Flying with a Semi-Feral

[narelle]

Sometime in May or June I will be making a big move, potentially all the way across the country (don't actually know where yet - hopefully I find out this month) and will need to bring my cat, Astrid, with me. She has been indoors with me for over a year (she came home January of last year), but progress has been slow, so we're still at the stage where she's in her own secluded room. She talks to me and hangs out with me, lets me reach toward her with treats, and recently started eating those treats in front of me (though not yet from my hand). She has yet to let me touch her.

There's no way she'll be anywhere near a typical house cat by the time we need to fly, so I am very nervous about this. She had to see the vet for a new rabies shot at the one year mark, and I asked about recommendations while we were there. He said she could fly on a sedative, and that we could get the dosing figured out without bringing her back in.

I'm looking into carriers now so I can give her a couple months to get used to it, but that has turned into reading up on flying with cats. Which is only making me more worried. I have read that I'll need to take her out of the carrier at TSA? Which makes me incredibly nervous. I also just saw somewhere someone recommending against sedatives? (For a normal cat.) There's no way she can come out in an airport while conscious, but they said the sedative may interfere with her breathing, which is super scary.

I had the rest of moving her all planned out - all the bulky stuff will move with me first, while she stays put and is cared for by my family. I leave behind anything that I can fit in a checked bag. Then after everything else is moved in, I come back for her and pack up her and the rest of her stuff. That way she can be moved last into a ready made room for her with all of her familiar things, and doesn't have to be stressed out by things moving in while she's there. It's just this flying part that's got me super nervous. There's so many ways it can go wrong.

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions that might help me here?

 

[shadowsrescue]

What about using a transport service to have her driven to you.  I know they offer them.  You could still sedate her if needed, but it might be much less stressful for her.  I think @Ondine  used one when she transported some cats many states away.  

I think flying a cat would be very very difficult and stressful on you and the cat.  

 

[narelle]

If the best way to transport her is by driving, I'd feel more comfortable driving her myself. The problem is Washington is looking like the most likely place to go, and I currently live in Florida. That would mean multiple days of driving and stopping on the way, and having to catch her up every morning to get back on the road. That seemed more stressful (on her especially, but probably for me as well) than trying to get a direct flight and just having her wake up in a new place.

 

[foxden]

narelle
What about using a medium size dog kennel to transport her in the car? You can put a small litter box in the crate for rest stops and overnight, and food/ water can be offered the same way.

It's not ideal transport conditions for her, but it avoids the challenge of trying to catch her every morning. You can cover it with a blanket or sheet in the car. You could also put the crate in her room right now as a new "cave"

 

[ondine]

I used a transport service when we moved with eight cats from New Jersey to North Carolina.  The cats were all sedated by our vet before they left Jersey and were just waking up when they arrived (about eight hours later).

But with your situation, I'd go with the flight.  I would discuss this with our vet as to sedating her because she will be in the cargo hold and there will be no one there to check on her.  It may be better to go without sedation in that instance but the vet should know.  Make sure she is in a crate with a nice cover  Foxden's suggestion about her the crate now.

 

[narelle]

Three months later and I'm still stressing about this. Finding out where I'm going got pushed back, which is frustrating. Hopefully any day now, but I may not find out until sometime in July. So the actual move can't be planned until I know, but I hope to definitely be out of Florida by the end of July.

A lot came up and I never did find a good airline carrier, it sort of got lost in the shuffle. So now I'm doing lots of research to try and find the best one and I'm not finding any I feel I can trust? They all have reviews with animals either ripping through the mesh or busting out the zippers. I don't know if Astrid will panic or stay calm (in my experience so far, she seems to retreat and ball up, always passive action if possible), but I don't want to risk taking her in something she can break out of.
(I am also still really nervous about the whole TSA thing.)

I feel like, if I do end up in Washington state, flying is the best option. There just feels like so much more that can go wrong on a 40 hour drive over multiple days. But if I can't find a way to fly safely, I don't think I have any option other than driving.

I'm really stressed about all of this.

Does anyone know an airline approved carrier that is sturdy enough that a cat potentially in freak-out mode couldn't break out?

 

[narelle]

Astrid and I are moving out of state, 16 hours away ( we ended up moving to PA). I had discussed this with my vet, and he came up with the plan that I fly her sedated - he gave me oral sedatives with instructions to start with a very low dose and see how she does, then gradually increase the dose until I find what works for her.

