Best Kitty Harness and Kitty Baths

[kipster91]

Two Questions:

I'm traveling with my kitty soon on an airplane and got her a really great travel bag thats approved by my airline. I want to get a harness for her to wear incase of an emergency/for some reason I have to take her out. Theres so many options. i've heard about the vests, and that sometimes they can slip out of the other cat ones. Any recommendations?

Second question: when I travel I'll be going home to my boyfriend who is allergic to cats (but loves me enough to tolerate it because he's wonderful). I have some anti allergy wipes, but does anyone use a shampoo that reduces dander that I could use before I head home?

KP

 

[ondine]

I can't answer either of your questions, unfortunately.  I just wanted to tell you your boyfriend rocks!  and so do you, for being smart enough to pick him!

Hopefully, someone who knows about harnesses and shampoo will come along soon.

 

[GoldyCat]

I have a houdini cat who can get out of any harness ever made in 3 seconds flat. I haven't tried the jacket type on her yet, but I've seen it on other cats and think it would be much more secure.

I would not recommend bathing to reduce allergens. Dander is actually in the cat's saliva. Most cats will lick themselves all over to dry off after a bath, depositing even more dander on their fur. You could do a search on the site to find other threads about allergies. I know some of our members with allergies wipe their cats down daily with distilled water on a damp cloth.

 

[nekochan]

Most likely, you will have to take her out of the carrier when you go through security, so a harness is a good idea. When I flew with my cat they had me take him out of the carrier, put the empty carrier through the x-ray machine and carry my cat through the metal detector. All the info I found about traveling with pets said that this is the standard protocol.

I used a harness that had no metal and no collar or metal tags, so it wouldn't set off the metal detector when we walked through. If your cat's harness sets off the metal detector they may do a pat-down of both you and the cat.

 

[maewkaew]

Yes,  you will definitely have to take her out of the carrier at security.   The procedure is just as Nekochan described -- take the pet out of the carrier,  put the carrier on the conveyer belt and you take the pet through the metal detector.  So I agree it is a good idea to use a harness to have something easier to grip onto.  I would not even consider flying with a cat without a harness. I just put the harness on them before they get in the carrier,  then carry a  leash in a storage pocket of the carrier.

The harnesses I use are made by Lupine.   I have mostly the H-style cat harnesses and I would recommend those if you want a standard harness .  http://www.lupinepet.com/h-harness/

What I would not use again is a figure 8 harness,  since I did have a cat get out of one of those  ( not in an airport fortunately) .

 t I know a lot of people who use the "walking jackets"  with a metal D-ring to attach a leash. They seem quite secure,  most of the ones I have seen close with Velcro but some have straps with buckles. 
 

Phai-lin in the baggage claim area of the Philadelphia International Airport,  wearing a Lupine harness , sitting in her carrier with the top open.   ( This was late at night when we were sitting hear the exit, waiting for our ride. )

PhaiPhilairport2.JPG

• maewkaew
• Nov 25, 2013

I am not sure about your other question.  I have bathed cats for show  but I don't have experience with doing it especially to try to avoid allergies.   If you do it,  I  would think it might be best to bathe 2 or 3 days before the trip , because if the coat/skin  is too dried out they would be more likely to shed dander.

 

[kipster91]

Thanks! He is really great. I moved to a new city all by my self after growing up on a farm and then being only 45 minutes away in college, I knew I needed a pal. I'm glad I found a good boy and a good kitty.

 

[Nis]

This thread is ancient. Just realised.
Oh well, I just wanted to say that I own cats and am seriously allergic to them. After a couple of months I eventually get desensitised (I use a pet vacuum, for their fur not to suck them up into!) I find that all is well on the allergy front (unless it rains or unless they claw me which still means my skin puffs up) BUT no itchy eyes and sneezing. Just takes some time to desensitise. It's a painful process until it happens though. The constant sneezing But worth it.