Since our animals (and animal-like tendencies) keep appearing in these threads, perhaps it's time for FlyerTalkers to declare their animal allegiances (along the lines of AA, perhaps), to get it all out in the open.

So: I'm baobab, and I have a pitch-black 5 month old kitten named Murphy, in honour of the Irish stout.

Catman? Rudi? ..... Matt??

Good Omni-subject, baobab. Thanks for the thread. I'm sure El Gato will be thankful.
I have a Pug, named Meriwether Lewis, for his
undaunted courage.

With a name like CATMAN, it's obvious where
this Ol'Tom's loyalities lie... with my
YAZ the maine coon and Eddie (Sir Edwin
Landseer... he got his royal title the hard
way unlike Sir Richard Branson) the domestic
shorthair my "best friends."

Well, among my many best friends.

Dogs are fine pets. But cats are easier to
sneak into first class. CATMAN

here are my confessions:had a cat "Sebastian" ourselves, passed away this spring at age 17 - we still miss the promised 8 other lives - and Sebastian fraternized very well with our dog a bearded colly "Ginger". When Sebastian died Ginger only survived him by 2 weeks

Oh Rudi,

I don't know how to respond after your confession. Our pets are such an important part of us and our lives. It's hard enough to lose one friend, but to lose two of them so close together. You can find comfort in the thought that they are still together. Perhaps, with time, you will be able to find the room in your heart for yet another one in need of love and care.

If I may, I am the proud "mother" of 4 kitties, Mishagus, Chiclet, LaMeiux and Tattalla. They are my very spoiled children.

And yes, they sure do travel well. Have litter pan, will travel.

Cindi

I had two majestic cats, Katrina and Belle. Katrina was killed (and my home destroyed) in the great Northridge earthquake. Belle disappeared at that time, too. I suspect that she survived the initial quake but was scared away in the subsiquent aftershocks and flooding that occured in the house. Unfortunatly (or fortunatly) I was not in town at the time of the disaster. After the quake I moved into a condo, and I don't feel pets would be appropriate here, so I am currently pet-less. I do miss 'em though.

Rudi... I'm very sorry to hear about the loss (Belated condolences) of Sebastian and Ginger. I am sure they touched your lives,
and like CIndi says I hope someday another
cat or dog in need of your good humour and
care will "adopt" you.

I wish the same for you too, PremEx. My
building wanted to evict me for my cats, But
I was about to find a loophole. (I'll explain
off line to you and anyone else interested.)

Good health and long life for Meriwether Lewis Jaws43. Dogs are fun too.

And a special purr to Baobab for this special
thread.

Maybe there should a CAT and DOg convention
at teh CO President's Lounge! They'll get
free water and their owners... somewhat stronger drinks! CATMAN

Formerly the proud owner of several different cats.

Currently the owner of three min pins (Prancer, Bailey and Nikki) and one wire-haired red-headed step-dog, Sam.

I love our dogs and wouldn't trade them for most people. I also miss cats and their fascinating ways...

Yaz and Eddie are really enjoying reading
these entries! <

And see, I've cleaned FLyerTalk of the Cat
Hair so Matt Wald doesn't sneeze too much!

Have a MEOWY DAY! CATMAN

I have a 6 year old Abyssinian (cat)named Tutah--very well socialized and friendly. Fortunately a self-feeder so I don't have to worry about her going off for a short business trip or weekend.

Here's my attempt at humour..

IF my cats travel with me... can they earn
frequent flyer miles (i.e: join a frequent
flyer program and get miles? THen transfer
them to their owner.)

Never saw a rule that animals can't earn
frequent flyer miles (The Fancy Feast Cat
flies in First class all the time!)

I've learned a lot from the regular FlyerTalk
posts, and was entertained by the entries
under this post.

Maybe we should get together and have our
pets on a calendar "The 2000 FLyer Talk Feline and other friends!"

CHEERS & MEOWS TO ALL YOU PET PEOPLE! CATMAN

Now, THERE's an interesting question, Catman!

