Officially horrified!

 
I have been doing research on my upcoming departure to UK in May with ma beloved cat.
I am extremely worried after reading some horrifying posts on various sites from travellers that paid to have their pet travel internationally with them in the plane's cargo. 

Please anyone give me positive stories!!  What was your experience with your pet travelling in cargo?  I was planning on Continental but now I have NO idea!!!

Sorry you are stressed out by moving but it will be worth it when you are done.  I flew my small dog overseas using Continental as they are rated the best for pet transport and people I knew had good experiences with them.  I had a great experience, even got him as soon as I got my luggage.  He was exhausted and slept most of the drive home, but didn't seem traumatized from what I observed. They even made sure to change his bedding when it had gotten wet and messy from traveling.  I have found that no matter who you fly with as a passenger or pet owner, there is always a bad story and a good story out there.  Personally I would recommend Continental when flying with pets, but I only have one experience, and it was positive, the captain even made an effort to inform me when my dog was loaded and that he had a dog as well.  That is my opinion, feel free to ask questions or pm me if I can help in any way.  Good luck!

Please anyone give me positive stories!!  What was your experience with your pet travelling in cargo?  I was planning on Continental but now I have NO idea!!!

I haven't heard any horror stories!

My cat was just fine flying BA from Boston. No problems whatsoever.

Our cat has flown all over the world in cargo.  I've never had ANY problems. 

A good friend of mine is a pilot and he told me the ins and outs of how they handle animals.  Once he explained it all to me, I felt very confident about sending my cat cargo.  It really is the best way to transport animals. 

My dog flew cargo from Boston to Heathrow on BA. She arrived in quarantine happy and healthy.

I've flown two cats from California to New York in cabin and they were miserable. They hated it and hid in a bedroom for a week after that. They had to be in smaller carriers and the woman next to me kept kicking one of them. The other was with my ex and kept getting set off by a baby crying, which she must have thought was another cat being tortured. I won't even get into the hassle of taking them out of their carriers to go through security at LAX...

The big airlines know how to handle animals in cargo, they have a special cargo compartment for animals, and it's the best way to fly animals.

I paid a woman to do all the work for me, and she was super nice and not too terribly expensive, and my mini schnauzer arrived safe and sound and has not had any side effects.

I paid a woman to do all the work for me, and she was super nice and not too terribly expensive, and my mini schnauzer arrived safe and sound and has not had any side effects.

I sent Poppy through a courier, too. She came higly recommended by people on here and everyone I dealt with was great.

My cats flew on Continental we used a pet courier service who dropped my cats off at our house. we asked the pet service if there was any problems on the plane or in the holding area they said no. I would say it took maybe half a day to a full day for the cats settle into there new place that was in March 2005.

Thanks All!! 
Those positive experiences put my worries at ease. 
Lissy, was there anything you said to the airlines and or pilot to ensure proper care?

Thanks again!!!

xx

I moved my two cats over in June 2006 with a pet transport company on BA and they were absolutely fine! You can not sedate them, and make sure the crates fit with the regulations, but the cargo area they are in is special for pets and is climate controlled and pets are actually more secure there than they would be in the cabin - which I don't think they can fly in anyway to the UK due to the strict regulations. Your cat will be completely fine, it will be more stressful on you 

I brought 2 cats over in 2003 on a Northwest Flight into Gatwick. Absolutely no problems. Everything went smoothly!  I think the thing to do is not read or concentrate on those horror stories.  For the most part, everything should go just fine if you have done everything you were supposed to do.

I actually just kept asking about my dog and they were great in reassuring me.  When I transferred to my flight at Newark from Chicago they even let me know when he arrived and let me glance at him through his kennel.  Of course I lurked around the cargo/pet area, but just to see him for a moment was very worthwhile.  I asked the stewardess about my dog immediately upon boarding, I know I am just a tad overprotective, and she said she would check with the captain and they both reassured me my precious cargo was loaded safely and told me that they had dogs and I had nothing to worry about, yet they understood my concern.  Everyone I dealt with regarding my dog was that way throughout the flight, it was great.

I think if you're horrified you really don't understand what the process and environment really is for your pet. The best thing you can do is call the airline/airport and talk, if at all possible, to the people who handle the pets. They can give you specifics on what it will be like, etc. My dogs flew BA from Atlanta to Gatwick and had no problems whatsoever. I would suggest trying to do a direct flight or minimize any connections.

I can guarantee you that flying them over there in cargo will be less traumatizing than having to put your animal(s) in quarantine :/ I think you'll feel much more worried/etc about it than they ever will.