I just phoned Delta Airlines in the UK and they confirmed (by two different people) that we can take a cat in the cabin with us from London so he can just go in the seat underneath in front of us.

Has anyone else heard that? I thought I read somewhere that you can't do that to/from the UK but both guys said a definite yes that he can go in the cabin.

I flew with US when i brought my cats over. They were not allowed in the cabin. As far as i am aware, no airlines allow domestic pets or livestock in the cabin for transatlantic flights.. they have to go in the hold.

My cats cost me $125 each, plus microchipping, plus approved travel crate (at around $70 each) plus another £30 vet certificate to say they were healthy and good to travel.
Something to note, if any leg of your journey is too hot or cold, the cat will not be allowed to travel and you need someone at the airport to take them home should this be the case. When i travelled it was too cold in Chicago (40f), but i had already asked the vet to note on the health cert that they would be fine down to 36f. They are long hair cats that were used to the English winter! After a few discussions back and forth the airline permitted them to travel.

The information you've been given is correct. However, the UK will not allow you to take animals onboard an aircraft in this manner. So whilst the airline is okay about it the brains trust in Whitehall will scupper you. Check the link out below.

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...gulations.html

Delta's an odd choice of carrier to Canada, what's the route?

I think a cat would be better off in the hold a large roomy crate that they can move around in rather than stuffed underneath a seat next to moving feet and noises and smells and distractions.

This site has some helpful and sobering info about transporting your pet... ignore the info about driving it here!
http://www.wikihow.com/Minimize-Risk...rplane#_note-0

Thanks for that - I knew I had read that somewhere!


We have to drop cat off in Cincinnati as my sister is going to have him for a year while we're in a rental in Toronto (no pets allowed in rental).


Thanks for that - very helpful information on it!

Why not give to the old lady next door? The cat won't care, you'll save 125 pounds and you can get new kitten for free when you get over here.

Don't have anyone who can/will take him. Plus he's our baby and we're emotionally attached and want to keep him!

just hand him over to RBS Customer Services in Coventry ; they'll deal with him

I've just rung DEFRA and they said the only restriction is coming into the UK that they have to be in cargo but going from the UK it is down to the airline and what they will allow. I'm terrified of booking my cat in the cabin with us and then showing up at the airport to be told that he can't go in the cabin. I suppose then they would just put him in the baggage hold and it wouldn't be a huge deal but then I'd have to have a different kennel.

No airline will allow your cat in the cabin. My advice is just book it in the hold as there are limited spaces for pets, get the crate now so your cat can get used to it ad then you don't have to worry.
DEFRA aren't interested in what's leaving the country but only what comes in.
Why don't you go to Gatwick or Heathrow and speak with the airline staff there? Ultimately they will be putting you on the plane and will tell you exactly what you need to know. The advice call centers give is as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

Have you really thought that one out? The flight from Gatwick to Toronto takes 6-7 hours. Won't any cat want a poo within that time? Your fellow passengers will not, I am sure, appreciate the pong (quite disgusting!). Then there's the potential for noise - we had a cat we used to take with us when we drove from London to Poole, in Dorset, and it made a frightful noise almost all the way.
I hope they never allow animals in the passenger cabin (I like both dogs and cats, by the way).

I have to agree here. I adore my 2 cats but I wouldn't have wanted them in the cabin with me, especially as 1 of them doesn't shut the frick up when he is in the pet carrier!! The risk of a cat pooping is reduced as you are not supposed to feed them from the night before the flight (therefore no food to poop out) but my cats still peed and that is smelly enough. From a fellow cat lover to another, I would advise you to put them in the hold. They are kept in darkness in there so they just have a nice snooze whereas the sounds in the the cabin could freak them out.....I'm assuming you cant take them out of their carrier in the cabin????

I suggest you go back and read that page again. You cannot carry an animal in the cabin of any flight originating in the UK.

As basementwaj has said, don't trust anyone you speak to over the phone at DEFRA. Having done this myself on several occasions I can tell you they're reading from a script and do not have any authoritative information to give to you.

At the end of the days the risk is yours to take.