Traveling with a cat
Hello there guys! I know, I know, I have been a bit MIA here but I promise I'll try to post more often.
I decided to post today about my experience of traveling with a cat from Portugal to Sweden. My sister recently moved to Sweden, and is now living there. At the time she moved, she was not able to take her cat (will be referring to her as "niece"), so we thought it would be a great idea for me to take my niece from Portugal to Sweden, and stay there for a week before returning home.
My niece is a mama's girl, so I knew she missed my sister too, and even though the idea of bringing a cat on a plane sounded quite scary, I decided to overcome my anxieties and just do it.
I'm here to tell you about my experience, because I feel like nothing could have prepared me for this, and also give you some tips and tricks about traveling with cat.
Now, I should present to you how this went down. My trip involved two flights, because there are no direct flights from Porto (my hometown) to Sweden. We tried to look for short flights, with short layovers, to make sure my niece would not suffer more than absolutely necessary. We also had to look for airlines that actually accept pets on board. Not all airlines will accept pets, so please make sure before you book your flights that the one you want to go with does.
Me and my sister decided to go for Lufthansa. They allowed pets on board and had the perfect combo of flights. The first one a 2 hour fight from Porto to Munich, and the last one, a 2 hour flight from Munich to Stockholm. The layover was also around 2 hours, which would give me enough time to get to the airport (even if with a little delay) and board the other flight without much stress.
Although we had found this amazing flight combo, we were not able to immediately book it. First, we had to check the requirements Lufthansa had to travel with pets. Since cats are not usually very big pets, I would be able to take my niece with me on board, and not on the cargo hold. With Lufthansa, if your small pet is over 8kg (pet weight + carrier), you will not be able to take them with you in the cabin. Your pet carrier also has to meet their size and style requirements to be allowed in the cabin. You can find more information about these requirements here https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/travelling-with-animals.
Now, in regards to the pet, you will have to check the requirements imposed by the government of the country you are traveling to. Please make sure to comply with all the requirements, as some countries might have you pet put down if you do not.
Sweden does not have a lot of requirements. They only asked to have the cat vaccinated against rabies, have them ID-marked and issue a Passport for them. Make sure to check the vaccination time frame, because I think that they have to be vaccinated for X days before traveling, so you will have to have the pet vaccinated beforehand. All this is done at your local vet, so make sure to book an appointment for your pet and explain that you need these documents since you are going to travel with your pet.
My vet was super nice and knew all about these processes, so these were done quite quickly in a simple 20 minute visit. Can't really recall how much this all was, but I know it was not that much.
Now, once you do all this, and make sure the pet is ready to travel, this is when you book the trip. Once my niece was given the OK from the vet, and we were able to find a carrier that would meet Lufthansa's requirements, we decided to book the trip. This is a bit of a process.
So, how did we finally book the flights for me and my cat? First, we found the flights we wanted to book. These were the ones I mentioned above, Porto - Munich and Munich - Stockholm. Once we found these flights, we did not book them right away! First we had to call Lufthansa and make sure those flights had availability to transport a cat in the cabin. I spoke with a customer service agent, and they confirmed that there was indeed availability to take my niece on both flights. After they confirmed this by the phone, I went back on the website and booked the flights as normal. Once the tickets were purchased and the booking made, I had to call them again, and inform them that I had just booked so and so flights, and wanted to add a pet to my reservation. They will do this for you over the phone, and you will not receive any written confirmation, so make sure the agent knows exactly which reservations you want to add the pet. Try to do this as soon as possible after confirming that they have availability for the pet, to make sure you don't loose your spot.
The final step is on the day of the flight! You will have to go to the check in desk, and they will weigh the pet inside the carrier (remember, it can't go over 8 kg!!), ask you for the pet's passport, and you will have to pay the fee. I paid 60 EUR for both flights.
Plus, remember that your cat will have to go trough the X ray machine. The officer at the airport told me to make sure there were no liquids inside the carrier, as this would trigger the machine, which could cause the cat to feel stressed. When you finally board the plane, make sure to find a flight attendant and ask them if you can take your pet out of the carrier or not. Some airlines will not let you remove the pet from the carrier not even inside the bathroom. Take that into account before boarding, as you might have to clean your carrier with your pet still inside.Thankfully my niece did not poop/pee during the flight, so I did not have to do any of that.
Also, make sure to go through customs before you leave the airport once you land at your final destination. This was really easy in my case. When I got to Sweden, I went through the customs line and told the officer I had a cat with me. All they asked was the cat's passport, looked through it very briefly, and that was that! All done!!
Now...... I wish it would have been this easy. But reality is that animals, especially most cats, don't like crowded places or big changes, and my niece hated all this. Once we got to the airport, she got soo stressed about everything that she peed all over herself, poor thing. Thankfully I had wet wipes, and was able to clean her a bit and change her absorbent pad, but this was not enough. She peed all over the carrier, and it hit the fabric walls of the carrier, which meant that the smell kind of got ingrained into the fabric.
So, if I had to do it again, which I will soon have to do with my own cat, here's the tips I would give myself to make sure I am uber ready for everything.
1: Make sure the carrier is waterproof. If this is not the case, get absorbent pads and line the carrier with them. Make sure to line the floor and the walls, just to make sure you are fully covered.
2: Try to find a portable litter box. If you can't find one that suits you, you can also try to build one yourself. Make sure to line the litter box with an absorbent pad, and then cover it with litter. Take some extra clean litter in case you need to clean the box.
3: If your flight is not very long, avoid giving your cat solid food, or any food at all! Please take into account how long you are going to be away! Don't starve your pet!
4: In case an accident still happens, try to find some odor neutralising spray. At least it will eliminate the smell until you are able to properly clean the carrier and/or your pet.
5: Before leaving, try to go on a few drives with your pet inside the carrier, to try to make them used to being there, and used to being outside of the house.
6: Anxiety products. Your vet shop should have quite a selection of anxiety products you can use on your pet. I sprayed my bedroom with an anxiety spray a few days before the trip, and I'm pretty sure it helped. If you think these will not help, and in case your pet gets really really stressed by being outside, talk to your vet. Maybe they will be able to recommend a stronger remedy, like sleeping pils or tranquillisers.
Overall, it's a stressful situation to be in, for both you and your pet. I couldn't even believe it when I got to my sister's house. Even then, my poor niece was still stressed and did not want to come out of the carrier. If you can have someone fly with you, it will be much easier, however, if you have to take the trip alone, just make sure you are well prepared, and it will go smoothly!
If you have any personal stories about traveling with a pet, or any tips I have not mentioned here, let me know in the comments!
xo,
Leo
