Traveling with Cats
 

My husband and I are planning to move from Indiana to Texas at the end of May. We're debating about the best way to transport our three cats. Two are young (five), but one is 17 (although in excellent health for a girl her age).

If we ship them in cargo (scary), we can only ship two from the airport in Indianapolis because of airline rules. We would need to take the third cat in the cabin with us. We can only take two in the cabin with us as well. The airline claims the cargo hold is climate controlled, but I've heard too many horror stories about pets dying in transit from dehydration.

The airlines have many rules and regulations about having a health check within ten days of departure (more hassles at a busy time), we must arrive two hours before the flight at the cargo center, not the regular airport, we must have special shipping kennels, they must not be sedated. Needless to say, all of this will cost mucho bucks.

The other option is to drive them there -- 1100 miles with at least one overnight stop, preferably two.

Does anyone have experience about such a move that they might share?

Flying from Indiana to Texas in the cargo hold is not a long enough flight for your cats to suffer from dehydration (approx 2 hours).

How are you getting your car there? Probably best to drive them. Lots of motels will take animals (Red Roof Inn is one that always accepts animals).

It's more like five hours with one plane change. We're investigating having the cars shipped.

I've found another airline that will allow more than two cats in the cabin. Need a third person and I'm all set . . .

Have your cats traveled before...other than to the vet? Our cat frquently travels with us to visit our daughter 550 miles away. She is an excellent traveler, eats when we stop to eat, and uses her box when we go use the facilities. We pack her soft sided tote and she sleeps in it as she desires, coming out every so often to look around.

My DD still has a healthy cat that she brought back from the Azores by way of Lisbon. She left the Azores 6 years ago.
I would drive instead of paying to ship a car.

Husband has orthopedic problems that make it difficult for a 2-3 day drive.

Cats have never been anywhere other than to the vet by car.

Your cats may not travel well. I'm not sure I'd chance that trip if it involves a change of planes. I'd drive. Perhaps you could drive with a friend and fly him\her back and your husband could fly alone. It might not cost anymore that way.

Realizing that I actually like long car drives - and not everyone does. But I would drive one of the cars - either you and the cats with DH flying or some other arrangement. There are other reasons you might want to drive - less to haul on plane, since there are things you will want in first few days after your move. Also, there may be some things you do not want to entrust to movers or airlines and you can transport them in the car as well. And then you will have a car immediately upon arrival in your new home.

I am sensing that you are not all that comfortable with a drive of that length - and perhaps you are a bit older (referencing DH orthopedic problems). I like the idea of perhaps having a friend/family member drive with you.

I suspect when you add in all the costs - flights, cats' flights, versus gas, hotel, return flight - that cost is going to balance out no matter which way you go. The cats may not be great car travelers, but most howl for the first hour and then give up.

I'm in my late sixties. We've driven there five or six times in recent years, but it's not pleasant. Two days on the road and being overrun with semi trucks . . .

We're looking for a third person who will fly with us and take one of the cats.

Best wishes to you and yours on your journey, if i was available i'd love to go with you. I love road trips (airplanes too) and I love cats

Neuman605: Thanks for the encouragement. We'll need it.

Hi indianapearl - are you about to become texaspearl?

"Two days on the road and being overrun with semi trucks . . ." - sounds like you've been driving the interstates. Can you turn this into a journey rather than an endurance test and take longer on quieter roads? I think that gail makes some very good points.

Yes when I moved from back East to Seattle I drove and brought my cat. She was a sweetheart and I just had her loose in the car. Being older and wiser now I use a crate for the cats when they need to make a car trip, and that is what I'd recommend for you.

We've decided to drive rather than fly. Although it would take less time, it's turning out to be a hassle. Each cat has to have a health check-up prior to travel. Each cat has to have an escort human. We have to be at the airport earlier than we would otherwise have to arrive. There's one plane change in Houston. And the thought of listening to them meow for several hours is distressing. They may meow in the car, but they won't bother anyone but us.

thursdaysd: No plans for a name change.

Hey for your help I am putting some information just for your knowledge. Indiana does not have a large freight shipping volume; however freight rates are consistent and not based too much on seasonality. And Texas freight shipping is very active due to port shipping, agriculture, and heavy industry throughout the state.

We just brought my Dad's doggie back from Texas to Florida, which is a similar drive in duration (about 1,075 miles). We stayed on the Interstate, drove from 8:00am to 6:00pm then stayed at hotel, next day finished up from 7:30am to 2:30pm thereabouts. Red Roof Inn and La Quinta Inns accept small animals. We used La Quinta which does not charge any add'l fee for the pet. I am very leery of flying with animals in cargo as well, although I imagine there are more 'success' stories than 'tragic' stories.

The conclusion of the story: we're flying them with us in the cabin with the help of a friend of our son's. Each of us will escort a cat in a soft-sided carrier that has to fit under the seat in front. Because we're taking a smaller plane on Delta from Indy to Memphis, the carriers must be no more than 18 x 12 x 12.

We have very small carry-on bags with wheels, so we'll plop the carriers on the rolling bags so we don't have to schlep them through the airport by hand. We'll also request to pre-board so we can get the girls (calicoes) settled before the mad rush begins.

Although Delta doesn't require it for pets carried in-cabin, we've decided to get a health certificate from the vet prior to departure just in case we need them.

Pets should not be sedated because it causes a drop a body temperature as well as making them unsteady which can cause injury.

We decided it would be better get it over with an a few hours instead of two or three days of "meow, meow, meow." I told the Delta reservation agent that we are more than happy to move if someone doesn't want to sit near us, but we'll leave it the flight attendant to figure out the arrangements.

Dogs have such different personalities than cats -- cats hate change, just like everything to be serene. Unfortunately, our packing and moving activities over the last year have already gotten them discombobulated, but I'm hoping life be more peaceful for them soon (and me too!).

Note: we decided the Indy-Memphis-Austin route because Memphis is a small airport compared with Houston, so we shouldn't have to trek so far from one gate to the next.