I forget the exact Latin, folks, but I know this is "Reducing things to absurdity." However, it's an interesting intellectual exercise. So let's see...

Issue #1 on pets earning FF miles would be enrolling them in a program. OK, no prob there.

Issue #2 would be you need to buy them a ticket. OK, not a problem, either. In fact, if they're less than, I think, 12 years old, you can get them a child's fare ticket.

Issue #3: A ticketed passenger needs a government-issue type of picture ID. Problem here; while you can get a credit card for your pet, there is no picture. Driver's license is out, so is a passport. What to do? AHA! Back to Issue #2...if your pet is under 12 (or whatever), regs do not require a picture ID. Ho!

Issue #4: Adults and children are not permitted to be under the seat in front of you on take off and landing. Do you strap the pet carrier into the seat then? Is there an FAA standard for pet carriers like there is for child seats? And, do you strap the carrier in facing forward or aft? This probably would best be handled on an individual, case-by-case basis with the flight attendants, with the captain having final authority on exact orientation.

Last issue: Special meals. They have vegetarian meals, Kosher meals, etc. But does the airline have, like, raw meat meals for your pet? No prob if Fido is addicted to Big Macs, just order a Happy Meal or equivalent. Otherwise, I think you're stuck with bringing their own meal on board with you. This might put off some passengers, but hey, guys (and gals), my wife has gotten used to watching me eat shshimi and blood rare steaks; I think the other passengers could deal with this.

What do you gorilla flying gurus think? Have I missed any important issues in getting FF miles for your pets?

Yours in humor,

-Harry

Harry - Murphy went to Newfoundland for his summer vacation this year, and we did buy a pet ticket for him, but at about US$38 (C$50 coming back) it was probably significantly cheaper than any seat sale, & perhaps, like some other cheap fares, not eligible for miles...

As far as ID goes, he had to have his rabies vaccination certificate to get into Canada. No picture, but a description & age-listing. All the immigration/customs folks liked him, & he was a magnet for small children in the lounge.

As for putting carriers on seats - he travelled under the seat on the BOS-Halifax flight, & hated that, as it was a very noisy prop plane & he couldn't see me. Although he was fairly quiet, my ankles were ripped to shreds as soon as I put my table-tray down & he thought he'd been forgotten. On the next flight there was an empty seat next to me, so I put his carrier on it SIDEWAYS, so he could see me. He curled up & went to sleep. On the return flights we put a pillow under his carrier (under the seat), & that kept him fairly calm. By that stage he'd become a seasoned traveller, as he'd travelled around NF by car too..

He doesn't like the changes in direction & noise associated with travelling, but does like the cat treats, so I think he'd be willing to fly again.

I believe that some airlines allow you to buy pet tickets with your airmiles, but I'm not certain about whether they will enroll the pets in a ff plan. It would be a good idea, as on the Halifax-St John's portion of our flight there were two other cats aboard, and when we arrived in St John's about four large dogs were uncrated - Alsations & other big animals have to travel in the hold. I can't imagine trying to get an alsation or similar to sit quietly in a seat for the duration of the flight, but Murphy was definitely easier to travel with than some children I have seen!

Oh what a wonderful topic. Such a nice diversion from all the airline talk.
I have a 98% poodle named Pookie. She is 12 years old and I have had her since she was about 8 weeks. I also have 2 cats a Turkish Angora named Binky..and a British Shorthair named Trevor.
None of my babies have ever flown...if Pookie has to go somewhere with me..I drive. She is just a bit too big to go under the seat and I am afraid to put her underneath. Especially at her age since she has never done it before.
I don't think I would take my cats on a flight. I just know they would fuss the whole way and then there would be a new topic in "the Buzz" about the screaming cats.

One of my cats has flown. He went from Allentown, PA to Seattle with a change of planes in Pittsburgh on USAirways back in 1994. Poor fella went as cargo since I was not on the flight. Heck, I never fly USAirways! Anyway, he arrived in SEA safe and sound. Regretfully, no frequent flyer miles.