>>Hi there! I apologize in advance for the long post!!
>>Right after the New Year, my family and I are going to be moving from Buffalo, NY to Katy, TX and we'll be flying down. My problem is my two cats.
>>My older cat is about 9 years old, LOVES her carrier and LOVES the car...I think she's convinced she's a dog. I'm not too worried about her.
>>My other cat...well, she's going to be a handful, I can already tell. For the last month or so, I've been trying to get her used to the carrier: I left it in my room(the main area where the cats are) and more and more, I'll put her in it for short periods of time, give her a little treat for sitting nicely in there(and correcting her when she starts getting a little iffy in it). Most recently, I've been closing the door and leaving her in there(still giving her the treats when she's being good, etc) but after no more then about 15 minutes, she starts pawing at the walls and HOWLING at the top of her lungs(and she HAS a set of lungs on her! Gesh!! :-D) She also suffers from very bad seporation anxiety and gets VERY upset and worked-up when she can't see me.
>>The airline we're flying on allows animals in the cabin, so I was planning on bring the younger one with me and having one of my parents take the older one with them(she loves my stepdad and I know he'll be able to keep her calm). But my concern is the howling! My mother has already told me she doesn't want to hear the cat meowing for about 7-8 hours and I'm sure that the flight crew and other passangers won't like it either!
>>I was planning on getting some Feliway(sp?) and spraying it on the carrier doors for both cats, but is there anything else I can do to try and ease the stress for them? Would covering the carrier with something and keeping them in the dark help at all or make it worse? Any other ideas?
>>Also, both cats have a harness and a collar(their id tags are on their collars)on, should I remove the harnesses during the traveling or is it ok to keep them on? They're pretty used to them, they typically have them on 24/7 as they like to go for walks outside on their leashes, silly kitties
>>
>>Thanks oodles for any responses!
>>~Cro
>>
>>p.s. As I just finished writing up this message, the older cat walked right over to the carrier, crawled in and curled up in a ball inside, she's so funny :-D

Keep working on the carrier training! Also the Feliway is a good idea - you might try giving the cat some Rescue Remedy (rub a drop on the eartip or give about four drops in her drinking water) to act as a calmer.

Covering the carrier might help, but there does need to be some ventilation.

By all means be sure the cats have their harnesses and ID tags on while you are transporting them.

I would recommend a chat with your vet before traveling about the howler. S/he might be able to prescribe a mild tranquilizer, although most vets hesitate to do so.

Be sure to dot all the i's and cross the t's with the airline. I am sure they will require some sort of health certificate from the vet. Also please be aware that if ANY passenger objects to being in the cabin with a cat the airline may refuse to allow you on board. I know you will spend eternity in call-waiting, but please talk to someone with the airline about bringing the cats in the cabin. They have a lot of restrictions.

Good luck! I hope you have an easy move!
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

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