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Long distance move with two cats
I will move from San Francisco to Chicago next month, and I need to
plan how to transport my two cats. The acceptable possibilities I can think of are in-cabin transport on an airline, and some type of commercial service which, unlike airlines, takes responsibility for their welfare. I haven't found any airlines which allow one passenger to carry two animals. That means I would have to fly cross-country twice, separating a pair of cats and probably aggravating an already stressful experience, or pay a stranger to travel with me. I only imagine (and hope) that a pet transportation service exists. So far I know of none, nor does my vet. Any suggestions or advice? My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net. |
I've wondered about this myself, and would consider paying a friend to travel
with me, except that I current have 5 cats. Did you ask the airline about putting 2 cats in one carrier? A former participant here did that, but it was a few years ago. Can you drive? There's a new airline which transports pets and their humans, but it's *very* costly (and I don't know if they're off the ground yet): http://www.companionair.com/ Also, Nationwide Pet Transportation Services: http://www.pro-pet-transports.com/ Good luck. Kami Jonathan Sachs wrote: I will move from San Francisco to Chicago next month, and I need to plan how to transport my two cats. The acceptable possibilities I can think of are in-cabin transport on an airline, and some type of commercial service which, unlike airlines, takes responsibility for their welfare. I haven't found any airlines which allow one passenger to carry two animals. That means I would have to fly cross-country twice, separating a pair of cats and probably aggravating an already stressful experience, or pay a stranger to travel with me. I only imagine (and hope) that a pet transportation service exists. So far I know of none, nor does my vet. Any suggestions or advice? -- emayl me at furpods at mindspring dot com |
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... and don't let them drive when traffic is bad. They hate that. -- With Regards, Fred Williams, LOL!! Kami -- emayl me at furpods at mindspring dot com |
If you have time and a little money you might rent a motor home which gives you and your cats a home-like environment and you can travel at a leisurely pace and "discover America" while you're at it. Just make sure the cats are not going to get out and get lost. Cat security comes first,... and don't let them drive when traffic is bad. They hate that. ============== I am reminded of "The Cat Who...." mysteries.... Seriously, driving might be an option, if you can plan your route through motels that allow pets. Jeanne |
The idea below about renting an RV is great. You would also find the trip
more enjouable as well as the cats. JSmith4973 wrote in message ... If you have time and a little money you might rent a motor home which gives you and your cats a home-like environment and you can travel at a leisurely pace and "discover America" while you're at it. Just make sure the cats are not going to get out and get lost. Cat security comes first,... and don't let them drive when traffic is bad. They hate that. ============== I am reminded of "The Cat Who...." mysteries.... Seriously, driving might be an option, if you can plan your route through motels that allow pets. Jeanne -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =----- |
Thanks to everyone who made suggestions. I looked at the Pro-Pet web
site, but did not think the concept was very appealing. The cost is about the same as a round-trip airline ticket. I don't doubt that they give the animals good care, but a 2000-mile road trip sounds a lot more stressful for a cat than a trip in an airplane. They seem to cater to people who like to pretend that their cats are little people. "Send your cat's favorite video so they can share it with their new friends"? I'd like to show them a video of my cat's reaction when a "new friend" approached the partly-open patio door last week! Companion Air looks like an ideal solution, although it is indeed very expensive. But it clearly won't be ready in time for my trip next month. To answer some of the questions: some airlines allow two cats in one carrier, but not fully grown cats. That's entirely reasonable; a carrier large enough for two grown cats would not fit under a seat. I may drive, although I will try to avoid it; I have a tight schedule (and tight finances). But I would not dream of driving two cats 2000 miles in a car. (And no, I do not allow either cat to drive.) Renting a motorhome would provide a half-way comfortable environment, but it would be frightfully expensive, would take at least as long as driving a car, and would leave me with the trouble and expense of transporting my own car. I'm probably going to recruit another traveler to carry my second cat on the plane and pay half of his or her fare in exchange. My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net. |
Jonathan Sachs wrote: I may drive, although I will try to avoid it; I have a tight schedule (and tight finances). But I would not dream of driving two cats 2000 miles in a car. (And no, I do not allow either cat to drive.) Renting a motorhome would provide a half-way comfortable environment, but it would be frightfully expensive, would take at least as long as driving a car, and would leave me with the trouble and expense of transporting my own car. I drove my cat from CA to WI back when I was just out of graduate school, in a rental car. There are a surprising number of motels that allow pets. I had tranquilizers from the vet, but didn't need them. The vet just said to use them if I absolutely had to. Opus cried for the first 15 minutes, then alternately slept and sat and looked around. I took a big cardboard box that wedged into the front passenger seat and replaced one half of the top with a wire basket. So he had space to hide but could stick his head up and look around and see me if he wanted. We took frequent breaks for water, food and litter access. I took three days to do the trip, and the weather was NASTY (snow, sleet, etc). Julie |
Me wrote:
Jonathan Sachs wrote: I may drive, although I will try to avoid it; I have a tight schedule (and tight finances). But I would not dream of driving two cats 2000 miles in a car. (And no, I do not allow either cat to drive.) Renting a motorhome would provide a half-way comfortable environment, but it would be frightfully expensive, would take at least as long as driving a car, and would leave me with the trouble and expense of transporting my own car. I drove my cat from CA to WI back when I was just out of graduate school, in a rental car. There are a surprising number of motels that allow pets. I had tranquilizers from the vet, but didn't need them. The vet just said to use them if I absolutely had to. Opus cried for the first 15 minutes, then alternately slept and sat and looked around. I took a big cardboard box that wedged into the front passenger seat and replaced one half of the top with a wire basket. So he had space to hide but could stick his head up and look around and see me if he wanted. We took frequent breaks for water, food and litter access. I took three days to do the trip, and the weather was NASTY (snow, sleet, etc). Julie That's great. The first rule in transporting cats by car is to make sure the cat doesn't get away from you at a rest stop and start trying to find it's own way home. Security is important, and that also means no accidents. Be really safety concious. If a plane trip is planned with an extra cat escort, that will be probably the best under the circumstances mentioned. It's wonderful that you're taking such care of your cats. You should be fine with this degree of planning. -- Regards, Fred Remove "FFFf" to reply http://www.fredwilliams.ca |
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