This is a good list! I flew with my cat when I moved out to Chicago in 2000. She did great the whole way but managed to release, um, everything in her body in liquid form as soon as we got to Midway. I had to hose her off in the airport bathroom and I feel terrible for any maintenance people or passengers who had to go in or near that bathroom after me. It wasn't her fault!

Please know: You will have to take the pet out of the carrier to go through security and then put the pet back into the carrier while the line bunches up behind you. So maybe take the carrier out a few weeks ahead of time and make it the fun place where treats and catnip and toys go? Or buy some falconer's leather gloves and hockey mask so that you can contain the snarling, seething beast.

I've travelled with a cat. It was actually great--people were very friendly and seemed happy to see a cat in the airport, and my mellow cat cooperated (with the exception of a couple of meows during takeoff).

One thing: if your vet okays it, you may want to consider a small sedative (my vet recommended half of a Benedryl). Talk to your vet first though, and test it out several days before you fly to make sure your pet reacts well to it.

Also, watch out for kids in the airport--I had many who ran up and tried to stick their fingers into the crate! (A bad thing for the cat and potentially for the kids as well.) Reminding them that it was okay to look, but not touch, usually did the trick.

Great tips!
Be sure to review your airline's guidelines for carriers and pet size. The airlines (at least the one I flew with) are VERY strict about the animal being able to stand up and turn around in the carrier. My dog is similarly sized (maybe even a bit smaller) than the one in the photos and could not fly in the cabin because like the dog in the photo he could not raise his head fully with the carrier zipped closed.
Also be aware that most airports require (and generally try to enforce) that animals other than service animals be IN the carrier while in the airport. Make sure your pet is used to being confined for a time period that allows for the flight time time in the airport.
Bring some clean up supplies (just in case). A pair of disposable rubber gloves, a packet of wet wipes, and a plastic bag can make a big difference!

Bring a small blanket. We flew with our Yorkies to NYC this summer and there was freezing cold air blasting out under the seats where the dog carriers had to be placed. We covered the carriers with blankets and the doggies seemed fine.

We also did small doses of Benadryl. The plane ride itself was uneventful but they got a bit excited in the airport, especially with all of the people trying to look at them.

If you're trying to avoid drugs, I've heard good things about Bach's Rescue Remedy, which is a herbal extract. My vet recommended it when my dog got a bit of doggy OCD...

I've flown with my mini daschund many times and I agree, benedryl works like a charm. My vet once told me a good thing to have in the carrier is a flavored bone, because the act of licking it or chewing on it helps dog's ears pop. I actually do feed my puppy half of her regular amount before flying, because sometimes an empty stomach can cause nasuea.

We flew with our cats to Paris and back. It was not fun for anyone but ultimately fine.

We kept them in harnesses with a leash even inside the carriers because we had to take them out at security (they wanted to inspect the bags, not the animals). Our vet recommended against any sedatives because taking a sedative depresses body temperature, and as noted the space under the seat is directly adjacent to the freezing cold air vents. Perhaps this is more of an issue on longer flights. The good news about flying with animals under the seat is that the noise from the cabin air system is very loud and it's rare that anyone other than you can hear it if your pets howl for hours on end. The people whose seats the cats were under claimed they couldn't hear them; given that they (the people) slept through most of the flight and seemed genuinely surprised at our question, I assume that was the truth.

The worst experience for us was when the sniffer dogs wandered through looking for drugs and went crazy upon discovering two conveniently-packaged cats to traumatize. The handlers understood that it wasn't about drugs (wrong reaction from the dogs) but it was stressful.

For the last 10 years, I have flown back and forth between Europe and the United States with BOTH a cat and a dog. I do this about twice a year. I have never experienced any problems and you learn a few tricks as time goes on. For intance, I now always bring a roll of paper towel and wipes for the cat, who relieves herself during the long flight, partially out of nervousness. For both the cat and dog, we only take direct flights if at all possible. We make a point of checking with the cabin crew and attendants before the flight to make sure the dog has been boarded and that the hold has been properly acclimated. We also give the animals a sedative to make things a little easier. I don't think either of our pets actually enjoys the trip, but by now they have learned that they will survive and will have a lot to look forward to once the trip is over!

