Kalm-Aid

Has anyone ever used this for their pet? My vet is really pushing for me to give my cat a small dose of this a couple of days before we fly to the US. She's an older cat and apparently she has a slight heart murmur.

My cat is older (15), but I wouldn't consider her high strung. Yeah, she's a pain to get in the crate, but she's fine when she's in there. She isn't mean to people (unless they're shaving her neck and drawing blood) and I wouldn't consider her a 'scaredy cat' (she doesn't shiver from fear). She had her bloods run today and they all came back normal (liver, kidneys, glucose, etc) and there's potential she has arthritis in her back legs, but it's certainly not debilitating.

I know that you're definitely not supposed to drug animals before they fly, but my vet is pushing this stuff pretty hard on me. According to my vet, it's all natural, so it's not giving her a drug.

Any thoughts?

When I brought my dog over, the Vet said absolutely not to do any kind of medication, for two reasons...the length of the trip would outlast the medication, and there is always the possibility that the medication could make an animal ill, and there are potential dangers with that.

Also, I don't get that "natural" doesn't equal "drugs." If it affects your system, then it is functioning like a drug regardless of how it was manufactured/grown, ie: marijuana.   

i use natural for my dogs too but was told if i chose to fly over not to give to them......also continental told me that they would not accept if they knew they had been given anything

I know people who use Rescue Remedy on their animals regularly and it helps them calm down. But even IF the airline is ok with it, I'd still want to test it for several weeks on my animal to see how long it lasts, if there are adverse effects, etc. Given your cat doesn't normally act anxious, not sure how you'd do this!

Thanks for your input everyone. I think I'm going to have to go with my gut on this one. The downer is that the vet only sees my cat when she's...well...at the vet! So she's stressed! She's not keen on getting out of her crate and when the vet takes her back to draw blood she hisses at her. The vet's office is the only place I've ever heard her hiss. Once she's in her crate, she's fine and she's not stressed in the car at all. There were dogs sniffing and barking all around her in the waiting room at the vet's office and she just sits in her crate and turns her back on them. 

Thanks for listening to me ramble on! I think I'm going to give it a pass!

I know people who use Rescue Remedy on their animals regularly and it helps them calm down. But even IF the airline is ok with it, I'd still want to test it for several weeks on my animal to see how long it lasts, if there are adverse effects, etc. Given your cat doesn't normally act anxious, not sure how you'd do this!

rescue remedy is what i use for my doggies......works well for them.....but the airline wouldnt even approve that.......it was explained to me that animals have a little more problem with breathing etc when so high up.....so if they are given anything it could possibly have a negative effect on them.

I'd give it a pass. My cat has a heart murmur, and absolutely hates the crate, but he handled the flight OK. (Not as well as my dog, but that's to be expected.) It took him a few days post-flight to get back into the habit of eating/drinking regularly, but otherwise seemed fine.

Yeah, she was completely fine 5 years ago when I flew her to England, she was fine on the very loud and bumpy flight between Cardiff and Dublin 2 years ago, and she's fine in the car. She's had no problems adjusting wherever we go. I guess it's mainly her age that the vet is concerned about. I do appreciate her concern, but I think I'm going to pass on it.

TBH, as a former ramp serviceman (baggage handler), I'd say that I'd much rather take a flight in the cargo compartment than in Economy class.  It's dark and relatively quiet since baggage absorbs sound.  The temperature and air are basically the same as in the cabin.  If your cat can handle a car ride, an airplane ride will be cake (or tuna, if she prefers.)

Thanks ianp, that's really helpful. Yeah, I'd be a nervous wreck if she were in the cabin with me. I don't mind her going into cargo, but I hadn't thought about the baggage absorbing noise.

Thanks ianp, that's really helpful. Yeah, I'd be a nervous wreck if she were in the cabin with me. I don't mind her going into cargo, but I hadn't thought about the baggage absorbing noise.

Yeah, I used to nap down there all the time between carts of bags.  It's comfy.

Also, on a big widebody jet such as those used for transatlantic service, live animals are loaded in the compartment all the way at the back, in the tail.  That's really far away from the engines, so even quieter.