The Cat House

               Pedigree Cats Directory©

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Burmese to Re-Home

FLY ME TO THE MOON! Travel Guide for Cats

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Another good reason to keep your kitten or cat indoors. Click on photo to read more!

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How Young is Too Young to Send a Kitten to a New Home?

Hermaphrodite Kittens

 Toxoplasmosis and You

NuVet

All Natural Vitamins

Oxyfresh Oral Pet Care

Taking your Kitten to the Skies

A complete guide to flying with your cat

This article is brought to you by courtesy of Casa Del Gatos

When you can't come here to pick up your kitten and drive it home, other travel means must be explored to bring baby home.

While flying a kitten to a new home isn't the most desired way to do this, there are times when there is no other recourse.  

It will help to know the airline luggage compartments, where the pets ride as well, are pressurized, and I am assured they are heated and air conditioned like the passenger cabin. Always make sure the kitten(s) have a warm blanket and/or a cozy to snuggle up in, a thick layer of paper on bottom and food and water in case there is a delay.

The airlines personnel that we have used in the past have always given a lot of wonderful care and attention to the babies from the time they arrive at the airport until they are finally in the arms of their new "parents."   

I have always found that the airlines' personnel have always been very concerned, caring and the airlines' have strict guidelines for the care in shipping pets.  Most good breeders will always stay with the kitten(s) until they have to take them to the airplane but they never sit out on the tarmac in the weather.  They try to stay until the plane departs.   Try to ship cargo direct flights only.  That way, the kitty doesn't get left at some point between destination and departure.

You should be at the airport when the plane arrives so they don't have to put the kitten(s) with other animals and they will take them to a shelter if you don't pick them up before the cargo area closes for the night!

Southwestern Airlines will not fly pets anywhere, anytime.  Guess they OD'ed  on peanuts or something!  The most used airlines are AA or Delta.  Continental,  Northwest, and American West do take pets, however.

Be sure to buy a small carrier that will fit under the seat if you are going to hand carry the kitty.  Sherpa-type carriers are perfect and once you are airborne, the attendants usually turn a "blind eye" if you take baby out of the carrier to cuddle and bond a bit while in the air.  Nothing else going on anyway and baby will adore you for it.  Just hope you don't get a seat next to someone who is allergic to cats!

DO NOT PUT THE KITTEN THROUGH THE X-RAY MACHINES! DUH!?  Take it out of the carrier and let it go through.  You walk the baby through in your loving arms.

Be very sure to take heed when you leave the airplane.  The really dangerous part of the trip now begins........when you get in your car and drive away.

Expenses when you ship a kitten:

The cost of flying a kitten via Priority Package on American Airlines or Delta Dash, is about $167.  Under $70 if you carry on.  The airlines require a health certificate for each kitten and that is about $50, including the vet office visit and the health certificate.  Some veterinarians will charge an office visit per kitten, but most aren't so money hungry and will only charge one office visit and charge for each health certificate.  The cost of a carrier is about $45 but two kittens can use one carrier and you purchase only one ticket.   A reservation cannot be made more than 72 hours prior to a flight.  They won't take more than two reservations for pets per flight.  The health certificate cannot be more than 10 days old.  If a kitten is less than 3 months old, it does not have to get a rabies vaccination.  This is the only vaccination required by the airlines.  The certificate only states that the kitten is not sick and can travel in weather over 45 degrees and under 84 degrees at point of origin and destination any time during the day of the flight.  Some vets will want to run the kitten through a whole regime of tests under the guise of issuing a health certificate, but this isn't necessary and will only have to be done again at your own vet's office when you get home.  We do not recommend tranquilizers, etc. to the kittens before traveling.  The affects of the meds could be more harmful than being stressed for a few hours.  Kittens usually try to hide and burrow up in the blanket and go to sleep once they are underway.

Let us know if you have any other questions about transporting your cat.

Info@houseofcats.net

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