Advice on a long trip with a nervous cat

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m moving to the US from Canada in a few months. My cat of ten years, Jake, was originally going to stay behind and live with my mother and her dog and cat, which he’s used to after me being off at University for the past few years.

But, ever since August, Jake’s been my shadow. He’s always been “my cat”, but never quite so attached. If my door is closed at 5 in the morning , he’ll sit outside and throw himself at it and cry until he’s let in ( then throw himself at it and cry a half hour later to be let out. He is a cat, after all). If I have a lap, he’s in it. If I’m laying down, he’s on me.

So, we started to look at the possibility of Jake coming with me. He can immigrate easily enough, being of sound cat mind and cat body, but he’s a horrible traveller. Last time he had to move between houses, he peed on me on the way to the car to demonstrate just how unhappy he was to be out of doors. Then he sang a lengthy aria in the car on the way over about how much he hates being in cars.

It’s a 7 hour car trip after a 6 hour plane trip to get Jakey to our new home. So I’m looking for advice on how to transport a travel-hating cat across two time zones as painlessly as possible.

I took him to his vet this morning to make sure he’s got a clean bill of health to travel, and wouldn’t be under any more risk for health problems than any other cat. He’s 10, he’s prone to crystals in his urine ( which has led to overnights as the vet twice in the past), but otherwise healthy. The vet will give me tranquillizers for him to take on the day of his trip, to help him mellow out. The airline we’re flying requires a hard plastic case for pets, and his is too large to fit under a seat, so he’s going to have to travel as cargo ( they promise the hold he’d be in is as warm as the cabin). Then we take him in the car and head south.

I’m going to start taking him for drives in his carrier to help get him used to travelling, but any other advice on how to make this easier on Jake and everyone who has to be around him the day he travels would be much appreciated. I’ve never traveled so far with a pet before, and certainly not one as anti-car as Jake. He’s still welcome to stay with my mother if the trip seems like it would prove too hard on him, but I’d love to bring my boy with me, and my fiance’s extremly fond of Jakey too.

2

That’s sweet; I had a cat who did exactly the same thing. I was to leave him behind with my mother, but he somehow divined this information weeks before the fact, and became my bestest friend in the whole world. I took him with me when I left.

You’ve already got the Better Living Through Chemicals going, so that’s the main thing taken care of. I’d advise anybody never to send a pet in cargo – can you possibly drive? Which is more painful but safer in the end – but at least in winter you don’t run the risk of being delayed on the tarmac in the hot sun, plane off, air conditioning off, temperatures rising.

See if you can make the cage as comfortable as possible. Have a carpet-lined crate built, or something. Cats tend to claw at the wire doors of conventional cages until they’re bloody, so try to avoid a cage with a wire door.

As far as driving – have you ever taken a cat for a long drive before? I find that high emotion is unsustainable, even in cats, for several hours. After a few hours they stop screaming and just try to sleep. I hope you are as lucky as I have been.

3

I used to ship live cata via air - if you can possibly find/build a large wooden crate, and the airline still accepts these, do so (I used the air freight services, not the airline check-in) You will not have access to the cat in-flight (I doubt if you could buy him a seat, for fear of cat-allergic passengers, current of future). Make sure your vet knows his drugs - their minimum time between doses, greatest single and cumlative dosages, etc. Cats hate moving except under their own power and schedule - unless he is an exceptionally mellow cat (and he doesn’t sound like one), I strongly recommend drugs. Equip the crate/carrier with a small door, and a towel as a nest as far away from the little door as possible I used about 15"x15"x10" dimensions, with a small screened door at one corner - they want to hide somewhere they can’t see strangers. Set the carrier (with water and food bowls) out a week or so before the trip, and encourage him (read: if he doesn’t get inquisitive on his own, stick him in it with the door open. The reason for the wood vs. plastic is the “homey” quality - you need to create a nest box for him, and plastic smells strange - even plywood (I used 1/4", with a furring strip frame (1x1 or no more than 1x2 dimensional lumber)).
Put, in BIG RED LETTERS “LIVE ANIMAL” and UP arrows on every side, and make sure that they know to put him in heated and pressurized cargo - 30 years ago, this was available on all 7n7 series planes - check what type you’ll be in, and EXACTLY where and when he will be available - first get him, then your luggage. Live cargo is the first thing off-loaded (or was) .
I assume you have checked INS regs - there used to be a quarantine period for live animals entering the US - even if hand-carried I never shipped across borders, so I don’t know, but your vet (or someone) can provide a “Get Out of Jail Free” document. Unless you can have a place ready to go when you hit the ground, consider having your folks ship him later (with a sock or something with your scent, so he’ll associate the carrier with you.
They will be spooked for a couple of days, but recover.

Good luck

4

There’s quite a lot involved in transporting pets. Below are snips from Air Canada’s regulations for Animals in Hold. They can be fun to interperet, so if you’d like, email me (in profile) with basic flight info, and I can check the type of plane on that route, and also check other airlines. Just use SDMB in the subject line.

