feasibility of flying with a LARGE cat
 

We have a Maine Coon cat. At 18 months, he is a svelte 14 pounds and will likely continue growing until he is 4 years old.

What are my chances of stuffing him under an airline seat?

We are thinking of taking an extended trip cross country, and would like to take him with us; he does not like the Cat Hotel at all, and my son would really miss his cat. But right now we have a size medium hard-side carrier for the cat, and I'm thinking of getting a larger one for long car trips - neither of these meet any airline's requirements for carry-on pets. I could try a soft-side Sherpa bag, but I'm not sure the cat will fit in one.

Suggestions? Comments?


p.s. cat going cargo class not an option

Our Pomeranian is on the large side - about 12 pounds and barrel-shaped. We fly with him every year, and he does OK in his soft-sided Sherpa-knockoff. Your cat is likely about the same size, perhaps somewhat larger... I'd say that he should be OK now, but may be cramped as he continues growing.

My primary suggestion is to take the cat to PetSmart and try to put him in a carrier, to see if he'll fit. If he doesn't, then I don't think you'll be able to take him on the flight. If it's a marginal fit, I'd still leave him at home - being cramped in a small bag on an extended trip will make it quite miserable for him.

If he doesn't like the Cat Hotel, consider leaving him at home and hiring a petsitter or a friend to drop in once every day or two. That's what we do with our cats, and they're just fine with it... they get company, fresh food, and fresh litter every day or two, but remain in the comfort of their own home. They certainly miss us and show it when we return, but it is invariably better than kenneling.

(I should note that most cats hate travel, FWIW. Some are perfectly OK with it, but most would just prefer to stay at home.)

My Eddie (whose weight varies from 15-18 pounds) travels in the biggest original Sherba bag imaginable. He does not mind traveling. The only issue is he likes biting and scratching people to show who's boss (He can sense a Cat person from a not Cat one.)

Good advise here from cepheid.

I checked the Sherba website and clicked on a bag for a pet up to 19 pounds. Again, check out sevearl bags and see how the baby likes it.

How does your Kitty like being in the carrier? Does it fight when it's vet time or if he has to go someone unfamiliar.

Fourteen pounds is nothing! I pet sit Cats who top the scales at 22 pounds, 25 pounds and Mr. Max was at his peak 35 pounds!

To go off topic: If the baby fights the carrier you may want to consider the pet sitter route. I am one and my advise is to interview several people and see how how interact with the Cat angel. If you can find someone who is strictly Cat that's a bonus. :)

Let us know how it goes and what''s your baby's name?

If I tried to leave this cat home solo for 6 weeks, the house would not be still standing when we returned. Unh-unh. He's very high energy, and very people oriented - not a typical cat at all, but fairly typical for a Maine Coon. He gets upset when we're gone for half a day and makes it clear to us that we shouldn't go out that long.

We keep his carrier on the garage floor, and I often find him using it for a private nap, so clearly he doesn't mind being in it (could be the catnip powder I sprinkle in it). 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. :D

And Catman, he's definitely going to get much bigger than his current size. Right now, he's 13 inches at the shoulder, and over 39 inches from nose to fluffy tail tip. He isn't a fat cat, he's just really big.

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.

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.)

CDTraveler,
Check out the top sticky in this forum where you can find just about every airline and their fees, requirements and limits on size of pet and carriers. Many specify weight restrictions and most specify maximum size of carrier allowed. Your cat must be able to turn around freely in the carrier so you might want to get the biggest carrier allowed by the airline you are flying. Sounds like you've got a pretty hefty fella. :)
I think Maine Coon cats are beautiful, great choice of breed!

are they going to weigh the cat?
 

I'm wondering how closely pets in carriers are examined by the airline? If the carrier meets the underseat requirements, will they actually check that the animal can stand up? Will they weigh the bag?

Also, if I were to drape my jacket across "my carry-on bag" and take it to the lav, would anyone notice? The cat is (almost) toilet-trained, and I'm thinking he'd get a little uncomfortable flying cross-country without a potty break, even if I restrict his water.

I actually can't say for certain he's 100% Maine Coon - we got him from a rescue group. But he has the build, the fur, the golden eyes, the vocalizations and the behavior of one.

In my experience (which is on United only), no. The agents may ask for the health certification, but otherwise they'll just want to quickly glance at the bag and then ask for your money. However, I would strongly recommend that you not take the cat in-cabin if he can't comfortably stand and turn around in the bag. He will get severely cramped and the trip will be miserable for him. Due to unforeseen circumstances I had to transport my previous cat in a too-small carrier once, and I would never, ever do it again. It is cruel to the cat.

I suspect they would notice, yes, but perhaps won't do anything. However, I again strongly advise against this. It's very difficult to stuff the bag under the seat in the first place, and getting it out is also a major pain, even if your coach seat has extra legroom (e.g. Economy Plus). Doing so will agitate the cat; based on my experience, the cat would much rather just stay down there the whole time rather than be taken up and down.

As for the potty, cats can hold it for many hours. He'll be fine on a transcon - it's only 5 or 6 hours. I don't think he'll require any sort of potty break. Moreover, most cats won't use the potty in unfamiliar surroundings - he'll be much more interested in investigating the weird smells, instead.

IMHO, you are worrying too much and trying too hard. First, make sure the cat can fit in the carrier. If not, I would strongly recommend not bringing the cat - it will be a miserable experience to be stuffed in a too-small bag. If the cat does fit, then I'd recommend just putting him under the seat and leaving him there throughout the flight - simpler is usually better. I've flown both cats and dogs (and do so every year), so I've got plenty of experience in this arena.

Good luck.

I have only seen them weigh a pet once at the ticket counter and that was because it looked pretty big in the carrier. However, I have seen several agents at the ticket counter and the gate have people put their carrier on the counter to make sure the animal can easily move around and determine they aren't too big for their carrier. I don't spend a whole lot of time at the ticket counter so I'm more familiar with the gate agent's activity, but I have seen it happen many times.
I also echo not to take the kitty to the lavatory, I think it would just frighten it and you would probably have a heck of a time getting it back in the carrier. Friendly as a kitty might be in the comfort of your home, I've seen them turn into vicious scratching and biting animals when they're in unfamiliar and loud surroundings.
Good luck, I hope it all works out for you.

When we travel with a larger cat (that a few FT'ers have met at a few Dos) we try if at all possible to get a pair of seats in F and not stow any other luggage underseat. He's right near the 15 pound weight limit so we want to make sure he has all the possible room. We won't do a RJ at all, even if it means doing a connecting flight instead of a non-stop.

Rather than doing transcons, we also try to break up the flights with stopovers that prevent him from doing more than 3 hours per flight. For us in RDU, that usually means a stopover in the DFW/MSP area before continuing on the next flight.

Kitty's first road trip
 

We're building up slowly to long distance travel with kitty. We just did a 2 night trip and took him along, and he actually seemed to enjoy it.

After the first half hour in the car, my son opened the carrier door (they share the back seat) but the cat seemed happy to stay where he was, very little meowing.

We made a snack stop along the way at McD's: 2 sodas, 1 large fries, 2 apple dippers, 1 completely plain burger patty. Kitty had 3 bites, and was happy. He prefers McD's over In-and-Out by a mile.

At the beach house we borrowed, kitty loved the wildlife viewing. Squirrels and bluejays feed right on the deck during the day, and raccoons come at night. He was a little peeved when we shared his kibble with the raccoons. :D

No litter problems, no howling, no scratching. Bodes well for Kitty's next trip.