Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Hi there,

I would greatly value anyones advice please! I am being relocated to the US from London UK and I have a shih-tzu dog that I want to take with me in the cabin. The problem is that he is small enough to fit in the designated kennels they suggest, but he is 11kg slightly more than most of the airlines will allow.
I am having great difficulty in finding an airline that can accommodate this. Delta used to do it, but apparently they have just changed their policy and won't accept dogs from the UK. Air Canada can do it but they have a maximum weight of 10kg (I am not sure how strict they are with weighing the dogs at check in?). United and continental don't do it and all the other airlines have a weight restriction of 8kg. Any advice from people with similar experiences would be much appreciated!!!!

Thank you!

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Have you checked with Air France or KLM/Northwest? Not sure if they fly out of London, but worth a shot. Tbh, I don't think there are many that will fly pets in cabin on international flights.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Thank you.
KLM have a weight restriction again, so does Air France 6kg.
I'll check NW!

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Doggie diet?

I didnt think anyone allowed pets in the cabin for international flights.

We are taking our cats with us and using http://www.petairuk.com/

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I was going to suggest Luthansa - but they have an 8kg limit incl. the carry cage. They will allow service dogs - perhaps you can get your dog certified as a therapy dog for your 'stress'? - long shot, crazy idea. :o

https://www.lufthansa.com/uk/en/Animals

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

He would probably be calmer in the cargo hold. Dark, quiet, no food smells or humans making him bark.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

November last year, I flew Delta direct from Salt Lake City to Charles de Gaulle and there was a lady on board with her pet cat so Delta must offer something like that. They may not transport directly on board from the UK but the rules may be different from Paris. Worth checking that out.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I wonder what would you do if your pet crapped itself within an hour of take-off? I am not sure I understand the rationale for wanting a pet in the cabin on a long-haul flight. I don't think it is in the pet's best interests as the cabin is a noisy, stressful environment.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I agree. I like pets, have owned dogs, and currently owned cats, but I would not want even one of my own animals in the cabin with me, and certainly not someone else's. Children on flights are bad enough, and I have one of those too! :lol: ..... We've kept little Miss P "grounded", literally, and she is about to have her first flight at the age of seven.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I've flown my cat in the hold 3 times. She pee'd and pooped on herself each time - definitely an indication she didn't stay calm. The hold may be be calmer once they're airborne, but I think the bulk of the stress is being transported across the tarmac to the plane and off again. My cat is now petrified of the beeps made when a truck backs up. Or pretty much any loud engine noise, which she had no issue with before she flew. For me, while I agree the idea of her yowling for 12 hours, or having a poop and being worse than any mis-behaved child, it would be less stressful for her with me there. But perhaps I'm projecting and delusional on this topic...:unsure:

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Great. And sçrëw what the rest of the passengers think. :rolleyes:

It's bad enough in a plane when someone starts spritzing cologne, but the thought of being in a cabin scented with cat pee! :sick:

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

:D That's awesome - made me laugh out loud!! I also wonder about people who are allergic - be great for them too! Okay, maybe the hold is the best bet!:thumbsup:

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Gee, what a bunch of sour pusses on here!;) If my pet made a mess, I would clean it up. I personally have no issue with pets, mine or someone else's. I actually cuddled that lady's cat for her so she could toddle off to the loo. Poor furball was very quiet and scared but did drink a little water. I am not as grouchy or intolerant as you lot. :p

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I love animals, but from my own experience with a "neurotic" (anxious, etc.) rescue dog who flew across the Atlantic three times, they do just fine in the hold. You can buy special bedding that reduces the mess if they have to use the toilet while they are in there.

I do think we sometimes project our fears and wants onto our pets, and the usual response is to label anyone with common sense "intolerant" or a "sourpuss" (mustn't forget the smiley :p)

(and they won't allow the pet out of its crate mid-flight so you can clean it, either ... can you imagine a piss-riddle cat scared out of its wits tearing around the cabin projecting crap out of its rear end?)

