6 Hour Flight with 14 Year Old Cat in Cargo. Just Diagnosed with Stage 2 Kidney Disease

[Spartacus123]

I'm currently working overseas and was planning on returning to the UK with my senior cat at the end of the year.

We were supposed to move back 2 years ago but I had to have major surgery and follow up treatment.

My cat is 14. She was always in great health but has just been diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease.

She has follow up blood tests in a month and I will of course ask my vets opinion regarding travel.

Has anyone any experience of air travel with senior cats with health issues in cargo?

I'm prepared to stay overseas if it is not recommended for her to make the journey.

TIA

[Mollycat]

No experience at all of animals on flights but just a couple of thoughts.

Healthy other than kidney disease is still healthy if the cat feels healthy, the markers taken to measure IRIS stages don't seem to match all that well to how the cat feels. What symptoms brought you to the vets, or was it discovered in a routing blood test without symptoms?

6 hours travel isn't that long for a cat who travels well. Compared to ground travel methods a plane is much noisier and there's the pressurisation or lack of it in the hold, especially as I'm guessing for that length of flight the altitude is going to be significant - and the temperature. Have you started researching flights yet? Is there an airline that would allow you to take her in the cabin with you?

I love that you're prepared to stay rather than bring back a cat that would suffer from the journey - kidney disease is quite manageable and your companion could well still have a good time still with you, though the more time goes on the harder she will be to move.

Come to think of it my girl is 14 too and has just started kidney support food 6 months ago after being diagnosed 2 years ago. I wouldn't hesitate to undertake a 6 hour journey with her, my concern would be the additional discomfort in the hold and I would definitely pay to have her with me even if it meant paying full price for her seat!

[Spartacus123]

Thank you that's reassuring. Hopefully the vet will agree to us travelling. If not we'll stay.

She had a UTI last month which was treated successfully. I asked for blood tests to make sure there was nothing to be worried about for travelling back home. After tests she was diagnosed with kidney disease. She spent 5 days at the vets getting her kidneys flushed. She's doing fine but not eating any of her renal food. It's a struggle have tried 4 types of wet food and 3 dry food. Refuses Ipakitine mixed in food.

As far as I'm aware cats arriving in the UK have to go in cargo and are not allowed in the cabin.

IF we do travel I'm using a pet relocation service with a good reputation. It's £3,000. If she could travel in the cabin it would be easier and a lot cheaper. But she's part Mau she'll be crying for the 6hr flight.

[fjm]

You may be able to fly to a Northern European city with her in the cabin and travel on by car or train - more complicated, but might be worth looking into. But 6 hours of howling might get embarrassing!

[Spartacus123]

She's part Mau she loves to talk constantly. I think the direct flight with British Airways is the easiest option.

[Mollycat]

As for renal wet food, welcome to the club, as fjm and I are both, along with many others here, in the thick of the very same battle.

If you're happy for her to eat some dry, the dry renal foods tend to be more palatable, and I find Hills has never been refused by any cat I'm aware of (correct me if I'm wrong!) For some cats, switching part of the diet to renal dry and keeping some senior wet food can be enough to make an initial improvement and stabilise the disease.

It might be worth working with the vet also to balance the stress of the journey against the stress of being encouraged to eat a food she isn't convinced about, especially with a UTI in her recent history.

Where are you coming back from? I've personally not heard of having a kidney flush and I know they do a lot of treatments in the USA that we don't tend to do much in the UK. Was that just keeping he at the vets on IV fluids or is there more involved?

Also potentially worth being aware that renal food is very calorie rich compared to normal food so she may seem to be eating little or none when in fact she's getting enough. I've been throwing away more food than you can imagine lately and then I noticed she is having about 20g out of the 50 to 80 I serve up, but she has dry as well and she is getting steadily fatter, so it's my portions that are out.

[Spartacus123]

My cat hated Hills Prescription. It was the vet's recommendation. She would sniff both the wet and dry and walk off in disgust. I've tried a few dry foods and she wasn't happy until I got Forza10. She seems to be enjoying it.

She eats a little regular food with Ipakitine but not every day. And eats a little RC renal. I also feed just her regular food with no Ipakitine.

I'm in Saudi, the vets are mostly from South Africa. Yes she was on an IV drip for five days. Which lowered two of her enzymes.

I've just ordered her some senior cat food which should arrive next week.

[Spartacus123]

Apologies, forgot to say that's really interesting about the high calorie content in the food. I had no idea. Thanks.

Wishing your cat good health

[Mollycat]

Good that you've found something she likes, and I'm actually quite glad to find someone who won't eat Hills dry!!

Not sure but I think some of the formula foods supplied in different countries by the same manufacturer can have slightly different recipes, don't be too surprised if her tastes change a little when you do get back.

Another thought for your vet - when ckd cats need an anaesthetic, eg for a dental, vets often recommend IV fluids overnight before and sometimes after to support recovery. Might be worth asking if that might be beneficial for the stress of the journey. I don't know, just an idea.

[Spartacus123]

My friend's cat refuses to eat Hills so there's another fussy eater too.

That's a really good idea, will ask about that.

Also thinking about sending my cat out two months before I hand my notice in which my employer requires 60 days.

That way I know she is waiting for me in the UK. Not sure what I would do if I was leaving and she couldn't come with me.