Moving With Pets?

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adOggy07

adOggy07

KSU CVM C/O 2012
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Hey all!

I currently live in Southern California and will be moving to Kansas in August for vet school. Our (my bf and I) plan of action for the move was to rent a truck and drive to Kansas.. we're thinking it will take us 3 full days to make the move.

I'm getting a little worried about how I should transport my cat. I don't think I'll have any issues with the dog because he's so good in the car and we would probably be able to find motels that would take pets (it seems a lot of them do now!)

So the issue isn't really with motels... but I don't think my cat should even be in a carrier for 12 plus hours daily for 3 days.... that sounds awful?!

How is everyone else transporting their pets? Thanks!! 🙂
 
I drove from eastern Wyoming to Oregon in a day with one dog and two cats and two sugar gliders! Talk about an adventure!

With that said, it should be about the same distance for you as what I did. I got a larger crate for the cats so they could hang out in there, have water, and a litter box and be somewhat comfortable. They didn't use any of their commodities and were quite traumatized by the time I made it into Oregon late at night. Overall, though, I do feel that it was less stressful overall for them to travel in *one* day versus multiple days. But, if you do it right and are careful about motels and such, you should be ok.

My greatest fear was one of them slipping out of my car while I was gassing up or going out to eat. So they most definitely stayed under lock and key the entire time.

It was ok, really. They didn't complain at all and the trip was fine. I think you could probably do it in two long days if you tried, three if you wanted it to be somewhat enjoyable, but believe me, much of what you'll drive through isn't all that exciting. 😛
 
I would have a very un-peaceful trip... one of my cats is absolutely not capable of being quiet during road trips. every 10 seconds it's another pitiful wail from the poor mistreated kitty. 😡

I definitely emphatically agree with the lock-and-key thing; that would ruin my YEAR if the kitty ran out at a rest stop and vanished into the woods forever (or even worse got run over). I wouldn't trust even the calmest cat to not run away in such a strange situation.
 
I'll be doing the same this summer... with at least one, possibly two cats, and a saltwater fish tank! I'm actually more nervous about the kitties, I'm pretty comfortable moving my tank. I have taken my cat on several 4 hour road trips, and I've found that if I attach a hamster water thing to the side of his cage he actually drinks. I don't feed when we are in transport...although if the trip is going to be multiple days then that should change. I always put a blanket over the cage, I think it gives him more of a sense of security. He usually just goes to sleep! Oh, and I always set him up in the backseat. I think it's a quieter ride back there. I just adjust my rearview mirror so that I can see him at all times.
 
I travel with my cats all of the time. I actually purposefully travelled with them when they were younger to see how they reacted and to adjust them to the concept of moving and staying in new places.

For the first few years I let them roam the car with a litter pan on the floor board and then confined them only when I was getting out of the car. Unfortunately, my goofy dane literally scared the pee out of KittyKittyFangFang by waking up and losing her balance and kind of falling on the unsuspecting sleeping cat🙁. So cat urine in a car...really cat urine anywhere... very hard to get the smell out.

Since then I travel with the cats in a "Super Pet Deluxe" Cage which is essentially a one story large guinea pig cage. I like it better than a wire crate because they can still see me but it has a high sided pan. I don't know what your space restrictions are but I really like this option.

As for multiple day trips my cats are really laid back and don't seem to upset about being in the car. However my friends cats are very high strung and both have problems in the car. One cat is fine as long as it is allowed to lay on the drivers lap no matter who it is even if it is a person they would normally snap at! (we have decided this cat is a control freak) The other cat is fine for the first day but then must be sedated for any multiple days. I would consider taking along a sedative just in case.
 
twelvetigers said:
I would have a very un-peaceful trip... one of my cats is absolutely not capable of being quiet during road trips. every 10 seconds it's another pitiful wail from the poor mistreated kitty. 😡

I definitely emphatically agree with the lock-and-key thing; that would ruin my YEAR if the kitty ran out at a rest stop and vanished into the woods forever (or even worse got run over). I wouldn't trust even the calmest cat to not run away in such a strange situation.
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I'm also getting my puppy microchipped before I leave and getting a "travel ID" with my cell phone and her destination put on her collar so, just in case the horrible happens, there is a chance she can be returned. I'm really worried still, and I'm only going 8 hours.
 
Good point about the microchip. I'm planning on that as well.
 
