Preparing Your Cat for Air Travel in Advance
Take your cat to your veterinarian. Travel, especially air travel, can be difficult for cats. You want to ensure your cat is healthy enough for the flight. Your veterinarian will examine her and make sure she is up to date on all of her vaccinations. If your cat has an illness, ask your veterinarian how it can be managed or treated (if possible) prior to your flight. Your veterinarian may need to complete a health certificate for your cat, certifying she is healthy enough for travel and has all of the required vaccinations. The health certificate requirements may vary according to your destination, so confirm these requirements with the airline before your appointment. There are time restrictions on health certificate completion. Airlines typically require health certificates to be completed within 10 days of a flight, but confirm your airline's specific time restriction. Ask your veterinarian to microchip your cat for easy identification. If your cat is already microchipped, consider asking your veterinarian to scan the microchip to make sure it can be read. If your cat is on medication, ask your veterinarian about how you can continue to medicate your cat on your day of travel.
Purchase an airline-approved carrier. If you have not traveled by plane with your cat before, you may need to purchase an airline-approved pet carrier. Call your airline or search the airline’s website for pet carrier requirements for cabin and cargo travel. Generally, a ‘cabin’ cat carrier should be made of a durable fabric (e.g., nylon), be well ventilated, and have a zippered top and side door. Your airline may also require the carrier to have a soft removable bottom pad. A good cargo carrier should be made of sturdy and durable plastic and have a secure door latch. Make sure the carrier is large enough for your cat to move around and be comfortable in.
Encourage your cat to spend time in her carrier. A good rule of thumb regarding a timeline is that your cat will need at least one month to get ready for air travel. During this time, invite your cat to spend more time in his/her carrier. Make it look inviting by putting some of her creature comforts inside of it, such as comfortable bedding and favorite toys. Leave the carrier open at all times in a location where your cat frequents, such as her bed or a scratching post. This lets your cat explore her carrier at her leisure and without fear of you closing the door when she steps inside of it. If you don't want your cat to be fearful in a crate, then the cat needs to get used to the crate at times when they're not traveling in it. Consider spraying cat pheromones inside the carrier so it smells familiar to her. Feed her in the carrier so she can have a positive association with it. Practice closing the door when she is inside of it (after you've given her time to explore it). Start by closing the door for a few seconds, then opening it and immediately giving her a treat. Slowly increase the amount of you leave the door closed before opening it and giving her a treat. Make sure you understand that the one month timeline is simply an estimate. Each animal is different, and your cat might need less or more time to grow accustomed to the carrier.
Take your cat on car rides. When your cat is comfortable with her carrier, place her inside of it and take her on car rides. Start with short car rides — just around the block and back. As she gets more comfortable with car travel, take her on longer rides. Secure the carrier in the car with a seatbelt. Take your cat to a desirable location, such as back home — not the veterinarian’s office. Give her a treat at the end of the car ride if she behaves well (no scratching or incessant crying). Staying still in the carrier while the car is moving may be a bit bewildering to your cat at first, but she will get used to it over time. Try to start the car rides at least a few weeks before your flight.
Acclimate your cat to loud noises. Not only is the plane noisy, but the airport can be noisy too. When your cat is comfortable with car rides, take her to the airport and sit outside with her in the carrier. The loud noise and commotion may be terrifying for your cat at first, so it will probably take a few trips to the airport before your cat becomes used to the loud noises. You could also take her inside the airport, near the flight check-in area. Give your cat some treats to reward her for good behavior. Allow a few weeks for your cat to get accustomed to airport noises. If your cat is extremely fearful, it might be a good idea to provide familiar bedding to dampen the external noises.
Trim your cat’s nails. If your cat’s nails are long, she could use them to scratch up the interior of her carrier during the flight. If she has to travel in the cargo area, she could get her nails stuck in the carrier’s bars, which could lead to injury. If you are not comfortable trimming your cat’s nails, have your veterinarian do so. A cat’s nails should be trimmed once every 10 days to 2 weeks, so time the nail trimming so her nails do not become long again before the trip. If you will be away from home for a long time, bring some nail clippers with you.
