NationStates Jolt Archive

I've been considering getting a cat, but I'm trying to figure out what happens when I travel to visit my parents for holidays and the like. I only live about a 2.5 hour drive from them, but I usually take the train, which doesn't always have place for pets or greyhound, which has a no-pets policy (I'm not so worried about taking a cat on a plane since I don't travel that way as often but I also don't know much about their policies).

However, whenever I've been on the train or bus, the employees never actually search the luggage you bring with you to see if it's ok (often they don't even look at it, I've definitely brought more with me on a train than I'm supposed to have been able to) and some pet carriers look an awful lot like luggage so I'm thinking that it might not be so hard to get away with just bringing one along as a carry on... I mean, cats aren't particularly big or noisy. I could also swear that I saw a lady bring a dog on a greyhound bus before (not even in a carrier, just on a leash).

Does anyone have any experience with bringing pets along with them on trips involving public transportation?

my cat makes a sickening yowling sound in a moving vehicle. it would not go unnoticed.

cats dont like to travel and wont enjoy their time at your parents house. if you cant leave the cat at home (with a friend to come in daily to check on her) for the time you would be away, dont get a cat.

you can't bring pets on public transport unless you are blind (so basically stick it in a kennel if you must)

and if you drive with a cat in the car pray to god that lock on the cage holds :eek:

My parents cats like to travel (well, they like cars anyways).

And there is a good chance that most of the time I leave I'll have someone to look after a cat, my roommate is around usually when I'm not, but if she decides to take off at the same time (especially if it's around the holidays) it might be hard to find someone to come in every day if they're all out of town (although it's likely that they won't all be out of town) and worst case, I stumbled across a couple of kennel services in town that look after cats while I was searching for nearby vets.

you can't bring pets on public transport unless you are blind (so basically stick it in a kennel if you must)

and if you drive with a cat in the car pray to god that lock on the cage holds :eek:
Some airliners seem to allow travel with pets in the cabin (small pets at least) and when traveling long distances on the train, it's possible to put pets in the checked baggage.

I don't get this business of cats freaking out in cars, I've gone on trips with my parents cats, they like to look out the window for like half an hour and then take a nap.

Some airliners seem to allow travel with pets in the cabin (small pets at least) and when traveling long distances on the train, it's possible to put pets in the checked baggage.

I don't get this business of cats freaking out in cars, I've gone on trips with my parents cats, they like to look out the window for like half an hour and then take a nap.

ohmygod dont count on that

if you get a cat you need a carrier for it to ride in. cats DO freak out in the car and can end up under the gas pedal or on your face. it is very dangerous to have a cat loose in the car.

Does anyone have any experience with bringing pets along with them on trips involving public transportation?
Aye, I got stopped before getting on a plane with my pet snake :(

ohmygod dont count on that

if you get a cat you need a carrier for it to ride in. cats DO freak out in the car and can end up under the gas pedal or on your face. it is very dangerous to have a cat loose in the car.
I don't drive so this isn't a particular concern for me... and I think the worst we had to do with one of my parents cats old cats was wrap him up in a blanket and have someone else hold him... but he only ever went to the vet so he knew what was happening when he got in the car. My parents current cats have taken long car rides with the rest of the family... they weren't ever happy being in the same space as the dogs for so long, but there were never any major freak outs.
If I had my own car and actually drove I would get someone else to come along and hold the cat.

I've flown internationally with a dog; we got a carrying case for her that did basically look like a suitcase. The airline permitted it for a $100 fee--but I gather those days are gone.

Our vet advised us to give the dog a sedative before embarking. We bought one from the vet pharmacy on the outbound trip and it didn't work too well--she got pretty stoned but didn't sleep. On the way home we fed her half a Gravol (recommendation from another vet) and she conked right out.

For a short trip I don't think it's worth the hassle--get a kennel or find someone who can house/petsit for you. We were dealing with a ton of issues you won't (connecting flights, rabies papers for customs, etc) but in my experience its stressful on the animal and consequently on you.

The other thing about cats is they're pretty self-sufficient. If you're only gone for a weekend you can leave out extra food/water and make sure the litterbox is good and clean. Unlike dogs, they won't overeat and they don't need to be let out to mess.

The other thing about cats is they're pretty self-sufficient. If you're only gone for a weekend you can leave out extra food/water and make sure the litterbox is good and clean. Unlike dogs, they won't overeat and they don't need to be let out to mess.
Yeah, I'm thinking that it wouldn't be impossible to get someone to drop by every day for up to two weeks or so (the longest I can think that I'd be gone at a time) and just feed/water the cat unless all of my friends pop out of town at the same time. If I'm gone for a weekend chances are good that my roommate will still be around and she wouldn't mind doing taking care of the food and water.

I'm just thinking of the outside chance that I won't be able to find a sitter...

Some airliners seem to allow travel with pets in the cabin (small pets at least) and when traveling long distances on the train, it's possible to put pets in the checked baggage.

how much money do you have? because I can assure you that it will not be public transport :p

if you get a cat you need a carrier for it to ride in. cats DO freak out in the car and can end up under the gas pedal or on your face. it is very dangerous to have a cat loose in the car.

cats always seem to like hanging onto my arm screaming in this regard :)

how much money do you have? because I can assure you that it will not be public transport :p
WestJet charges $50 to keep an animal in the cabin, American Airlines allows it and their website doesn't say anything about cost... I haven't looked into too many airlines for this.
Via (the train) charges $15 for checking a small cage. I wouldn't say that this is a particularly expensive endeavour.

