off.

You have to call the airline that you're flying with and ask them about the carriers (and most good pet stores will know what kind are acceptable too). As far as the harness goes, bring it to your vet with the cat, let him show you how to use it (how tight to make it) and then how to just let the cat go a bit crazy for a short time but then get used to it. If you do it every day for longer times and then use a leash to walk the cat outside (in the back, where it's quiet) he'll see the harness as his permission to go outside and get some air, and will soon be stepping right into it himself - every cat I've ever had went through the business of it, and all are fine.

What is the purpose of the harness/leash if they are in the carrier the whole time? Also, I wonder how long you can expect the cat not to have an accident? (my flight-time with car drive is 6 hours if I ever decide to take my cat)

If they have to be removed from the carrier at security, is there a room you can do this in to avoid the cat escaping or getting totally freaked out?

That's the point - they can get loose one way or another somewhere along the way - not on purpose, but just in case...