# Moving/flying with a cat



## friendlyFool008 (Oct 25, 2012)

Hey everyone,

In June we will be moving from Honolulu to New York and we'll be bringing our boy Pumpkin (you'd be surprise at how many cats get left behind in Hawaii). We're planning on taking him in the cabin with us. I've already done some basic research about flying and traveling with cats. There are a couple of options of how we get to NY and I was hoping to hear what people thought. 

1) Direct flight which is 10hrs plus extra time to get through security and another hour drive from the airport to where we're staying. The main issue with this (besides the long period in the carrier) is that there are only two flights a day and one of the airlines doesn't allow cats (Hawaiian specifically says no cats to/from NYC).

2) Stop overnight in LA (we have a family friend we might be able to stay with). This would break the flying up into two 5 hr flights, plus the travel to/from airport. However we're not sure if the break would be good or just prolong his stress. He doesn't do well in new locations. In January we had to move him to a friends house for over a week and even though we slept there the first night with him and he had all his stuff (toys, play cubes etc) he slept in his litter box and would barely eat the first week. I have feeling if we stay overnight, he might not even come out of his carrier to eat or use the litter box.

3) Do a layover somewhere. This would give us more flexibility in terms of flights and airlines though it would make for a very long travel day for both Pumpkin and us humans. It would be at least 15 hrs of solid travel (2 flights, a layover, drive once we land, plus extra time for security and lugging the cat around). I don't know if this would be less stressful than staying overnight in LA since total amount of time in new stressful locations is less.

Sorry, that was kinda of wordy. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice?


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

I don't have any experience in that long of a travel time. I was making a thirteen-hour car trip years ago and my cat hated it so much before we even got out of town that I turned around and took him home and called a pet sitter.

I would think the fewer places to stop would be the best since he hates new places. if you have to do a layover, you have to, ten hours seems like a long time for him not to be able to use the litterbox anyway unless heavily sedated, so i'd probably opt for a layover in LA but not overnight.

the one airline that will allow him isn't united, is it? because I just flew united this summer, hated it, and will never use them again.


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## friendlyFool008 (Oct 25, 2012)

Funnily enough it's United is the one that does allow pets. It's actually Hawaiian Air that says no pets in the cabin to/from NYC though I haven't confirm that over the phone yet. It's sometimes difficult to tell from airline websites if pets are allowed because Hawaii does have a quarantine coming in, but not leaving.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

lol. well, probably not everyone will have a bad united experience but mine was pretty memorably bad and I didn't even have pets with me. (and the way it went, I shudder to think what that would have been like). this is only in the last ten years though. I have flown them (way in the past) and it was okay but most of the time I went continental or southwestern.

are you going to sedate the cat? because i'm not sure if a cat can go 10 hours and not go to the litter box. and i'm not sure how that would work on a plane? (lol) I mean, it seems like it would be more complicated than changing a baby or breast-feeding but I don't know. and I've never seen a cat wearing a diaper but i'm sure somewhere, someone has done it.


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## coyt (Jul 15, 2012)

please be careful with sedating a cat. you arent supposed to give cats tranquilizers for plane rides, since it might mess with their breathing.

there is a pill called Happy Traveler, which is totally homeopathic. i've used it before with good results. but i would definitely not use any pharmaceutical/synthetic tranquilizer. it's really unsafe

OP
i know this thread is about which route to take, and i've only taken my cat on a 3 hour flight but if you need info on carriers or other useful things i bought i'd be happy to help.

and i found the blog Dog Jaunt (google it) was REALLY helpful for info on travelling with pets in-cabin


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## Mitten (Apr 3, 2013)

Hi FriendlyFool!

We live in Australia but know that we may have to move to America in the next few years due to hubby's job. Before we adopted our little girl, I asked around to see if there were any humane ways to take her with us (didn't want to leave her here, but also didnt' want to totally traumatise her!). 

The vet suggested finding a pet travel company, which (in our case) takes care of customs forms, gets you a big travel crate and, though the pets travel in cargo, they set them up to be super comfy and healthy throughout the trip. I'm sure Hawaii has similar services. It may be worth your while to do some research and see what the options are. 

They can be pricey but I'm sure your cat's welfare is important to you! So this may be an option to try if you can't find an alternative 

Here's an example of an Aussie one
Jetpets Animal Transport - International


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

A friend of mine took her cat to France and back, about a 6.5 hour flight going, and nearly 8 coming back. She had her cat sedated, but it didn't work very well. He woke up after a couple of hours, somehow managed to get out of his carrier (it was small, he was big), and she ended up sitting with a 16 lb. cat on her lap for the rest of the trip. I don't know how things went coming back.

As for peeing and pooping, I mentioned elsewhere that I've read that cats' systems shut down when they're in stressful situations, so they generally don't need to pee or poop and generally aren't hungry. I guess I wouldn't feed them or let them drink water for several hours before flying though. 

When I moved, I split an 11-hour drive over 2 days, staying in a motel overnight. I don't think they ate or drank anything - maybe just a little - and they didn't use their litterboxes. So they went about 28 hours without eating, drinking, peeing, or pooping. And they bounced back very quickly once we arrived.

