TCrazy - definitely contact the airline in advance to book your puppy (what's his name?) on the flight & find out how much it will cost. Some airlines have restrictions on the number of animals allowed aboard a given flight, so you want to make certain that he can travel on the same plane as you.

Most animals don't like eating or drinking when travelling - perhaps give him a (rawhide?) bone to gnaw to while the time away, but don't give him any food, and don't worry too much about water, as he will just step in it/spill it everywhere. Above all, make certain that you don't feed him before you travel, as you don't want him to have any nasty accidents! When we took Murphy travelling, we fed him the night before, but he had to go hungry in the morning. Ask your vet to confirm details of how long before the flight you should stop feeding him.

You might also want to sedate him - my vet wasn't keen on this option, though he did give me some cat-sedatives, which I didn't use after all. It depends on how excitable the animal is: my kitten is a pretty mellow creature.

And, since your puppy will be travelling separately from you, make certain that you give him his favorite toy/an old shoe or t-shirt of yours, just so that he doesn't feel lonely and abandoned - that'd probably be the scariest thing for a small animal.

Matt - your story is really sad, but cats aren't all bad. True, they are hunters by nature, but you can teach them to bring their offerings to the doorstep, NOT inside. It's a sign of cat-love that your cat wanted to give you his dead bird.