We are not experienced travelers. Daughter coming from CA and plans to take over care of our 12 year old cat. The reservation for the return flight with Luna in carrier in cabin is made. We know she needs health document(s).
Problem: Daughter was told vet will have info and docs. Vet here says get doc. from Airline. Need Certificate that she's had innoculatons and appears healthy for travel. We think all she needs is a rabies shot, as vets generally stop booster vaccinations by this age. Any clues how to get out of this loop? We have some time to get this in place but can't leave it until the last minute.
call united and ask exactly what docs they need. your vet can give you the paperwork to what they need! my vet always gave shot/vaccine to me for travel back and forth with my dogs out of country. my chihuahua rode with me in my seat as well. i would call airline and get that info and if they have a special paper that need to be signed by your vet sayiing cat is in good travel condition and meets airline approval! divvi
I've traveled with my 9 lb dog on an airplane a lot. You do need to make reservations with the airline for the animal you are carrying on. You will also need to go to your vet and get a health certificate. I have yet to find that an airline actually checked for the health certificate but I know the minute I don't do it, they will. I have one in front of me. It is called "Official Small Animal Health Certificate'. Each state may vary but it is from the Department of Agriculture. It wants shipped from (your address) information, shipped to information (where you are traveling to). It also asks for a description of the animal and Rabies Immunization Data. After it is completed, the vet signs it and gives you the original and they keep a copy.
We travel with our little dog on airlines all the time. His ticket usually costs $75.00 One way. HE has to be in his carrier all the time..(big joke! If he gets fussy, the Flight Attendants allow us to hold him, quietly, out of sight..and all goes well. We have never been asked for documentation on his shots. That sounds like an International Flight requirement.
In all our years of traveling with Tigger, no one has ever asked for his medical records, but of course we have his rabies shot tag on his collar...and our vet gives us a little driver's license size laminated card that we show to groomers or spas when he is left in their care...as they insist on him having his kennel cough shots and all the others up to date...for the protction of the other pets.
Thanks everybody. United lets cats between 8 wks and 6mos. fly in under seat crate. Older cats must go as checked baggage. Luna is 12 yrs. Under seat crate is 17x12x8. Too small for her. I'll google the form--thanks Briegull.
Why do they have to give such a runaround? Airlines has/vet has/bvvack and forth.
Believe it or not CA health requirements to admit domestic cats in, consist of: "All domestic catsmust be apparently healthy. A Cerificate of Veterinary Inspection is NOT required." We only need the Certiificate and any shots, because of the flight. Michigan's import requirements "reccommend a health certificate and reccoommend a Rabies shot."
That is so odd. When we fly with Tigger, we tell reservation gal we will be traveling with our dog, in the cabin, and if there is room on the particular flight (they limit the number of animals on each flight) they just issue him a ticket. We usually fly between Texas and either SC, GA, or FL. I suppose ignorance is bliss on my account.
When we moved from GA to TX, we had to fly due to DH's recent intestinal hemorrhages. The docs didn't want him sitting in a car for 12-14 hours. They put him on his tranquilizers to keep him calm, (didn't think a thing about that), and the vet gave Tigger a pill as we were driving to the airport to keep him calm.
We had to change planes in Atlanta. PICTURE me, with a tranquilized demented man in a wheelchair.. and a caged dog coming out from under his calming pill...going through the Atlanta airport! I must have had a death wish that day!
ya know, maybe carosi you'll have to do what we do when we need to sign for our husbands. NO ONE is going to check to see how old the cat is!! Are you sure those are the dimensions of a crate? Look at this:
http://tinyurl.com/dkods4
from Drs. Foster&Smith, which says it meets the airline requirements. I'm thinking that what they want is to be able to SAY it will fit under the seat.
I once travelled (and I think described here) with four cats in a box in the hold, a mouse in a little box, a rat in the mouse cage, and a CROW in the rat cage in the passenger cabin with my husband and our 2.5 year old daughter. Ah, youth!