Making Other Travel Preparations
Book your flight. Airlines are often limited with how many pets can travel in the plane’s cabin. For this reason, you should book your flight well in advance (1 month or more) to increase the chances of your cat staying with you in the cabin. When you call to book your flight, ask if the airline allows pets on the plane, and if your cat can travel in the cabin. Because of your cat’s small size, it is preferable for her to travel in the cabin rather than the cargo hold. Expect to pay an extra fee for your cat, which may be up to $100. Be aware that, if your cat can travel with you in the cabin, her carrier will count as one of your allotted carry-ons. When you book your flight, make sure to get a locator number for your cat that is associated with your seat number. Try to book a direct, nonstop flight. Also, avoid booking a flight for the middle of the day in the summer.
Check your cat’s ID collar. Your cat’s ID collar should have several tags: one with your contact information (name, address, cell phone number), and one tag each for rabies vaccination status and your cat’s license. Remove any collar accessories, such as small trinkets or charms, that could get easily snagged on a part of her carrier. Make sure her collar is appropriate for travel 10 days before your flight.
Make labels for your cat’s carrier. This is particularly important if your cat will be traveling in the cargo hold, but would also be a good idea for cabin travel. The label should contain your own contact information, as well as contact information at your end destination. For example, if you will be staying at a hotel, write down the hotel’s name, address, and phone number on the label. Place a label on the inside and outside of the carrier, in case the outside label comes off during the course of travel. In addition, if your cat will be traveling in the cargo hold, make a few large ‘Live Animal’ labels and place them on the outside of her carrier. Make the labels at least a few days before your trip so you will not have to rush to do it on the day of travel.
Prepare bags of dry food for your cat. Cats should travel on an empty stomach to prevent vomiting or elimination accidents in the carrier during the flight. However, if your flight gets delayed for several hours or more, it would be a good idea to give your cat a few nibbles of food to keep her from getting too hungry. If your cat is in the cargo hold for a long flight, attach a bag of food to the carrier with feeding instructions.
Preparing Your Cat on the Day of Air Travel
Keep your normal routine. As much as possible, keep a calm and normal routine on the travel day. Cats do not always respond well to change, so a sudden change in routine could increase your cat’s anxiety and stress levels and may cause her to act out (e.g., eliminate outside of her litter box). Keep calm in your preparations and try to maintain her normal feeding schedule so she uses her litterbox as she usually would. Once you put her in her carrier, she will not be able to eliminate again until after you arrive at your destination. Keeping things calm and normal will help her empty her bladder and bowels before you place her in the carrier.
Feed your cat 4 to 6 hours before your flight. Maintaining a normal feeding schedule may be tricky if your flight is less than 4 to 6 hours before her regular mealtime. During your month of preparation, consider gradually adjusting her mealtime so it will coincide with the 4- to 6-hour window of time before your flight. Alternatively, you could try to find a flight that time that would fall within 4 to 6 hours of her regular mealtime. Once you have fed her before the flight, do not feed her again until after you arrive at your destination. You or the flight staff may have to feed her, though, if you have an international flight or a flight with multiple stops. Your cat can have water up to 1 hour before the flight.
Give your cat her medications. If your cat is currently on medications, schedule their administration according to your travel schedule. Do not give your cat a tranquilizer before your flight, unless advised by your vet. Tranquilizers can affect your cat’s ability to regulate her body temperature, which can have serious consequences if she is traveling in the cargo hold. If giving tranquilizers, test the medication on your cat at least a couple of days before. This will allow you to calculate the ideal dose and avoid overdosing or underdosing the cat on the travel day. In addition, the tranquilizer test dose will wear off before travel day.
Secure your cat in its carrier. Before you leave the house, make sure your cat is securely within the carrier. An airport can be a frightening place for cats, and you do not want to give her any opportunity to bolt out of her carrier. To make the carrier more comfortable for her, make it smell familiar (e.g., cat pheromones, her bedding, clothing with your scent on it). If you must take her out of its carrier at airport security, keep a very firm hold on it. Ask the airport security staff if you can go through an alternative screening where your cat can stay in the carrier.
Keep your cat calm. Whether your cat will be traveling with you in the cabin or in the cargo hold, practice some verbal and nonverbal communication to keep it calm before the flight. For example, look at her in her carrier and blink slowly until she blinks back—this is a positive form of communication for cats. In addition, you can talk to her reassuringly before and during the flight.
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