Originally Posted by
CDTraveler
If I tried to leave this cat home solo for 6 weeks, the house would not be still standing when we returned.
I can understand that.
Our two tabby Persians are also quite high-energy, and we very often find "pieces" of things laying around. It's sometimes hard to identify what the original was... but they manage OK when we're gone, because they get daily attention from friends.
Originally Posted by
CDTraveler
Sometimes when we're just going for a drive, we take him along and he seems to enjoy it - no howling or biting. He just wants a window seat.
It's good that he travels well, but note that taking him in-cabin is vastly different from taking him in the car. The soft-sided bag will not be as spacious as the hard carrier he currently uses, and the carrier must remain in the underseat area at all times - all airlines that allow in-cabin travel require the pet to remain in the carrier and that the carrier be stowed at all times. He definitely won't be getting that window seat.
If home visitation and the Hotel are out, consider two other options: having a live-in petsitter - who can also therefore take care of your house during your extended absence - or sending the cat to board at a friend's house (so it's not a Hotel and he'll get full-time attention). A live-in petsitter could get expensive if it's not a friend you know, but consider that pet travel fees now run hundreds of dollars for a round-trip, not counting the hassles of finding pet-friendly hotels (and potential added costs thereof).
If you still want to take him along, my previous advice stands: take him to the store to try out the carriers and ensure that he can fit comfortably - he must be able to stand up and turn around, otherwise he will get severely cramped on the long flight. If he outgrows the largest available in-cabin bag, taking him in-cabin will no longer be an option. (The largest bag approved for in-cabin use is no taller than 10 inches, IIRC.)