lizzyq

Hi KK85!

As steveq has already mentioned I flew on the same flight as our 2 cats back in October 2014 with American Airlines. The cats came as excess baggage at a rate of £110 per crate, paid at the airport on the day, and all went very smoothly. I don't know if any airlines flying out of the UK still offer this option, you will have to work carefully through the websites usually finding info somewhere within the baggage/specialist baggage pages.

These 3 posts summarise my experience (the links are to my individual posts in the thread):

1: http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5.../#post11418583

2: http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5.../#post11425488

3: http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5.../#post11426642

Good luck in finding a workable solution that suits you and your cats.

Glasgow Girl

I brought my 16 year old cat to the US on American Airlines. She arrived well and lived out the rest of her days in the US, another three years. I think it was about $75 to have her on the same flight as me, but this was in 1996. I don't think any airline will let you take the cat into the cabin on an international flight, mine had to go into the pressurized part of the hold but she arrived in Chicago none the worse for wear. My only difficulty was that AA stated that the traveling container did not meet their requirements. It did, as I had checked a week or so beforehand and they conceded that they were wrong. They knew that I was anxious about how well she would travel and upgraded me to Business Class for free. Clearing customs and immigration was no problem at all. The AA reps at Heathrow wanted to see a certificate that said the cat was fit to travel, but no one on the US side asked for any documentation whatsoever. You will be a nervous wreck but I am sure your cat will be fine!

LouisB

Good thread. Also looking to do this.

Considering a pet air U.K. separate journey for her.

Can I also check:

1. Any recommended natural / herbal relaxants. Our cat hates travelling, we'll need to do all we can.
2. Rabies is the only additional vaccine is all she needs, done < 30 days in advance of travel.
3. Coordinating being on both sides, presume she will go into a cattery while we travel over ourselves and travel once we confirm we've arrived there to receive her
4. No cat passport required (that's just for the EU)

lizzyq

1) No sedatives etc are recommended to be used as they can cause more issues than they solve. My cats weren't fans of travelling either, but were very relaxed when I collected them from oversized baggage at JFK. They were fine for the 5 hour drive after that too. I think the fact that in the plane they are (presumably) in the dark encourages them to settle down and sleep.

2) Different states may have different rules, but to fly into New York state all they needed was a current rabies jab - mine had theirs in August and we flew in October.

3) This is up to you and the transport company.

4) Correct, a pet passport is not required for importing a cat into the USA.

TWO additional things you need that you haven't listed:

5) Microchip - again I had our cats chipped the day they had their rabies vaccines.

6) A "Fitness to Fly" letter/certificate is needed from a vet less than 10 days before travel. I took our cats down to the vet about 3 or 4 days before we flew.

Our two settled into their new home very quickly and happily.

LouisB

Brilliant, thanks. Yes this is to NY.

On point one, I heard herbal relaxants were ok (just actual drugs that were not allowed), will try to find out more.

Glad you mention it is dark and they sleep. Our cat gets freaked out when she can see where we're going but put a blanket over travel box and she is much happier.

She has a microchip and I've had it tested by vets recently

Will arrange fitness to fly nearer the time, hopefully there will be no issues there, fingers crossed!!

Is the crate they use suitable for collecting by car to end destination or we need to pick up a new cat box when there?

lizzyq

Essentially the check is for normal temperature (indicating no infections) and a comb check for no fleas, mites or ticks.

I didn't use a transport company but I would expect a crate suitable for a plane should be fine for the journey to your new home.

LouisB

Update, our cat is booked for the rabies jab later today - £48

She was dewormed regularly. Good point about fleas, didn't think about that.

Hopefully all will be good (why am I still nervous?)

KK85

Thank you all so much for your responses! I have been away from the forum for a couple of months - I am so sorry for being so rude.

I very much appreciate all of your stories and tips. Ted's carbon pawprint administration is on my to-do list for next week - I will be re-reading everything here while I do my research! Thank you all again for taking the time to share what you know and what you experienced, it has been a massive reassurance.

KK85

How is everything progressing, LouisB?

I know I am going to be an absolute nervous wreck myself, surely moreso than Ted will be. I'm very fortunate in that he travels well, but I hate the thought of him being frightened and alone for 8 hours! I'm quite sure we take on the stress for them.

The Moose

I haven't had a chance to read the full thread however I have nothing but praise for the Virgin Atlantic pets team who relocated our cat when we moved earlier this year and would strongly suggest you consider their services.

They were the cheapest who quoted for me, offered me great service and most importantly got our Jake here in one piece!

KK85

That's fantastic! Thank you for the tip, TheMoose. Virgin Atlantic have, by coincidence, been the airline I've travelled with most often and I, too, have only ever had pleasant experiences. I've not done enough research into airlines' own pet services, honestly, so I shall add this - and Virgin Atlantic, especially - to my list. Thank you! Even the idea of Ted travelling with them is reassuring somehow.

So glad you had such a positive experience.

Jellyfish

Hi there KK, I don't know if I've missed this somewhere in this thread, but as your final destination is Harrisburg, why not fly Ted into Philadelphia which would reduce the car journey on the other end of what will be a long trip for him? My kitty flew from LHR to PHL via BA and the operation was pretty seamless. I was especially impressed by the communication from the Philly end of BA who showed some initiative in planning ahead for her arrival in light of unusual weather that day. I was not on the flight - kitty was collected by my daughter and I arrived the next day. But I seem to remember that upon arrival, kitty had to be taken to another part of the airport (not the terminal) to be examined by a vet before being allowed entry. All in all, though, it was no more than an hour after touchdown that she was reunited with my daughter, which is faster than I've managed to get through immigration at PHL sometimes, lol. FWIW I used Airpets and was very satisfied with them. Kitty boarded with them for a few days before flying because I did not want her freaked out by the packers from the removals company and all the upheaval in the house. Using a company like Airpets is obviously more expensive but I had so much to do in those final days in the UK that I found outsourcing that job to someone who knew the ins and outs to be worth the money to me. Good luck, and I hope the stress of your move can be minimized for you and Ted!

1969tonka

Hi kk, we are leaving for Seattle on 20th April with 3 dogs and 2 cats . They will follow us on the 21st so we can have things ready for them . We are using passportforpets.co.uk who we have seen lots of good reviews for , they use British airways as they seem to be best for transatlantic crossings.

KK85

Hi Jellyfish! Thank you for this, and for the good luck wishes. I hadn't thought to consider Philadelphia, simply because whenever I've gone to book my own flights, the difference in price (and number of layovers) between flying to Philadelphia and either EWR or JFK has been extortionate. I will ask about this, though, when it comes to putting the wheels in motion for Ted's flight because, depending on whether we fly on the same day and what the cost difference is, I would definitely prefer as quick and seamless a journey for him as possible!

I'm glad to hear you had such a positive experience with Airpets, and that the tail end of kitty's journey was relatively quick and pain-free. I am of the same mindset, in that paying the few extra pounds to save the stress and anxiety is surely worth it.

KK85

Good luck, Tonka! Please do let us know how it all goes!