So. Now that I have internet and we have had a night of sleep:
Travelling with a cat. Knowing Sharky was super averse to change and gets distressed in his carrier, my first order was to get a sedative for him. Our vet prescribed Diazepam, and the dose that ended up working for Sharky was 3mg. We were going to board him on the way home for the airport an they needed Rabies to board so I got that updated too.
Trvael to Jersey from CA did not require a health certificate, but I called Delta to make sure. I had a Sherpa carrier that I got for free from work, so I knew that I was very likely set with an approved carrier, but when you are doing this shit for the first time you want to make sure you do it right. So, call your fucking airline, because this is what we went over:
- There is no way I found to make a reservation for your pet online for travel in the cabin, BUT you need to have one! Per Delta, only 4 animals can be on any flight. It does not say this online, so I am glad I called weeks before the trip.
- Have the measurements of your carrier handy, so you can confirm it’s acceptable, because the space requirements are different for each individual plane. If you have connecting flights they will check this.
- They said they did not need a health certificate to get him on the plane, but it’s a good idea to bring a print out of the vaccine records. (we didn’t end up needing them but you never know)
- There is a fee to pay for their reservation, at the time we went it was 125$, and you can only pay it at the check in desk.
I dosed sharky and gave him a half meal about an hour before we left, lined his carrier with pee pads, gave him his fave nip toy, and put one of those mesh harnesses on him with his nametag.
YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOUR PET OUT OF THE CARRIER AT SECURITY. However, TSA should ask you if you are comfortable taking them out in the open. Not knowing how he was going to be (even though I am comfortable with cat restraint thanks to work), I said no, and had to wait until they had staff to come with me to a private screening room so I could take him out, hold him while they scan the carrier, and then come back to give you the carrier, and then they wipe test your hands. This was why I was happy to have the harness, and also that I wasn’t travelling alone so marcus could watch my stuff, and why I always arrive early to the airport.
On the actual flights he was a fucking champ. Only got restless towards the end of the first flight and a little on the second. The second flight was kinda bumpy, and getting him under the seats required a lot of jostling but he was fine. I went to a family restroom in atlanta to try and offer some kibble and check on him safely in a closed room but he was too nervous to eat.
Once we got to the apartment I let him loose in the bathroom with his bowls and some food (I brought both in my suitcase so he could get this immediately when we arrived). We ended up cancelling the boarding reservation because we just wanted the poor guy home.
So, a lot of worrying on my part and super concerned fidgeting, but he did completely fine, did not end up soiling his carrier (I had bags and an extra pee pad in case), and the meds served him I think until about the second flight (first flight was 4 hours and then 3 hour layover in atlanta).
