Cats on planes

[Babypythagorus]

Does anyone know how you do this...? Short haul, London to Scotland, then three days later, Scotland to Orkney...

Have you tried contacting a pet relocation company? They are usually very helpful.

On internal flights I think they can be hand baggage in a carry crate

They used to be 'cabin baggage' but these days, planes - in my experience - have little 'pet places' which are a sort of temperature and pressure controlled locker in the hold. If you're travelling with the cat, phone the airline and reserve it, if free. (They only have one or two per plane - one on the little planes, sometimes.)

Have all documentation that they are going to need to hand, They will ask for it. Oh - and check with them that you have a suitable carrying case. Airlines take pets very seriously indeed - you'll just be an adjunct if you're travelling also!

London to Scotland with a cat might be easier to do by train? Certainly by the time you factor in all the pet passport checks etc it'll be about the same duration.

I've always done the South to the Central Belt by another means than plane to be frank. The thought of Heathrow with a cat does not appeal.

I did it from Heathrow to Boston because I had to. I wouldn't advise it, its very stressful and the make you take the cat out of its carrier through security.

Sorry - I should have added 'when accompanied by a cat' to that post. I've used the big airports when I was without cat - and those occasions were bad enough.

Bummymummy was that in an enclosed room?

We might be flying (two planes) and will use a pet 'travel agent' - to make sure everything is as smooth as possible, but I am so worried about it...

I've done it UK to Lithuania. Lithuania to France, across France and finally France-UK. On my own with two of them for all but the last trip. You need to find what your airline's policy is. Air France lets you take them in the cabin for example, but BA won't I think. They usually have a cargo handling company who you deal with if they won't let you include them as excess baggage.

If you have questions PM me and I'll dig back through it all.

I thought you might like these... The sideways one was sent by the cargo people when they loaded him on the plane... This was with BA. Mixed experiences i all the journeys I've done... BA's cargo agent team in France were lovely.

No it was in the security line in Heathrow. It was a nightmare. He was drugged up to the eyeballs but he was woken out of his lovely Valium sleep and terrified.

When we got there they took him out again. Maybe other cats would be better with it but he was a nervous boy anyway. It was truly horrible.

He was fine on the plane. I wouldn't have been happy with him in cargo, they let him under the seat in front. I cannot recommend sleepypods enough. They're pricey but so so so worth the money. And our five subsequent cats have all been so much happier in it on vet trips. It's soft and lovely and designed for aircrafts so small.

I am really surprised you sedated him. I was told that isn't allowed or recommended by vets either... I had to take two through security internally in France so you have my sympathies.

BA insists they travel in the hold going into UK - from what I could see flying back to UK it had to be done that way because of the pet passport scheme. There are only a few approved routes/airlines.

Going from Lithuania to France, one was with me in the cabin and the other had to travel in the hold (the one pictured). It was a small plane and I could hear him yowling... Nightmare made better by kind fellow passengers.

My vet insisted on it. He was on a daily dose of Valium anyway they just upped it. Maybe they knew how he reacted to it so weren't so worried. This was 6 years ago.

I can imagine it would be very different getting back in to the UK with rabies issues and having to have them in the hold.