Taking my kitty on a plane more regularly

[kayteetatankie]

Hi everyone,
In the past I moved from America to Europe with my cat and I checked her rather than bring her in the cabin because whenever in her cage she will non stop Meow (example 2 hour car trip never stops). I did same when I brought her back to America (lived in Europe almost 3 years). My concern is with my ever changing life I plan to go back to Europe for a total of 3 months and of course come back to the states. Because this traveling is going to be much more frequent I am very fearful for her to be under the plane vs being in the cabin and also her overall long term health from flying so much. In the cabin my biggest concern is she will be meowing for 10 hours straight on the plane ride and people will probably kill me! In your advice should I just check her as always or somehow give her something that will let her sleep in the cabin and try it. Anyone have experience with being a fairly frequent traveler with a cat? Thanks!

 

[GoldyCat]

I've flown with my cats to cat shows fairly often. Each cat is different. I have one who sings to me all the way in the car or in the shuttle from airport parking. As soon as we get on the plane and up in the air she goes to sleep for the whole flight. I have another who complains on take-off and landing but is fine in between.

Might you have a chance to try her on a shorter flight within the U.S.? Something like an hour flight each way, either a day trip out and back the same day or stay overnight at a hotel and fly back the next day. It can get expensive paying for the pet fee for each flight, but would give you an idea of what you would be dealing with.

 

[Azazel]

I don’t think such frequent long flights are a good lifestyle for a cat. You might consider an alternative for her, which might mean you find her a stable loving home.

 

[kayteetatankie]

I've flown with my cats to cat shows fairly often. Each cat is different. I have one who sings to me all the way in the car or in the shuttle from airport parking. As soon as we get on the plane and up in the air she goes to sleep for the whole flight. I have another who complains on take-off and landing but is fine in between.

Might you have a chance to try her on a shorter flight within the U.S.? Something like an hour flight each way, either a day trip out and back the same day or stay overnight at a hotel and fly back the next day. It can get expensive paying for the pet fee for each flight, but would give you an idea of what you would be dealing with.

Thank you for your input! I'll have to get her to adjust to be comfortable.

 

[kayteetatankie]

I don’t think such frequent long flights are a good lifestyle for a cat. You might consider an alternative for her, which might mean you find her a stable loving home.

I appreciate your response but she already has a loving stable home. I don't think anyone who loves there cat would even entertain this idea.

 

[Azazel]

I appreciate your response but she already has a loving stable home. I don't think anyone who loves there cat would even entertain this idea.

I’m not saying you don’t love her, but frequent long flights doesn’t sound like a good lifestyle for a cat. It sounds like an incredibly stressful situation. I wouldn’t want to put my cats through that.

 

[Dana_And_Monster]

I’m not saying you don’t love her, but frequent long flights doesn’t sound like a good lifestyle for a cat. It sounds like an incredibly stressful situation. I wouldn’t want to put my cats through that.

Echoing. Stress is the number one killer in cats. And this is clearly distressing & stressful.

 

[GoldyCat]

K kayteetatankie what is your kitty's name? If she is truly bonded with you I think rehoming her would be more traumatic than the occasional plane ride.

I know some people get sedatives from their vets to give to their cats, but I don't think that's a good idea, especially for a long flight. However, there are various calming agents you might try. The ones I'm most familiar with are Feliway and Bach's Rescue Remedy. Not all cats respond to those, but it can't hurt to try. Both of those come in a spray. You spray the inside of the carrier and make sure it's dry before you put kitty in. Try it out with short car rides first to see if it has any effect.

 

[kayteetatankie]

K kayteetatankie what is your kitty's name? If she is truly bonded with you I think rehoming her would be more traumatic than the occasional plane ride.

I know some people get sedatives from their vets to give to their cats, but I don't think that's a good idea, especially for a long flight. However, there are various calming agents you might try. The ones I'm most familiar with are Feliway and Bach's Rescue Remedy. Not all cats respond to those, but it can't hurt to try. Both of those come in a spray. You spray the inside of the carrier and make sure it's dry before you put kitty in. Try it out with short car rides first to see if it has any effect.

Her name is Katie, I've had her for a good 5 years. We certainly are very bonded since I've always worked from home so I give her tons of attention during the day. I did see on Amazon a collar that said relaxing collar, does it work im not sure. I did buy the soft airplane approved bag today and I'll leave it open and where she normally sits. It's still a ways off before we go anywhere but hopefully she'll like it.

 

[Ardina]

I've flown with my cats a few times when moving cross-country. One of my cats is a meower, but it really doesn't matter if you're worried about annoying your neighbors since the sound of the plane engines will be louder than most cats. In fact, my immediate neighbor on my last flight with them didn't even realize that I had a cat under the seat in front of me until it was time to deplane and I pulled her out.

That being said, it's definitely stressful and I would avoid doing it too often. But sounds like she has a good home and is bonded to you.