Is anybody considering flying their animals? I've got two cats and one of them gets so worked up just by a short drive that he ends up pooping in his carrier and then usually has a herpes flare up the next day from all the stress. I'm trying to way the pros and cons of flying verse driving them. The idea of putting them on a plane makes me nervous though.
 
I have flown with my cats before. In all likelihood it is probably just as stressful for them but for a shorter duration.

Some things to consider:
- How hot will it be when you move? They are generally kept in the baggage (read: not climate-controlled) section. In fact, some airlines will not allow you to fly pets over the summer, according to a friend of mine.
- Will you have to make connections? When I did it, I made sure to take a direct flight so that they didn't get lost.
 
Flying is a pretty common method for shipping squirrels and sugar gliders. The prices tend to be pretty reasonable too. Leave the cats home with a family member till you arrive, then they drop them off at the terminal and you just need to show up on the other end to pick them up.

If your afraid your animal is going to be freaking out the whole trip, there is also chemical sedation. Might be more practical for a 6 hour plane ride than the 3 day car ride, but something to consider.
 
If you can have someone drive your things to your destination, you can fly in the cabin with your cat in a soft sided carrier of a certain size. If you have a large cat it won't work because they must have a certain amount of mobility in the carrier to pass inspection. Just remember either way your cat flys they will still experience the same ear pain from pressure that you do when flying.🙁
 
If you're worried about dogs escaping at rest stops (or even just are worried about them being loose in the car -- always seems like a bad idea to me) they sell car harnesses for dogs. It's a padded harness that has a loop on the back, and you can feed a seatbelt through the loop and then buckle it, so the dog is restrained.

3 caveats: 1) I haven't seen any independently conducted studies proving that these things lessen injuries to dogs in serious accidents (theoretically, I'd think anything that keeps my dog from flying through the windshield in an accident is wonderful, but if the dog is sitting sideways or laying down, I worry that they could get hurt because of the harness in a minor accident).

2) If your dogs don't sit still in the car they can get tangled (mine usually untangle themselves, though)

3) If I glance away from my dogs for one second (while pumping gas, for example) they will chew through the harness or my seat belt, which is kind of a pain.

All that being said, they do fulfill two important functions: keeping the dog securely in the car no matter how many times you get in and out, and preventing the dog from becoming a projectile in a serious accident. So, I like them.
 
A few of the car insurance companies that offer coverage for pets require that your pet be restrained if you want the benefits.
 
1. If possible, start getting them used to car rides before the move. Start with short trips or if they really freak out, just put them in the car for a few minutes without going anywhere. If the only place they ever go is to the vet. hospital, you can see why they might get nervous about car rides.

2. In general, it's safer to have them in a carrier, especially cats. They love to get under your feet, as in under the brake. Also if you have to stop suddenly or swerve, you will find that having a pissed off cat flying through the air and attaching to your face can substantially degrade your driving skills.

3. Never open the car door or roll down the window unless kitty is safely in the carrier. Similarly, when going into the hotel, keep the cat in the carrier until the room door is closed. If the cat gets loose 1000 miles from home, they are going to have a tough time finding their way back home.
 
thanks for all the tips, stories and advice guys! 🙂 my cat is a very adventurous little guy who has no fear. he does fine in a cat carrier in the car and usually just goes straight to sleep. The longest car ride he's had is 1 hour. I guess my real concern is that... he is going to go mentally insane from being in a carrier for 8+ hours for 3 days! Then when we get to the hotel, I can imagine him harassing us while we're trying to get some shut eye for the night. Crawling all over us, licking our faces and purring like a boiling pot of water. I can see it now.. then we will be some very tired drivers the next am. 😴

I did find some information on shipping pets..
http://www.flypets.com/
http://www.happytailstravel.com/index.php

but it seems rather expensive... and I'm not sure I can afford it at this point. So I guess we're gonna tough out the driving and eat at tons of drive throughs! fun! :laugh:
 
I brought my dog out here to school with me last summer (madison, wi to ithaca, ny = ~13 hour drive). She paces in the backseat, so she sat on my lap (even when driving, I know, not a great idea). However, we "go for bye-bye's" quite often at home, where I run errands with her, so she's used to sitting quietly in my lap when I am driving. She actually looks forward to it! Also, we made sure to let her get out and stretch her legs a lot (about every 3 hours or so) and do business. It went really well, and we didn't have any problems. Most of the time she slept (still in my lap). Slightly not so great facet: driving when your feet are falling asleep because your dog is laying on your lap funny (I just wake her up and we rearrange).