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

No way would I even consider taking our 2 cats in the cabin. From experience of 5 hour car trips they whinge (loudly) to start with and then settle down for a kip. Our plan is to do a single flight with them in the hold, in flight approved carriers, lined with suitable absorbent materials. Probably we will stump up for PetAir to take the hassle out of it. Of the various cats we have had, the worst traveller was the one who was allergic to Shropshire. Every time we drove from Manchester to SW Wales, whichever route we took the moment we entered Shropshire it was a case of :sick: The current two have been no trouble in comparison.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I've seen someone walking their dog around in the cabin on a KLM flight - upper deck of a 747. It was a bit surreal. Before that I had no idea dogs were even allowed in the cabin.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I hadn't until you described it! :lol: ...... :sick:

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Ditto for us. We have 2 Siamese, and they know how to howl when they are afraid (which they always do on car rides). Not to mention, when our female cat does a #2, OMFG is it rank! I Wouldn't subject ourselves to that torture, much less other passengers!

We are buying dryfur pads (from http://www.dryfur.com) that exactly fit the bottom of their kennels, to absorb any messes. We've used them on 3 flights and during a cross-country move, and they have worked pretty well every time.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

:lol: Quite a visual! :sneaky: Aw come on, I am merely pulling your chain. I do appreciate that in many cases it would not be a good idea. I do think that cat was medicated as he was very gooey, and when I put him down in his carrier he curled up and settled back to sleep. Probably the only way to do it if they are on board.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Blimey, it gets worse!

Any pet owners reading this, never, ever tranquillize a cat or dog before a flight, you could kill it. It suppresses the natural ability to respond to altered pressure and other physiological demands by changing blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, etc.

I realise you were having a little joke, but I really, really think pet owners need to think about whether they are making decisions for their pet's benefit or to make themselves feel better.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I used PetAir for our 2 cats from London to NYC. I used the 'Gold' service which means they were picked up the day before, dewormed, vet checked etc and put in the hold in a custom-made wooden crate (massively sturdy BTW and was reluctant to chuck it out but NYC has small flats...). This is a US requirement I think. Each state has different requirements for importing pets so you'll have to make sure you have done what you need to do. If your dog isn't vaccinated against rabies you'll need a month or so (possibly even 2 if the appropriate antibody titre isn't reached after the first vaccine). It was all a bit complicated and I was glad that the company gave us money to pay for it as it wasn't cheap! It was very stress free for me and the cats looked completely fine in JFK when we picked them up. There's also customs to be dealt with on arrival and a small fee. The customs building is quite far from the passenger terminal so was tricky. PetAir only use BA Cargo which somehow made me feel better. No pee or poop when we opened the crate - a miracle!

We got our dog in NYC and when we moved to San Francisco I did all the planning etc myself. He's 8.5kg and is too big for the cabin sadly. They have to be small enough to fit under the seat in front AND be able to stand upright. It was really only for very small dogs. I put him in the hold with United and they were great but it was very nerve-wracking for me! He was fine at the other end. Glad to see us, but fine. We know people who have had their pet designated as a service animal (fraudulently of course) and they fly with the dog in the cabin on domestic flights. I imagine it might be a lot more difficult to have the dog designated as a service animal in the UK. There's always the QM2 but they book up quickly. Let us know how you get on as I'd be interested if there really was a way to take him in the cabin transatlantic.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

And we were repeatedly warned by the pet moving companies never to medicate the cats or dog as apparently, if they're medicated/tranquilised their blood pressure drops and the BP drops in-flight so the combined effects can kill them. They told me (to reassure me!) that a lot of these horror stories that you read - DO NOT GOOGLE THEM IN THE DAYS BEFORE TRAVEL LIKE I DID! - were caused by owners medicating the animals.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Interesting, although that cat did appear to be calm. Hope she made to wherever in France they were going. What is recommended if a pet is highly strung, highly stressed out type? Stress alone can cause all kinds of bad results.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

Apparently they settle down quite quickly. If they're in a dark environment etc. I think dogs have a much worse time of it. The cats seemed completely unperturbed the whole experience. The dog seemed more stressed. A friend put his huge dog in the hold when he was relocating from SF to NYC. The dog tried to chew his way out of the crate. He didn't get out but he cut up his mouth really badly and he said it was like a bloodbath! When he came back from NYC he drove with the dog cross country...

