Conference misery::feline_v1

    
    We have two cats who travel by car a lot.  They hate to be in cages
    but love to park on your shoulder.  If she is going to use cages,
    I suggest she get a cage into the house and see if they will use
    it to sleep in or at least get used to being in it once in awhile.
    The Cages should not cramp the cat...they should be able to stand
    up and turn around.  We also carry a litter box (just in case).
    
    I would also suggest she might want to try to put harnesses on them
    so that you can attach a leash if you need to take them out of a
    cage or the car.  This will not be an easy feat with older cats.
    Again, you should start getting them used to it if that is what
    you decide to do.  A harness is handy when they ride loose like
    ours do, as you can grab it real quick if necessary and get a good
    hold on the cat.
    
    Most vets will not give medication to calm them.  The best thing
    is to not feed them at least one hour before they start to ride.
    They will be better off to eat when she stops for the night.  Also
    prepare yourself for blood curdling yowls like you have never heard
    before.  Mine yowl quite a bit until you get on an interstate and
    then they settle down although one "talks" all the way for 4 hours
    but he's singing at the same time!!
    
    A more expensive suggestion would be to leave them with "grandma"
    until she gets settled and them ship them down by air and make
    sure it is a nonstop flight so that she could meet them at the 
    airport.
    
    

    It is a rare cat that can (or should) travel in a car unrestrained.
     There are notes scattered all through this notesfile with horror
    stories about driving with loose cats (dogs also).  There are
    commercial cat carriers which allow the cats to move about and remain
    safe.  On a long drive the cats are going to get edgy, your daughter
    does want them bailing out at toll booths or rest areas.
    
    Frank
    

    Agreed, very few cats can travel in a car unrestrained.  I had a
    kitty during my college years who went *everywhere* with me.  As
    soon as I put her in the car, she would go to the shelf under the
    back window and lie down between the speakers.  She would stay there
    until I took her out.  I attribute her good behavior on car trips
    to a real love of Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead :-)  I have
    never had a cat before or since that I could (or would) travel this
    way with.
    
    If your daughter is staying the night at hotel or motel, be sure she
    checks first to see if cats are allowed to stay there, too!  Kitties
    should NOT have to sleep in the car!  Also, she should make sure
    plenty of water.  Cats can get dehydrated easily in a closed, warm
    car.
    
    Rita
    

    cats not in cages in cars:  I'll just take refuge underneath the
    brake pedal here... (no lie, this happened to me with Pussycat)
    
    cars shipped by air:  I would be _extremely_ careful about this.
    Tales of missed connections, unpressurized baggage compartments,
    carrying cases opened, abound.  Going in the passenger cabin with
    someone accompanying them is different.
    

    Re: .0
    
    "In a few months" sounds like spring break time.  She may want to
    think about taking a passenger (human) to help out in exchange for
    free or cheap transportation.  I'd certainly want to have an extra
    person to keep an eye on the cats while the first person checks
    into motels, runs into convenience stores for food, etc.  This is
    especially true once she get's down south, where she absolutely
    must keep windows open if the cats are left in a parked car.  (Even
    then, it can be too hot to leave the cats in the car.)
    
    Furthermore:  I once drove from Pittsburgh to southern Florida in two
    days.  It was an easy drive, and I did all the driving, though I did
    have a passenger for company.  If your daughter can find someone to
    share the driving, she may be able to cut it down to two days from
    three, depending on the stamina of all involved.  Depending on how much
    she enjoys being in a car, shaving a day of travel may be an advantage
    or a disadvantage.  Of course, all the usual warnings about driving
    with strangers apply.
    
    Re: .4
    
    I've always thought that airlines never permitted pets in the passenger
    compartment, except perhaps for guide dogs.  I can imagine a passenger
    with allergies getting quite upset with the airline.
    
    Decompression in the luggage compartment is mostly a myth --  think
    about all the items in people's luggage that might explode.  While it
    can happen, I think it's sufficiently uncommon that such an event would
    make the evening news.  Cold temperature is another story -- I'd check
    that out.  And yes, pet carriers that open accidentally or through
    malice are a problem -- if I had to fly with a pet, I'd get a carrier
    that could be padlocked.
    
