swiss-list: Flying with a cat

From: Erik Bruchez < > Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2005 16:43:12 +0100

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Last October, I brought my cat, Bubbles, from California to
Switzerland.
How to proceeed was initially not clear, as I had never seen anybody
fly with a pet on an international flight. So I assumed at first,
looking for information on the internet, that you had to put the pet
in a kennel in the cargo area. Opinions on how bad this is for the pet
differ, some people saying that it is the worst way to travel, some
the best (after all, they have room because they can be in a bigger
kennel, and the absence of light calms them down - and yes, pets are
put of course in a pressurized area). But, since fairly recently, you
can't just ship your pet yourself, and you have to go through an
authorized company. The bottom line: it costs quite a lot of money, I
was told, about $500 or more.
I then found out that some companies do accept pets on international
flights, in particular the company I had my ticket with, KLM. I
managed to get some information online about the kennel size and
pricing, and then simply confirmed over the phone. I was told I should
reconfirm about one month in advance that the pet would be on board,
and that they would ok it. The price: $100 (but funnily enough, I
cannot remember anybody asking me to pay this fee in the end).
The pet must travel in a kennel that fits under the seat in front of
you. You will find such airline-approved kennels at pet stores. The
size is about 43 x 31 x 20 cm. Prefer the more expensive, but better
designed semi-rigid ones, as opposed to the plastic ones. You can of
course use such a kennel to transport your pet on other
occasions. Most small to medium-sized cats will be all right, but dogs
better be small. Your pet is not allowed to be taken out of the
kennel, so it has to be prepared to stay in there for a long time. You
may optionally pad the bottom with some baby underpads. The pet will
remains very discreet down there, which also explains why you won't
notice people with pet much anyway (as opposed to, say, babies). This
said, there are indeed very few pets traveling in the cabin in
international flights.
As for the administrative aspects, you need a health certificate for
your pet made within 10 days. They ask it when you checkin at the
airport, and you may also need it when you pass customs in the
destination country. The pet needs to be vaccinated against rabies,
which is not one of the vaccines done automatically. So make sure you
check what vaccines you pet had, and what you need. Also, be sure to
check whether your destination country has special rules. The UK, for
example, used to have very drastic quarantine rules (i.e., six-month
quarantine), that have since been somewhat relaxed.
I did not use tranquilizers on Bubbles. I was told by the vet that if
she behaved in a car, there was probably no need for it. A plane is
fairly noisy, but otherwise more stable than a car. Also,
tranquilizers can do more harm than good, as they weaken the animal
and make it less able to react to stressful conditions. If you do use
any, it is recommended to try them before the flight anyway, to see
how your pet reacts.
In the end Bubbles spent an uncomfortable 20 hours in its kennel,
between travel to and from airports, actual flights, connections, and
a final trip by train in Switzerland. I feared that she may keep
mewing, or do all sorts of stuff inside the kennel. But she behaved
great (the underpads ended up not being necessary) and just arrived
very thirsty (I did not give her anything during the flight, but a
little bit of water would probably have been welcome).
Bubbles has been quite a happy cat in Switzerland for about four
months now.
Needless to say, if you plan to travel yourself with a pet, be sure to
double-check this information with your airline company, veterinarian,
and destination country.
--
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