That all being said, I think the key was that I've trained her as to how I want her to behave in the car, and she's very familiar with it. The idea to introduce the animals to car trips is great.

Another thing: if your cat gets antsy in the carrier for so long, would you be able to take him/her out (with all the doors closed) for a short period on food breaks to stretch his/her legs (similar to walking a dog on food breaks?) This might help some of that pent-up energy! Not sure if its feasible though -- I've never had a cat.
 
I've never traveled with cats, as I am allergic to them and have never owned one, but as far as advice for those of you traveling with dogs:

You can get hammocks to put in the backseat. Not only does it cover your seat in case there is an accident...(I remember one time my dog decided he needed to poop when we were driving though the mountains and there were only runaway truck ramps to pull off on--not an option!)...it also does a petty good job of keeping them in the backseat. I have since also put up a cargo net between the front and the back and that does a good job keeping them in the back as well. I just went to Auto Zone or someplace and got a regular cargo net and used those plastic lock ties (like they use to handcuff people) to put it up. The only down side is putting up with jokes from my friends (especially when they're drunk) that I drive a cop car.
 
adOggy07 said:
Hey all!

I currently live in Southern California and will be moving to Kansas in August for vet school. Our (my bf and I) plan of action for the move was to rent a truck and drive to Kansas.. we're thinking it will take us 3 full days to make the move.

I'm getting a little worried about how I should transport my cat. I don't think I'll have any issues with the dog because he's so good in the car and we would probably be able to find motels that would take pets (it seems a lot of them do now!)

So the issue isn't really with motels... but I don't think my cat should even be in a carrier for 12 plus hours daily for 3 days.... that sounds awful?!

How is everyone else transporting their pets? Thanks!! 🙂
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Umm ... I am transporting mine by stock trailer. At least 4 ... hmm ... let's see how many trips! 1 trip for cow (2000 lbs) and probably donkey (400lbs), 1 trip for 2 pigs (1000 llbs) and add the three sheep in (350lbs), 1 trip for the 23 goats all Happy Together, 1 trip for the fox (in a carrier) and its own pen on a flat-bed, 1 trip for all the miscellaneous junk that goes with the critters to include pens, stakes, hot wire, hay, feed containers, etc. And a follow-along 5-horse trailer to get the 5 horses up country. Each trip is 2-3 hours one way. Fun weekend, eh? 😀

I have also hauled, non-stop, for 24 hours with horses to competitions in Oklahoma from South Florida so it isn't that bad. If a horse can handle a ride in a trailer for 24 hours non-stop, a cat can handle 12 hours just fine in a carrier.
 
Back to the idea of flying pets, I have 2 cats (one is 9lbs, the other is 21-ish lbs) and I think I'm probably going to end up trying to fly them. However, I'm going to be driving. I just don't think I can drive 2 cats in the car clear across the country (it would take us about a week? maybe more?). So I'm looking into flying them/sending them by air, whatever you call it.

But since it'll be summer, does anyone know where they're placed on a plane? I'm worried about cargo/non-climate controlled areas. Are there other things I should be considering?

Also, I know they need to go to the vet to get health certificates, but are there other steps I need to take to send them between states? Other documentation, etc.? I assume I'll want to tranq them for the flight anyhow for their increased comfort. Is that ok at high altitudes? (I know that people get intoxicated more easily at high altitudes, so maybe that alters the dosage? Obviously I'll talk this over with their vet, too.)

I'm also going to do some more research into this and will report back with what I find. But if anyone is already knowledgable in this, input would be much appreciated. Thanks!
 
lenadeb said:
Umm ... I am transporting mine by stock trailer. At least 4 ... hmm ... let's see how many trips! 1 trip for cow (2000 lbs) and probably donkey (400lbs), 1 trip for 2 pigs (1000 llbs) and add the three sheep in (350lbs), 1 trip for the 23 goats all Happy Together, 1 trip for the fox (in a carrier) and its own pen on a flat-bed, 1 trip for all the miscellaneous junk that goes with the critters to include pens, stakes, hot wire, hay, feed containers, etc. And a follow-along 5-horse trailer to get the 5 horses up country. Each trip is 2-3 hours one way. Fun weekend, eh? 😀
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WOW. I am impressed! holy ****. 😱 :laugh: that's a lot of beasts!

I'm going to be transporting my turtle, who's indistructable and has already driven across country twice in a drink cooler belted into the back seat. I'm not worried about her... but I am worried about transporting my 3 fat rats! With them in the car, we can't camp (too cold at night). We can stay at hotels... but they travel in a cat carrier, and they won't have enough room at night to be comfortable for a week! We could bring their palace-cage, but then we have to get them in and out of their respective cages every day/night, and they're already hard to move around, so I'm worried something would go wrong. My current plan is to convince my partner's mom to fly out to visit us, with them in their airline-approved cat carrier.... 🙄
 
When I moved out to CA from FL I flew my cat out here. The drive for us was 4 days in the first place, and was extended by a prolonged stop in SC for my mom's wedding and I didn't feel like my cat would do well for all of that. I had a girl who I worked with at a vet clinic down in FL take care of my cat for me and then drop her off at the airport so that I could go and pick her up the second day we were here.

I shipped my cat cargo via Delta's PetFirst service. The environment is temperature controlled and pressurized. They recommend not using tranquilizers, as did the vet that I used to work for. The cost actually isn't too bad honestly. There are requirements for the type and size of carriers that you'll need to use, so make sure you read up on the site about them. Oh, and there are weather restrictions so if it's summer you'll probably have to ship morning/night when it won't be over 85F in either area.

I don't know too much about the internal workings of the program or anything, just my own personal experience with them which was very good. My cat came out of the whole ordeal with nothing but nose scarring from rubbing it all over the carrier (she's never been good with carriers - she is on a harness and leash when we go anywhere usually).
 
nyanko said:
Oh, and there are weather restrictions so if it's summer you'll probably have to ship morning/night when it won't be over 85F in either area.
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Yea, that's the part I was just looking at (on AA just because their site was the one that came up first). What time of year did you send your cat? Can one deal with the weather restrictions by just flying them at a time of day that has lower temps, even if the temps will get higher in mid-day? I am worried about if flights are delayed or the forecast was wrong and things are hotter than they should be (since I'll be looking to send them over the summer).

My mom suggested that I leave them with her and wait until later in the fall to send them (Sept or Oct when temps are lower). I obviously want to do the best thing for my cats, but it's sad to think about leaving them behind for 1-2 months. 🙁
 
VAgirl said:
Yea, that's the part I was just looking at (on AA just because their site was the one that came up first). What time of year did you send your cat? Can one deal with the weather restrictions by just flying them at a time of day that has lower temps, even if the temps will get higher in mid-day? I am worried about if flights are delayed or the forecast was wrong and things are hotter than they should be (since I'll be looking to send them over the summer).
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Early September was when we did it. And we did it from Orlando, which is a raging inferno! So yes, time of day is the indicator for when the animals can be shipped. When you call to set up the flight (at least with Delta, not sure about AA), the person on the phone will have forecasts for the temperatures at the time that the flight will be in any given city. Flying out this way was good for us, because they just shipped her very early in the morning before it hit 85F in Orlando, she landed in SLC at a time that was still not too late (time zones) and then hit Sacramento when it still wasn't late enough for it to be hot. I think they only do plane transfers for pet cargo in cities where they have temperature controlled holding areas, so if flights are delayed that's probably where the animal would stay until the temperature got back down below 85F.
 
Just a bit of info from the airline ramp perspective...

I know Delta and AA take great care of the animals on each flight. The flight crews are made aware of the fact that there is an animal in the bin (cargo hold), and they make sure that the bin is warmed. If you do decide to take a flight and have your animals come with you as cargo, then on Delta at least, the ramp agent will come up to the cabin with a little paper slip notifying you that your animal had been safely loaded into the hold. They will do this for each leg of your journey. A lot of the rampers appreciate it when animal owners leave the name and information about the animal on the kennel, so that they could talk to the animal by name (it’s great to build a rapport with the animal, especially if they are scared). Also, the ramp agents appreciate it when the owner leaves a small ziplock bag of food, medications (if needed), and care instructions. That way, if the flight they are on is delayed, cancelled, or the animal is misconnected, there is some way to care for the animal. Make sure that a water dish is available for airline personnel to fill if necessary, as that is something that is required by the USDA. Most of the rampers go to great lengths to make sure your animal friend is fairly comfortable during their airline travels…

One final note: if you are traveling on the same flight, and your pet can be placed in an approved carrier to go underneath the seat, make sure you make a reservation for the animal! On most carriers, only 2 pets are allowed in each cabin (2 in F, 2 in Y class) and a fee of $50 is generally charged.
 