I've never travelled on busses or airplanes with pets. I have driven across country with them. Lots of motels (Super 8 especially) will, for a small fee (something like $10) to cover possible damage, accomodate pets in their rooms. Driving is really the best way, as far as I'm concerned. You can stop whenever necessary. You can check their well-being frequently, making sure that they're clean, fed and not dehydrated - after a time they get used to the whole travel thing and stop yelling at you. If you suspect that one or more of your pets won't adjust, ask the vet to give you something "just in case." Fortunately, all my pets adjusted just fine.

(This was a move from California to Colorado with three cats, one mouse, one snake, a scorpion and nine tarantulas).

SNIP

you win this time USA!

you win this time USA!
Via and WestJet are Canadian.

I once drove 700Km+ from one farm to another when we moved, in a SUV stuffed with 30+ rabbits, 12 hens, one with chicks, and a cat. This included a trip across a ferry between the islands.

no problems.

travelling with pets isn't a problem if you have the cages.

Now travelling with cows is best done with a specialised truck :D all the big animals went on a different load by commercial stock transporters.

Take from NSG's reident cat lady- 99% of cats hate to travel.In all my years as a cat person I've only had three that didn't freak out about traveling. Mostly they'd rather stay home.

Stick it in a kennel, or get someone to come around once a day to feed it and check up on it.

I once drove 700Km+ from one farm to another when we moved, in a SUV stuffed with 30+ rabbits, 12 hens, one with chicks, and a cat. This included a trip across a ferry between the islands.

no problems.

travelling with pets isn't a problem if you have the cages.

Now travelling with cows is best done with a specialised truck.

You mean you couldn't fit the cow in the SUV and to think all the adds I see on SUV's talk about how much rooom they have ;)

Cats are all different.

My one kitty used to love it before he got old. My other kitty Popo didn't mind it much either.

You'd need a friend to watch him for you though.

I don't have much experience with traveling with cats. I remember trying to avoid scratches as a child when we took my cat to the vet wrapped in a towel, but that's it.

My adviser had fun with her two cats on a recent flight across country. They now make you take the animal out of the case when you go through the metal detectors and one of her cats was not happy about being in an airport. He almost escaped!

My dogs travel well, though. My bloodhound mix gets fidgety after an hour or so in the car, but we stop to let him walk and he's fine. Both my dogs have their own car harnesses that buckle into the seatbelt (although I need a new one for my corgi mix, who has figured out how to unbuckle the seatbelt and get away from it when he decides he wants to).

I've not tried to take them on any kind of public transport, but I don't think it would go over well. They're both too big for carrying cases so I guess they'd end up having to go in cargo heavily sedated or something like that if we ever had to put them on a plane or train or whatever.

ohmygod dont count on that

if you get a cat you need a carrier for it to ride in. cats DO freak out in the car and can end up under the gas pedal or on your face. it is very dangerous to have a cat loose in the car.

It depends on the cat, some freak out, some enjoy the ride and the most fall somewhere in between (my cat sleeps the most of our travels but freaks out if i go over 130 Km/h).
The carrier is a good idea though. Even a not freaked out cat can get under your BRAKE PEDAL just because it is curious or for the fun of it (remember that cats have a strange sense of humor).

Aye, I got stopped before getting on a plane with my pet snake :(

You were trying to take a muthafucking snake on a muthafucking plane?

To get past pet immigration laws, a friend and I came up with the idea of putting a cat to sleep and then placing it in a glass box with suitable surroundings in the hope of passing it off as taxidermy.

What we really wanted was muscle stiffening so we could manipulate the cats in dramatic 'attack' poses.

In the end, my friend put them on sleeping pills and stuffed them in his bag, crossing by land border rather than air.

I was disappointed at his lack of cojones.

Alot of cats (and other pets) like to travel, however, I personally wouldn't bring a cat with me on trips. They are usually not fond of walking on a leash, and making sure the cat doesn't get out will make your holiday less enjoyable. You can leave the cat in a kennel, some catteries even offer space for short term residents.
However, it's not a problem to leave a cat home alone without being seen to every day. Get reservoir water and food containers, and kitty will be fine for days at a time (altho slightly bored probably). Someone needs to come by occasionally and check on the supply of food/water and give kitty some attention, but other than that, you're good to go :0)

Also, would have to say, having any animal in the car without a travelcrate is not something I would do. Both my previous cat and ferret loved to ride in the car, on the bus, on trains. But they still rode in the crate unless I was not driving the car, so they could be leashed and on my lal.

Take from NSG's reident cat lady- 99% of cats hate to travel.In all my years as a cat person I've only had three that didn't freak out about traveling. Mostly they'd rather stay home.

Cats are furry little Republicans, aren't they.

Cats are furry little Republicans, aren't they.They're way further right. Hairy little fascists think they rule the world just because they've trained me to open the window at 3:00 am.