i have to travel with my cat. she will fly in-cabin with me for a 4-5hour trip. she hates traveling in the car and isnt too happy being confined in her carrier. i need to take her with me, so leaving her is not an option. should i give her the "sleepy pills"? any other tips?
Answers:
I travel with my cat quite a bit. In fact she has traveled with me since I found her as a 6 week old kitten. Turned 1 yr this past May 19th
In the time before you are leaving- you have a bit of training to do..
Have the carrier sitting out and open so she can explore it and get used to it completely. Don't try to force her into it. Maybe try putting a towel or something for a rug, like a shirt you've worn- put a favorite toy, maybe some catnip inside and let her explore at will. Don't stand over her, DO tell her (from where you are sitting) that she's a good girl if she walks on in. You can try feeding her a special treat or a small amt of soft food at the far back of the carrier. something to entice her inside. LEAVE the door open so she knows she isn't trapped. Let her wander in/out, just let the open carrier sit where she has access 24/7.
Ask the vet about tranquilizers and follow the dosing exactly as he/she says. Don't give more unless the doc says you can. Pet stores have something like Bach's Rescue Remedy.. it's a calming herbal that is put into water bowls and tends to help ease tension. Might want to give her some in the days before trip and take a bit of that with you to use at your destination.
Use bottled water and take a ziplock bag of her own food (dry or a couple cans if you use canned).
Have a couple of her favorite toys in the carrier for her on travel day.
Buy a good harness, not just a neck collar, and have a leash on her anytime you are taking her out of the carrier. Reach in and secure that leash BEFORE you pull her out of the carrier.
Get a nametag that has your phone #'s- house and cell if you have a cell phone as well. Address also,even if it means using both side of the tag.
Relax and talk to her, make eye contact w her so she knows you haven't left her behind w a bunch of luggage. I can reach fingers inside the bars to let my cat rub on me. It assures her things are ok. They won't appreciate you opening the carrier midflight and letting her out.
Hold the food about 4 hr or so before the trip, incase she gets carsick. Vet may tell you to not feed her for longer if she is going to be on pills.Pull the water about 1 hr before you get on the plane. She should be able to take 4-5 hrs in the carrier without needing her litterbox. Put her in her litterbox right before you walk out the door to the airport, same as having little kids try to go potty before piling them in the car. Ask whoever is picking you up to have a litterbox ready at home. I put a huge trashcan liner on the back floorboard of my car and have a shallow litterpan half full of my girl's usual litter available for her when the trip is going to last more than 4 hrs.
Good luck and you can pm or email me on this id, txczech2 if you need anything else.
no the cat will scratch ur face off.
Sleepy pills may be an option if perscribed by a Vet. as corny as this sounds, continually soothing her by talking may work wonders. Animals play off of there owners emotions, so you being comforting is a big part of the way she will react.
A cat is not a born traveler. She would much prefer staying at home with a sitter stopping by each day to freshen the water, refill the food dish, and five a few behind-the-ear scratches. It is sometimes necessary, however, for your cat to join in the travel. Therefore, a carrier of some sort is essential.
If you can, while on a trip, take your cat for walks you may have to condition her to walk with a harness and a leash before you leave. No matter how secure she seems to be, it is always is to have an identification tag attached to her collar just in case she escapes from the carrier or the leash.
A traveling cat should not be fed several hours before leaving. If you are traveling by car, you may want to ask your veterinarian to prescribe a motion sickness medication for your cat. If you are traveling by airplane, and you have a highly excitable cat, you may want to administer a mild tranquilizer before leaving. Your cat will eat less food while traveling, primarily because of her inactivity. She may suffer the discomfort of constipation or diarrhea. Prepare ahead of time and secure medication from your veterinarian. If you are traveling to a place where the water tastes bad or causes diarrhea, and you will only be there for a short time, take enough water from home for your cat.
Pack objects from home that are familiar to your cat, for example, her bed and favorite toys.
If the weather is extremely hot, put a frozen ice pack in her carrier and never leave her unattended in a car. If the weather is very cold, put a hot water bottle in the carrier.
If you are traveling by air, check with the airline about its policy regarding pet transportation. Some airlines allow pets, in carriers in the passenger compartments under the seat. This is best because you can touch and talk to her during the flight. If a cat must travel in the baggage compartment, make sure the compartment is heated and pressurized. Try to schedule a direct flight so that your cat is not traumatized by transfers.
Check with the place of final destination for inoculation requirements, health certificates, and possible quarantines. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals publishes a booklet that contains travel an immunization regulations for travel in every state in the union and in 110 foreign countries.
Go to your vet. They can give you some tranquilizers which will calm the cat while on the trip. It helps.
Ask someone specialized, like a vet.
Hi Jitna.please consider checking with your the airline you will use as many do not allow tranquilizers, however in-cabin travel may be exempt from this still. A vet can prescribe a sedative that will be safe to use for Kumie if it is allowed by the air carrier.
Here's a link to each of the more popular air carriers to learn which requirements are permitted as some do not allow in-cabin travel only cargo: http://www.catsunited.com/html/air_line_.
Here's some more helpful links: http://www.aspca.org/site/pageserver?pag. (article item #8 also indicates that tranquilizing isn't recommended as it could hamper breathing even in cabin due to high altitude pressure--see link below written by the American Veterinary Medical Assoc.)
http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/anima. also states that tranqualizing isn't recommended: .Whether flying in the cabin or with cargo, animals are exposed to increased altitude pressures of approximately 8,000 feet. Increased altitude, according to Olson, can create respiratory and cardiovascular problems for dogs and cats who are sedated or tranquilized.
"Brachycephalic (short-faced) dogs and cats are especially affected," noted Olson. "Although thousands of pets are transported uneventfully by air, airline officials believe that when deaths do occur they often result from the use of sedation."
Corina copied a good article to help too. I'd suggest using the techniques recommended to make your cat more comfortable before during and after.
First, do what's best for the cat.
Unless you are moving permanently, leave the cat at home, with a friend/relative, or at a kennel. The cat would be better off at any of these - even the kennel would be less traumatic (these people are experienced at keeping strangers pets happy and content).
If you absolutely must, get some tranqs from the vet. Also, take the cat on some short trips to te store, etc. to get it accustomed to travelling - it probably won't help, but it might.
ask the vet if he or she can give you something for the trip. I am fortunate because my cat loves to travel in the car--at least on the freeway
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