Reptile & Amphibian Forums

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

>>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.

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

Where do you get Rescue Remedy from?

Thanks for the reply, I was going to call the airline today and get everything straightened out! Hopefully Delta airlines won't put up too much of a hassle about it!

~Cro

>>Where do you get Rescue Remedy from?
>>
>>Thanks for the reply, I was going to call the airline today and get everything straightened out! Hopefully Delta airlines won't put up too much of a hassle about it!
>>
>>~Cro

You can find Bach's Rescue Remedy at any health food store. I am not sure I would give the cat a tranq, just in case of the it not being able to be in the cabin with you. I have heard you should never give it to a pet that will be in the luggage part of the plane. Maybe if you to get them wait until you are boarded to give it to her.
Good luck! I found driving the best when traveling with my cat and dog. I drove from WA state to ME four yrs ago. It worked out great!
-----
Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

Well, driving wasn't an option as the cars are being trucked down to Texas...that and it's around a 32 hour drive!! Not something I would have wanted the 'kids' to go through.

I contacted Delta airlines earlier today to make their reservations...unfortunatly there is only one animal allowed in the cabin for the first flight, and I don't know what to do :-/
I don't know which animal should go into cargo and which should stay in the cabin with me!! It's like chosing which kid should get left behind!! Stupid airline!!! I wish I could do something like get something from the vet stating both cats need to be with me and my stepdad!!

~Cro

That is stupid of the airline. I don't know what to tell you. I would probably but the one that is younger down. But then you said it gets scared easily. It's going to be a tough decision. Which ever one goes down make sure you duct tape the cage closed.

As for 32 hrs. I drove 5 hrs the first day, 20hrs the second, 20 the third, and 16 the fourth, and 4 fifth day. Crash was fine for the drive. I did need to stop a lot for the dog to go potty. Which was scary at night. I was driving by myself.
-----
Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker