cross-country move with cat--help!

I'm moving from NYC to Oregon in about a month. Background: I'm a single
mom with a 15-month-old (and a cat). Can't pay my bills in NYC, so I'm
moving west to stay with family. Just to complicate things, my mother's in
hospice in Virginia, so I'm probably going to have to leave from NY and go
down there, deal with stuff, then go out to OR. Think, major huge
family-crisis crunch time.

I want to bring my cat. The thought of leaving her behind is more than I
can bear. Money is tight. I'm looking for a good solution for traveling
with her. I will be flying. I've done some research, but I'm coming up with
contradictory answers. Maybe someone here has direct experience with some
of these issues.

When I was flying back from VA last week (on Delta), I saw a guy with a
small dog in a carrier on the plane, and I asked him how much they charged.
He said nothing--Delta and USAirways don't charge extra for animals as
carry-on. I went to both of those web sites, and at least officially, they
do charge $80-100. So. I can cough that up if necessary, though of course
I'd rather not. Does anyone have experience with this? Some airlines
charging extra and some not?

Also, has anyone had experience with companies that ship pets? If I can
send her to OR, she could stay with family members until I get out there. I
have no clue how much they charge, or whether they're safe to use.

Lastly, I understand from some sources that i'll need a health certificate
from her. The thing is, I don't have her vaccination records available to
me. I adopted her from a rescue organization last year, and they gave me
vax papers for her, but I don't know where they might be. I may come up
with them when I go through stuff to pack, but I may not. Is there any
consequence to re-vaxing her?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

--
z e l d a b e e @ p a n i x . c o m http://NewsReader.Com/

I've flown with a very young cat from Tucson, AZ to NYC several years ago.
I had to get a carrier that airlines would accept--though I understand the
soft-sided ones are the best as they are a little bigger but can be
scrunched down under the seat. I had a backpack filled with food, water,
puppy training pads in case she went in carrier, and a halter on the cat &
leash in the backpack. Never needed any. She just lay down & went to
sleep. I took her out (carefully holding her halter & putting leash on)
when we had layover & she still went to sleep on my lap!). I even took her
outside to a quiet place during layover in case she had to go--she just
looked at me like I was crazy!

I think the only things different now is that when you go thru security,
they make you take the cat out of the carrier & walk thru the metal detector
with her. So give yourself plenty of time & make sure you have a halter on
her to hold her.

I don't know if there are airlines that don't charge... they do generally
require health record--maybe you can call the resuce group you got her from
and they can give you the name of the vet they use. Should be no problem
getting her revaccinated if its around a year.

Be careful about airport shuttle service--some won't let you take a carrier
with animal. Also, if you stay in motels, I believe Motel 8 allows pets &
the comfort inn chain. You can check their web page.

Finally, get yourself some of those disposable litter boxes--PetFoodDirect
had them online on sale for 99c each.

"zeldabee" wrote in message
...
I'm moving from NYC to Oregon in about a month. Background: I'm a single
mom with a 15-month-old (and a cat). Can't pay my bills in NYC, so I'm
moving west to stay with family. Just to complicate things, my mother's in
hospice in Virginia, so I'm probably going to have to leave from NY and go
down there, deal with stuff, then go out to OR. Think, major huge
family-crisis crunch time.

I want to bring my cat. The thought of leaving her behind is more than I
can bear. Money is tight. I'm looking for a good solution for traveling
with her. I will be flying. I've done some research, but I'm coming up
with
contradictory answers. Maybe someone here has direct experience with some
of these issues.

When I was flying back from VA last week (on Delta), I saw a guy with a
small dog in a carrier on the plane, and I asked him how much they
charged.
He said nothing--Delta and USAirways don't charge extra for animals as
carry-on. I went to both of those web sites, and at least officially, they
do charge $80-100. So. I can cough that up if necessary, though of course
I'd rather not. Does anyone have experience with this? Some airlines
charging extra and some not?

Also, has anyone had experience with companies that ship pets? If I can
send her to OR, she could stay with family members until I get out there.
I
have no clue how much they charge, or whether they're safe to use.

Lastly, I understand from some sources that i'll need a health certificate
from her. The thing is, I don't have her vaccination records available to
me. I adopted her from a rescue organization last year, and they gave me
vax papers for her, but I don't know where they might be. I may come up
with them when I go through stuff to pack, but I may not. Is there any
consequence to re-vaxing her?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

--
z e l d a b e e @ p a n i x . c o m http://NewsReader.Com/

I believe airlines have specific rules regarding cat carriers. I think there is
something called a Sherpa Carrier (designed by a former airline stewardess)
specifically for airline cat travel. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ALLOW
YOUR CAT TO BE PUT INTO CARGO (even if they insist). Call ahead and reserve
and, subsequently, confirm, your reservation for your cat to travel ON THE
PLANE. I believe they allow one cat per flight.

