Long-haul Flight With The Cats

[She's a witch]

Hello,
In couple of months I will be moving to US with my two cats. We need to transfer them from Luxembourg in Europe to Los Angeles. Putting them with cargo is not an option so they will be travelling with us in the cabin. I was then wondering if it is better to divide the journey in shorter hauls or do the trip as quick as possible? Unfortunately we need to change the plane at least once, so I was wondering which option to choose: Luxembourg - Paris - Los Angeles, or maybe Luxembourg - Paris - New York, then spend a night in the hotel at the airport and then flight to LA the next day? Which option will be better for cats well being? Two* 6 hours flights with spending a night in a hotel bed, which results in longer overall travelling time, or one 12hour flight straight to their new home?
They have never flew before.
Which airlines to avoid when travelling with cats?
Any advise on how to prepare for such journey? I am planning to do the detailed check-up on their health to make sure they are totally healthy before we go. But anything I should pay particular attention to (respiratory system for example?)?
I would greatly appreciate your help!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

This doesn't quite answer your question about which flights to take, but have your seen this thread? It has some good information in it, whichever way you decide to go: Flying with Cats

As far as which airline, I'm not sure which airlines even let you take pets anymore, and which ones allow them in the passenger area, so you need to do your research. (someone said pets are now ONLY allowed in cargo, but I don't know that that is true) Whatever you do, do NOT let anyone tell you that you have to put the cats in the overhead compartment. A puppy recently suffocated because he was put up there when the flight attendant instructed the owner to do so .

One of our members, @Ardina, flies often with her cat, so she might have some sage advice for you. Otherwise, perhaps your Vet will be helpful in which flight might be best.

 

[Sarthur2]

Do not fly with United Airlines. They have a terrible record with pets. Whichever airline you choose, be sure to check out their pet policy thoroughly - including fees.

You should be able to bring them in the cabin, but you may need to buy an extra seat, as I think - but am not certain - that their carriers must fit under the seat in front of you, so you need dimensions.

Check out Delta and Air France. They allow pets in the cabin.

You must be able to show vet papers to the airline.

I would suggest one 12-hour flight and get it over with. There may be a great deal more stress for you and the cats with taxi cabs to hotels, re-crating them after a night in a room, and another flight.

Also put layers of doggie pee pads in the bottom of the crates so you can pull out soiled ones easily. Bring zip-lock baggies to quickly pick up and dispose of any poop or vomit in the crates.

Ask your vet about prescribing a sedative if you think they need it.

If you must take a cat out of a crate, leash it first, and scruff it firmly. Try to be in a less busy and noisy place to do so.

There is also this:

Animal Airways - The Pet Flight People - Pet travel and Relocation

Best of luck and keep us posted!

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I think one flight is best. Not sure about your cats, but for me, it's a major ordeal just to get them in their carriers.

 

[Kitten70]

We did this trip from Europe (Spain) to the US with our cat a few years ago. It was much easier than we initially thought, our cat was semi-feral at that time and he behaved like a champion. No sedatives needed. We did 3 planes in total, I think American Airlines was the airline. We only had to pay a bit extra, around $200 to take him on board. The carrier fitted under the seat in front of me.
I recommend you do the trip in one shot, it will be easier for them even if it's a longer trip. At the end remember that it will be shorter (considering total time) to do it this way.
Get the European passport for cats from your vet, with that everything was super easy, they will check their vaccinations and nothing else.

 

[Sarthur2]

She's a witch

Any luck with this situation yet?

