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Travel pet cages / Airline travel with pets
I am bringing my five cats from Northern VA to San Juan Puerto Rico
late August since I am moving there. All are adult cats from 12-15 lbs. Any suggestions on where to get low cost airline approved cages? Anyone in the DC area who has them for low cost or free for me? Any experiences with United in transporting animals? Two can come on board for me and my partner and the other three have to go underneath. Do you think a sedative prescribed by vet is good idea? If so, what drug? Thanks. |
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"Richard" wrote in message
oups.com... I am bringing my five cats from Northern VA to San Juan Puerto Rico late August since I am moving there. All are adult cats from 12-15 lbs. Any suggestions on where to get low cost airline approved cages? Anyone in the DC area who has them for low cost or free for me? Any experiences with United in transporting animals? Two can come on board for me and my partner and the other three have to go underneath. Do you think a sedative prescribed by vet is good idea? If so, what drug? Thanks. A sedative is a Very Bad Idea: http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/a...ets/sedate.asp United transported my cats and did a superb job, no complaints at all HTH Helen |
#3
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I'm not an airline authority & so not the final word on anything: but from
my experience flying cats to n.CA & from s.FL to CO will try to help: first, have you researched cat-flight @ all yet? Your biggest problems are *not* getting flight cages! My experience last year w/Delta is that most bargain (smaller) airlines have an absolute "pet embargo" from mid-May to Sept. simply because of cargo-area heat in warm weather (very few have a/c pet cargo holds down in there). I *dunno* re United....we went Delta & it was no piece of cake: had to ship 2 cats alone a week b4 leaving (1-pet under-seat limit in coach) *at 2am* I drove down to Ft.Ldl-Hlwd Int. and finally found Delta cargo bldg. (way off on other side of airport perimeter from terminals) in dark as cargo/animal flights are *never* non-stop & temps @ all stops between departure point & destination *must* be below 85oF! These 2 cats stopped @ Atlanta & Dallas b4 arriving @ DIA where relatives were waiting @ cargo bldg. to take them. I flew a week later w/Rowdy, worst-behaved huge male half-blind striper w/'tude in soft-sided carrier under my seat. Delta warned me repeatedly *NOT* to plan on taking the 2 in cargo hold w/us same day, even if I booked a "red-eye" and flew @ night....because if the slightest thing went wrong down in the cargo hold, anywhere on the stops (again, no non-stops) there would be *no one* to take those cats and I'd be up s*** creek somewhere I didn't want to be w/them all, LOL. YOU have a problem I didn't have: all 3 of mine flew w/vet's shots/inspection papers taped to their carriers for anyone to see if needed. P.R. may, like foreign countries, although it's not one, have a pet quarantine in force for animals entering the country: check into that pronto! One more thing: (minor) a drunk dude fell on Rowdy in his carrier as he'd removed his seatbelt when plane gave a big downward lurch and he flew *up* and then came forcefully *down*. Aside from fellow passengers yelling @ drunk and me giving him looks that would fry bacon, no harm done. (major): our plane/Dallas Int. was having tornado when we arrived there around 11pm after circling 1-1/2 hours over Dallas. Airport shut down & Rowdy & me were forced to stay overnight @ "Benton, TX" - never did look that up on map - Holiday Inn, checking in @ 1am. That itself was an added excitement to our adventure. S*** happens......some things you can't prepare for! Your plan will require heavy-duty coordination and planning, dude. Good luck.P.S. - forget the sedative; most vets tend to err on safe dosage & I tried it twice: no visible effect on cats. "Richard" wrote in message oups.com... I am bringing my five cats from Northern VA to San Juan Puerto Rico late August since I am moving there. All are adult cats from 12-15 lbs. Any suggestions on where to get low cost airline approved cages? Anyone in the DC area who has them for low cost or free for me? Any experiences with United in transporting animals? Two can come on board for me and my partner and the other three have to go underneath. Do you think a sedative prescribed by vet is good idea? If so, what drug? Thanks. |
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Suddenly, without warning, Richard exclaimed (24-Jul-05 8:46 PM):
