Moving country with puss

[DeusEx]

Hello cat people of Mumsnet

In a few months my husband and I are moving continent for work — and naturally taking puss with us. I wondered if anyone had any advice on moving a cat - in particular on the plane situation? Should we have her in the cabin, or in the hold? I hate the idea of the hold :( but she can be noisy... what about sedatives / ways to keep them calm? Any recommendations for particular carriers your cat likes? Have seen some nice soft ones on amazon...

For context, she is a 10 year old Bengal. She can be LOUD. And hates travelling in her hard carrier in the car. We are going to a country that doesn’t quarantine but is outside Europe - roughly a 10 hour flight...

Please don’t respond saying don’t take her - it isn’t negotiable, she is my family. Just trying to make it as pleasant as possible for her...

Thanks!

We moved our cat to Spain with us, we took him in cabin. It was very straightforward, but you need to make sure the carrier meets the requirements of the airline, it did take a little internet research to find a carrier for the dimensions we needed.

I'd say you need to speak to your vet about sedatives, I believe generally they don't recommend it, we didn't use any for ours, and he coped ok (but obviously they're all different).

I have 2 Bengals - so know what you mean by noisy !!
Please don't use sedatives - I did on a previous cat when we moved house, and was shocked how non-responsive my cat was until they wore off - gave me a real scare!!
Holds can be very cold so take in cabin
Talk to your air carrier to see what they will allow in cabin
If on your lap or next to you, you can fuss them - one of my Bengals is needy and always announces her presence - she just wants her head stroking 🐯

So an update: can’t find an airline that flies our route and allows cats in the cabin :(

How can I make the hold journey as pleasant as possible?

We moved continents with our two cats, and they were absolutely fine. We found a pet shipping company (that had good reviews and personal recommendations), and they took care of everything. The journey time was 24 or so hours, with a six hour stop in the middle for a vet check, stretch of legs and something to eat (they have water on the flight). The flights were scheduled so that the stop was during the night in the Middle East, so that it wasn't too hot on the stop. They were absolutely fine when they arrived, just slightly jet-lagged for a few days!

I meant to say, we put one of their blankets in with them when they left, but they must have soiled it on the first leg because it had been replaced with shredded paper when they arrived.

Our cat is about to fly London to Chicago (next week, I’m very nervous for him). We’re using PetAir and have been very impressed so far but I can come back an update once he arrives if it would be helpful? They’ve booked him with BA and he will be travelling in the hold.

@ItchyBites - sounds excellent - can you remember who you used?

And thanks everyone!