Cats travel in cargo or in cabin?--decisions

[fedoragirl]

Our move is a few months away, but close enough to book our tickets. We had decided early on that our two cats would travel in cabin with us because I could not bear to have them roughly handled in cargo (an assumption from the stories I've heard).
Well, now the only carrier that will let them in-cabin from US to Germany is Delta, and their tickets are $3,000+ per person. We cannot afford that for a family plus two cats. We found other airlines that are much more reasonable but they won't allow cats in cabin. We can ship them through cargo, though.
Anyone who's shipped pets overseas, would you chime in with your experience?
At this point, I don't know whether spending the $$ is important or if I am just making a big deal about cats in cargo. Any advice.

[3blackcats]

Aren't there certain months that pets can't travel in the cargo hold? Flying to Germany you would be so high up, wouldn't they freeze?

Ugh, I do not envy your decision. Good luck!

[KLD313]

I've heard so many horror stories of pets shipped in cargo that I wouldn't want to take the chance. It's such a tough call to make though because that is a lot of money.

[dcmom2b3]

I don't envy your decision. I never flew with my cats so I don't have any BTDT advice, but I'd really not want them to be in cargo esp. internationally. Can you send one adult on Delta with the cats in cabin, the rest of the family on a lower-priced carrier? I know that means someone will be travelling alone with kids . . . not optimal.

Just a random thought -- there must be services that transport animals, right? Would sending the cats by a specialty carrier, separate from the family, be cheaper than the whole family flying Delta?

[egoldber]

I would consider using a pet shipping service. We have moved cross county more than once with pets, but not also with kids. One cat we took in the cabin. The other cat was a howler, so we shipped him and our dog air cargo. They were fine. Totally and completely fine. Yes, there are horror stories, but you have to realize that the few bad incidents get heavily publicized and the thousands of pets shipped with no issues at all are not newsworthy.

To the PP, all airline flights are high enough to freeze anyone not in a pressurized, climate controlled area. There is a specialized area of the cargo hold for pets.

[TwinFoxes]

OP, I remember when we were moving and trying to figure out how to get our dogs across there was a big difference between carriers and their records handling pets. Some were abysmal, others were fine. If you Google you might find more recent info.

We ended having DH drive the doggies, because it was just too worrisome to think about shipping them, and boxers really shouldn't be be flown because of their short snouts. (they can't regulate their body temperatures as well as other breeds). I know that's not an option for you, but I'd consider a service that will put them in the cabin.

[fedoragirl]

Thank you all. After doing some research, I found that the cargo transport is not as fearful as I had imagined. After all, dog breeders ship their precious dogs through cargo all the time.
One airline insisted that we use a pet moving company so we have requested a quote. Another airline would deal directly, and you can ship the pets in cargo even if you're not on the same flight. Their reasoning is that once the pets are in cargo, you can't access them anyway till you reach your destination. This is the route we have decided to take because it's more economical, but most of all, because the agents answered every one of my questions satisfactorily. The service is not cheap but I bet it's less than what pet moving companies would charge. So, for anyone looking for info. you can PM me because I have talked to 5 different airlines in the past few days.

[amldaley]

Just keep in mind that all airlines have minimum outdoor temperatures below which they will not ship your pet cargo. This can usually be found on each airline's website.

Cargo holds are usually temperature controlled anywhere between 40-80 degrees but usually more between 50-80, so your kitties would be fine there.

The danger comes from the time they are brought on to the tarmac in their carriers and sit outside waiting to be loaded. They will try to keep them warm and sheltered as long as they can, but pets can end up sitting outside for quite a long time, especially awaiting an international flight.

Also, just in case you have a snub nose breed, like a Persian, check the airlines rules. Many will not transport these animals on certain flights due to risk of respitory issues.

For cats, I recommend getting something like a pheremone collar to help ease their tension. They are not nearly as flexible or resilent as dogs are when travelling.

http://www.amazon.com/NurtureCALM-24-Pheromone-Collar-Cats/dp/B00460Y17S

http://www.amazon.com/Sentry-Behavior-Pheromone-Collar-Inches/dp/B0026JAKWG

[crayonblue]

I don't know anything about cargo shipping a pet, but please, please, please, please don't take cats in the cabin. DH is so allergic to cats that the plane would have to be grounded and he would have to be taken to the hospital if a cat was on the plane! His airway swells and he cannot breathe if in the same vicinity of a cat. I know his reaction is severe but cat allergies are not uncommon and being on an international flight with a cat would be miserable, if not deadly, for an allergic person.

