Air Travel ... Cargo Cat Questions

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fleetwoodPC
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Air Travel ... Cargo Cat Questions

Post by fleetwoodPC »

Putt-Putt is going with me to San Diego from Philly in three weeks ... permanently.

7 hr flight + 2 hrs in cargo before flight plus an hour to pick up? ... ten hours.

He's going in cargo, American Airlines.

Domestic flight, domestic short hair cat.

He's big. 20 lbs. Never traveled before. Indoor cat. No claws. Neutered. He's 15-17. (rescued)

I got him a large carrier ... 50lb dog size ... to .

Here are my ideas to make him comfortable and safe. Please critique.

I have both a Sentry and Comfort Zone 'calm collar'. He won't wear it but I can put it in the cage.
Should I put in both? Should it/they be under a blanket or perhaps taped to the inside?
Do they wear out once I open them?

It's large enough to have boxes (tupperware?) for litter, little food, water (ice) which I will velcro to the bottom and cover in Press-N-Seal wrap and cut many slices into the top so he can stick his head in but perhaps if there's some bad handling or bumps the litter doesn't get out.

It'll have towels and blankets.

Biggest question ... how do I best acclimate him to the carrier for a ten hour flight.

My ideas are, and I could do these in order a few days at time:
• Leave the carrier top off and start feeding him in the carrier.
• Put the top on and feeding him in the carrier.
• Put half the carrier (top off) on my bed next to me when he's eating.
• Put half the carrier (top off) on my bed next to me when I'm sleeping and take away the three comfy things he likes to sleep on.
• Put the full carrier on my bed next to me – door open – when I'm sleeping, door open, and take away the three comfy things he likes to sleep on.
• Put the full carrier on my bed next to me, or just on the floor during the day – door closed – and let him be in it for an hour or two after he uses the box .. working up a hour each day? ..once a day? ... and then perhaps sleeping next to me for a full night with the full carrier, closed door? ... you get the idea ... lots of options here..

Thank you so much.
I know I'm thinking about this a lot but he's a timid cat and this is gonna be a real long day for him.
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Mollycat
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Re: Air Travel ... Cargo Cat Questions

Post by Mollycat »

I understand you! I have a very timid nervous cat too, every time we have to go anywhere I have a Reiki practitioner and communicator send her some Reiki, and it does wonders for her. As a matter of fact she is going to the vets tonight to stay in for a dental, we had a communication session yesterday and reiki is booked to get her in the carrier and again tomorrow for the tests and procedure.

So, I'm guessing travelling in the cabin with you was not possible? The cargo hold would be my biggest worry, the temperature and the discomfort of not being in a pressurised cabin. I would not offer food, just water and litter, though he may not take either during the journey through stress. But food can make him sick and that's really not nice for him.

I did a quick search to see if my own instincts matched reality and found this from the Humane Society on pet travel. https://www.humanesociety.org/resources ... p-or-train It's not nice reading, but it does seem to support my thoughts that blankets food and the carrier are really not the biggest worries at all. They are suggest ice cubes rather than a water bowl that might spill before he even gets into the cargo hold. The ramps are on an incline even before we start thinking turbulence.

Anyway I'm not on your question yet, I'm sure you have researched it.

My cat's carrier normally lives out in the open as part of the furniture, where it has the same household smells as everything else and is not something to be feared every time it has to come out. She sometimes sleeps in it or uses it as an observation hide, but it hold absolutely no fear for her as it's just another thing in the house. She also feels safer in it at the vets.

Try calming products before you go so you can see for yourself what has the best effect on him. See if the vet can prescribe a mild sedative, at the same time ask if they will share records with your new vet when you get there. Don't feed him in the carrier unless you want to give a little treat for going in it, the more you disrupt his routine before you go the harder it will be to settle him for the journey. The more normal his world can be before the stressful day, the better.

When you get to your new home, as priority give him one quiet room with lots of familiar stuff from home including clothes you have worn and not washed, and his bedding the same. Food, water and litter all in that one room, hiding places high and low under furniture, and keep a calm state of mind yourself as he will pick up on your emotions and worry if you worry. Keep the door to that room closed while your belongings are unpacked.

Good luck with the move!
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