I am bringing my five cats from Northern VA to San Juan Puerto Rico late August since I am moving there. All are adult cats from 12-15 lbs. Any suggestions on where to get low cost airline approved cages? Anyone in the DC area who has them for low cost or free for me? Any experiences with United in transporting animals? Two can come on board for me and my partner and the other three have to go underneath. Do you think a sedative prescribed by vet is good idea? If so, what drug? Thanks. Petsmart sells (or sold, a while back) a cheap cage, that's pretty much exactly like the Pet Dens at www.drsfosterandsmith.com : http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...Np=1&N=0&Nty=1 Mine's seen a lot of international travel, so I know it meets the requirements in multiple countries. Got it at the PetsMart in Sterling on Rt 7. My best advice is research thoroughly the rules for the country you're going to. You'll need a health certificate from the VA State Vet, airlines only accept them 10 days before the flight. Sedative is a very bad idea. Most vets will tell you that, and why. There are few exceptions. Get the box now, get a nice comfy liner for it (something that'll be comfortable even if your pet has an accident), then leave it open in some part of the house. Leave some treats in there maybe, but the idea is to make the cat comfortable with it. Ideally, they'll see it as a safe haven, a place to sleep. Good luck. Plan carefully, know the rules, and make sure your paperwork is correct. jmc |
#5
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Richard wrote: I am bringing my five cats from Northern VA to San Juan Puerto Rico late August since I am moving there. All are adult cats from 12-15 lbs. Any suggestions on where to get low cost airline approved cages? Anyone in the DC area who has them for low cost or free for me? Any experiences with United in transporting animals? I would never fly a pet as cargo. -L. **paste** - Just FYI: Airlines must begin tallying pet casualties 6/3/2005 Daily Journal Associated Press http://www.djournal.com/pages/ story.asp?ID=194649&pub=1&div= News WASHINGTON (AP) Plenty of vacation guides list camps that allow dogs or rank pet-friendly hotels, but until now there's been no way to know which airlines are safest for four-legged travelers. That's about to change. Starting June 15, airlines must report how many pets are killed, lost or injured on their flights. The government estimates 2 million animals fly commercially every year. Many airlines allow small pets to travel in portable kennels under seats, where the owners are responsible for their safety. Larger pets travel in cargo holds, where they can be exposed to extreme heat or cold and loud noises from plane engines. Nobody knows how many pets are killed or injured. Lisa Weisberg, spokeswoman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, suggested 1 percent, which would mean 20,000 animals per year. The airlines say that's far too high. But no one disputes that accidents do happen. When Sarah Stano's husband was transferred from Portland, Ore., to Greensboro, N.C., she chose Delta Airlines to fly them there because it was the only carrier that would let her carry her three cats in the cabin. But at the airport she discovered one of the containers was too big to fit under the seat. Hereford, a fluffy white cat with black spots, had to go in the cargo hold. "I'll never forget the look he gave me when they took him away," Stano said. When Stano and her two children arrived late at night in Greensboro, they found out Hereford had died from either cold or lack of cabin pressure. "We were really kind of devastated about the whole thing," Stano said. Stano sued Delta and reached an undisclosed settlement. Delta spokeswoman Benet Wilson said the airline does its best to accommodate pets but doesn't comment on individual cases. Weisberg's organization pushed Congress to pass the law requiring the airlines to report animal casualties. Supporters wanted it to cover animals shipped to zoos and those used for research and breeding, as well as household pets, and to require that cargo holds be temperature-controlled. Airlines fought the effort, and lawmakers ended up approving a rule that requires tallying injuries and deaths of household pets. Jack Evans, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, said the requirement could produce misleading information because the data will not include a casualty rate. An airline that carries many pets may appear to have a worse record than an airline that carries far fewer because it will have a higher number of injuries and deaths, said Evans, whose organization represents major airlines. David Stempler, president of the Airline Travelers Association, said the new requirement may make some airlines reluctant to carry animals. "Be careful what you wish for," Stempler said. "Some carriers might do what Southwest does, which is not carry pets at all." Southwest spokeswoman Edna Ruano said the airline can't guarantee that animals would be comfortable and safe because it doesn't have extra staff to take care of them between flights. Like most airlines, Southwest does allow seeing-eye dogs and other service animals in the cabin. United Air Lines transports all types of animals, from household pets to silverback gorillas and beluga whales. It even has awarded extra frequent flier miles to people who bring their pets with them. "A lot of our customers enjoy traveling with their pets," said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski. As more hotel chains offer perks like pet massages and dog walkers, more people are bringing their animal companions along on trips, she said. On the Net: Transportation Department Airline Consumer Report: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov /reports/ |
