I'm looking for some advice for the upcoming holiday season about traveling (or not) with my kitty. I'll be spending a week away from home with my family -- and unfortunately that means 3 planes and 8-11 hours of travel time to get there. My 1.5 year old kitty adjusts really well to being in new places, but isn't such a fan of the journey. I brought her with me on the plane last year when I went home -- she was a kitten then, and did just fine for the most part, though she did start panting during the first plane ride (a VERY scary thing to witness in a cat, though I'm not really sure how scary it is medically?). She just gets very nervous and worried, and then eventually becomes exhausted from the stress and sleeps. She was diagnosed with a mild heart murmur this year, but I had her heart ultrasounded, and it looks normal so the vet said I shouldn't have to worry about keeping her in a low-stress environment.
If I leave her here I can have a pet sitter come and visit her, but she's a very people-oriented cat, and has never been left alone at night before. I'm worried that she'll be distraught and feel SO abandoned!!
Does anyone have advice about which option is best? The stress of travel, or the stress of loneliness?
If I leave her here I can have a pet sitter come and visit her, but she's a very people-oriented cat, and has never been left alone at night before. I'm worried that she'll be distraught and feel SO abandoned!!
Does anyone have advice about which option is best? The stress of travel, or the stress of loneliness?