Sherpa carrier is just one brand--its probably the most expensive so you can
shop around a little. Just make sure its sturdy enough. The airlines also
allow hard sided carrier but have size limits so a soft sided that can be
squished down a little is better.


"Luvskats00" wrote in message
...
I believe airlines have specific rules regarding cat carriers. I think
there is
something called a Sherpa Carrier (designed by a former airline
stewardess)
specifically for airline cat travel. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES,
ALLOW
YOUR CAT TO BE PUT INTO CARGO (even if they insist). Call ahead and
reserve
and, subsequently, confirm, your reservation for your cat to travel ON THE
PLANE. I believe they allow one cat per flight.

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ALLOW
YOUR CAT TO BE PUT INTO CARGO

That cannot be emphasized too much!!!!

The airlines that allow pets in the cabin sometimes allow only 3 max per
flight, so reservations have to be made well in advance for them. The Sherpa
carriers (soft sided) are the best, & they have to go under the plane seat.
If you could possibly drive with the cat, that would be far less traumatic.



www.mimiforsyth.com

I am so pleased with you that you are keeping your cat. (I should think
so!) And I wish you the very best. More than 30 years ago as a single mom
I moved with my 6 month old son and 10 year old cat from Florida to New
York. I did the drive in about 3 days. My cat was never left in the car,
nor my son of course. When we went into restaurants or rest rooms I carried
my cat in one of those pet shoulder bags that looks like a giant pocket book
and just threw my wallet in there. In restaurants if Bandi let out a mew I
covered it up by pretending my son did it! Like one of the posters said,
driving might be less traumatic. Puts you more in charge.

--
Barb
Of course I don't look busy,
I did it right the first time.

(Mimi Forsyth) wrote:
DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ALLOW
YOUR CAT TO BE PUT INTO CARGO

That cannot be emphasized too much!!!!

The airlines that allow pets in the cabin sometimes allow only 3 max per
flight, so reservations have to be made well in advance for them. The
Sherpa carriers (soft sided) are the best, & they have to go under the
plane seat. If you could possibly drive with the cat, that would be far
less traumatic.

I've already ruled out cargo, I think. I did get an estimate for shipping
her airport-to-airport, and it was only $150. But they didn't say how they
shipped the animals, I'm assuming in a cargo hold, and they offered
insurance against loss or theft...at $1 per $100 of value...not sure how
I'd come up with some figure that would compensate me for the loss of my
little mutt cat. So, carry-on it is.

Driving's not an option--I've lived in NYC my entire adult life, have no
car, no license--but even if it were, it wouldn't be feasible with my
15-month-old boy. Far easier on everyone to fly. Besides, I have a hard
time seeing how a 4-day car trip would be less traumatic for a cat than one
12-hour day travelling by air.

She's generally a laid-back animal, anyway. When I brought her home, I
though she'd freak in the car, but she was perfectly content. Then when I
got her home, I figured that she'd just hide for a while, but she happily
explored, and then came to me for a cuddle. That's just how she is. The
only thing that rattles her that I know of is shaking large crinkly plastic
shopping bags around her. Vacuum cleaners, drills, hammering all cause her
to swivel her ears a bit before she ambles away to the next room.

Anyway, I think she'll be ok, I just hoped some people would have specific
experience to share.

--
z e l d a b e e @ p a n i x . c o m http://NewsReader.Com/

"Barb" wrote

Like one of the posters said,
driving might be less traumatic. Puts you more in charge.

--


I did LA to Raleigh, NC years ago with a cat in a carrier. She hated the
road, but as soon as we got to a hotel she was fine. The hard part is
finding hotels that take pets. I had not thought of that and so just snuck
her in and cleaned up after her. (Of course I NEVER left the hotel room
once I checked in.) There are those disposable cat boxes
with litter already in them these days that would make it easier.

"zeldabee" wrote

Anyway, I think she'll be ok, I just hoped some people would have specific
experience to share.


I flew too tiny kittens on American years back. They were in a small
carrier, and slept through the whole thing. I also flew an adult cat
Houston to Boston with a layover in between with no problems.

You have nothing to worry about
as long as you okay it with the airline first and have your cat in the type
of
carrier they recommend. I would take the precaution of putting a lightweight
harness and leash on her just in case you have to take her out for any
reason.
She will not get hungry or thirsty and will most likely not eliminate at all
while in transit.
She'll be too nervous. Make sure she's well fed and hydrated the days
before.

. So, carry-on it is.


The trauma of flying, for cats is the unfamiliar surroundings & the horrific
noise of a plane (for hours).....Being "in cabin" is certainly preferable to
cargo hold...which may or may not be heated & pressurized. If your cat is a
Persian or other breed with a flat face, it already has the maximum of
breathing troubles without additional ones from flying as cargo.
If your cat dies en route, the airline saying "oops, sorry" isn't quite good
enough, is it?
If you have the cat in the cabin with you, you can at least reach down & give
it some reassuring scritches or talk to it (over the din).



www.mimiforsyth.com