       Gary

    Re: .5
    
    Some airlines allow one pet per flight in the passenger cabin. 
    I believe you have to reserve this right with them in advance.
    
    I have heard real horror stories about animals arriving dead after
    flights in the baggage compartment, including one story on the evening
    news that I'll remember forever -- picture two little boys receiving
    their dog.....  My general impression is that
    the public position that airlines take is that everything will be
    fine.  Reality is another matter.  Whether it's unheated compartments
    (it gets extremely cold at high altitudes), suffocation because
    other baggage blocks the air from the airholes, decompression in
    particular, I don't know.
    

    I have always moved with my cats in my car -- from CA to FL, from
    northern FL to southern FL, from FL to CO, and finally from CO to MA.
    My cats would NOT tolerate cages, so I let them have free run of the
    car.  I was extremely careful every time I had to leave to car, and
    would not really recommend having 3 unrestrained cats in the car.
    I have seen those rigid net barriers (I don't know what they're called)
    that you can put behind the front seat to block off the back of the car
    for your pets.  That would probably be preferable to cages or totally
    unrestrained travel.
    
    I also found that travelling at night significantly reduced the
    amount of howling.  Somehow, when the cats can't see out, they aren't
    nearly so distressed.  I had varying degrees of success with tranquilizers.
    A litter box in the car is a must.  I found that they did not eat
    or drink, however, until we stopped at a motel, although I would
    still recommend providing water in the car.
    
    I would not recommend travel by air unless in a carrier under the
    seat -- not in the baggage compartment.

    
    My experiences traveling with cats:
    
    I will NEVER again use tranquilizers...  My cat Sebastion had such
    a bad experience after one vet prescribed them (for travel, and
    told me to test one on him before the trip), that I called the
    emergency vet that night who told me he, personally, does not recommend
    or prescribe them to cats unless the circumstances are extreme.
    His reasoning was obvious once he stated it.  Cats have an intense
    need to be in control of their environment.  They have to understand
    it, and know how to perceive it.  Since tranquilizers tend to blur
    their vision (for one thing) this can be VERY upsetting.  My poor
    Sebastion was so frightened and uncomfortable, and he did not have
    the acute perception he was used to, to know where he was or if he
    were safe.  I felt awful watching him.  I couldn't even comfort him.
    
    Now I'm sure every cat doesn't have such an extreme reaction, but
    it can nonetheless be unpleasant.
    
    I took him on United Airlines once in a carrier that went under
    my seat.  He wasn't too happy, but the fact that I was nearby and
    he could smell me and I could touch him alot helped.  I would think,
    not even to mention the horrors of entrusting your cat to those
    monster baggage handlers who may even hate animals, that the experience
    of being shut up and trapped in a large, noisy, baggage compartment
    and having to undergo the discomfort of takeoff, landing, and
    turbulence, alone and disoriented, could be very traumatic.  I certainly
    wouldn't enjoy it, and I would at least understand what was happening.
              
    That is just my experience with cats on planes.  I don't know that
    I'd take one on a plane again unless I had no other options. 
    
    Amy.
                       

Many years ago I had a cat by the name of Zelda who had followed me home and
lived with me for about 2 years.  When I was about to move into a place that
didn't allow cats I had about 2 days notice to find another home for her.  A
friend who then worked in El Segundo, Cal was willing to take her and we were
able to find a salesperson from her office who was in Maynard at the time, who 
was going back the next day, and who was willing to travel with the cat.  I
quickly rushed Zelda to a vet to find out what to do.  He prescribed some
tranquilizers which worked and the cat arrived in California somewhat groggy
but quite ready to become a hardcore beach bunny.  She had traveled with the
salesperson on the plane, not in the luggage compartment.

However, the vet did say that tranquilizers should always be tested on a
cat first because it was never clear how the cat would react or exactly
what the dosage should be.  He said that sometimes cats get calmed by them,
but they sometimes get agitated by them.

Pam

    I have a question for Amy (.8)--how do you work the "cat carrier
    under the seat" on an airline?  I never knew you could do that until
    I was reading "Cat Fancy" once, and saw an ad for an under-the-seat
    cat carrier.  Do you have to reserve?  How's it done??
    