Our fullest trip was: two cats, a Bassett, a cocktail and a turtle. We drove and rode the Autotrain when we moved to Florida-the cats flew and then stayed in a pet motel until we got them. I once adopted a cat at Logan airport in Boston. /the cat was smuggled into an apartment where the landlord wouldn't permit animals. When we got back home we picked our kids up and the cat came to our town by limo.
Briegull, I LOVE the Drs. Foster & Smith catalog and products. I bought our dog carrier from them and am currently shopping for a car restraint for my runaway Tigger (who jumped out of the car at the gasoline station). I am buying one that fits around his body like a harness rather than connected to the collar..seems safer in case of accident. That dog will NOT jump out of the car in the future!!! :-)
I have 2 sizes of sherpa bags, http://www.sherpapet.com/, for traveling with pets on airplanes. Although most airlines don't check health certificates, they are required. It is your choice on whether or not you comply. I don't know what the fines are if they decide to check. I would assume (my assumption could be bad) that they would quaranteen any animals confiscated.
I've paid between $75 and $100 one way for each of my pets - charges vary by airlines. There is a 2 pet limit in coach per flight. Make sure you have reservations. Even then, I have had trouble when I went to check in and they didn't have the 'pet registration'. I can't imagine that they would put a full grown cat in the cargo, they should be able to fit in the sherpa. Make sure you understand what airplane it is and how much room your animal requires. Not all bags fit under the seat. If they don't fit, you will have to have them where your feet go and it may be uncomfortable for you.
I have brought sedatives for my animals but find they don't need them. They tend to sleep the entire way. I guess I'm lucky.
Don't attempt to take your pet along without notifying the airline. Some airlines, such as Southwest Airlines,do not accept pets on board, period!
Do expect to pay for the pet's travel. I've usually paid $75.00 - but that might have gone up during his past year. Diane is right, those Sherpa bags are supposed to go underneath the seat in front of you and they DON'T fit. You have to make it work for the preflight inspection, and then you'll be able to pull it back out...Suggest you get an aisle seat so you can stretch your legs.
Yikes! All the talk about pets on this site makes me sad. I'm not able to have a dog or cat because of allergies. We used to have cats, until my allergist told me he wouldn't treat me anymore unless I got rid of them. Even the supposedly non-allergenic ones cause problems for me. I didn't realize that pets were allowed in the cabins of planes. Honestly, I don't know what I would do if there were a cat on a plane I was in. I'm not sure how far away from me it would have to be, but I do not that if it were under a seat anywhere near me, I would end up in miserable shape - runny, red, swollen, itchy eyes, horrible nasal congestion, itchy throat - This is why I asked about nursing homes. If I have to place my husband, how can I go visit him if animals are allowed to be there?
i havent traveled with present dogs on airlines. i did come regularly with a tiny male chihuahua in the 90's. i flew air france and let me tell you this chihuahua was a baby @9ks old and only 4in long and feisty:) well i had him in my purse in a small skihat -(did have papers but no carrier)took him out in flight and the people on the plane went crazy passing him around. he ran the gambit of the whole 747 and attendants even took him into see the pilots. it was awesome. i didnt see him much for the whole 3hr flight! they gave him creme in a crystal plate from 1st class..and peices of filet mignon..haha! the french love their doggies!! haha. i had MORE offers to buy that precious lil guy right then- you wouldnt believe up to 2k dol.. of course i couldnt part with him by then...my baby..it was different back then..like everything else. i still have a pic of him that tiny.. he lived 18yrs and had 3maids who cared for him..:)divvi
Awwwwwwg. that's so cute, divvi. I do know that flight attendants are very sweet about little pets on planes and I have never had a problem.
I don't believe I have ever read about anyone who was as allergic as Janet seems to be when in such a broad area as a nursing home or plane would be. The dander would not have time to accumulate in a plane trip, and that is what brings on the allergic reaction. I wonder if there are not shots that would make Janet less allergic to animals. Seems like I have been told there are, but I'm sure Janet would know before anyone else. An antihistamine would certainly help for a short time. It would be so much easier than running from pets everywhere. Almost everyone I know has pets, and most older people have cats. It's a documented fact that animals can and do give comfort and are essential in the care of the elderly in many cases. People who were almost catatonic will respond to a pet.