Thanks bcrunner! That's very helpful. Do you know what would happen to the animal if the flight is delayed/canceled and there isn't a person flying with the cat? (I'm looking to fly my cats so they can have a shorter trip, but I need to drive my car to where I'm going.) What about if this kind of stuff happens in a layover city? Do they even do indirect flights for animals?
 
Bcrunner1313 said:
Just a bit of info from the airline ramp perspective...

I know Delta and AA take great care of the animals on each flight. The flight crews are made aware of the fact that there is an animal in the bin (cargo hold), and they make sure that the bin is warmed. If you do decide to take a flight and have your animals come with you as cargo, then on Delta at least, the ramp agent will come up to the cabin with a little paper slip notifying you that your animal had been safely loaded into the hold. They will do this for each leg of your journey. A lot of the rampers appreciate it when animal owners leave the name and information about the animal on the kennel, so that they could talk to the animal by name (it’s great to build a rapport with the animal, especially if they are scared). Also, the ramp agents appreciate it when the owner leaves a small ziplock bag of food, medications (if needed), and care instructions. That way, if the flight they are on is delayed, cancelled, or the animal is misconnected, there is some way to care for the animal. Make sure that a water dish is available for airline personnel to fill if necessary, as that is something that is required by the USDA. Most of the rampers go to great lengths to make sure your animal friend is fairly comfortable during their airline travels…

One final note: if you are traveling on the same flight, and your pet can be placed in an approved carrier to go underneath the seat, make sure you make a reservation for the animal! On most carriers, only 2 pets are allowed in each cabin (2 in F, 2 in Y class) and a fee of $50 is generally charged.
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This is great info, thanks!
 
I read the Delta thing...and it confirmed what I was afraid of.
No one will ship a snake. 🙁
It's okay for this year, I have someone to foster him, but I'm not sure how to keep him temperature controlled driving eight hours in the summer across Texas for next year.
Anybody move with a non turtle reptile recently? Turtles are just hardier than snakes, in my experience.
 
temperature controlled as in warm, or cool? You could pack ice around his travel tank - like get a massive drink cooler, put the travel tank in the cooler, and ice around the edges. Then you'd just need to keep refilling the ice. Maybe that'd work? I feel like an 8 hour drive, which can be done in one go, should be possible for a snake with some ingenuity. But yes, turtles are worlds easier than snakes.
 
Steelmagghia said:
Anybody move with a non turtle reptile recently? Turtles are just hardier than snakes, in my experience.
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Wow I'm just full of advice in this thread, aren't I? I have a corn snake so depending on how hardy your species is this may not mean anything, but ours was absolutely fine on our drive from FL to SC in a moderate sized sterilite container with shavings, water and holes drilled in it. When we got to SC we slapped the UTH on the bottom and we stayed there for a few days, then set off on the 10 hours a day, 4 day drive to Davis from there. He was fine in the car for the 10 hours with no temp regulation other than our own for the car's ambient temp. Overnight at hotels we gave the UTH back to him.

Again, YMMV a lot depending on your species. Corn snakes are super easy with that.
 
I've read that FedEx will ship a snake. UPS will not.

Delta, and other carriers, have pet transportation services that don't require you to be on the plane. You just have to be there to pick up the animal. So you can drive your moving van for 3 days, have your friend/mom put the cat on the plane, and pick her up when she arrives. The price is reasonable. They won't ship on a day when the temperature is above 85 degrees at either destination.
 
If you're going to an English/Scottish vet school from the US, you should look at Cunard cruise lines. Unlimited luggage, you can bring your pets, and it's a classy way to cross 🙂
 
The Delta pet transportation that Projekt is referring to a division called Delta Pet First offered by Delta Cargo...

https://www.delta.com/planning_rese...avel_information/pet_travel_options/index.jsp

The above link should answer some of VAgirl's questions. Most likely, if you are on a connecting itinerary on Delta, you will be connecting through one of Delta's Hubs or Focus Cities: ATL, CVG, JFK, LAX and SLC (If on AA: MIA, JFK, DFW, ORD, and LAX; UA: DEN, ORD, LAX, IAD; CO: EWR, CLE, IAH; NW: DET, MSP, MEM, SEA; US: PHL, CLT, PIT, PHX, LAS; etc.). These facilities all should have animal holding areas, a place where the animals would be able to stay in a controlled environment and taken out of their kennel/carrier if a flight was to be delayed or cancelled. That is why it is also important to send your pet with a little food and needed medicines for those unexpected delays and cancellations. Also, many of the major international airports actually have vets on staff; if something were to go terribly wrong at a layover (hub) city, then there is a possibility that they may recieve the help they need. It is pretty amazing to see what the airline employees will do for the animals.