I have heard from several sources that sedatives, even mild ones, are not recommended because they affect balance. This means that the animal can be injured from falling during even mild turbulence or other movement of the carrier.

Lucky people!

As far as I know, any dog over 20 lbs can't fly in the cabin on a plane. My dog weighs 32 lbs. I have sent her via cargo ONCE. That was not only expensive, but also too traumatizing for her.

Too bad too, because I think she would behave very well on a plane.

You have to take the pet out of the carrier for the security check.

I didn't know this, and my poor terrified kitty almost jumped out of my hands and ran off into the airport. Luckily my boyfriend was there to grab her but she clawed his hands HORRIBLY. He bled everywhere. It was hugely traumatic for everyone and she peed on all her stuff. I was a nervous wreck.

Knowing that, I sedated her for the way back AND put a safety harness with leash on her in case she tried to run away again. She was perfectly fine.

When I moved to CA from NY, I flew w/ my cat. I carried a sedative from the vet, but did not need it. My vet at the time warned that some cats do not react well to sedation and meow more than when they are not sedated. I moved to the back where the plane noise drowned out his little cries and no one even knew I had a cat with me.

Harness your cat and buy an updated pet tag with a phone number of a family member or your cell phone. As others have stated you will need to remove your cat from its carrier at security. If for some reason your kitty slips away (I hope not!), it will have "ID".

I made a makeshift portable litter box by taking the foldable top of a shirt box and some litter in a tupperware container. During our layover at O'hare, I set it up in the bathroom and he actually used it!

I fly with my 13 lb. dog every few months and have been doing it for the last several years. The only problems we've had have been with children and Japanese tourists mobbing us during our connections (my dog is very friendly and he "smiles" all the time - people go crazy over it and want to take pictures with him or of their children with him) and one guy who made a stink about sitting next to "that animal." Luckily, the flight attendant gave that guy a quick verbal smack down. Most of the time, though, no one even notices that my dog is on the plane. I usually hear, "OH, I didn't know we had a dog on board!" as we disembark.

It's true that the airplane sounds are so loud that no one will hear a few meows or whimpers from under a seat. Keep in mind that your pet has to be in its container under that seat for the entire flight, not just take off and landing. Also, you cannot sit in an exit row or in a bulkhead row with a pet.

You can put your pet in a hard-sided carrier, not just a mesh one, but on some flights it has to be as low as 8". Some say 10". It depends on the type of aircraft. You'd be better off with a soft-sided carrier unless your pet is very tiny.

Some airports now have "pet relief stations." They are usually a nice, outdoor patch of sod or a little park.

We brought our cat from Dublin to Paris and he was sedated, had a terrible hangover the next day but no ill effects. My daughter brought her cat from Dublin to New York and with plane delays and immigration the cat really suffered. After 5 years she still gets sick if she has to go in the carrier.

I fly with my dog several times a year and it is definitely a stressful experience but altogether goes fine. The most annoying part is paying $100 each way when the airline doesn't handle him at all and he's considered my carry-on. I always make sure that he's had a lot of exercise beforehand and always get a window seat, so I can open up the bag and he has all the room at my feet to sleep and not feel so constricted. And we're out of the way. I wouldn't recommend feeding him flavored bones as the poster above suggested, I did that once and my dog was so dehydrated from the salt on the bone that he was panting. I had to give him water which you really want to try to avoid, nothing would be worse than having your dog pee in the bag on the flight. It's totally worth it though to have my little guy there with me when I travel.

Adding on to the ID thing - if possible, put your cell phone number and/or a number where you can be reached *during the trip* on your pet's tags. It's much easier for you to reconnect with your pet if the finders aren't calling your empty home. I'd write them out small and attatch them with lotso scotch tape to the rabies tag, if you don't want to have a new one made. Also, tape, paste or pack phone numbers and any other pertinent information on the carrier.

