Can I take my 17 year old cat on an airplane?

Answer 1

Okay, I just moved from Buffalo to LA with my 2 (age 2 1/2 & 6 months) cats. Here's what I did.

1-Went to the vet for a full check up. You have to do this within 14 days of your estimated departure date though, so I would suggest getting a physical for the cat now in case there are any health issues that need to be addressed, then go for another one a few days before you leave (once any problems have been resolved) so your health certificate will be valid for your flight.

2-They are insanely expensive, but are airline approved and my cats LOVED them. Get the Sherpa soft-sided animal kennel ( I got mine at PetSmart) The largest one you can get that's airline approved. The ones we got were $70 and they are actually meant for dogs. I got these though because they allowed for the cats to have more room to stretch out since they were going to be in them for 8 hours. They are very well made and I plan on having them for awhile so I didn't mind the investment.

3-Get a baby blanket or a large towel that will completely cover the carrier, especially if your cat isn't too crazy about lots of people. This will also cut down on people stopping you and asking to see your cat because the carrier bag itself is very luggage like and with the blanket over it, no one will have any idea.
And since our plane was kinda drafty, it was nice to be able to cover up the carriers and keep the draft off of the cats in flight.


4-Delta Airlines has the cheapest pet airfare that I've found. It was $50 extra for each cat, each way (but we were only going one) and their staff is very animal friendly.

5-Before you make your reservation, call the airline and verify that there are no other animals on your flight, or no more than one because they only allow a max of 2 in cabin animals.

6-Depending on when your flight is, DO NOT feed your cat or give it water for at least 8 hours before they will be put in the carrier. They need time to empty out their bowels and bladders completely.

7-I kept a can of Pounce treats with me at all times and tried to give them one every so often. Nico (the oldest) wouldn't touch them, but Chase (the baby) was all about it.

8-Neither of my cats got sick or went to the bathroom once they were in their carriers. But a diaper or one of those adult incontinence pads folded in half wouldn't be a bad idea to line the bottom of the carrier with.

9-Be prepared because I wasn't. I don't know, I guess I thought they could go through security in their carriers and then they could just check for stuff once we walked through the metal detector, but the cat goes through the arch and the carrier goes through the x-ray machine. You have to take the cat out of the carrier to go through security (you carry the cat with you) so make sure you have a harness and leash for him/her once they are out of the carrier. Nico tried to get away from me (which he never does, so that was a bit of a shock) as soon as he was out and he would have been half way to gate 29 if I didn't have a leash on him, so be ready for that.

10-I don't know of any vet that will give you a tranquilizer for the cat if it doesn't have any medical condition that would require sedation. The effects of tranquilizers on animals in high altitude situations are too unpredictable and can cause major problems. Most airlines won't even let an animal fly if it's sedated. I didn't sedate mine and they were fine the whole time. They meowed a little at the beginning, but they didn't cry or hiss. So avoid sedation if possible.

11-As loud as the plane is, the vibration of the plane coming through the floor of the plane, kept my cats knocked out asleep for the whole flight.

12-When you pack up the kitty, put some toys in there that he/she likes (Mine have teddy bears that they adore, so they were the travel buddies) plus I put a sweater that I had just worn in each of their carriers so they had some familiar smells to cuddle up with. Keep the medical certificate that the vet gives you in the back pocket of the carrier along with copies of your cats medical records.

13-After you get through security, don't take the cat out of the carrier until you get situated at your destination (Unless you need to change the pad because it was soiled. Even then, put the leash back on the cat and go into the restroom to do it) Then once grounded and at your hotel or wherever you're going, offer a little food, water and set up a litter box. It took mine about an hour to realize that we weren't going anywhere anymore and finally eat/drink although it was only about half what they usually eat because I didn't want them to gorge themselves and get sick.

14-Lastly, get there in as little time as possible. You don't want the cat confined for any longer than you have to. Buffalo to LA was anywhere from 8-17 hours of total travel time. I finally found an itinerary that took us just under 8 hours to get to LA and that was included a 45 minute lay over in Cleveland.

Sorry, that was kinda winded, but I just went through this. And feel free to email for more info if needed. This was way more stressful on my husband and I than it was on the cats, they didn't seem too phased by it at all.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Sure you can. I took my cat (about 17 years old too) on a plane from Boston to CA.

Here's what you do: Don't put her in the luggage compartment. Have her in the plane with you. You will need to take your cat to the vet for an exam, explain that you;re planning on taking kitty on a plane. They will give you a certificate to show the airline.

Buy a cat carrier that is recommended by your airline.

And the most important thing! Ask your vet to give you tranquilizers. This will keep you and kitty calm during the flight. Give it to him about an hour before the flight so he'll be sleepy when you take him out to go through the security checkpoint.

Lastly, place a diaper in the bottom of the carrier just in case.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I don't know why you wouldn't be able to, but here are some things to keep in mind, especially if he has never been on an airplane before.

- If he gets car sick, chances are he will get air-sick too. Pet stores sell treats or medicines kind of equivalent to our dramamine that just kind of mellow a pet out for it's journey. If your cat has never traveled, this would be a great idea to look into.

- If you're going to store your cat in a carrier underneath the plane, make sure he is labeled properly. Check ahead of time with the airline to make sure what exactly needs to be on his carrier for labeling. And if you plan to keep him in a carrier under your chair or something like that, check with the airline for the size your small carrier will need to be in order to avoid mix-ups on the day of your flight.

- As for eating and drinking, it's generally not a good idea to give your cat food right before or during his flight in case he gets sick. Although if he's nervous, he probably won't eat it anyway. And one thing I've heard people do for water is to freeze it in the bowl the night before, so that the cat can have access to it for the duration of the flight but it won't be spilling out all over his carrier.

Lastly, if your cat has serious medical conditions, might require medicine administration in flight, or is simply not well enough to be exposed to possibly other cats and dogs in the cargo area, I would seriously consider driving with him or having him stay with a friend while you're gone, if at all possible. As always, your vet can probably give you the best advice about suitability for travel.

Good luck

Answer 4

for its age i wouldnt do it because of age health because its a very stressful situation and it could make her sick and stressed
see if you can find a friend to go to your house and clean litter and feed water her while you travel or buy a automatic feeder and water you will be able to go atleast 3-4 days without litter change.but another option if you want to take her get some medicine from your vet to make her sleep through the trip and back home.
but she is to old to go through that stressful situation.
hope this helps

Answer 5

I think it has to be in a carrier and it will be very hard on the cat. Good luck to you, I hate to leave my kitty too.

Answer 6

Did you call the airline and ask? There may be passengers with allergies to cats.

Answer 7

Technically you can, but it will be very stressful on your cat as well as cold and loud. If you can avoid it, I would at all costs

Answer 8

I wouldn't. Some airlines won't let you do it.

Answer 9

sure why not and if anything happenes you will know not to do it the second time =D