Astrid is the pickiest cat in the world. (She won't eat anything typically tempting and none of the usual methods for gradual food introductions work on her - she'd rather starve. See previous threads on that here and here before suggesting new food items please.) She had always eaten the Pill Pockets treats when I needed to give her things like flea meds in the past, though, so I didn't expect to have any problems. Unfortunately, she has gotten wise to the pill pockets and stopped eating them.
(The sedative is a soft, chewable tablet. I tried to put the starting dose, 1/8th into a pill pocket, but when she bit it, it crumbled in half so she wouldn't eat it. I then tried blending it in, separating it in two to keep it bite sized, then coating each of those in some more pill pocket so she wouldn't smell or taste the sedative at first. She ate one piece and not the other, which did me no good. I've also tried blending it into the gravy of her wet food in a small scoop, and dissolving it on top of her favorite hard treat, but she wouldn't eat either of those.)

My plan was to move myself, my things, and all of her non-essentials that I couldn't fit in a suitcase, up ahead of time, get her a room set up and ready for her, then fly back to get her after everything is settled so she wouldn't have to deal with the stress of the move. I wanted it to be as little stress on her as possible. But I am about a week out from needing to drive everything up there and be moved in on that end and can't even get a trial dose of the sedative in her, nevermind a way to dose her to get on the plane. I am out of time and desperate.

I'm going to try to talk to the airport I'll be flying out of and my vet again to see if there are any other options. But does anyone here have any ideas or experience in something like this?

 

[Sarthur2]

Are you driving your things to Pennsylvania? Why can't you drive her there with you?

Being in a crate for a couple of days would likely be far less stressful for both of you.

 

[Sarthur2]

narelle

What have you decided to do?

 

[narelle]

Sarthur2

Nothing has been resolved, I have to drive away on Saturday and everything is falling apart.

--

For driving, we are going to have extremely limited space to comfortably transport an animal. My dad and I will be riding in the uhaul truck, towing my car behind. There will be no AC in the truck or my car, so I can't put her there. It will presumably be a small cab that's probably a bit cramped for two adult people (and my dad is a big guy). I may have to try to fit the two coolers with my live fish in the cab with us. (Since they are being transported in coolers and are tropical fishes, they are less of a concern in areas without temperature control, so they will more likely ride in the back. I cared for fish for a living at a public aquarium and am moving to change careers to be an ichthyologist, there is no need to worry about the fish beyond the possible lack of space they create. I do know what I'm doing with those.)

I am not comfortable keeping Astrid in a small, carrier sized kennel for multiple days and anything larger just will not fit in a space that can be temperature controlled. The only solution I can think to make driving at all a viable option is to drive her in the small carrier, then let her out in the largest dog kennel I can buy for the night (it is a two day drive), but then I don't know how I'm going to be able to get her back into the small kennel the next day to finish the drive.

This cat is not completely socialized, we have yet to break the touch barrier. To catch her and get her in the kennel at all will be a huge stressful ordeal, then she has two days of stress being driven, and has to be there through the noise and confusion of moving everything into the house. If I can manage to get her on a plane, all of the fuss of moving will be done without her, she'll have the room all set up and ready when she gets there, and only has to deal with a 2hr direct flight and then 2 hr drive. Then I can just let her loose in a prepared, safe, quiet room and leave her alone without stressing her out any more than necessary.

--

Flying, though, is becoming more and more of a problem. I talked to TSA and to my vet.

TSA said that they would almost definitely make me take her out of the kennel (depends on who's there that day), though they do have a secluded room I could take her out in. But if she's conscious, I won't be able to hold her. When she got her vaccinations around new years, the vet carefully tried to pick her up out of the kennel and as soon as she was completely exposed, she flew out of his hand. I have no doubt she'll do the same with me in the airport. (Not to mention if she isn't sedated by tablet at home, we will definitely have to stress her out catching her up, so she'll already be in fight or flight.)

At the vet's office, the one vet in my clinic that will see a feral cat is on vacation so I couldn't talk to him directly. He and his wife own the clinic, and his wife is the head tech or something, so we did get to talk to her. But she didn't seem to think most vets would be willing to give an injectable sedative for this, and also said most airlines won't let you fly with a sedated animal. My vet will be back on Sunday and will be left instructions to call me about it, but waiting till Sunday means that I will have already left with the moving truck so the driving option will be gone.

At this point, I don't think I'm going to be able to get an oral sedative in her, especially not on demand the morning of, when I need her to take it at the right time.

My mom thinks I need to dump her from the kennel to a pillowcase or something while TSA clears the kennel, then dump her back in when they're done. I don't like this option, as it sounds very stressful for her and very risky, but it's starting to sound like the only way I'll be able to get her on a plane.

--

This isn't life or death, but for me this is an emergency. My cat has to come with me, I am the only home she has. I will not give up on her. I just can't figure out how to get her there and I'm running out of time.

 

[Sarthur2]

I think you will have more control over everything if you drive her.

I think the possibility of her getting loose at the airport is high. You would never catch her again. She will be just as freaked out, if not more so, at the airport. There are too many "ifs".

I want to encourage you to drive her up when you go.