Call ahead in case you need to bring any immunization records or anything else on the plane.

I've never flown with my kitties but we do road trips. After reading some of these posts, I appreciate how cooperative they are! Magellan used to sit in the back window of the car and attract lots of attention. (Don't know if that's safe but we don't do that anymore... after we got our second cat, we had them both stay in their carriers.

what's with you people? is that not the cutest dog ever? why has no one commented on that? Great tips, Beth! I only wish the other readers knew insane cuteness when it was right in front of them!

I flew a short flight when I first got my young cat Elwood, an Oriental Shorthair. He howled non-stop for one hour and seventeen minutes, and because of his voice, it sounded like a newborn human crying. Howling, actually. Halfway through the flight, he worked one paw outside his carrier and nearly got out! I stuffed him back in and the rest of the flight was spent staring at the zipper and waiting for it to happen again.

When the plane landed, the entire cabin turned and looked behind (I was in the back) with very peeved looks, except for two middle aged women who must have been cat lovers. They admired my boy through the mesh on his carrier.

As we disembarked, we passed the co-pilot who said, "I thought I heard a Siamese back there. This was post 9/11 and that's when I realized they now audio monitor the cabins.

I have never been so mortified.

I rescued a street cat while living in Bulgaria and brought him back to the US with me when I finished my service there. It was a much smoother trip than I expected. Actually, the chaos in the airport itself was more stressful for him than the flying part. I found that if I took my jacket and covered his carrier so he couldn't see so much going on around him, he was much calmer. At security, I put my carryon, shoes, etc. on the belt first, and waited until just before it was my turn to go through the metal detector before I took him out of his carrier. In every single airport, the security people went from being cranky and impatient to instantly helpful and accomodating when they saw him and made sure his carrier was waiting for me on the other side when I came through so I could put him right back in. On one flight, the stewardess told the pilot as I was boarding that there was a cat on board, and both the pilot and copilot came running out of the cockpit to see him!

I packed food for him and, while you're not allowed to carry water through security, the stewardesses were happy to give me some for him whenever I asked. However, I found that even though it was a VERY long trip (17 hours with layovers), he really wasn't interested, nor did he eat much for a few days after we arrived. Be prepared for your pet to be off his regular eating and toilet schedules for a while; even if it's a smooth trip, it's still stressful for them.

My husband lives in Germany and I live in Oakland, CA (a two-year temporary situation) and we have a 11 month lab mix. At 60 lbs, she's waaay too big to go in the cabin, but I just flew her from SFO to Frankfurt with absolutely no problems. The two most important things that contributed to this are:

(1) She loves loves loves her kennel. It is her doggy den and she sleeps there every night. (Train them on this early.)

(2) She was exhausted when she got on the plane. The flight left at 1pm on a Monday. On Sunday morning, she got a 2 hour off-leash walk. I kept her awake during much of the day because she was nervous about the fact that I was packing. In the afternoon, she got a 30 minute off-leash walk and a 1 hour swim in a lake. She was exhausted, but stayed awake with me until 1am as I packed and cleaned for the 10 week absence. The next morning, I took her on a 1.5 hour off-leash walk before heading to the airport. As far as I can tell, she slept the whole way on the 11 hour nonstop flight. I had given her several chew toys in the crate and she hadn't touched a thing. She also did not pee in the crate either.

She was not at all traumatized by the experience, and I'll be following the same program on the way back in a week!

Other tips:

-Freeze water in a bowl so that it melts during the flight
-Tell the flight attendants that you are traveling with a dog in cargo and ask them to let you know when the dog has boarded the plane
-Get your dog accustomed to the crate months before the flight
-Put your dog's favorite blanket/mat in the crate so it seems familiar. You might even put in an old t-shirt that you slept in so it smells like you
-Put several layers of blankets or newspaper in the bottom of the crate. This not only insulates your dog from the cold cargo floor, but it also will absorb any accidents if they do happen