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

As I mentioned in my earlier email, Suzy was "neurotic" (vet's description), very shy and nervous with any sort of travel. Ironically, she travelled via just about every form of transport there is.

She "survived" three lengthy transatlantic flights with no adverse effects whatsoever. I think we forget that they are animals, and animals have a strong survival instinct.

Many pet behaviour books point out that anxious pets are often just responding to the way their owners behave. Just like kids, if you make a big fuss every time they look a bit anxious, you just create an anxious kid/pet. It's simple behavioural reinforcement. When we aren't making a big fuss, they just settle down.

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

I think you're right. As I had the cats shipped off the day before travel (as was recommended) they seemed unfazed. The dog senses your stress, the change of environment, the boxes, packing. He was definitely more upset. And then there was my brave attempt at a stiff upper lip in the United cargo building as we left him in his crate...didn't help that there was a family giving up a dog for adoption to SF (?) and all the kids were hysterically crying. And that the United staff put the wrong destination on the crate which made my blood pressure shoot up! All went well in the end....

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

It's crazy how much pet import rules vary state by state!

Getting our cats into California (albeit 4 years ago): no 'custom-made crates', no rabies titer test with a long waiting period (are these on the way out? the UK no longer requires them either), no deworming. No customs fee. Picked the cats up at the 'oversize baggage' area. Exited through customs with everyone else.

Customs: is that a cat?
Me: yes.
Customs: okay.

And that was it.

Definitely check how your destination state does it. NYC sounds even harder work than the UK!

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

We moved to NYC 3 years ago so the rabies titre rule was there then, but maybe just for NY state. They had to be dewormed no more than 48 hours prior to travel. Also had to be vet-checked for fitness to fly. It was a bit of a to-do. Went to Cargo, saw the cats in the crate (didn't need to have hand-made, was just what Pet Air UK did) then told to go to another building about a mile away it seemed, deal with customs who were not charm-school graduates, pay the import fee, then go back to cargo with stamped form to release the cats. It was pretty stressful going back and forth. Had to tip the taxi driver big time! I think Pet Air also offered a home drop off service and I think, had I known the palaver at JFK, I would have opted for that one!

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

It's not like that in CA anymore, at least not into LAX anyway.

Our cats came over in January to LAX via Petair (who were excellent BTW).

Petair had custom crates and wanted Rabies vaccine and healthcheck.

Customs at LAX is daft. You go to the cargo terminal and pick up paperwork. Then you drive a mile or so to the customs building and wait until they read the paperwork and stamp it. Then you drive back to the cargo place with the form, pay the money and get the animals.

Our 12 year old cats were fine with the flight and one of them still likes to sleep in her crate now. It must have created strong emotional attachment in times of peril...

Re: Advice on PET relocation, pleeeeease!!!
 

We did Africa to Chicago with our two cats in cabin - have their Sherpa bags and cover their bags with light shawls and no one even knew they were there. I did hear one of them right before the takeoff but afterwards she piped down. This is normal as they're adjusting to cabin pressure.

We don't feed them 4-5 hrs prior to flight and water is taken away 2 hrs prior to the flight - thus no accidents during flight. Even if something were to happen we're prepared with clorox wipes in a ziplock bag and some kitchen towels for cleanup. No sedation for flights ever.

At O'Hare we had to ring for the USDA vet to come out and see them, just looked at them, signed the papers and sent us off. We did have all the paperwork signed and stamped - no one even asked to see it.

Same with our trip to DC a month later and our trip to middle-East two months later. So in 4 months we flew 5 flights with cats in cabin and no issues with other passengers, airlines or flight attendants. I will say that the Austrian check in lady assured us we'll be well taken care of and she let us board at the same time as other passengers needing extra time to settle in - we didn't expect it, but a nice gesture from her side. On board after the take off, I was offered to move to an empty row to stretch my legs and husband stayed behind in our row with cats - he had plenty of space to stretch his legs too.

At no time are the cats let out of their carriers during flights.