    I would never put my Billie on a plane in the baggage compartment.
    Up until now, I thought I'd have to swaddle her up like a baby if
    I traveled by air with her! :-)
    
    I'd appreciate any info, and thanks,
    
    Jane 
    

    Re: .10
    
    You call the airline and make a reservation to do this in advance.
     I believe that generally they only allow one pet per flight.
    

re: .10

By all means call the airline.  Most allow one carry-on per compartment per 
flight (like one in coach and one in first class), but there's at least one 
airline that'll allow one per passenger.  You *must* have a carrier.  If 
you don't have one, the airline will sell you one.  There's also a charge 
of around $25 (each way), but sometimes they forget to ask for the money.

Ray

    re: .12
    
    Wonderful!  Which airline(s) allows one cat PER PASSENGER?  I'd
    love to know...probably could get some sweet person to "escort"
    the other if I had to take two!  (I used to ask "sweet people" 
    to keep an eye on my children when they first started flying without
    me, and for a while, was able to find someone to officially escort
    them so they'd qualify for children's fare -- no available to 
    children who travel alone.)
    
    Thanks,
    		
    Penelope (who_drove_to_Philadelphia_because_the_two_cats_couldn't_
    	both_go_in_the_cabin_of_an_airplane...I thought!)

    I traveled on Republic a couple of years ago with two cats ... Some
    will not allow cats in the cabin at all ... it's best to check with
    the particular airline.  
    
    The better under the seat carriers are available in many pet stores
    and from vendors at most cat shows.  The ones they supply from the
    airlines are prone to popping open....be careful!
    
    As far as the cats traveling in baggage, I think it depends on the
    particular cat.  Fire, being about 18 lbs, was much more comfortable
    in a full-sized carrier riding in baggage, than squished up in a
    tiny space and stuffed under the seat.  But then again, there isn't
    a whole lot that bothers him, so the confusion of the baggage
    compartment was just something for him to sleep through!!!
    
    purrs 
    cin...whose trying to get caught up on this notes file!
    

re: .13

The last time we checked (within the last couple months), USAir allowed one 
cat per passenger carry-on.

Ray

    
    	In 1979, I drove with my oldest cat from Phoenix to San Francisco,
    	then from San Francisco to Denver a few days later.
    
    	When the trip first started, Woofie howled like crazy (even
    	though it was at night) and wouldn't stop unless I pulled into
    	a "rest area" on the highway.  (While howling, he also kept
    	diving under my feet, which was a bit unnerving.)
    
    	During the first few hours, I stopped 4 times to calm him down.
    	As soon as the car stopped moving, he was fine.  (He didn't
    	mind the car much at all as long as it stood still.)  I tried
    	to explain to him that it would be necessary for the car to
    	*move* somewhat if we were to make it to San Francisco.  :-}
    
    	After those first several hours, he really settled down for
    	the ride.  I still had him completely loose in the car (with
    	a little box and a bowl of water on the floor in front), but
    	he quit howling and took a nap somewhere in the back.
    
    	By the next afternoon, as we drove up through California, he
    	had found an open box on the back seat that was filled with
    	folded towels (it was a *perfect* place for a kitty to nap
    	or to gaze at the scenery if he wanted.)
    
    	At one point, he was on his box of towels asleep when we drove
    	past a stockyard.  The smell woke him up.  He did a kitty double-
    	take when he saw the size of the cattle we passed.  (Talk about
    	one's EYES being bigger than one's STOMACH.)  He would have
    	loved to have gone hunting then and there, but his prey was
    	a little too meaty to toss around (so he just drooled in silence
    	on his perch.)  :-}

    	A few weeks after we arrived in Denver, we drove down to the 
    	Springs for a weekend (it's only an hour south of Denver.)  
    	Once we got on the highway, Woofie just panicked ("How many states are
    	we gonna drive through *this* time??") and promptly threw-up.
    	
    	RE: kitties flying in the baggage compartment
    
    	Both my cats have flown 3 times (Denver to Hawaii, Hawaii to
    	San Francisco, San Francisco to Denver.)  The trips were each
    	about a year apart.  We had no trouble at all.
    