Can your dad drive the truck, and you follow in the air conditioned car instead of towing the car?

This seems like it would solve the problem.

 

[shadowsrescue]

What about a transport service? I know ondine used a transport service to have her 8 cats delivered multiple states away. I believe she used a sedative and then the transport service took care of driving.

 

[narelle]

Sarthur2
My car is not exactly a practical car - it's a 1988 Porsche 944. It's not the most reliable for a 16 hour drive (fine for a daily driver in a small town, fine for shorter long distance drives, but she could just quit on me on an interstate hours and hours away from home and family after being pushed that much) and not very spacious. The back seats in it are a joke, only a toddler could comfortably fit in them, and the trunk slants so much that you can't put anything tall in it. (The back seats do go down at least.) Something like a large dog kennel would not fit in it. I might be able to find a creative solution to fit, but it would be tough on a time crunch when I'm also jumping through hoops to finish packing and preparing. She obviously couldn't be loose in the car because every time we opened a door she might get out and never be seen again.

shadowsrescue
I wouldn't feel comfortable with someone else driving my feral cat. A very well meaning person could lose her anywhere along the way just trying to give her food or water, or if they didn't believe me and tried to pet her like a normal cat hoping to soothe her. There are just too many things that could go wrong. Where she goes I go, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I entrusted her to someone else and something happened.

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like you'll have to deal with the airline then. Will she be in the cabin with you?

 

[shadowsrescue]

The transport services are used only for transporting animals. They do not let your cats out of the carriers. When ondine used the service she had 2 outside cats that were transported too. Many people use these services when they are moving.
I understand your concerns, but it does look you will have to fly with her.

Maybe a vet would come to your home and sedate the cat for you there or you could stop by the vet on the way to the airport.

 

[narelle]

Sarthur2 Oh, definitely, so way would I let them put her in cargo. Where she goes I go. She will not be allowed out of my sight while we're traveling. I'm probably being overly cautious and overprotective, but I'd feel better knowing she's with me where I can keep her safe.

shadowsrescue Outside cats aren't necessarily the same as feral though. It would be my luck that something would go wrong, I just overall feel better knowing I've done everything in my power to make sure I know she's safe. If someone else transported her, I would be stressed and upset until I had her back. Unless they drove straight through, I'd be stressing for two days straight and likely wouldn't sleep a wink.

Stopping by on the way to the airport was what we were trying to suggest that the head vet tech didn't think the vet would be willing to do. Though she did seem to misunderstand at first, we think she thought we wanted them to just send us home with a syringe. I hadn't thought of having them come to the house, but going to the office would probably be better because Astrid couldn't as easily get away and hide. She never got to progress out of her safe room (when she finally got to the point I felt she was ready, it was close enough to moving it seemed silly not to just wait), but the room she has didn't get to be cat proofed before she went in, so there's a lot stored in there she could find a way to hide behind if determined.

--

To clarify though, the issue isn't whether I take her by plane or by car. I do need a way to get her up there, but whatever way that is I need to work out HOW to do it safely. If she's flying, I need to figure out getting her through TSA when I can not hold her. They are going to make me pull her out of the kennel and expect me to stand there and hold her, and she isn't going to allow that.

 

[Sarthur2]

I don't know what to tell you other than to ask about their procedures in advance. Ask about a safe room to take her out in, and have her sedated.

I do know that you have to have vet papers showing she's had all her shots, and the carrier needs to fit on the floor under a seat.

Can you put a collar or harness on her?

 

[narelle]

I did ask about the safe room, they do have one. But the only way I'm going to be able to sedate her is if this vet agrees to it. I don't know what to do if I he won't sedate her, and by the time the vet is back and can give me any input, I'll be on the road, so she will have to fly. Driving will no longer be an option. So I have to make the definitive call on flying vs driving without hearing from him. His wife/the head tech acted like it was unlikely they would sedate her for me, and also said that most airlines won't let you fly with a sedated animal, and that they may even make me sign a release saying that she isn't sedated. So I need a backup plan to get her through TSA if I can't sedate her.

I do have the papers and carrier stuff worked out.

I wouldn't be able to get anything on her while she's conscious, she doesn't let me touch her at all. If I tried she would hiss and hide. If I don't push too much, she does the song and dance and is friendly as can be, like a regular house cat. I can reach towards her with treats, but she makes sure she's out of reach so I can't pull any funny business.

 

[Sarthur2]

Have you asked the airline about sedation?

Most pets that I know that have flown have been sedated. Not put to sleep, but put into a more relaxed state with a calming drug such as valium.

 

[ondine]

My vet came to our house and lightly sedated all eight cats. The pretty much slept through the entire nine hour trip.

Two of our cats will not let you pick them up at ALL. With one, we are lucky to pet him once every two weeks or so.

I sure hope you can work out the arrangements with TSA.