Mitten, I'd be very careful about cargo though. There's been more than one instance of a pet getting lost when the plane lands, because the people handling the cargo aren't necessarily very careful or gentle. Carriers get knocked around and can open, and the animals are so freaked out that they just run. Temperatures are extreme in cargo, and the noise is apparently defeaning. 

I really don't know what the solution is. I wish there were a small intermediate area somewhere on planes just for pets.


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## CalyxTheCat (Feb 6, 2013)

I traveled with my cat on 6 hour flights when I had to.

Things I learned:
#1 Always sedate. (at least for my cat - who got stressed with any car ride/vet/etc) Do not use the lowest dose (or at least maybe do a test-run with the dose weeks before the actual flight). The first time I flew with my cat, my vet told me to use the lowest dose - the cat was stressed & howling & totally aware of all the scary noises/rumbling/etc. The return flight I tripled the dose (at the recommendation of another vet) and he was sleepy but conscious. Much better /less traumatic for him.
#2 Don't feed x 12 hours, don't let drink for 8 hours. (double check those number with your vet - it's been a few years since I last traveled with him) But the first time I flew with Calyx my vet said don't feed for 4 hours, and don't let him drink for 1 hour before I leave for the flight. Totally bad advice. My cat peed a ton in the middle of the flight - all over me, all over the floor (despite having a towel & a fuzzy bottom liner). It was awful. It was a traumatic experience for him - I'm sure he didn't like laying in his pee. The people next to me looked like they were going to murder the both of us. (and FYI - you really can't clean off a cat in the airplane's coach restroom. Doesn't work!  ) The way back, I lined the carrier with these mondo overnight women's pads (so that I could change them if he peed), but he never ended up peeing, so it was okay.
#3 Non-stop flights should always be preferred. The take-off and landing are really scary for the cat (ground is rumbling, loud noises, and pressure changes). I would always go with a non-stop flight.
#4 I would never put my cat in cargo. Like someone before mentioned - it's cold, loud, & scary for a cat. I took Calyx as carry-on whenever we traveled together. (FYI you'll have to walk your cat through the metal detectors as they run the carrier through the xray machine) I would ask the people next to me on the plane if they would mind if I took my cat out and let him sit on my lap. This depends on if you have nice flight attendants & if the people next to you aren't allergic / don't mind. But I think it really helped my cat that he had familiar smells and was warm and being pet during the flight. 

Whatever you end up doing, good luck.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Twenty years ago we moved back to the US from Sicily on a military transport. The 2 cats rode in cargo (no other option back then). It was almost 30 hours because there was a 5 hour delay in Dublin - we could not even leave our seats. They spent 30 hours being cold and hungry. Ugh. NEVER again. The cats were pretty traumatized after that flight, as were we, but we all got over it. Eventually.

I would put those Fel-I-Way collars on them and try to get a vet prescribed sedative. None of which was available to me then. I might line the cage with adult diapers, too. They absorb the urine into a gel substance that won't roll around. Just throwing that out, I have not tried it myself.


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## Mitten (Apr 3, 2013)

Hi all,

I just wanted to clarify that I'd never elect to stick our loved ones in cargo bc it seems like it would be awful. But some Airlines do have pressure controlled cabins within that area for animals, and there are also pet specific airlines that I was referring to specifically. 

My understanding from one company is that they are basically FedEx for pets, where they don't throw them in cargo, and are very costly... But I think I'd do it if we ever had to move across the world. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## gizmothecat (Jun 26, 2013)

dont have experience traveling with cats on a plane....but when i rescued my dog (pogo) she and another dog came on a plane....it was continental....i think. pogo came in fine.....the other dog however managed to get out of her crate.

please be careful whatever you decide.


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## Risami (Nov 18, 2007)

hope you don't mind if i add here as well i'm planning to move in august next month and i'm worried about the long 4 hour ride, i have 1 seizure cat she doesnt'qualify for meds because of how her seizure is about 4-5 months apart. I'm worried she will have an episode like she did on 1 hour worth of driving to the ER vet. she has anxeity disorder appearently. she got tranquailizer from the vet but i dn't know how well it will work. what can i do to relieve this stress with the cats on moving?


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

After* Jack the Cat* tragedy I would never let an airline put my cat in cargo.

I would do a long flight and get it over with. 

A friend of mine had her cat die when they had it sedated by their vet before they left on a driving trip from Washington State to Arizona. So I'm nervous about sedating. 

I would give your cat Composure Liquid by Vetri Science to calm it down before the flight. Its all natural. Plus spray its kennel with Feliway Spray to help in calming it down too.

I agree with Spirite about cats systems shutting down when stressed. They may pee out of fear. Ive flown cats a couple times. We took them in the cabin with us. The cats wouldn't eat or drink. They peed initially out of fear. But I brought extra hand towels which I tossed when changing them out. 

When you go thru security, and they ask you to take your cat out of the carrierI would* insist * it be done in an enclosed room. Have your cat chipped and wearing a collar. Some members here have put a harness with a leash on the cat in the carrier.


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