Sounds like the cutest movie this side of Lady and the Tramp.
Has Anyone Taken A Cat On A Plane?
- Thread starter Kestra
- Start date
Sounds like the cutest movie this side of Lady and the Tramp.
We moved four cats and a dog to the UK when we relocated to Scotland and they had to change planes in Heathrow. Obviously international regulations are different, but if you're not having the animal in the cabin there are some things you need to keep in mind.
Firstly not all planes have pressurised areas in the luggage compartment; obviously you'd need to state up-front you were checking in an animal so the carrier would book you on an appropriate flight. You'd want one of those extra-sturdy carriers with clip on trays for food and water - this would be attached separately and the cabin crew would deal with that. It needs to be big enough for the animal to stand and turn around in. The gaps on the front of the cage will be large enough to enable feeding and watering without opening the carrier on ones rated for air travel. Travel carriers will also have more/better ventilation than the one you might take your pet to the vet in.
Obviously things will be better if there's something familiar in the carrier like a blanket from home or other item your pet sleeps on.
My cats survived a multi-flight journey of over ten hours and then went into quarantine for six months - the latter was more traumatic than the flight itself so I think your furry companion will be fine. In-cabin might seem better, but unless it's a really short flight I don't think I'd go that route myself.
Firstly not all planes have pressurised areas in the luggage compartment; obviously you'd need to state up-front you were checking in an animal so the carrier would book you on an appropriate flight. You'd want one of those extra-sturdy carriers with clip on trays for food and water - this would be attached separately and the cabin crew would deal with that. It needs to be big enough for the animal to stand and turn around in. The gaps on the front of the cage will be large enough to enable feeding and watering without opening the carrier on ones rated for air travel. Travel carriers will also have more/better ventilation than the one you might take your pet to the vet in.
Obviously things will be better if there's something familiar in the carrier like a blanket from home or other item your pet sleeps on.
My cats survived a multi-flight journey of over ten hours and then went into quarantine for six months - the latter was more traumatic than the flight itself so I think your furry companion will be fine. In-cabin might seem better, but unless it's a really short flight I don't think I'd go that route myself.
Cat (to flight attendant): Excuse me miss, I can has cheezburger?
You really can't have enough lolcat humour I find. Nicely done!
Okay, this really surprises me.
I have always struggled to understand the bond people have with their pets. I know people are very close to their animals not from personal experience but from observation. In my line of work, I have seen people remain homeless rather than give up their dog or cat (which you cannot bring into treatment or transitional housing). In know it's powerful and meaningful to them.
But if it comes down to a question of comfort between me or your cat, well....I choose me. The human being who is paying to be on the plane.
I've agreed to take another living thing under my care. To a large degree it is wholly dependent upon me for survival. I regard this as a sacred obligation.
Even having to re-home an animal isn't something I would do lightly - it would have to be to their benefit and I'd still feel bad about it. Thankfully I've only had to do that once and it was because the one cat was being ganged up on by two others. She's in a happy home so it worked out okay, but I still feel I failed to keep up my end of the bargain.
That's all well and good. But why should I have to suffer because of someone's responsibility to an animal?
My allergies to cats are really bad. Sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, hives, etc. It's very unpleasant, and if there's another option (such as putting it in a carrier in the cargo hold) then I think that's the fairer choice.
It's just common courtesy. At the very least the owner should be willing to switch seats to sit next to another cat lover, which I think most owners would (I don't think people would purposely try to make another passenger sick). That seems like a reasonable compromise as long as the cat is not out.
Bottom line: Human > Cat.
My allergies to cats are really bad. Sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, hives, etc. It's very unpleasant, and if there's another option (such as putting it in a carrier in the cargo hold) then I think that's the fairer choice.
It's just common courtesy. At the very least the owner should be willing to switch seats to sit next to another cat lover, which I think most owners would (I don't think people would purposely try to make another passenger sick). That seems like a reasonable compromise as long as the cat is not out.
Bottom line: Human > Cat.
Agreed. I would transport my animal in the plane's cargo hold if travelling by air. However you move it there's going to be stress and discomfort from the change in air pressure, strange smells and sounds and being confined to a kennel.
