I am flying home in mid January. My cat is obviously coming with me. He has a nice comfy carrier, and will be a part of my "carry on" luggage to be stowed under my seat. I figure this is the best option.. better than stowing him in the belly of the plane out of my control! The thing that is worrying me now is his crying. My cat isn't like other cats... with the snooty attitude.. haha. BJ is very dependant upon me. I got him from a shelter, and I don't think he had a very happy life before me. He meow-cries when he can't cuddle with me... and I am afraid that he will do so the entire flight! Have any of you flown with your animal in tow? Particularly a emotionally dependant crying cat? Advice? One of my friend recomended sedating him... but I'm not really comfortable with that idea....
I am not a cat person at all. I wouldn't sedate either. How about putting a shirt you wore all day in the carrier? And if he's under your seat, can't you just bend down to him? After the plane takes off, you can put him (in his carrier) on your lap. Who know's, maybe you'll sit next to a cat person!
i think you can hold him on your lap when you are not taking off and landing. How long is the flight?
Yeah, I've heard a lot of people sedating their animals. Talk to your vet to see what they use, maybe its not that bad?
I'm flying from Cincinnati, OH to Minot, ND. Air time is only like 3 hours, but there is a layover in Min/St. Paul. I am going to stick my PJ top in the carrier with him, which should help.... and I will try and keep him in his carrier, on my lap, during the flight itself. I don't want to take him out the carrier though, incase he gets freaked an bolts. I am sure he will be fine... well... 3/4 of me is sure he will be fine. And if his crying annoys the other passengers, so what? lol... not like I am ever going to see them again!
putting something familiar with a familiar smell is a good idea...like your pj top as someone said, or a favorite toy. i wouldnt reccomend taking him out of the carrier during the flight unless you are sure that he isnt going to get scared and freak out. he could scratch another passenger or something and then you could be liable. (people will sue over anything these days). personally, i'd probably sedate my cat as the whole flight with all the noise and the chaos of the other passengers would be really terrifying for him. cats dont adjust to strange situations as well as dogs do.i know my cat would be freaked... edit: nevermind i read your post wrong and thought you said you were planning to hold him on your lap during the flight.......
Sorry i said that wrong. I know you can't hold them during the flight, but you can hold the carrier. I know you don't care if he annoys the passengers, but put yourself in their position. If I had to listen to a cat meow for 3 hours I think I would shoot myself. Most vets will not recommend sedation, because of the change in pressure, you never know how it will affect the animal.
If your cat is going to be scared, worried, nervous etc. I would suggest sedation only a mild one to help him sleep - its batter than him worrying himself - dont forget to you its only a flight to your cat its proberly the end of the world!!! If you do/can sedate get a plastic box and put your pf top you wore that night - if the cage has bars put your fingers in and stroek him on the head or anywhere - goodluck
No, i know.. i don't want him meowing for 3 hours. I would love for him to be calm and okay with the whole thing... which is why I made this thread! haha. But, to be honest, if I had to choose between my cat's well being and annoying a few people, well, the cat will will every time. And, it is in concern for his mental/emotional health that I am taking him with me as opposed to leaving him here with my husband. I have a soft carrier for him... with his blanket on the bottom. The carrier has a small zipper that I can open to pet him without opening the carrier all the way. It has mesh sides, so he might not even realize he is enclosed in a carrier if I hold him on my lap and pet him through the zippered opening. I've done a lot of research on the subject today, and most vets recommend a mild sedation... not knocking them unconscience, but keeping them calm. I have to get an "okay to fly" certificate from my vet anyway, so I will ask the vet for his advice while there. Thanks for the input everyone!
mild sedation would probably be in *his* best intrest as the flight will be absolutley terrifying for him and being sedated will help him get thru it easier. he may remember less of the flight as well (if any at all) which will be a good thing.
My cat would have been just fuckin Misreable! She even hated to ride in the car. Cant you just leave kitty home untill you get back? Can someone come by to feed Kitty and say hello?
Kitty so hated to take a joy ride in thae car that she finally took to Urinating all over the floor mat. The Dummy finally got the message and left her home.
Make sure you get him used to the carrier. Put him in it and take him for a car ride or something to see how he reacts. I don't know if it is just for dogs that sedation is not recommended. I am not a cat person. I know it throws off their balance which can be very uneasy in an unfamiliar situation. Imagine being high for the first time in a foreign environment. It is ultimately your choice so I hope everything works out for you. Good Luck.
No... I can't leave him "home" until I get back. One, because there will no longer be a home (husband moving in with his parents and their 5000 dogs) and two because I am not coming back. I am moving home to Canada for good. Husband will be driving up 3 months later, and would have left BJ in Ohio with him, if not for the dogs and BJ's separation issues. BJ usually travels fine. He has grown up riding around in cars. He slept the entire 2 day trip from SK to OH. He is fine in his hard top carrier, as long as the door is kept open, which I realize kinda defeats the purpose. And the airlines don't like the hard top carriers. He likes the soft carrier better, because of all the mesh, and he can feel my body next to him while I carry him and hold him in the carrier on my lap. He actually is a really well behaved, well socialized and stable cat... as long as I am near by. Its when I am gone that he freaks out. If there were any other solution, I would do it... but honestly, flying home with him in tow is the best solution for him (and less importantly, me)
if you do have him sedated, make sure thats its enough to keep him asleep for the entire length of the flight......b/c if he begins to wake up while still on the plane he will be really freaked...as someone mentioned before. his balance will be off and he will feel vunerable..then add to that tons of noise and well.....im sure your vet will give you the best reccomendation. good luck!
So, we just got back from the vet. We talked it over, and she heard first hand the "growl/cry/freakout" noise that BJ makes. In the end we decided to sedate him. She gave me some Valium for him to take an hour before the flight, and every 3 hours after as needed. The dose isn't enough to knock him out, but is enough to calm him down. Also got him a health certificate that clears him for flight, and a vaccination record that clears him to cross the border into Canada. Oh, and the vet also said that Soft Paws is an awesome product. All my questions have been answered. We ship out next tuesday! Fingers crossed!
As someone who has worked at a vet's and also flown with animals, I also vote for mildly sedating the cat. There are some sedatives you can get from the vet that will not harm the cat, and will just calm him down some so he's not traumatized from the trip. The truth of the matter is, the possible trauma of the flight could be worse than any damage the sedative would do. At least check it out. And if anything, you can always get a sedative just in case, as a backup. The problem with that is sometimes it can take an hour or two to work, and then there's the whole thing of trying to get a pill in him in flight... I wouldn't reccomend it.
