Traveling with a cat?

My sister & I drove from Sacramento down to Ensenada with our cat, Timmy. We stopped in some city near the grapevine (can't remember the name) and spent the night at a hotel. Before we left, we went and bought a bunch of goodies: a nice kennel/cage thingy, lots of his favorite food, a nice cushion, etc. and I was so afraid that he would be a pain but he was the best ever!!! He probably whined for about the first 10-15 minutes and then he chilled out the rest of the trip. I just looooove him! :love:
 
We drove 24 hours moving from Eugene to Idaho with our cat. He spent most of the time under the seat on a pillow, but would come out sometimes and sit on my or my daughter's lap. We snuck him into the hotel that first night (it was COLD!!!). He did amazingly well. No sedatives, but we were there with him, which I think helped him. He loves his new home! Good luck in your move!
 
Wow! All these traveling cats! lol

I'm particularly impressed with the cats that tolerated car rides!!! I thought about driving to Chicago which would take about 3 days. I felt like that was too long for my cat to handle, although he handles car rides well. He HATES being in a kennel... this is probably bad, but I just let him run wild in the car. He actually just stands on his hind feet and stares out the window like a dog.
 
IntlSet said:
He HATES being in a kennel... this is probably bad, but I just let him run wild in the car. He actually just stands on his hind feet and stares out the window like a dog.

Awww...that is too cute!! Timmy, he actually likes confined spaces, so he didn't mind the kennel too much. Plus, when I do road trips I stop a LOT...bathroom, starbucks, snacks, etc. and I was really afraid that he might want to run off when the door opened.
 
When we moved from Cali. to Chicago, my cat flew and did great. Kittens tend to do better than older cats traveling though. My cat was not sedated or anything and did fine with the other pets traveling below. Airlines do a lot better now with pets than they did when I moved back to Chicago, pre-9/11.
 
I flew my cat from NJ to FL. The vet gave her valium, and she rode under my seat(I will never, ever check an animal). When we got to FL she took many car rides to school, on trips, she was a real trooper, and she never travelled till that plane ride at 8 yrs. old!
 
IntlSet said:
Hi ladies,

Have any of you ever transferred your cat to another state? I am moving to Chicago in September and I am trying to find the cheapest/safest way to get myself and the cat there.

Should I have the cat tranquilized for the flight (about 7 hours)? Also, have any of you ever used a pet shipping service where the pet travels independently of you?

Thanks!

When I moved back from Scottsdale to L.A., I was able to sedate my cat and place him under the seat in front of me (in a cat carrier of course). It was a short flight (1 hour) so it went pretty smooth. For a 7 hour flight thought, I don't know. I would look into the pet shipping and see what that entails.
 
I flew my cat back from NYC to LA, without sedation (my vet in NY was also fairly anti-sedation), and since she's pretty small she rode in her soft-sided cat carrier under the seat in front of me. Unfortunately, the plane engine sound scared her so I ended up putting the cat carrier on my lap for most of the flight and opening it just a little bit so that I could put my hand in and scratch her head.. I did feel bad for the guy sitting next to me!

My BF put his cat in a carrier (his cat's pretty large) and he flew over in the 'pet room' under the plane. He made it through the flight fine, and he was 11 years old at the time.

We've also driven our cats back and forth from SF to LA (about a 6 hour drive) and they've been fine each time w/o any sedation.. my cat is generally pretty vocal for the first hour or so but once she realizes she's not getting out she calms down. I do unzip the carrier so that she can poke her head out - she really likes to be able to look around. ;)
 
My cat was indeed a trooper on our 3 day (!) trip from TX to DE. So it may be possible you can drive with your cat as well. I love that your cat enjoys riding. I've seen cats actually lying down on the back ledges of a car's rear window. Unfortunately, that's not my cat. On our trip, he preferred to stay in his carrier in the front seat with me and I had his litter box on the floorboard in front of the seat. BUT I made frequent stops to walk him on his leash, drink, etc throughout the trip. He whined for about 10 mins at first but calmed right down. When I've flown, I've always had him in the under the seat in front of me and was able to reach down and re-assure him during the trip. No one has ever complained and most just smile. But then again Kitty is pretty quiet on trips, he's talker other times though. I :heart:my kitty! :love:
 
My cat is only 8 months old but it seems like I'll have to get a kennel where he can't even stand up if he has to fit under my seat. The spaces are soooo small!!
 
IntlSet said:
^^^
Thanks, MandyM!! You're always so helpful! I guess I'll tough it out with my cat-baby. He is a real yodeler, though... And I really hope nobody on the flight is allergic to cats. Honestly, I'm surprised they even allow animals in the cabin.
I'm surprised too. I didn't know we could do this! Do you have to pay extra for him?
 
i don't know about cats but the woman next to me while i was on a transatlantic flight had a little dog with her and he was MISERABLE throughout the whole flight. he refused to drink any of the water and he kept escaping from his carrier...
 
kathyrose said:
I'm surprised too. I didn't know we could do this! Do you have to pay extra for him?

Last time I did it was four years ago. At the time, you had to call the airline you were flying with to buy a ticket. They limit the number of pets in the cabin, so earlier is better. The airlines say they require a certificate of health that your vet can fill out. The cost was $50 for him to fly not including the visit to the vet. In all honesty, I have NEVER seen them ask for this certificate. AND I had a friend who had a cat who took his cat and didn't even pay for a ticket with no problems. Of course me being a stickler for the rules paid! :Push: I don't know how things are lately...
 
We picked up our cats from boarding school (cattery) once and my husband insisted that they could roam around the car. We let them out and guess where our girl went. Yep, straight under the brake pedal - we will never do that again!