The bits you’d most like to considder are:

BLACKOUTS FOR SMALLER AIRCRAFTS APPLY BETWEEN
01NOV-31MAR, AND WHEN TEMPERATURE FALLS TO 0 DEGREES.
SEE PARAGRAPHS: WINTER, LIABILITY

and

— TO AND FROM USA — ‡ 110.00 CAD / ‡ 75.00 USD
FOR ONE-WAY TRAVEL PLUS APPLICABLE TAXES

also, the always fun rules for kennels

  • ANIMAL / KENNEL MUST BE PREPARED PRIOR TO CHECK-IN.
  • KENNELS MUST BE PURCHASED PRIOR TO TRAVEL DATE ARE
    NON-REFUNDABLE DUE TO SANITARY REASONS.
  • KENNEL MUST BE LARGE ENOUGH TO ALLOW ANIMAL TO STAND,
    TURN AROUND AND LIE DOWN
  • HEAD CANNOT TOUCH TOP OF CAGE WHEN STANDING
  • ANIMAL MUST FIT COMPLETELY INSIDE KENNEL
  • HEAD CANNOT BE EXPOSED
  • ALL ANIMALS MUST BE IN LEAKPROOF KENNELS / CONTAINERS.
  • KENNELS ARE NOT ACCEPTED WITHOUT ABSORBENT BLANKET
    FOR SANITARY REASONS
  • WIRE/WELD MESH ‡CAGE LIKE‡ KENNELS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
  • KENNELS MUST BE STURDY. COLLAPSIBLE KENNELS NOT ACCEPTED.
  • DO NOT ACCEPT KENNELS WITH WHEELS. WHEELS MUST BE REMOVED
  • ONLY HARD-SIDED KENNELS ARE ACCEPTED AS CHECKED BAGGAGE.

KENNEL DOOR AND LOCKING DEVICE MUST BE FUNCTIONAL AND IN
GOOD CONDITION TO PREVENT ANIMAL FROM ESCAPING IN-FLIGHT

There’s a lot more reguarding aircraft type and numbers of pets allowed at the same time on the same flight.

The most important aspect of that is:

— RESTRICTIONS AIRBUS A319/A320/A321 —

  • CARGO COMPARTMENTS ARE NOT HEATED AND TEMPERATURE
    CAN BE AS LOW AS 2 DEGREES CELCIUS.
  • ALL PETS REQUIRE A LIMITED RELEASE TAG ‡ACF515E‡

So like I said, drop me a line, and I can condense the salient info into something more palatable to a normal person. :slight_smile:

5

Tranquilize him whether you drive or fly. If you fly, tie the door to the carrier shut, because they can pop open if the cage gets jostled. Definitely write LIVE ANIMAL and THIS END UP all over it. Put a blanket in the carrier too in case it gets cold in there, preferably one that smells like you. Good luck with your move.

6

One bit of advice for traveling in the car: see if you can set up his carrier so that he can look out the window of the car.

When we moved from Virginia to Chicago a month ago ( a 15 hour or so drive), Squeemu howled and freaked out the entire first day, even though her carrier was in my wife’s lap and she had her hand in there petting her the entire time.

The second day, we set her up so that her carrier was behind our heads and she could look out the window. There was not one peep out of her for the rest of the trip - she looked so engrossed in the passing cars and scenery, and even calmed down and slept peacefully.

7

Max spoiled me as far as being a travel kitty. Once, I decided for the heckofit to take him along to run errands. He loved it. Sat on top of the fold down center armrest-it got him high enough to look around. He’d climb onto the rear parcel shelf and watch if I went into a store. He crawled between my neck and the highback seat headrest and looked at the sights, meowing at toll takers on I-95 as if to say, “What, didn’t you ever see a cat riding his owner’s neck?” :stuck_out_tongue:

8

We’re flying, then driving. From Eastern Canada to Winnipeg, and then south for several hours. I’ve read the regs up and down, and it’s easier to get Jake in than to get me in ( I’m at the tail end of 6 months of paperwork. He doesn’t even need shots), and there’s no quarantine unless he’s visibly ill ( he’s not in bad health, visible or otherwise). I am going to get him a health cert from his vet closer to travel time and he got his rabies jabber yesterday at the vet’s office, just in case.

I’m flying with Westjet, who’s regs pretty much match up with the ones for Air Canada posted below. The first thing I did when we started discussing Jake’s possible immigration was to call them up and find out their policies on travelling with pets. They have two holds, one’s pressurized, and that’s where he’d go…at least, according to the guy I talked to. It probably won’t be my last call for details. I am worried about the cold, because the vet warned that one side effect of his tranqs might be to effect his ability to regulate hisbody temp- but the lonely few hours in the cargo hold are the ones I’m most worried about mellowing him for. I’ve been thinking about trying a hot water bottle or something, but I doubt that would stay warm long enough, and might shift around and take up his space. I don’t know exactly when I’m flying yet ( still not quite done with my own arrangements to enter the US as a legal immigrant), but we’re looking at shortly into the new year.

He’s got a nice hard plastic carrier with a fleece blanket inside. Relatives have told me to put food and water in with him when he goes, but that just sounds like a mess waiting to happen, and could get mighty uncomfortable. I doubt he’ll be in any mood to eat, especially once his head’s full of fluff. He loves to get inside anything that resembles a B-O-X, so he’s been hanging out in there a bit.

My fiance’s apartment is waiting for him at the end of the trip, so no worries about having somewhere for him to stay. Jake’s a horrible travel kitty, but he’s very used to moving to new homes and is great at adjusting. All I have to do is get him there in one piece, and the nerves should vanish within a few hours.

The plane ride is my big worry, since I can’t be there with him if he has trouble. We’ll bring food, water, and a pan of his favorite litter along on the car trip. With his chancey bladder, he’s supposed to drink lots of fluids on his travel day, but while I can lead a cat to water, I’m still not quite sure how to make him drink. He loves milk, which would get fluids into him, but that could upset his tummy…
All in all, this would be much easier if he hadn’t decided he was coming. But he’s adamant, and he’s my boy.