Sunday, August 7, 2016

Relocating a Cat by Airplane


Wayne and Stick at the cabin.
When Wayne and I started spending more time in Powell River, we decided to relocate our cat, Stick Tail (a coyote nibbled his tail down to a stubby stick).

We want to have him closer to us and he was taking on a new career as a companion for Mom. It was the perfect move. We got to spend their last years close to each other.

To get ready for the big move, Wayne took Stick to the vet to get his certificate of health for Alaska Airlines. We purchased an airline approved soft carrier to fit under the seat. We chose a Sherpa Delta model that had plenty of room to move around and mesh sides for good air flow.

We also purchased absorbent pet training pads (wee-wee pads, sorry for the embarrassment Stick) to line the bottom.

We practiced getting used to the carrier. He wasn't happy, so we got some over-the-counter homeopathic anti-anxiety drops (check with your vet first) to calm him during the trip. Since he'd never been on an airplane before, we didn't know how well they would work, but the airplane ride was better than any previous car trip.


On the morning of travel, Stick didn't want to be caught (he has a sixth sense about these things). After fifteen minutes and a few drops of his anti-anxiety remedy he was snuggled into his carrier.

Stick was loud in the car, but settled down before the Alaska counter. After paying for his "seat" under the seat ($100), it was time for security. I'd been dreading this. Wayne opened the bag and carried him through without a struggle.

Stick didn't like takeoffs, landings and turbulence, but was quiet and calm for the majority of the flight. One passenger even talked with him in "cat voice" for quite a while.

When we got to Mom's condo in Bellingham, he was ready to get out but not to explore. He went straight under the bed. We put his food, water and litter box nearby. After he settled into his new home, we inched them towards their real  locations.


With the relocation done, it wasn't as bad as I had feared. And it turned out that Stick did travel by airplane again.  After Mom passed away, he became our full-time cat once again. Going to and from Powell River on Pacific Coastal Airlines it took only 25 minutes. Traveling by car it was seven hours with the ferry transfers. For a cat that got car sick, it was worth it.

Do you have any pet travel stories to share? Let us hear from you. -- Margy

11 comments :

  1. BK, before kids, we took our dog to live with us in England. She had to go through 6 months of quarantine, and we visited her every few days. She coped well, even when the girls came along, and she eventually moved back to Canada with our family and lived a long and happy life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fortunately between the States and Canada the restrictions only involve proof of rabies shots. Stick traveled back and forth across the border with us many times. One time at BC Ferries they thought we had a dog and gave Stick a Milkbone. How embarrassing. - Margy

      Delete
  2. No pet travel stories from us - but I sure enjoyed this one. I like how you carefully prepared everything so thoughtfully for the trip.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stick was an amazing cat. He was the perfect partner for Mom in her last years. - Margy

      Delete
  3. A great story about a great cat! Stick could put up with so much after the trauma of having a coyote nibble his tail!
    Glad he also provided precious companionship for your mom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where we used to live we had terrible problems with coyotes, and we were living int he city. - Margy

      Delete
  4. Hello, Interesting story. Stick is a well travel cat. I am glad he was there for your mom. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He sure was. He was our most loving and laid back cat. The type of travel he hated most was boating, but he even put up with that. - Margy

      Delete
  5. When I was a child I used to get car sick- a lot. So did the dog. We didn't enjoy our travels much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been lucky. I've only been airsick twice climbing at high altitude in our plane. I think it was the vibration from the struggling engine. - Margy

      Delete
  6. Hi! I'm enjoying your blog!
    Poor Stick! :)
    I love to travel and we have 17 dogs and 6 cats. Never traveled by plane with any of them but car trips are many!
    Most of them are used to riding in the car but once, my sister went to live in another city and we took the Cruel cat by car. It was a bit traumatic but in the end, everything worked out!
    http://seminhabicifalasse.blogspot.com.br/2010/09/pofrto-alegre-florianopolisde-carro-16.html

    Sorry about my English! I had to put the translator.
    We have a dog, Tombinho, who kayaking with us.
    Here posting one of paddle with him:
    http://seminhabicifalasse.blogspot.com.br/2015/02/um-sabado-de-remadas-com-tombinho.html

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome. - Margy