Sensitive cats and flying

As MrCoffee and I will be relocating to the UK in 2006 (from Finland) and bringing our 2 cats, I've been doing research on the PETS scheme. As it stands, the only option really is to fly Helsinki-Heathrow with Finnair (and this will cost a whole crapload). What I'm most worried about is how our cats will fare.
Firstly, they've never been in carriers (this we'll take care of this year, have them get used to them).
Secondly, they've never been separated into two different places for long.
Thirdly, one is really clingy and scaredy, the other is really high strung and freaks out at the slightest noise.

This is starting to really freak me out! My plan was to drive through Sweden (as we are taking a car as well) and then take the ferry from Malmö to Newcastle (we'll be living in Durham), as they don't really mind drives. As there are no approved routes for that (we'd have to drive through the Chunnel if we were to drive), and the 24-48 hr time limit on the last vaccination, the driving plan is out.
We will have to fly them.

Does anybody have experience with scaredy cats on planes?

Also, more importantly, were you able to transport them as carryons or is this completely out of the question? (I know some airlines do allow for small pets to be taken on board, but where does small end?)

I'm starting to lose sleep over this, and the move is over a year away, so I'd really appreciate any success stories of flying with sensitive cats!

Hi Coffeebean. I cant help much, but I know how you feel. I posted a thread about a week ago about my dog who is also very clingy, high strung, nervous, and scared to death of any noise! I got no responses and I'm afraid I worry about it DAILY! we have to fly this October from the US! I did talk to a vet assistant who has flown with her own two cats and she says to be honest they do get a little scared during take-off, but they all calm down as soon as the plane is in the air as the dim light and steady temp and air pressure soon lulls them.

Coffeebean, I wish I could give you concrete info but, like calle, I can't help much either. I brought my cat over to the UK in June of 2003. I was so worried about him, but just had to realize that there was nothing I could do about it. I had to bring him with me -- moving without him was not an option. The airlines are good about pets -- when I dropped my cat in his carrier off at the airline, the carriers were all talking to him through his carrier door and being really nice about it. They understood what a nervous mother I was! I had the quarantine people pick him up at Heathrow and take him to the quarantine facility directly, so I didn't see him until he was released a couple of days later. I don't know if the rules are different now, but when we moved, PETS was brand new for the US, so he had to be kept in quarantine so that all his paperwork could be checked out. Anyway, the quarantine facility I used was really great. They kept calling me and assuring me that he was fine, etc.

As for transporting a pet as carry-on, it was my impression was that it was not allowed for international flights. However, I could be wrong. My cat would definitely not qualify as a small pet, so I didn't even look into it. (He weighed 25 lbs at the time.)

All I can tell you is to trust that the cats will be OK. They might not enjoy their travel experience, but they'll be safe and well looked after. And before you know it, you'll be reunited with them and they'll have forgotten all about their ordeal.

Best of luck to you and MrCoffee and the kittens! xxx

Thank you for your reassuring responses, calle and belindaloo!

calle, I saw your post about your doggy, and figured I'd make a new post re: the cats just in case a cat person happens to ignore your dog post...
I know exactly how you feel, too!
I know that they'll probably be fine, but my stomach is in knots over the whole thing!

belinda, you have a huuuge cat!!!  MrCoffee's old cat (who passed away two years ago) really looked like a big, white teddybear, and he probably weighed close to that! Ours aren't too big but they have huge ears and really long tails (even though they're not pedigree or anything).

belinda, you have a huuuge cat!!!  MrCoffee's old cat (who passed away two years ago) really looked like a big, white teddybear, and he probably weighed close to that! Ours aren't too big but they have huge ears and really long tails (even though they're not pedigree or anything).

Aaaw, I love big cats! And the long-tailed ones are great too! My BF's cat has a tail like a squirrel! It's so big & bushy!

I won't be moving for at least a year and I'm already freaking out about it as well.  Muffin is a big girl, about 17 pounds.  She has been in a carrier to the vet and back, but that's about it.  She's her momma's baby, and is very clingy.  I'm so afraid of her being down in the cargo area and not being able to see her - it will be the longest flight of my life I'm sure.  We will both need tranqilizers!!!

