ezvanetree

I am moving from Australia to Canada and am taking my Australian born cat. I am asking this question here because I am sure there are several people who moved with cats from Britain to Australia so have experience with cats going long distances. The trip will be about 30 hours plus the times he will have to be at the airport (ie, two or so hours for check in and clearing customs at the end). My vet says cats do well on valium so I plan on using this.

Did you find your cat did okay when travelling for a long time? Did he get food and water (does the airline do this?? at least some water??)? Or did he arrive dehydrated and very confused? Does the drug wear off before arrival and can you give him another dose on a stop over? (I have nightmares of my cat panicing in the cage for hours when he wakes up.) Did anyone's cat arrive injured from trying to get out of the cage? Would you put your cat through it again if need be? I understand about the paper work needed etc. but I am looking for some personal experience. Also, quarantine isn't an issue--once there, he can leave with me right away. Thanks for your help.

Gold Coaster

Hi,

We flew our 2 cats from the U.K to Oz and we had no problems at all and the cats were fine. We were advised not to use any drugs as cats travel fine and they only ever advise calming drugs for large dogs or stressed out cats. It is your choice really but all I know is that when we picked them up from quarantine they looked better than I have ever seen them. Think they had a ball at the cat motel.

Moody Cow

We flew our cats from the USA to Oz and were told by the vet in no uncertain terms that we were not allowed to drug the animals as at high altitudes it can affect their breathing and can be fatal! Yikes! We drove our two from Ft Lauderdale to Tampa where they rec'd the all clear from the pet shippers, stayed overnight and were flown to New York then directly to Perth via a stop at Singapore. Both cats were 100% ok on arrival at quarantine in Byford although I was worried sick about them! They were very well looked after and we got them back after 30 days. The timid one had plucked a patch of her fur out on her back from stress I suppose but both were back to normal as soon as they had adjusted to their new house. We were assured that once they are stored in the hold of the plane that it is dark and are not disturbed during the flight so most times they just curl up and sleep....I know it quite distressing to think of your pet all upset and confused but it is only for a day or two and they bounce back pretty well.

Good luck - MC

ezvanetree

Thanks for the helpful replies. It didn't occur to me to not use drugs, but if there are potential problems with them, I will avoid it. The fact that they are in a dark reasonably quiet place really assures me that my cat will handle it okay. He is a nervous cat but I am sure he will calm down after a while. Thanks again--I feel better about the whole thing now!

boom_meringue

Yup I agree no drugs & no probs. We flew our 2 cats & they looked healthier then ever when we collected them from Byford. Not sure what they feed them in there but they looked fab! One of our cats is a bit nervous but of the 2 he was actually better & more pleased to see us! Thats the down side to moving them, they don't want to know you for a few days!

TruBrit

Hiya, we brought our two (then aged 6 ) rather spoiled Persian cats from the UK to Houston and were advised no valium at all and this I checked with other sources and all said the same. If you asked me would I do it again the answer would be no as although the cats arrived with no broken bones etc from trying to get out of their cages their eyes just showed the fear and trauma they had been through. Poor things, the flight was one of the longest due to severe headwinds and then we had a 3 hr delay at Houston in getting them to release the cats. In total taking into account the time at LGW prior to boarding they had been hauled around for some 20 hrs. At Houston we had to go across town to get papers signed which we were not told about until the last min. No water was evident in their little bowls, the handling agents said it would only spill out...so sad but then what's the alternative...difficult one, I'd hate to do it again. Would have been better if we could have had them in the cabin with us I think. And was there any mess in their cages...no... all so clean, they really were troopers that long old day. Sorry to be so neg but that was our experience...good luck

ezvanetree

Sorry to hear your cats had a hard time of it, TruBrit--I have to say that I see myself and cat experiencing more your situation than a smooth one (I have never had a smooth move--furniture missing, delayed shipping for weeks etc) but I have never flown a cat. I was laying awake last night worrying about the water situation and was thinking it might be possible to rig up one of those rabbit water feeders for him so the water wouldn't spill everywhere. I mean, we are talking a whole day and night without water--that's a huge amount of time. If he had a rabbit water thing, he at least could get some liquid. Especially if I got him used to it in advance.... a thought.

TruBrit

Yep we had a rabbit water dripper thingy all rigged up in their cages...but they would not allow it,seems the cats are far more resilient than we give them credit for and once the cats heard our dulcet tones on arrival their little ears picked up and they looked so much brighter. It was a 40 min drive from the airport to our new house and by the time we opened their cages they started sniffing and checking the place out to see if they approved of their new home! Don't worry it'll be fine and they'll be so pleased to see you at the end of their ordeal. I had air freighted their original cat litter box and cat litter/food treats etc on the same flight as us so that would be familiar for them. Good luck and be sure to let us know how it all goes. p.s. This is quite important...do check with the cabin staff on the day that your four legged friend is on the same flight. The c/crew will check with the captain and he can look up on the flight manifest....I'm ex cabin crew and do know of some incidences where that has not always been the case so do check.

Salli

We shipped a cat aged 11 (and a dog) from the UK to Oz. They were both fine and dandy when they arrived. We didn't get out here 'til a week later but we visited them both in quarantine and they were fine. We called the quarantine station as soon as they arrived in Oz though and were told they were both tucking into their food, which I can well believe seeing the size of them when we picked them up after a month!

We didn't drug either of them, the shipping company we dealt with said that the airport vet wouldn't allow them on the plane if they showed signs of being drugged. We were given a tip though....instead of the drip feeder rabbit water thingys we were advised to use the dishes that clip to the inside of the cage...that way there's nothing on the outside to get knocked about but airport personnel can still fill them up from the outside of the cage using a little hose and funnel. We were also told to fill the dishes up with water and pop them in the freezer the night before the flight. That way they melt slowly so ensuring the animals have water throughout the flight and don't run out part way through due to it being spilt during takeoff.

TruBrit

we used the dishes that clip on the cage but the way the cages are transported the water spills out but love the tip about freezing the water, I'll remember that for future...tks

ezvanetree

Thanks again TruBrit for the tip re: checking to make sure he is on the same flight. I will make sure to do this. And the tip from Salli about the frozen water is brilliant--much better than a rabbit water feeder as I am sure my cat won't know what to do with the latter even if I do try to get him used to it. I will take his litter box and treats too so he can have some familiar things at the end. I think the trip will be hell for the cat (he is a shy nervous cat who hates being confined) but it is only for a few days and then he will be safe in a new home.

TruBrit

be sure to let us know how the trip goes...the fun we had watching our cats try to fathom out what to do with the rabbit feeders, they clawed at them and tried to chew them, just as well we didn't end up using them....good luck

ezvanetree

Thanks for your words of encouragement, TruBrit. I will let you know if my cat survives and forgives me afterwards. I have confidence--I once put him in a cattery for three weeks; he hated every second of it, and was hysterical when he saw me again, but he forgave me immediately and forgot all about it within minutes of returning home.

YoSemite

re: frozen water..... have also had my vet recommend adding a few drops of Rescue Remedy to the water - especially for nervious/sick travellers.

said he's never had cause to use it himself but he's heard very good things about it!

our pup can be a bad traveller - we added a few drops of RR to her water t'other day and no strange effect so we're gonna give this a go for when she flys!

Salli

I used rescue remedy with a cat I had years ago who was very highly strung....relaxed him a bit with no ill effects....might be as well to give it a go beforehand just to make sure there are no adverse reactions, just in case.