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Hi everyone!
I am not sure how the cat site works exactly and if this will notify everyone who gave me advice through this thread but I just wanted to post an update anyway.
We did it! We made it through the flight.
I wanted to detail my entire experience on here since this was absolutely without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I love him so much and what he went through was literally the most awful few hours of my life. This is not to say that it all went badly, it went as well as it possibly could, it was still just very hard for him as it's not something he's ever had to do before. I'm hoping in the future if there is someone who is looking to fly their cat across the country, they will find this thread useful and be able to use my advice along with all the helpful tips that have already been shared here
First thing, do not skip out on taking your cat on short trips in the car. I know you're most likely not going to want to put them through the trouble and even prolong the experience but I promise you, once you're on the plane, you are going to be so thankful that you had your cat prepared. The short trips don't only help your cat get used to travel but it will also help you figure out what works and what doesn't in terms of comforting him through it all.
I chose to always keep him in my lap through the car ride while my girlfriend drove us around. We would sing to him (he didn't care much for my voice but he always got calm when my girlfriend sang to him). I have always done baby talk with him so that baby talk also calms him down. I also had a soft carrier so I was always able to stick my hand in to pet him through the ride
The first few rides were rough, very discouraging, he kept pooping in the crate out of fear. I gave him chicken baby food after every ride so he would have something to look forward to but he would still keep pooping in the crate. After about the third ride, he stopped pooping. He would meow through the ride but no poop, eventually we were even able to get him to be calm enough to not meow anymore. He actually enjoyed a bit when we took him to petsmart and he got to see all the birds.
I packed an in case of emergency bag as well in case of any delays or any other problems. I packed some cat litter, cat food, cat treats, baby wipes, extra pee pads (lining the crate with a pee pad is also recommended in case of any accidents), and his health certificate (which they actually never checked for at the airport).
Our flight was at 6 am in the morning, so we planned to leave at 3:30 am so we could get to the airport by 4 am and have ample time before the flight in case there were any problems. I gave him some gabapentin as advised by his doctor the night before so at 6:30 pm. He got sleepy for a couple hours but then he started walking around all wobbly. He was already feeling kind of nervous because I had packed suitcases and that to him usually means I'm going out of town for a few days. He didn't know that he was coming with me. I gave him gabapentin again at 1:30 which was 2 hours before when we planned to leave, which is also what the vet recommended. Now if you are planning to travel with your cat and the vet advises the same thing, I think you should ask if it'd be okay for you to give the medicine 1 hour before the travel. The gabapentin kept him very calm to put him in his crate and kept him calm through the car ride, security, and boarding. But once the plane was actually moving, the effects seemed to have mostly worn off and I wish that it could've lasted a bit longer.
Once we got to the airport, we were told to check in through travel assistance as they are responsible for assuring that your pet is in an appropriate carrier and also not capable of putting others in danger. It took a bit longer than a regular check in but thankfully we planned for that and came around with enough time to spare.
Once we were through that part, we were headed to security. Now, TSA will always advise you to take your cat out and go through the scanner with him but that is a bad idea on many fronts. Your cat might run away and being out in the open with all those people is sure to freak him out more than he needs to be. Once I asked for a private room, someone went to go open it up for me. In the mean time, I was asked to put down the carrier and go through the scanner myself. Once I came out the other end, they handed the carrier back to me. Then as I was waiting for the person to get me into the private room, another TSA officer started to sort of try to scare me into taking my cat through the scanner out in the open. He told me even with a private room I'd have to do it. Thankfully I had done a lot of reading and knew my sh*t and told him I would rather just wait for the private room. He was obviously wrong, once I got to the private room, an officer had me take my cat out of the carrier, gave the carrier to another officer to run it through, and then stayed with me until the carrier was returned and the cat was back in his carrier. I did not at any point have to go through the scanner with my cat (I'm sure this is so much easier with dogs but with cats it is just not a good idea). The TSA officer who stayed with me also had her own rescue cat she was so very proud of. It was a very smooth experience and I recommend going for it the exact same way as I did.
Skipping through the boarding process, once we were on the plane, the medicine was wearing off. He was calm as the plane was still. I had to put him under the seat but I stayed bent down to continue to pet him through all the noise people were making on the plane. He was barely meowing.
Now for the worst part of it all, the part that brought me to tears and made me feel so cruel for putting my cat through this. The plane started moving, he was extremely terrified because it moved so fast and for such a long time. I kept my hand inside the crate to continue to pet him. When the plane started to move, he got so terrified he wanted to do anything he possibly could to get the hell out of that crate. He most likely thought that everything that was happening to him was due to him being inside that crate. I tried talking to him and petting him but it wasn't helping much anymore. The easiest exit he could find was through where my hand was reaching in to pet him. He tried very hard to get out but I wouldn't let him, and then the plane started to ascend and thats when my poor baby just dug his claws very far into my hand, trying to calm himself. I was very worried that because my hand was in so much pain I'd take my hand out and not be able to close the zipper before he escapes. I kept picturing every awful scenario of what would happen if he were to escape on a plane. My hand was also in a lot of plane as his claws were deeply in and I tried to snatch my hand away but he wouldn't let go. He eventually relent a little and let my hand free. After that I pulled my hand out and closed the carrier, I couldn't open it again and risk an escape. I also had big open bloody wounds now so I had to take care of that. Because of this I had to leave him in the crate for the rest of the flight without being able to pet him. He was meowing, scratching, clawing, everything he could possibly do to get out but I could not help him. It made me feel so incredibly sad and depressed. All I could do was pet him through the crate but that wasn't much help. He was calm throughout most of the flight. He would try to get out every now and then but nothing more. He didn't poop at all while he was in there. I swear I spent the entire flight staring at the flight map. I was also extremely sleep deprived because I did not sleep at all through the night and definitely could not fall asleep on the plane.
