should i check or bring her in the cabin

[meowmixhouse]

i've read in other forums that its better to bring pets as checked luggage and that they go in a separate area. my concern is that she might get lost. i'm worried about my luggage getting lost, if my cat gets lost i'll go CRAZY!!! i'm flying from toronto to zurich then zurich to milan. if it was direct i would check her in, but there's a transfer. what should i do?

[quincymycat]

Hi and welcome!
I have never flown my pets in a connecting flight before, but have had 4 large carriers checked as "special handling" luggage on 2, five hour direct flights. In both cases, because they were considered "special handling" and I believe all pets are considered that way...(unless they are small enough to be considered hand carried luggage and then they must fit under the front seat for take off and landing)...and kept in a pressurized airplane area.
In both cases, they were off the plane and waiting for me, well before I had the chance to even get to baggage pickup area myself.
Both times they arrived at very large city airports so they were busy.
Good luck. I won't tell you not to worry because that won't happen. You will worry like crazy...I did!

[Mirela]

Bring her in the cabin! Less stress for both of you. How big is she? Normally her carrier should be small enough to be allowable.

[meowmixhouse]

she's not big, she's about 8-10 lbs. i'm worried about the other travellers i hope they are not allergic and i hope my cat doesnt make too much noise or fart or go to the washroom. but ya i think i'll just bring her on the plane, i hope no one is around me, i'm gonna be travelling alone with her.

[mikischo]

Rules about the transportation of pets differ between airlines. There are rules about how far in advance to make reservations, how much earlier you need to be at the airport prior to flight time if you are bringing a pet, types of carriers that are allowed, weather conditions when travelling with pets, etc, etc. I hope you have checked on the regulations for the specific airlines you will be using. Also, are there any regulations or procedures about bringing pets into the destination country. I hope you have checked into all these things with the specific airlines you will be using.

[serenamlambe]

Originally Posted by mikischo

Rules about the transportation of pets differ between airlines. There are rules about how far in advance to make reservations, how much earlier you need to be at the airport prior to flight time if you are bringing a pet, types of carriers that are allowed, weather conditions when travelling with pets, etc, etc. I hope you have checked on the regulations for the specific airlines you will be using. Also, are there any regulations or procedures about bringing pets into the destination country. I hope you have checked into all these things with the specific airlines you will be using.

This is good advice!

When I was thinking about bring Connor (a dog) to Italy with me, I looked into it and there were regulations that he be microchipped, fixed, have all his shots, and a few other things. In the end, I didn't bring him because of housing concerns - he stayed with his grandparents instead!

But every time I have flown with him, he's been in the cabin with me. I think it relieved some of the stress, knowing I could just look in on him when I wanted to. But these were mostly for shorter flights across Canada.

Good luck with whatever you choose!