Collars

We will be flying BMI .. Chicago - Manchester in Septmber.  Does anybody know if the airlines require cats to have collars on?  My cats have never worn collars and if they require this I need to get them used to it.  Since they will be in their cages and not removed until they land in Manchester I don't really see this being a requirement but just wanted to make sure.

Does anytbody think it would be a good thing to have even if not required?     

If I remember right my cats didn't wear there collars but there collars were attached to the inside corner of the cage doors so the collars didn't get lost. but things could have changed in the last 3 years my cats were shipped to the UK in Marc 2005. I could be wrong so just check to be safe.

I tried calling BMI and they are useless when it comes to anything to do with animals, they kept telling me that I had to have  Pet Passport and I kept saying it was a 3rd Country Certificate, etc.. and that is all taken care of I just needed to know about colars and he just kept going on about if I don't have a PET Passport that my animal could not fly.  Oh well.  lol

So I called the Cargo Company that works with BMI where we will actually be dropping the cats off with and they had no idea. 

I think I may just buy three breakaway colars and attach them to the outside handle then if they want them to wear them I'll just put them on.  If they are breakaway I won't be as nervous as them getting caught on something and hurting themselves.

It's amazing how everyday I feel like I know more about the PETS stuff than people that should know! lol

My kitty loves his collar and when i take it off to put his flea medicine on, he brings it to me in his mouth to put back on.  I do think though that it might be worth considering putting a breakaway collar with your phone number on it on your cat to travel in just in case anything happens.  Crate breaks, cat gets out somehow.. i know its very slim chance but as long as it doesnt cause your cat any discomfort i dont see any harm.  Thats just me, im just a big worrier. Hope you and your kitties have a nice trip over 

My cat flew collarless by sheer accident -- the morning we were to leave to catch our flight, he knew something was up, and he hid right up inside my couch. The cab was already waiting and I had to literally cut the back of the couch open and pull him out like a C-section birth!! In the process, his collar, an elasticated one, pulled off in my hand. In the frenzy to get him in the crate (he was still highly resistant and the cab was still waiting, plus now we were running late), I never got it back on him again.

Preoccupied with just having his paperwork all present and correct for the animal cargo people, I forgot all about his collarless state when we checked him in at the airport, and in fact they didn't even ask about it. It was only when I was sitting on the plane and I found I'd tucked the collar into my carry-on (it was all such a blur that morning, I didn't even know I'd managed that), that I remembered it had come off!

I was only able to put it back on again at home in our UK destination; so I guess it was of no consequence to the people who handled him at either end of his journey, if that helps at all. This was Continental, and the airports were Houston and Gatwick, but I don't know if other airlines or even airports may feel differently.

Give your cat some time to get used to the collar before you go.

My cat had an incident with a collar when we tried to get him to wear a collar when he was a kitten. In trying to get out of it he somehow wrangled it into his throat and started choking himself, and in his panic almost bit mine and my ex's fingers off as we tried to get the collar off.  After that he was collar-free.

This is probably a very rare occurrence and would never happen with a "sane" cat, but better to know earlier than later.

Give your cat some time to get used to the collar before you go.

My cat had an incident with a collar when we tried to get him to wear a collar when he was a kitten. In trying to get out of it he somehow wrangled it into his throat and started choking himself, and in his panic almost bit mine and my ex's fingers off as we tried to get the collar off.  After that he was collar-free.

This is probably a very rare occurrence and would never happen with a "sane" cat, but better to know earlier than later.

Similarly, make sure the collar isnt too loose and is adjusted properly for a few days because once our kitty was cleaning himself and his collar was too loose and his bottom jaw got caught in the collar and he was running around with his mouth open throwing a fit.  But, he was more than happy to let me fix it because hes accident prone and is used to me sticking my fingers in this mouth... fun fun... hes been known to chew on anything and once choked on a hairtie he bit in half, and another time a piece of his food he didnt chew properly