Ugh...I can't really comment on bringing cats on planes, but the recent posts...
I have an internet friend who I was in a bit of decline with for awhile now (he developed a real knack for saying exactly the wrong things at exactly the wrong times), but we'd recently begun patching things up again...
...and then he tells me that his dogs (and we're talking big wolf-type dogs here) were accused of attacking someone. He insists that the accuser is making up the whole thing, and for all I know they are, but the part that got my attention...
...is when he tells me that if the dogs are "convicted" of attacking the person he would break them out of "jail" rather than let them be put down. He said he'd rather be killed himself than allow his dogs to be killed.
Now, I come from a dog-owning family, and I get that losing your pets would suck, but I have to assume that trying to break your dogs out of custody not only isn't going to do them any good in the end but may do you a whole lot of harm.
This was one of the few times in my life where I was left with absolutely no idea what to tell someone.
Haven't seen him online since that conversation. For all I know he got arrested trying to break his dogs out and is now experiencing his own jail time.
I have an internet friend who I was in a bit of decline with for awhile now (he developed a real knack for saying exactly the wrong things at exactly the wrong times), but we'd recently begun patching things up again...
...and then he tells me that his dogs (and we're talking big wolf-type dogs here) were accused of attacking someone. He insists that the accuser is making up the whole thing, and for all I know they are, but the part that got my attention...
...is when he tells me that if the dogs are "convicted" of attacking the person he would break them out of "jail" rather than let them be put down. He said he'd rather be killed himself than allow his dogs to be killed.
Now, I come from a dog-owning family, and I get that losing your pets would suck, but I have to assume that trying to break your dogs out of custody not only isn't going to do them any good in the end but may do you a whole lot of harm.
This was one of the few times in my life where I was left with absolutely no idea what to tell someone.
Haven't seen him online since that conversation. For all I know he got arrested trying to break his dogs out and is now experiencing his own jail time.
That sounds pretty bad. In that situation I would feel bad about my dog attacking someone. I can't see how trying to break the animal out would be good for anyone - is he going to run away to the woods or something?
I'm not worried about the stress of it (well I am, but I agree that it will be there regardless). I'm more concerned about the reports I've seen of animals dying in cargo, mostly because of temperature fluctuations. I'm glad you didn't have any issues with that.
The word I would use is "crazy"...actually, I believe that was exactly the word I used while talking with other people during that little bit of IM fun.
For all I know the dogs are completely innocent, but that's not really the primary focus of my concerns regarding the situation.
I honestly don't think he gave the whole situation much thought at all. I -hope- he was just really upset and talking without thinking.
Haven't seen him online for about 2 months now, but I don't know whether that means anything.
Wow really? No airline should be taking animals into their cargo hold unless they have a pressurised and temperature-controlled area to put them in.
Probably pays to confirm that before booking and do some independent research then. I'm pretty sure you could find references for reliable carriers online. I can't recall what carrier we used for the cats, but I can see if I still have records if you're interested (they were transported separately; we flew direct from Chicago to Glasgow with the dog on American Airlines - before they discontinued that route).
The least dangerous part is probably while they are in the air. The cargo is pressurized and temp-controlled and barring any malfunction, they'd be fine then. There's also the possibility of luggage shifting and something falling on the crate and damaging it, so if I were taking him in cargo I'd have to make sure to get something crazy sturdy. But none of that is really the main problem. The problem comes when they're being loaded and unloaded, or just sitting on the tarmac for a long time. I know someone's cat recently died and there a bunch of puppies that died in a story I read earlier as well.
Ah well, that you don't really have any control over barring the time of year you travel. I went in September. The animals shouldn't be in the same general area as the rest of the luggage to my knowledge, but I'll confess I don't know all the details.
Carriers rated for air travel are quite sturdy and should be easy to identify at a pet shop. The ones we bought came with Live Animal stickers and a flight checklist as well as clip on food/water trays.
Carriers rated for air travel are quite sturdy and should be easy to identify at a pet shop. The ones we bought came with Live Animal stickers and a flight checklist as well as clip on food/water trays.
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