 

[She's a witch]

Hi! You helped me to make a decision and we will fly at one shot, thanks! Actually we are now considering getting by car to the nearest big airport so that we won't have to change the planes. Of course we will add 2hours driving time instead but it should still be better than the hassle of plane change/going through security again etc. So it would make sense to take Lufhansa flight (from Frankfurt), we have good experience with them flying over the big ocean but I haven't heard anything about their atitude on transfering pets, so anyone knows anything, please let me know. Their web page on the topic is very detailed and makes good impression.
I also realised that in unlikely case that the quarantine is needed, it'd be better to have my cat babies in LA for that than in New York. So definitely we need direct flight to the LA from Europe.
We still have two or three months so I'm reading all resources you sent and I found myself.
I believed that sedatives are not allowed for flying pets? I was thinking to try to calm them down with Feliway spray and Zylexis, but I will consult with a doctor for sure.
I've also heard that a soft bag is better for cats in cabin as they can fit more easily under the seat in front of me. I was actually cosidering something like this:
I would extend this bag while in a plane and put two cats in there, so that they are together. They are quieter this way and groom each other, which I think is better for them than staying in separate bags. I am small myself so luckily I don't need much space for my legs, I could easily give it to my cats. PLus this is a day flight so no sleep (mine) involved.
I've heard it's better not to feed cats when taking flights... any thoughts on that?
Both of them have European Passports with valid vaccinations. Which I read are not really needed to take them to US. It seems that from regulatory perspective is easier to take them to US than 30 minutes away from where I live, to Germany or France :-) But I understad the airline may have additional regulations. Anyway, their health is my top priority and I will do a detailed check-up on them soon to make sure there will be no surprises.
Thank you so much for your help! I'll come back with some more questions probably :-)

 

[Sarthur2]

It’s good that you are doing your homework and looking into every detail. The soft bag plus a single day flight will be very helpful. Cats tend to sleep during the day anyway!

You appear to be making very informed decisions. Keep us posted!

 

[golondrina]

Hi She's a witch. I have just come to this thread which I have read with great interest. I would so much like to know how was your trip with the kittens from Europe to the States. Hope it all worked out well. Many thanks for your time.

 

[She's a witch]

Hi She's a witch. I have just come to this thread which I have read with great interest. I would so much like to know how was your trip with the kittens from Europe to the States. Hope it all worked out well. Many thanks for your time.

Hi! Yes all went very well! We ended up taking Air France from Paris directly to Seattle (where we live for now) to avoid any plane changes, extra landing etc. Kitties slept almost entire flight in a very relaxed way, occasionally demanding belly cuddles! I put them in one bag as I had planned and that worked well; they ate and drunk during the flight, but they didn’t pee at all during the journey which made me worried, but they peed straight away in their new home. The worst part was moving through the airport and waiting there, as it was very noisy and lots of people around (although they also ate so it wasn’t that bad), but as soon as we boarded and took our seats, they visibly calmed down. The guy in front of us didn’t even know there were cats under his seats till the very end Overall, it wasn’t worth my stress at all. We’ll be going back in few years time so I’ll be calmer for sure

 

[golondrina]

Many thanks for your reply She's a Witch which I have enjoyed reading. I am glad for you and for the kittens that all went so well. I know now how to encourage people to keep their pets with them in the cabin when flying. It is a discusssion that crops up now and then with friends and family.

 

[She's a witch]

Many thanks for your reply She's a Witch which I have enjoyed reading. I am glad for you and for the kittens that all went so well. I know now how to encourage people to keep their pets with them in the cabin when flying. It is a discusssion that crops up now and then with friends and family.

Sure! Just be aware that my experience might not be universal. My cats are doing great in one carrier but I know cats that would definitely freak out being stuck in such a limited space with another cat. Also, I know cats that tend to pee/poop during travel (that's why puppy pads are useful, I had them lined in the carrier but they weren't used; I actually had a small, foldable litter box and their litter, and I would take them to the quiet place and encourage to pee, but one was way too interested in the surroundings than using litter box, and the second one was too afraid to leave the carrier, so they ended up not using this small litter box nor puppy pads). They were on leash all the time. I actually took one on my lap at the end of the journey because she was bored and kept quietly asking to be let out and she spent some time outside of the carrier. There were at least 3 other cats in this plane, and the owner of one told me later, that his cat was meowing all the time (luckily in a completely different part of the plane), so basically everything depends on a cat. We chose seat at the very end of the plane with only two seats in the row (we wanted to fly in the premium economy so that we'd have more space but apparently pets were not allowed there). I made decisions based on my cats characteristics and behaviour and thorough research on what options do we have, and luckily it turned out great!