After the plane ride it was mostly smooth sailing. We waited until almost everyone was off the plane to get off and then when we got to baggage claim, my girlfriend was already there to pick me up.
The car ride to go back home was all good too. He only let out around 2 meows, he was too scared to do anything at this point. Once I got to our new home, I gave him baby food again and reacted the same way I had been after all those car rides. He ate food right away and then he also used his littler box. He has been eating all his meals. Last night was his first night here and he spent most of it trying to look for his old home. We've had him staying in the bedroom only so far but I think he's ready to explore the rest of the house already. I think I may have to read up more on cat depression and how to manage it because I feel that it may be something I should be cautious of. The move this time around was much difficult but he seems to be adjusting much better than the first time we moved him (last time we moved 3 mins away from where he used to live but he did not eat or go to the bathroom at all for almost 3 days).
TLDR; here is my advice:
1. Make sure you take your cat on car rides almost everyday and as early as you can manage it before the move (at least a month).
2. Don't let TSA intimidate you out of taking your cat into a private room.
3. Don't travel alone if you can help it. I traveled with my girlfriend's mom because my girlfriend herself drove across the country over a few days to ship out all our belongings. Having someone there with me helped because she took care of keeping track of all the documents and other heavy lifting involved while I held on to the carrier and focused on comforting him throughout.
4. Invest in a hard carrier. Most flights do allow them if they are small enough (which they usually are for cats). The anxiety that comes with the possibility of your cat scratching itself out of the carrier mid-flight is way too much and I kept on wishing I had gone with a hard carrier instead.
5. Stay strong, cats are very intuitive and if you are freaking out, your cat will absolutely freak out with you.
Sorry for the long post, I just needed to share my experience with everyone who helped me plan all this. I think we'll be alright but I just want anyone who does this in the future with a skittish cat to be prepared.
I am not sure how the cat site works exactly and if this will notify everyone who gave me advice through this thread but I just wanted to post an update anyway.
We did it! We made it through the flight.
I wanted to detail my entire experience on here since this was absolutely without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I love him so much and what he went through was literally the most awful few hours of my life. This is not to say that it all went badly, it went as well as it possibly could, it was still just very hard for him as it's not something he's ever had to do before. I'm hoping in the future if there is someone who is looking to fly their cat across the country, they will find this thread useful and be able to use my advice along with all the helpful tips that have already been shared here
First thing, do not skip out on taking your cat on short trips in the car. I know you're most likely not going to want to put them through the trouble and even prolong the experience but I promise you, once you're on the plane, you are going to be so thankful that you had your cat prepared. The short trips don't only help your cat get used to travel but it will also help you figure out what works and what doesn't in terms of comforting him through it all.
I chose to always keep him in my lap through the car ride while my girlfriend drove us around. We would sing to him (he didn't care much for my voice but he always got calm when my girlfriend sang to him). I have always done baby talk with him so that baby talk also calms him down. I also had a soft carrier so I was always able to stick my hand in to pet him through the ride
The first few rides were rough, very discouraging, he kept pooping in the crate out of fear. I gave him chicken baby food after every ride so he would have something to look forward to but he would still keep pooping in the crate. After about the third ride, he stopped pooping. He would meow through the ride but no poop, eventually we were even able to get him to be calm enough to not meow anymore. He actually enjoyed a bit when we took him to petsmart and he got to see all the birds.
I packed an in case of emergency bag as well in case of any delays or any other problems. I packed some cat litter, cat food, cat treats, baby wipes, extra pee pads (lining the crate with a pee pad is also recommended in case of any accidents), and his health certificate (which they actually never checked for at the airport).
Our flight was at 6 am in the morning, so we planned to leave at 3:30 am so we could get to the airport by 4 am and have ample time before the flight in case there were any problems. I gave him some gabapentin as advised by his doctor the night before so at 6:30 pm. He got sleepy for a couple hours but then he started walking around all wobbly. He was already feeling kind of nervous because I had packed suitcases and that to him usually means I'm going out of town for a few days. He didn't know that he was coming with me. I gave him gabapentin again at 1:30 which was 2 hours before when we planned to leave, which is also what the vet recommended. Now if you are planning to travel with your cat and the vet advises the same thing, I think you should ask if it'd be okay for you to give the medicine 1 hour before the travel. The gabapentin kept him very calm to put him in his crate and kept him calm through the car ride, security, and boarding. But once the plane was actually moving, the effects seemed to have mostly worn off and I wish that it could've lasted a bit longer.