[fedoragirl]

One of the great things about the airline we've chosen is that they provide climate controlled vans for travel between airports an layovers. I am happy with my choice.
crayonblue, I understand your DH's allergies but you can't prevent people from bringing pets on board if the airline policy allows it.

[fedoragirl]

Just keep in mind that all airlines have minimum outdoor temperatures below which they will not ship your pet cargo. This can usually be found on each airline's website.

Cargo holds are usually temperature controlled anywhere between 40-80 degrees but usually more between 50-80, so your kitties would be fine there.

The danger comes from the time they are brought on to the tarmac in their carriers and sit outside waiting to be loaded. They will try to keep them warm and sheltered as long as they can, but pets can end up sitting outside for quite a long time, especially awaiting an international flight.

Also, just in case you have a snub nose breed, like a Persian, check the airlines rules. Many will not transport these animals on certain flights due to risk of respitory issues.

For cats, I recommend getting something like a pheremone collar to help ease their tension. They are not nearly as flexible or resilent as dogs are when travelling.

http://www.amazon.com/NurtureCALM-24-Pheromone-Collar-Cats/dp/B00460Y17S

http://www.amazon.com/Sentry-Behavior-Pheromone-Collar-Inches/dp/B0026JAKWG

Thank you so much for those links. I had been searching for a non-electric way (Feliway is plug in) to help my kitties transition into their new home 7000 miles away.

[crayonblue]

I know that.

ETA: Pressed post before I meant to. I have a husband who is deadly allergic to cats and a daughter who is allergic to peanuts. I'm very aware of airline policies, school policies, etc.

[bubbaray]

KLM is know as *the* international airline for animal cargo. Not only do they ship dogs, but "valuable" animals like race horses and exotics too.

[amldaley]

Thank you so much for those links. I had been searching for a non-electric way (Feliway is plug in) to help my kitties transition into their new home 7000 miles away.

Just as a heads up since you are familiar with Feliway...the collars are a different pheremone than Feliway. Feliway tells the cat "I am comfortable here, I have been here, this place is safe". The collars tell the cat "I am calm. I am happy. I am calm. I happy. It's cool. I'm chill".

The collars will be great fro travel.

Feliway now has a small spray can, not just the plug-ins. You could pick a couple up to take with you to "mark" your new house with.

Best of luck to you! I know full well how difficult this decision is. We were all packed and ready to take our pooch to England, completed the home quarantine, etc when DH's job orders changed. I hope the trip goes smoothly for you all!

[amldaley]

I know that.

ETA: Pressed post before I meant to. I have a husband who is deadly allergic to cats and a daughter who is allergic to peanuts. I'm very aware of airline policies, school policies, etc.

Just asking for curiosity and understanding sake - I am not trying to stir the pot. Please read this with an open, curious & non-judgemental tone.

If the airline allows cats on board, and your DH is aware he has this deadly allergy, wouldn't he be obligated to notify the airline of his allergy and verify no cats are scheduled to be onboard or at least not near him? I would think the onus would be on him when he flies to take the necessary precautions or fly on an airline that does not allow pets in the cabin. What does he normally do? How does he avoid people with cat hair on them?

[JdrKuhnert]

Our 3 cats have gone through 3 international flights. When I moved to Germany, we staggered their flights so that they could go in the cabin with us ( I took a different cat with each visit to DH). One problem with taking the cats in the cabin was airport security in the US. I had to take them out of their bag so that it could go through the Xray. The poor things were terrified.
On our return to the US, we had to put them in cargo because there were 3 of them. If I remember correctly, it cost about $180 per cat with Lufthansa. The cats were fine. On our return to Germany, we again put them in the cargo hold. On arrival at Frankfurt, they were waiting for us in baggage claim. Again, they were fine. The airport vet wasn't there yet so there was no control of their paperwork, etc.
When you take the cats, make sure that your documents are translated into German. I had a real problem with one flight out of LAX. They didn't want to let me on the plane with the cat because my vaccination form wasn't translated.

[fedoragirl]

Good to know. Thanks! I will work on the German translations. The embassy's web site only tells us to translate the vet certificate in German but better safe than sorry. The cats will be flying Continental. They have a Petsafe program where they don't check in animals as baggage. It will cost us about $1200 to move them.