I have two long haired cats and the fur does fly. I have only tile and wood floors so when my allergic friend is coming to dinner I make sure to mop just before she comes. With an anti histamine pill she does just fine. Pledge now makes a gadget for getting fur off furniture that works very well-just wish is was refillable rather than disposible. I save it for "special" occasions. Normally a slightly dampened sponge does well. Mekko was just helping me type so I've got fur up my nose. Oh-well!
Costs have risen. Baby cats traveling in the cabin of United, at that time of year--fare is $125. Adult cats in checked baggage fare is $250. Plus you have to have an acceptable carrier. This is such fun.
************** Having a pet has been proven to provide many health benefits. Just petting one lowers BP measurably. Being depended on gives you a reason to get up and get going everyday. And you feel less alone because they demand a certain amount of intraction. They sense your moods and can be a comfort as well as entertainment. They are well worth the little care they require.
carosi-what world do you live in??? My boys don't require anything-they demand it. The three of us share a queen sized bed and I wind up sleeping kitty corner to accommodate them.
I believe my husband would be catatonic if he did not have his little fuzzy dog. Tigger sits in his lap or beside him in his chair, (in his little slot, we call it). When DH takes a nap, Tigger sleeps with him. When DH eats, then, and only then, will Tigger eat. He's a Godsend in our lives.
I know pets RULE!! Bluedaze--try sharing a twin with a 70# Basset, a 12# Dachshund, and at least 1 cat. I am now sharing my hospital bed with at least 1 sometimes 2 cats. OT (Boston) doesn't like it because I have to raise the foot all the way up, or he'd be up there too. There's a small shelf with a pillow on it on the frame above the foot end that I use in getting up and down. Johnny(Cash) uses me as his springboard to get up there at night. In the daytime as I head for the kitchen sink, he'll come racing up (silently) hit the floor like a gymnast launching to leap the horse, and land on my hip (I stand slightly bent) then ride until I get close enough for him to step off on the counter to look out the window. I did say REQUIRED.<LOL>
I haven't tried flying with my toy poodle because he's just a bit too long and too tall for the approved carriers. He weighs eleven pounds and looks like he's trying to be a miniature. BUT, I learned about an exception to the dogs on aircraft rule recently. The niece of a friend went to live in Boston and took her English bulldog with her by car, but after a time the young lady realized highrise apartment living was not for Brutus, so she decided to fly back to SC with him and "board" him at her parents' home here. She found out that the dog could accompany her if she had a doctor's letter testifying that she had a severe anxiety problem while flying and the presence of her dog would enable her to endure the flight. So..her doctor dad asked a doctor friend to provide the letter and Brutus rode home on the seat beside Missy, all seventy pounds of him. I knew certified service dogs for the disabled were allowed, but I was floored by this one!
Nancy B - please read http://www.webmd.com/allergies/relief-for-allergies-8/cat-allergies
I'm not objecting to people having pets. If I'm going to the house of someone with a pet, I take an antihistamine and stay only for an hour or so. But I do object to people taking their animals to places where I can't avoid them and have to be around them for a long time. By the way, I've seen more than one allergist, and none would give shots for cat allergies. They said that I should avoid being around cats.
I don't see much difference between refusing to understand the issues people have with allergies and those people have with dementia.
A mother and her young son were flying Southwest Airlines from Kansas City to Chicago. The little boy (who had been looking out the window turned to his mother and asked, 'If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby cats, why don't big planes have baby planes?' The mother (who couldn't think of an answer) told her son to ask the flight attendant. So the boy went down the aisle and asked the flight attendant, 'If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby cats, why don't big planes have baby planes?' The busy flight attendant smiled and said, 'Did your mother tell you to ask me?' The boy said, 'Yes, she did.' 'Well, then, you go and tell your mother that there are no baby planes because Southwest always pulls out on time. Have your mother explain that to you.'