Most airline policies dictate that animals are not to be removed from their carrier unless they are located within a facility with closed barriers to the outside ramp, so I wouldn't really worry about them getting loose (make sure you have an approved carrier!!)

If a flight at the originating city were to be cancelled, the local contact person would most likely be contacted to pick up the pet and return another day.
 
I can attest to how good of care Delta takes care of your animals. When I flew home for Christmas break, I decided to bring my canine with me (she is fear aggressive and I have gone a long way with her and didn't want to ruin it).

Delta staff were excellent with Loki! They let me do what I needed to do to make sure she was comfortable, and I watched them load and unload her from the plane. It was a huge comfort to get my stub saying she had been loaded onto the plane too. The vet I went through recommended tranquilizers (I didn't want her to be refused a flight due to aggression) but I declined last minute and bought her a DAP collar and sprayed DAP on her bed for the flight. Worked fine for me!

Maybe they have feliway products that you can spray that aren't the diffusers? That would be a good sub for tranquilizers I think, as I don't think I could or would tranq my flying pets.
 
VA Girl, don't forget you could fly the cats into one of many nearby airports, not just Sacramento: Oakland, SFO, and San Jose are all within 1.5 hrs' driving and you might be able to get a cheaper and/or more direct flight.

Yes, airlines transfer pets between flights - my sister shipped her cat to me last year and the cat made a connection at DFW on American 🙂
 
Steelmagghia said:
I read the Delta thing...and it confirmed what I was afraid of.
No one will ship a snake. 🙁
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It's a movie thing. Wait until it is in the Cheap Rental Stack and they will forget all about it. 😀:laugh:
 
I moved from northern CA to NH last July. It took 4-5 days and we drove ALL day, stopping at 9-10pm each night at a pet-friendly motel/inn. I moved with my 2 cats and 1 bird. They were in small cat-sized carriers as I didn't have room or money for large dog crates.

I used 1/4 tablet of Dramamine for my cat Jura - gave him a dose each morning - to help with his anxiety (otherwise we heard meowing all day). It didn't totally knock him out, but made him less agitated.

My cat Euan decided he loved to go potty in his carrier just as we started the drive each morning! He wouldn't go poop in the litter box in the motel room. 🙁

The bird was perfect - no problems. It was warm weather we were driving in, but we never left the animals in the car without AC.
 
Feliway makes a spray, as well as a plug-in, ala-DAP diffuser for dogs - only Feliway's for cats.

Another "non drug" homeopathic remedy that is readily available is Bach flower essence "Rescue Remedy" - a "natural" stress relief. I don't think I'm posting medical advice in putting this here. I got a vial from Drs. Foster & Smith online. It's recommended for applying to the animal's tongue, or four drops in their drinking water.


Someone already posted the link to last year's thread, which I found very helpful. I've made the NJ/KS drive a few times now, with either two cats and my bird, or recently, just one cat.

I bought a very inexpensive soft, collapsible "kennel" at Wal-Mart which was recommended in that thread, and it is GREAT.

It allows me to fit a SMALL plastic litter pan with both cats, or easily (with room to spare) with just one cat. It folds closed, pops open, and has a mesh-fabric zippered opening. I don't feel so guilty keeping the cat in there for 12 hours at a time... he's got a blanket and a litter pan, and room for bowls if you want to offer anything else.
 
VelcroSky said:
Here's a link to a video about flying cats unattended. She says that Benadryl or Dramamine are good options. Also there are some links on this page to other travel tips:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/6594_traveling-cat-air-cross-country.htm

I gotta say that this is the thing that's got me most worried about moving.
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wooooooooo benadryl is notorious for making cats HYPER. BAD idea. Make sure you do a test with your cat and make sure it does not do that to your cat before sending them on a plane. Dramamine works well in dogs, never tried it in cats...........
 
