Hey guys. So I'm moving clear across the country in a month and a half and obviously my cat is coming with me. Before when I moved across the country, I flew him out with me. This experience was absolutely NIGHTMARISH for both of us.
About a month before the flight, I took him to a vet to discuss sedatives. The vet said he would be fine with calming spray and treats. However, a few days before the flight I was feeling really anxious about how he would do, so I called the vet again and asked if there was any sedative she could prescribe. She told me I should have asked for sedatives a month ago (WHICH I DID) so we could see how he reacted. So I was stuck with calming treats.
The day of travel itself was one of the worst days of my life. And probably my cat's! As soon as we got on the plane, he started freaking out. But when the plane took off, all bets were off. He basically turned into a feral cat. He went absolutely berserk in his soft-case carrier, and actually ripped multiple holes in it and was trying to squeeze his way out. Eventually I had to lean over the carrier in my lap so he wouldn't escape.
During the layover, I took him into a handicapped bathroom and spent about thirty minutes taping the carrier back together, terrified of our next flight, which was just as horrible as the first. On the second flight, he actually destroyed the carrier so much that he actually got out and I had to grab him by the scruff of his neck and stuff him back in. I spent the rest of the flight with him in the destroyed carried, crushed against me so he wouldn't run away. When we finally landed, he got out in the airport and again I had to grab him by the scruff of the neck. I found an enclosed room by an elevator where I waited until an airport staff member saw me and asked me if I needed help. Crying, I asked them if they had anything I could put him in because the carrier I'd brought him in was so destroyed by my terrified kitty that it was pointless. There were so many holes in it, it wouldn't keep him enclosed anyway.
So now I'm faced with the prospect of going on a flight with him again, and I'm terrified. This time, I will put a harness and leash on him in case he gets out again, but my biggest concerns are carrier and sedatives.
It seems that the only TSA approved in-cabin carriers are all soft carriers, which I know my cat can break out of. I refuse to put him below the plane in cargo because he's such an anxious cat already. My other concern is sedatives. If I'm going to take him on a plane, he needs to be seriously doped up. However, I know that sedatives can be dangerous for pets, especially if they're flying because of the variation in oxygen levels.
Does anyone have advice?? He doesn't do well in cars either, and my road trip will be 5 days, most of those days being 8+ hours in the car. It seems like my only option is to fly him with me, but I really don't want this to be such a horrible, traumatic experience for him again. He was seriously scarred for like a week after we arrived at our destination.
ANY AND ALL ADVICE WELCOME!!
TLRD: My cat basically becomes feral on planes and ripped through his soft case carrier last time I flew him and GOT OUT ON THE PLANE. Desperately need advice for my next flight with him.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/cwod9y/advice_for_flying_with_an_extremely_anxious_cat/
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