Once we got to the airport, we were told to check in through travel assistance as they are responsible for assuring that your pet is in an appropriate carrier and also not capable of putting others in danger. It took a bit longer than a regular check in but thankfully we planned for that and came around with enough time to spare.
Once we were through that part, we were headed to security. Now, TSA will always advise you to take your cat out and go through the scanner with him but that is a bad idea on many fronts. Your cat might run away and being out in the open with all those people is sure to freak him out more than he needs to be. Once I asked for a private room, someone went to go open it up for me. In the mean time, I was asked to put down the carrier and go through the scanner myself. Once I came out the other end, they handed the carrier back to me. Then as I was waiting for the person to get me into the private room, another TSA officer started to sort of try to scare me into taking my cat through the scanner out in the open. He told me even with a private room I'd have to do it. Thankfully I had done a lot of reading and knew my sh*t and told him I would rather just wait for the private room. He was obviously wrong, once I got to the private room, an officer had me take my cat out of the carrier, gave the carrier to another officer to run it through, and then stayed with me until the carrier was returned and the cat was back in his carrier. I did not at any point have to go through the scanner with my cat (I'm sure this is so much easier with dogs but with cats it is just not a good idea). The TSA officer who stayed with me also had her own rescue cat she was so very proud of. It was a very smooth experience and I recommend going for it the exact same way as I did.
Skipping through the boarding process, once we were on the plane, the medicine was wearing off. He was calm as the plane was still. I had to put him under the seat but I stayed bent down to continue to pet him through all the noise people were making on the plane. He was barely meowing.
Now for the worst part of it all, the part that brought me to tears and made me feel so cruel for putting my cat through this. The plane started moving, he was extremely terrified because it moved so fast and for such a long time. I kept my hand inside the crate to continue to pet him. When the plane started to move, he got so terrified he wanted to do anything he possibly could to get the hell out of that crate. He most likely thought that everything that was happening to him was due to him being inside that crate. I tried talking to him and petting him but it wasn't helping much anymore. The easiest exit he could find was through where my hand was reaching in to pet him. He tried very hard to get out but I wouldn't let him, and then the plane started to ascend and thats when my poor baby just dug his claws very far into my hand, trying to calm himself. I was very worried that because my hand was in so much pain I'd take my hand out and not be able to close the zipper before he escapes. I kept picturing every awful scenario of what would happen if he were to escape on a plane. My hand was also in a lot of plane as his claws were deeply in and I tried to snatch my hand away but he wouldn't let go. He eventually relent a little and let my hand free. After that I pulled my hand out and closed the carrier, I couldn't open it again and risk an escape. I also had big open bloody wounds now so I had to take care of that. Because of this I had to leave him in the crate for the rest of the flight without being able to pet him. He was meowing, scratching, clawing, everything he could possibly do to get out but I could not help him. It made me feel so incredibly sad and depressed. All I could do was pet him through the crate but that wasn't much help. He was calm throughout most of the flight. He would try to get out every now and then but nothing more. He didn't poop at all while he was in there. I swear I spent the entire flight staring at the flight map. I was also extremely sleep deprived because I did not sleep at all through the night and definitely could not fall asleep on the plane.
After the plane ride it was mostly smooth sailing. We waited until almost everyone was off the plane to get off and then when we got to baggage claim, my girlfriend was already there to pick me up.
The car ride to go back home was all good too. He only let out around 2 meows, he was too scared to do anything at this point. Once I got to our new home, I gave him baby food again and reacted the same way I had been after all those car rides. He ate food right away and then he also used his littler box. He has been eating all his meals. Last night was his first night here and he spent most of it trying to look for his old home. We've had him staying in the bedroom only so far but I think he's ready to explore the rest of the house already. I think I may have to read up more on cat depression and how to manage it because I feel that it may be something I should be cautious of. The move this time around was much difficult but he seems to be adjusting much better than the first time we moved him (last time we moved 3 mins away from where he used to live but he did not eat or go to the bathroom at all for almost 3 days).
TLDR; here is my advice:
1. Make sure you take your cat on car rides almost everyday and as early as you can manage it before the move (at least a month).
2. Don't let TSA intimidate you out of taking your cat into a private room.
3. Don't travel alone if you can help it. I traveled with my girlfriend's mom because my girlfriend herself drove across the country over a few days to ship out all our belongings. Having someone there with me helped because she took care of keeping track of all the documents and other heavy lifting involved while I held on to the carrier and focused on comforting him throughout.
4. Invest in a hard carrier. Most flights do allow them if they are small enough (which they usually are for cats). The anxiety that comes with the possibility of your cat scratching itself out of the carrier mid-flight is way too much and I kept on wishing I had gone with a hard carrier instead.
5. Stay strong, cats are very intuitive and if you are freaking out, your cat will absolutely freak out with you.
Sorry for the long post, I just needed to share my experience with everyone who helped me plan all this. I think we'll be alright but I just want anyone who does this in the future with a skittish cat to be prepared.
)
