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Every time I fly somewhere I always swear I’m never going to do it again. It’s not so much being in the plane itself, but all the stress that comes with it: baggage check, connecting flights, delayed flights, etc.
Attempting to cruise the skies with pets adds another major burden to the process. I have a friend here in Maryland who is a cat lover. She adores getting to cat-sit for friends. But she’s a British citizen who will be going home in a few years, and she won’t get a cat for herself until she does so. It’s all because of the stress flying places on pets.
My friend lived in the States many years ago before returning to England for a while (and then coming back here again). She adopted a cat while living in the States then, and brought him back with her to England when they returned. Due to one reason or another, her cat was quarantined by the RSPCA and had to stay in their shelter for six months before being released to her again.
It goes without saying that this was a horrible experience both for the cat and his owner. Since then my friend has vowed not to make another pet go through the anxiety of air travel.
While obviously my friend’s was an extreme case, flying on a plane is still a major stressor for pets. If it’s unavoidable, however, there are still a few things we can do to help ease the process for our furry family members. Zootoo has a rundown of the possibilities.
The first thing to remember is do not give your pet tranquilizers. It seems like a good idea on the surface, helping our pets sleep or stay calm in a situation where either might be difficult. However, the physical stress of flying thousands of feet above the ground places additional strain on your pet’s heart/respiratory system, and giving it tranquilizers while this is happening increases the chances of it becoming ill from the physical stress of the travel.
So what are the positive things you can do to help increase your pets’ comfort while flying? Prepare the perfect crate. Make sure it’s big enough that your pet has some space to move around inside it, but you don’t want it so big that your pet is thrown around inside of it.
Don’t put toys or muzzles in/on your pet, as that increases a choking hazard. In addition to fresh water you can provide frozen water (all in one block, not cubes, again because of choking). Add a bag of dry food with feeding instructions on top of the crate in case of delays.
If you’re traveling on the same flight as your pet, you can ask the flight attendants for confirmation of your pets’ status when you board the flight. If there are delays, you can insist that your pet be removed from the cargo hold. This is especially possible during cold or hot weather.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has regulations that animals cannot be shipped while temperatures are below 45 degrees or above 85 degrees, so be sure to look after your pet during these temperatures. Also check the details of your airport — some provide pet parks where you can walk your animals for exercise.
Air travel is a giant stressor for humans and animals alike, but with the right amount of preparation and attention paid, we can all get through it.
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*(This image by Don Hankins is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
