Flying With Cat- Please Help

[Oliver813]

We have to fly my son's 2 cats home due to his inability to care for them. They are on the larger side and at least 10" tall. We have tickets with Southwest and their regulation on the pet carrier is 9.5" high, 17.5" long, 10" wide- preferably a soft carrier.
They say the cat must be able to stand up and turn around... or they could refuse the carrier and not let you board....

I am very concerned because the last thing I want is to be told I have to surrender them or miss the flight.
Anyone else flown with Southwest? What did you do? What size carrier?
I wasn't sure if there was any other way to get them home from the west coast to the east coast. We can not drive- way to long and we don't have that much vacation time.

 

[GoldyCat]

I fly Southwest frequently with my show cats. I use the large size Sturdi soft carrier. It's 12" high but squishes down to fit under the seat. I've never yet had anyone look to see if the cats can stand up.

You'll want to get a window or middle seat. The space under the aisle seats is too narrow.

 

[Oliver813]

Thank you. I am so confused with Southwest and their requirements. On their site they show their bag you can purchase. This is what it says: The southwest carrier is (17” long x 9.5” high x 10” wide). Other pet carriers with maximum dimensions of 18.5” long x 8.5” high x 13.5” wide.
I don't understand why "their" carrier can be 9.5" high but any other one can only be 8.5" high but longer than the one they have?? Makes no sense. I had purchased a medium sherpa bag but it is 10.5" high so I am concerned they will refuse to allow the cat on the plane.
I don't know what I will do if they refuse because I need to get back for work. The 2 cats are kind of tall. When I measured my cats I have at home they are over 10" tall so I don't see how the airlines can enforce the cat has to be able to stand up and turn around. The average cat is over 9.5" tall.

 

[GoldyCat]

The Sturdi bag I use is 12"H x 12"W x 18"Long. At 18" it does stick out into your foot space and inch or two, but it fits under the seat just fine. You do have to push the top down a little bit to get it under.

I've flown many times, and a friend has flown even more often on SW with our cats in the same size carrier. The most we've run into is occasionally a flight attendant will ask is we're sure the carrier will fit under the seat. We say, "yes, we've flown with them before" and that's the end of it.

Are you flying alone with 2 cats in one carrier, or two people with 2 carriers? If they're both going in one carrier make sure you check it out ahead of time so you know they'll behave themselves without fighting.

 

[silkenpaw]

I have flown with cats many times. (One cat at a time). I have never had anyone measure the carrier or check that the cat could stand up in it. The main concern is that the carrier fit under the seat in front of you. My Sherpa soft carrier always did and the cats seemed none the worse for the experience.

 

[danteshuman]

My mom flew her cat in the soft duffel bag carrier ?4? Times with no issue. If I could I would have a vet prescribe sedatives (with an extra dose in case of layover. I'm not saying double dose. I'm saying how the vet prescribes.)

If it was me I would buy an extra ticket so they had a place to be on the seat next to me during the flight. Because I'm neurotic I would go to their website and call them in regards to the right carrier. I would also bring an extra carrier and extra puppy pads. Justo in case one has an accident and so they could be in their own carrier if they wanted to stretch out. I might even bring a small plastic bowl to give them some water during the flight (or water baby food sludge just to keep them hydrated.) if you go that route I would only fill the kiddy bowl 1/4 or 1/3 full and would only let them have it when the seatbelt light is off. * under no circumstance let the cats be placed in the overhead compartment (I'm referring to the puppy story.) ** no cat could be worse than a colicky baby so keep your chin up

Good luck and safe travels.

 

[GoldyCat]

danteshuman I have to disagree with a lot of what you're saying. You'd have to check the pet policies of each airline, but I don't know of any that will allow you to put the pet carrier on the seat instead of under the seat in front of you, even if you paid for an extra human seat. They would probably let you put a second carrier in front of your extra seat, but even that might not work on Southwest because they don't have assigned seats. It could get tricky trying to stop someone from sitting in your "extra" seat.

If I have a long layover I will sometimes give my kitties a small meal in the airport, but they usually don't eat it anyway. I would never feed them during the flight because you could end up with an airsick kitty throwing up in the carrier when you can't do anything about it. Water in the carrier during the flight isn't a good idea, either. It's more likely to get spilled than drunk.

As far as sedation goes, that has to be between you and your vet. I personally don't sedate my cats, and probably never will. At the very least you should try traveling once without sedating kitty before you decide that it's necessary.

 

[danteshuman]

You can google which airlines let you take your pet's carrier out from under your chair during the flight. Southwest does not.

I would rather rent a car and drive with my cats over trying to fly with them...... however some things can't be avoided. Either way knocking them out with a mild sedative might help make the trip easier on the cats.

The water/broth depends on how long they are on the plane for. If my boys were on the plane for 5 hours or more and had another hour or two left I would offer them a drink (if they were awake.)

 

[Daisy6]

Where are you coming from and going to? Is it a direct flight? I am more concerned about having a litterbox and meal break - either your son's cats don't get one or an extremely stressful environment makes them not want to do anything.

The PAWS (Pets Are Welcome on Southwest) program requires each cat to have its own carrier unless they are young kittens. Sedation is a good idea if they are young and healthy, but some cats should not be sedated. Talk to your vet about that.