    	There *are* some restrictions about the kinds of planes that
    	cats can fly on during summer, though.  We tried to schedule
    	a flight leaving SFO in July, and the airline refused us because
    	they said that the way the plane loaded baggage was too hot for cats
    	and would kill them.  I took a different flight with a different
    	kind of plane.  (As it was, the kitties were still a bit over-
    	heated when I picked them up, but they recovered almost immediately.)

    							  Suzanne...

    RE:  Flying (with) cats
    
    I can remember only a few times when I was forced to have Missy
    ride in the luggage compartment.  I had the option of checking her
    in with the other luggage, or keeping her with me until it was time
    to board and then give her to the people at the gate.  I opted to
    keep her until boarding.  When it came time to hand her over, I
    spoke to the baggage handeler who was going to take her.  I told
    him in a very serious manner (because I actually *was* serious!)
    that I expected her to be treated as gently as I would handle her.
    I also told him that if the pet taxi was roughed up even a little
    bit, Missy would tell me and then I'd have to complain.  The baggage
    handeler just sort of gave me a bewildered look, and then I think
    it was pity that swept across his face.  "Yes, ma'am", he said,
    "We wouldn't want that, would we".  I figure it this way - I probably
    gave the guy something to talk about at the dinner table that night.
    I can hear it now "...and then there was this crazy lady and her
    cat that she said could talk, and he was going to squeel on us if
    we didn't ...". 
    
    Marion
    
    BTW - Missy said that she had been treated fairly well and that
          she had only been bounced around once or twice throughout
          the flight, but she figured that it couldn't be helped.
                 

    RE::17
    good for you..!!!!!.. Pookie would have the done the same thing....
    chuckle .. chuckle....
    regards
    kate

    On the news last night there was a story about a man whose dog had
    died due to being sent on a TWA flight in the baggage compartment.
    The story was a followup, so they left some info out, in particular
    why the man felt that he'd had to go on a hunger strike in front
    of the TWA counter and call the news media to get TWA to tell him
    what had happened to his dog, although a little imagination can
    fill in that part.  The final story from TWA was that the dog "got
    loose" at a connecting point in the flight, and was hit by a car
    on a nearby highway.
    

    Re-1: The hunger-strike reason was not mentioned over here either,
    but I know of the story because he's a Dutch tourist, so it got
    to the news here also - well, news, it was presented as a funny
    story. I thought of putting it in the file, though, but I think
    it's no fun when it's *your* doggie. (or *my* cat, in which case
    there'd be a story too! ).
    
    Ad
    

    And now for a horror tale of flying a cat that turned out to have
    a happy ending after all.
    
    On the news at the weekend was the story of a cat who had been "lost"
    in the hold of a jumbo for about a month after escaping from her
    box on a flight between Germany and California.
    
    The poor thing had survived by licking droplets of condensation
    during scores more terrifying flights across the world, before
    eventually being found by baggage handlers in London.
    
    She is being reunited with her owners in California sometime this
    week and the airline is giving her VIP treatment by flying her,
    escorted of course (!), first class.
    
    I'd say she deserves it after such an experience!
    
    Best regards,
    
    Karen
    (Reading, England)

    Re: .22
    
    There was a delightful story about this on the news.  Well,
    delightful if you ignore the 30 days before.  The airline
    is Pan Am.  Felix apparently visited Rio de Janiero and heaven only
    knows where else.  She is a lovely short hair, black and sort of
    orange.  She is currently sleek and sassy and being cared for in
    British quarantine facilities by a Pan Am
    employee who had adopted her before her original owner was located
    (she's going back to the original owner).  The orig. owner was
    quoted as saying "She has a very strong will.  Even when she is
    at home, she always does exactly as she pleases."
                         
    So much for shipping cats in baggage compartments.
            

    I AM SO GLAD THAT THESE STORIES ALL HAPPENED *AFTER* FROSTY MAN
    MADE HIS TRIP FROM AMARILLO TX TO BOSTON VIA DALLAS!!!
    
    I don't know *what* I would have done if I had just read about
    all this before.  Well,...I guess I would have had the chance
    to see Amarillo, huh?
    
    Frosty had an uneventful trip...was peering out the carrier with
    great enthusiasm when he was carried to me by the airline attendant.