flying with cats

[ozzysmum]

ok we are getting on the plane to perth in 12 days and i am really worried about how the cats will cope with the flight - it's over five hours and allowing that they need to be checked in about 1.5 hours before the flight it's a really long time for them to be deserted and freaked out :( the vet said they generally don't sedate cats for trips like this especially as my 2 are 11 and 9 years old.

a friend of mine gave me a drug called Promex that was given to her by a vet for her cat in the same situation and age group. i have checked it out online and it's the right stuff for the cats - not a sedative but a relaxant for anxious or excitable animals so it sounds perfect.

has anyone out there had experiences travelling with their pets and/or using this drug? i am really concerned about them as they both have lived in a flat for 4 years and haven't been out - it's a HUGE thing for them to go through. any advice would be MUCH appreciated :)

[faery]

we just moved from sydney to brisbane and flew the cats. the flight is only an hour or so, but they were probably caged for 6 or more hours that day cause of removalists, flight delays etc. one cat is three and the other is eleven. our vet said not to sedate them cause of the old ones age. they were unhappy and growly at first in the cages but settled down after a while.

I was like a nervous mama while they were on the flight, but they were fine! i reckon they'll be okay. ours weren't even too cross when we got to the new house, just hungry.

you can use rescue remedy - a bach flower essence. i drip it on my cats heads when they go to the vet so they are calm. it works quite well.:)

[stilldreaming]

I have flown my cats about four times I think.....from one side of Australia to the other. They had to change planes a couple of times as well as we are always in country areas. They both coped fine and one of them is a real stress ball.
Be careful with the promex (otherwise called acp) as it can really sedate cats not just relax them. You also have to be very careful with it in older cats....... if you want to use it I would get them checked out by a vet first.:)

[ozzysmum]

thank you so much faery and tbb321 i feel better already. i had forgotten that you can use rescue remedy on cats - i'll just do that and see how they go :) i'd rather use that than drugs which might hurt them. glad to see i'm not the only one who worries about her furry kids too ;)

[reAllytee]

Hey i agree with the others & what your vet said as older cats arent very good with sedation but what i was going to advise was go into your health food shop & ask for something that helps with anxiety i cant remember the name of it exactly but many vets swear by it as helping cats & dogs that have anxiety issues. So this may be another option as well as the rescue remedy.
They will probably cope better than you realise i was all freaked out when i had to fly my puppy who was all of 4mths to Melb from Syd yeah i know not the same amount of time but as she wasnt going on my flight it meant me having to leave her with the freight company 4hrs earlier. I was bawling & at first she was anxious & shaking but then realised she could get pats from the staff LOL she arrived safe & sound with no probs. My sister picked her up & said she was fine & had all the staff at Melb in love with her wanting to take her home LOL even one guy offered her good money LOL.
She did the same thing when was 2yrs but coming back to Syd & again she was fine & i was more stressed !!!!!
I hope all goes well good luck :D

[ozzysmum]

thanks allyoo :) i reckon us owners get more stressed than the animals themselves! maybe i should take the anti anxiety stuff and the cats can be left to their own devices :rolleyes:

[Chickadee]

I would hesitate to give an animal any kind of sedative or relaxant, either a drug or a "natural" product. Medicines can have slightly different effects at altitude. I haven't checked recently but when we flew our dog here from Canada 5 years ago the policy for international pet flights was NOT to sedate them, that there are cases of animals dying because of the sedation.

When flying from Canada our dog was in flight for 26 hours, plus a few hours at the airport before she departed. She arrived safe, happy and in good health. We've also flown both our large dogs from Perth to Melbourne recently with no problems. They settle down in the crate fairly quickly and will just sleep.