The cat will be stressed is is much better able to handle it without the pills, pills dont seem to always work well with cats, often making them more anxious. You want your cats to be as fit as possible. Bring them with you in the cabin( if you fly in two that is possible, one cat per person) otherwise buy a approved carrier, a sturdy one. I flew lots of times with cats, they dont like it, but they can handle it.
grom099, Apr 15, 2007 @ 15:22

sounds like i have some phone calls to make and find a travelling companion ;) thanks for all of the helpful advice.
fuzzyshoe, Apr 15, 2007 @ 20:15

Hi!
My vet wouldn't allow me to sedate my cat. I traveled with my kitty home for Christmas. I got the sherpa pet carrier and paid the charges to have her travel in the cabin with me. I checked with the airline when I arranged my flights to book my cat's space. Airlines often allow only one or two animals per cabin, so reserve early. I paid CHF200 to get to the U.S. and $120.- to get her back to CH. I visited the vet within ten days of our flight to get the health certificate that no one looked at.
Going through the x-ray machine, I had to take the cat out of the carrier and carry her through. I had a collar, harness and leash on her, just in case. She was sufficiently freaked that she was holding onto my shoulder with all her claws. My cat only freaked out towards the end of the second leg (which was the long one) because I think she was cold, so on the way back, I made sure that I lined her carrier with a lot more layers. She was perfect on the way back.
Amazingly enough, no one, and I mean no one, cared that I was bringing a live animal into either the U.S. or Switzerland. The Agricultural people wanted to see the pate that I was bringing in, but didn't care or even want to know about the cat.
As long as you have food, water and a littler pan waiting for your kitties at the other end, they will be fine and will adjust.
Best of luck!

misskate, Apr 15, 2007 @ 21:23

When I brought my cat over from California my vet also said it was not a good idea to sedate her. I actually split my trip up a bit and spent a few days in Florida to break up the trip a little (and visit my relatives). Still, during the Florida/Geneva leg she was in the carrier for 14 hours. She was great though, the only time she was stressed was when I took her out of the carrier going through security (I also got the claws-in-the-neck experience!) But overall things went very smoothly and the folks at customs didn't seem to care at all.

Here are a couple of things I was told before I went:
~ Be sure all shots are up to date for the country you are entering.
~ I was told by the airline that she had to be "medically cleared" to fly from a vet within 10 days of flying. (Although no one ever looked at my form, even though I tried to show it to everyone --- it cost me $80!)
~ Be sure you are flying direct from Switzerland to your destination country (if you fly through Germany, for example, they have the right to quarantine any animals, even if they are just passing through the country).
~ If you are planning on taking them in the cabin, book early, since most airlines only allow two animals in the cabin on any particular flight.

Good luck and have a great flight!
~Debbie :)

Debbie, Apr 25, 2007 @ 22:32