I have to fly my dog (unaccompanied) direct from Honolulu to Denver on United. This is my only option. I am petrified! Please tell me it will be OK! 😛 I made the mistake of looking up all the loss/injury/death stats online....

I do not plan on sedating him. I will probably just use Rescue Remedy and spray some DAP in the kennel.

me = :scared:
 
TCVM808 said:
I have to fly my dog (unaccompanied) direct from Honolulu to Denver on United. This is my only option. I am petrified! Please tell me it will be OK! 😛 I made the mistake of looking up all the loss/injury/death stats online....

I do not plan on sedating him. I will probably just use Rescue Remedy and spray some DAP in the kennel.

me = :scared:
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What stats did you find? I found this quote which isn't too bad:

"An Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of the first 16 months showed the 45 deaths, as well as 23 injuries and 11 lost pets. That's a fraction of 1 percent of the roughly 1 million companion animals estimated to fly each year, and airlines say they strive to assure pet safety."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/294064_pettravel30.html
 
I originally found an ASPCA page with a chart showing number of animals transported as well as losses/injuries/deaths by month, but this week I realized it's been removed. 🙁

This site shows data by airport (and airline of course): http://www.petflight.com/pet-travel-reports

I'm not so keen on this "1 million companion animals" yearly estimation....approx. 83,000 flying per month just seems WAY high to me. The DOT charts I saw on the ASPCA site did not have numbers anywhere near that.

I'm probably biased cause I live in Hawaii where everyone would just as soon dump their pet when they have to move....*sigh*

I'm such a worrywart when it comes to my dog...don't mind me. :scared:
 
TCVM808 said:
I have to fly my dog (unaccompanied) direct from Honolulu to Denver on United. This is my only option. I am petrified! Please tell me it will be OK! 😛 I made the mistake of looking up all the loss/injury/death stats online....

I do not plan on sedating him. I will probably just use Rescue Remedy and spray some DAP in the kennel.

me = :scared:
Click to expand...


Of course it varies, but we flew our cats several places with each move. So Singapore to Hawaii, Hawaii to Japan, Japan to Tennessee. We didn't sedate our cats any of those times. We even flew United each time.
 
dyachei said:
Of course it varies, but we flew our cats several places with each move. So Singapore to Hawaii, Hawaii to Japan, Japan to Tennessee. We didn't sedate our cats any of those times. We even flew United each time.
Click to expand...

Good to know! I guess I'm more worried about injury than anything. He's got metal on his pelvis (TPO) and a "healed" partial cruciate tear from a year ago....
 
TCVM808 said:
I originally found an ASPCA page with a chart showing number of animals transported as well as losses/injuries/deaths by month, but this week I realized it's been removed. 🙁

This site shows data by airport (and airline of course): http://www.petflight.com/pet-travel-reports

I'm not so keen on this "1 million companion animals" yearly estimation....approx. 83,000 flying per month just seems WAY high to me. The DOT charts I saw on the ASPCA site did not have numbers anywhere near that. I mean I see animals in carriers all the time at the airport.

I'm probably biased cause I live in Hawaii where everyone would just as soon dump their pet when they have to move....*sigh*

I'm such a worrywart when it comes to my dog...don't mind me. :scared:
Click to expand...

It was actually over 16 months. So that's around 2000 animals every day. I looked it up and there are about 30,000 domestic flights every day, so I don't find it hard to believe the numbers. I see animals in carriers at the airport every time I go.
 
For those of you driving ('specially across texas- pleh) I find cross country trips are easier when done at night. Temps are lower for crossing deserts, there isn't as much traffic, the glare doesn't get to you, there isn't as much traffic, and there aren't as many cops (not none, of course, but I don't think I've ever seen one at night in NE- and I do an average of 20 over all the way thru).

Then again, I also drive straight through from WY to SC- 18 to 22 hours, depending on stops and speeding/ tickets. Most hotels will let you rent a "day room" where you're gone before night, if you prefer to break your trip with sleeping. I just can never stand to get back in the car.
 
lazyjayn said:
For those of you driving ('specially across texas- pleh)
Click to expand...

Hey! Lay off Texas! 😀 It is a beautiful drive...the only state where you can drive through 8 completely different eco-zones in one trip. Coast to desert and everything in between. And this time of year is the best...the wildflowers are breathtaking. I'm going to miss it so much!
 
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