I'm curious though - how does the whole potty box thing work?  I mean, she's going to be stuck in that box for about 12 hours or longer with no room for a box.  It's got to be a mess when you get to the other side!!!

Yes - I probably have a million more important things to think about, but she's top on my list!!

~Liza - Muffin's Mom

I'm curious though - how does the whole potty box thing work?  I mean, she's going to be stuck in that box for about 12 hours or longer with no room for a box.  It's got to be a mess when you get to the other side!!!

Yes - I probably have a million more important things to think about, but she's top on my list!!

~Liza - Muffin's Mom

I have heard that it is a good idea to put a whole bunch of shredded paper in the bottom of the crate for "nesting" in and because it will absorb any liquids,etc. Also, I plan to sleep in an old t-shirt for a few nights before the flight and putting half of it in each crate with each cat.

I am very worried about flying with them too. I think about it this way: It will be 12-15 hours of stress for them(and me) for them to travel but it would be much more stressful for a much longer time, for them and me, if I gave them away. I would miss them desperately, so moving them is just something that I've had to come to terms with. There are many threads here about people who have moved their pets including several who moved before PETS and had their pets quarantined :\\\'(, and no one(that I've read) has reported any long term psychological damage to their pets; I found this very reassuring.

Good luck with your move. I am sure that Muffin will love living in the UK

Liz

If you talk to your vet, he'll give you sedative pills you can give your pet before they get on a plane. They'll sleep through it, won't be so traumatized, etc. ...

If you talk to your vet, he'll give you sedative pills you can give your pet before they get on a plane. They'll sleep through it, won't be so traumatized, etc. ...

I don't think airlines allow you to give sedatives to travelling pets anymore. At least, when I flew over in 2003 they didn't.

Sedatives are still not allowed. Several airline sited that I looked at said that they will not board an animal who appears to be sedated. It is kind of dangerous as no one can see what is going on with them down in cargo and some sedatives cause breathing problems.

Wow!  That's good to know!  I was just assuming that is what I would do.  I'd hate to have gone through all the hoops of the PETS program, meeting deadlines, etc. only to be turned away because my cat looks stoned.   

Oh wait - that will be me.   

~Liza

My vet said that sedatives could cause a drop in blood pressure and if there's a drop in cabin pressure could cause problems. I have decided that I will just sedate myself and then we'll both be fine. As for the kitty-go-potty, when we have taken cats on long distance car trips in the past we lined the crate with an old fashioned very absorbent disposable diaper ( the kind you can unfold so they lay out flat) and then put shredded newspaper on top of that, the diapers (nappy's) really absorb and hold in lots of pee!

What a great idea!  I'll have to remember that.   

Thanks!!
~Liza

In addition to the respiratory issue, I've read that sedatives make animals less responsive to sudden jolts (like turbulence) and therefore less likely to brace or catch themselves on a bumpy ride -- often resulting in broken bones. I think that's another reason why airlines won't fly sedated pets.

I've also wondered about taking my cat on board with me. I've done this already in the US, and he was fine, but it's a much longer flight across the Atlantic, and he's also a large cat (15 lbs). Also I'm terrified of getting him all packed up, paperwork ready, ticket bought, and getting turned away at the gate because he's too big for the carrier. My vet looked it over and said he would be alright, but of course the airline isn't going to take her word for it. Rules is rules, etc.

For the nervous mums who've posted abovve -- me too. I really don't care if the rest of the move goes to pot; it's only material stuff, after all. But I'm on pins and needles about my cat.

I've also wondered about taking my cat on board with me. I've done this already in the US, and he was fine, but it's a much longer flight across the Atlantic, and he's also a large cat (15 lbs). Also I'm terrified of getting him all packed up, paperwork ready, ticket bought, and getting turned away at the gate because he's too big for the carrier. My vet looked it over and said he would be alright, but of course the airline isn't going to take her word for it. Rules is rules, etc.

I didn't realise you could carry pets on board on trans-Atlantic flights! If you can, I'd say go for it. If you're worried about the airline, just call them and talk to them about it first. I'm sure there's some sort of document or paperwork they could send you to confirm beforehand so you wouldn't have to worry about turned away at the gate. They may need your cat's weight, measurements, etc., but if they OK it then you'd be all set.