#6
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On 2005-07-25 05:08:58 -0700, "-L." said:
Richard wrote: I am bringing my five cats from Northern VA to San Juan Puerto Rico late August since I am moving there. All are adult cats from 12-15 lbs. Any suggestions on where to get low cost airline approved cages? Anyone in the DC area who has them for low cost or free for me? Any experiences with United in transporting animals? I would never fly a pet as cargo. I've done it twice. It sucked and I was a wreck, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. The bunnies did fine and didn't seem bothered at all. b |
#7
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Suddenly, without warning, -L. exclaimed (25-Jul-05 1:08 PM):
I would never fly a pet as cargo. -L. Sometimes you have no choice. Or rather, the choice is to give up your pet, or fly them as cargo. International travel generally does not allow pets in the cabin. It can be done, if you research your airlines and their cargo companies carefully, as well as rules and laws at both ends. Time of year is also important, as some airlines do embargo pets during summer months, and most - for the safety of the pet! - will not ship of the temperature at either end will be greater than 85F. Meep has flown cargo 3x, to and from 3 different overseas destinations, and she survived just fine. She has to do it one more time, when we return to the US next year. I probably handle shipping her worse than she does. I've heard the horror stories too, but fortunately she hasn't One recommendation I have heard, which I always do, is ask a flight attendant to remind the pilot that there is a pet in cargo. They can pressurize and/or heat the cargo area, but don't if there's nothing live down there. When we have a choice, we fly United, partially because they do have a lot of experience shipping pets. Incidentally, as I'm an American posted overseas, I know tons of folks who have shipped their pets - sometimes more than once like us - via cargo to various overseas destinations. I've actually never heard of anyone at any station/base I've been at who's pet has died in transport. jmc |
#8
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"jmc" wrote in message ... Suddenly, without warning, -L. exclaimed (25-Jul-05 1:08 PM): I would never fly a pet as cargo. -L. Sometimes you have no choice. Or rather, the choice is to give up your pet, or fly them as cargo. International travel generally does not allow pets in the cabin. It can be done, if you research your airlines and their cargo companies carefully, as well as rules and laws at both ends. Time of year is also important, as some airlines do embargo pets during summer months, and most - for the safety of the pet! - will not ship of the temperature at either end will be greater than 85F. Meep has flown cargo 3x, to and from 3 different overseas destinations, and she survived just fine. She has to do it one more time, when we return to the US next year. I probably handle shipping her worse than she does. I've heard the horror stories too, but fortunately she hasn't One recommendation I have heard, which I always do, is ask a flight attendant to remind the pilot that there is a pet in cargo. They can pressurize and/or heat the cargo area, but don't if there's nothing live down there. When we have a choice, we fly United, partially because they do have a lot of experience shipping pets. Incidentally, as I'm an American posted overseas, I know tons of folks who have shipped their pets - sometimes more than once like us - via cargo to various overseas destinations. I've actually never heard of anyone at any station/base I've been at who's pet has died in transport. jmc When I was in university we had a Newfoundland dog in our lab, in a drawer with each bone labeled, it was the Director's. He flew him to England and back each summer (when he was alive). The final trip for the dog was a result of lack of oxygen and the dog imploded. I have never flown my animals after that. But, I do know that many animals travel safely. I worry too much that mine will be the one that didn't. |
#9
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you can find a lof of information at
www.ramblincat.com This is the best site found so far. The message board is very useful too. |
#10
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Trish wrote:
The final trip for the dog was a result of lack of oxygen and the dog imploded. Holy crap for crap! That is SO sad! |
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