I just realized I never posted this! Wanted to share some helpful tips when travel with a cat back in 2020.
Before I flew on a airplane with my four month old kitten. I had a lot of anxiety. The trip including layover and flight was about 6 hours but that didn't include the time spent getting to the airport as well as TSA. I just wanted to share with you my experience so hopefully it will help you.
Before the Flight
I did a lot of research before the trip. Before you decide to fly with your pet, check your airline policy and the pet carrier sizes. I flew Southwest which you have to fly with your pet in the cabin but they do not need to see their vaccination records though I bought along them as well. One that is really nice about Southwest is that you can check in 2 bags which really helpful as you want to carry the least amount possible when traveling with a pet. I also had to call ahead to reserve a spot because some airlines limit the amount of animals that can be on the plane.
The airline website also will list the carrier size requirements. My soft carrier was over the listed sizes but I did my research and looked at a lot of reviews in carriers before I choose to fly with this one. Worst comes to worst if they do not let you fly with your personal carrier you can buy the ones that they sell. Let your cat get use to their carrier so they have less anxiety day of. I had a comfy pet crate mat in there as well as her favorite toys and I did sometimes put treats in their too as an incentive. I also saw recommendations to have gloves, ziplock bags, extra pee pad, and wet wipes. I don't recomment wet wipes as I have been stopped during TSA because I had forgotten to take it out. Instead I would recommend paper towel/kleenex would be fine if there is a mess. I would also bring some hand sanitizer for you to use.
Try to pack everything as much as you can before the day of flight because you do not want to be rushing.
Day of Flight
With my cat, my main worry was getting through TSA. You have to hold your cat while passing through security or lead them on a leash. A lot of people recommend that you have a harness on your cat in case that they escape. Though it was hard, I put a kitten harness on her. I didn't think it was actually that necessary as I held her pretty tight. She was not going anywhere but she did complained a lot. Also a bit squirmy but I held her close to me. I have heard about requesting a private screening if you do fear that your cat will escape. However that option may not always be possible depending on the airport. Afterwards it went pretty well and she was back in her carrier. Though out my entire flight time and during our layover she did not eat but did take a couple of sips when I offered her some using my travel bowl.
Before I flew on a airplane with my four month old kitten. I had a lot of anxiety. The trip including layover and flight was about 6 hours but that didn't include the time spent getting to the airport as well as TSA. I just wanted to share with you my experience so hopefully it will help you.
Before the Flight
I did a lot of research before the trip. Before you decide to fly with your pet, check your airline policy and the pet carrier sizes. I flew Southwest which you have to fly with your pet in the cabin but they do not need to see their vaccination records though I bought along them as well. One that is really nice about Southwest is that you can check in 2 bags which really helpful as you want to carry the least amount possible when traveling with a pet. I also had to call ahead to reserve a spot because some airlines limit the amount of animals that can be on the plane.
The airline website also will list the carrier size requirements. My soft carrier was over the listed sizes but I did my research and looked at a lot of reviews in carriers before I choose to fly with this one. Worst comes to worst if they do not let you fly with your personal carrier you can buy the ones that they sell. Let your cat get use to their carrier so they have less anxiety day of. I had a comfy pet crate mat in there as well as her favorite toys and I did sometimes put treats in their too as an incentive. I also saw recommendations to have gloves, ziplock bags, extra pee pad, and wet wipes. I don't recomment wet wipes as I have been stopped during TSA because I had forgotten to take it out. Instead I would recommend paper towel/kleenex would be fine if there is a mess. I would also bring some hand sanitizer for you to use.
Try to pack everything as much as you can before the day of flight because you do not want to be rushing.
Day of Flight
With my cat, my main worry was getting through TSA. You have to hold your cat while passing through security or lead them on a leash. A lot of people recommend that you have a harness on your cat in case that they escape. Though it was hard, I put a kitten harness on her. I didn't think it was actually that necessary as I held her pretty tight. She was not going anywhere but she did complained a lot. Also a bit squirmy but I held her close to me. I have heard about requesting a private screening if you do fear that your cat will escape. However that option may not always be possible depending on the airport. Afterwards it went pretty well and she was back in her carrier. Though out my entire flight time and during our layover she did not eat but did take a couple of sips when I offered her some using my travel bowl.
After we landed, immediately let her out and put out food and water plus her litter box. I had pre-shipped everything before I arrived at my location so everything was already available and i didn't have to do any last minute purchases.
Hope this is helpful! Good luck!
