Has anyone ever sedated their cat for a plane ride?

I'll be moving from CA to PA and I must fly. I've read other forums about sedatives and how they might mess with a cat's body temperature, however, I'm pretty sure my 5 yr old cat will "meow" for the entire flight. Are sedatives safe? Help! Any suggestions on good carriers that will fit under the seat in the cabin of the plane? Thanks!Has anyone ever sedated their cat for a plane ride?About the carrier, try one of those soft sided ( bag like). They are usually the most comfortable for the cat and easiest for putting under the seats. Make sure it is airline approved. Check out this site to get a picture or idea of what I'm talking about they are affordable like 39.00.



http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Pr鈥?/a>



Try not to stress out about it, make sure you get a Health Certificate from your Veterinary (usually only good for 10 days - so make sure you schedule it so it will not run out on you) and that your kitties vaccinations are up to date. Make sure you carrier is Airline approved and that you confirm your pets airline reservation a few times before you fly. If you feel you need to sedate you pet, try herbal (because alot of them don't have adverse side effects - I recomend you try it out a few days before you fly that way you know if your cat will have an adverse reaction and you have time to find a new one and take him to the vet)



Try looking for an herbal or natrual seditive because those have minimal side effects.



Prescription seditives are dangerouse! I'm a vet tech and my vet never prescribed them only if the animal was so crazy he'd hurt himself in the carrier. ( a dog who bleed to death because he was so anxiouse he chewed threw his tale and tore all his front nails out on the crate door).



They (prescription seditives) can drop/or raise the core body temp (pending on the animal), which ultimatly effect the brain - causing brain damage, seizures, and utl. death.



I have seen many animls have adverse reations to a variety of sedatives, from swelling/hives which started all over the outer body then progressed to the inside, ult. effecting the airway and causing death.



Many animals have seizers and heart attacks on some seditives.





So if you are more worried about her meowing the whole plane ride, vs. Heart Attack, Sezures, Hypo/Hyper - thermia, Brain Damage, and Allergic Reactions ( not to mention the most common - vomitting/diaherria) I would re-evaluate taking this pet with you on the airplane.....



From my own experience with flying with cats, they meow for about 10 minutes and stop, trying to figure out what is going on. I have flown all over the world and on thousands of planes and never once have I heard a cat meow the entire flight ( even on the flights from the states to Europe when I was growing up in the military and later when i was in the military).





Try not to stress about it, just make sure you have every thing, and it will not be half as bad as you think.



I wish you the best of luck.Has anyone ever sedated their cat for a plane ride?
will they even let you put the cat in the cabin,i thought they put them with the luggage,,they have kitty valium,my cats used it,no negitive resultsHas anyone ever sedated their cat for a plane ride?I haven't sedated any of my cats throughout life and I probably never will. If my cat was a crier, I'm sure he/she would get tired after a while of crying. I wouldn't consider sedatives worth the risk.Has anyone ever sedated their cat for a plane ride?
talk with your vet about it, there could be alternitives to sedations, you should also contact the airlines about pet care and see if they have a pet carrier you can rent for the deration of the flight, you also need to contact a vet in pa incase you little one had trouble coming out of sedation. good luck,Has anyone ever sedated their cat for a plane ride?I have for a long car ride. When I moved from IL to KY the vet gave us pill form. It did help with their nerves. I would just call the vet and talk to him about side effects and what kinds are available. Plus they can give you all the side effects.Has anyone ever sedated their cat for a plane ride?
One, you are NOT going to get your cat on any plane without a vet certification of health within 10 days of a flight. THAT's good for your cat. Discuss this with your vet in terms of your cat's current health.



If your cat's carrier will fit under your seat and allows him/her to turn around, your cat can fly IN the cabin. That's good for you and your cat? Maybe not so good for everyone else!!



The only way I would ever sedate my cat was if he/she were going to be traveling under my seat IN THE CABIN.



The danger of having your cat put into the planes' cargo hold while sedated is simply you are NOT there to monitor your cat while he/she is sedated. Honestly, the suitcases aren't going to care how loudly your cat meows.



Until last year, the airlines were NOT forced to disclose how many pet deaths/elopements/mislocations happened on their airlines. The airlines said their reasons were because 'they didn't keep track of that information as a whole'.



Good for US, things have changed and airlines must now keep up with their animal shipment information. Wether or not pet deaths are public information at this point -- I haven't heard.



Good luck on your move and as a head's up -- you don't want to over feed your fluffy before a flight. Good to drop off soilds the night before and stop the water intake two hours before travel.Has anyone ever sedated their cat for a plane ride?
I flew from PA to CO with two cats, one who's a meower like yours. The vet gave me a mild sedative for her and it worked very well, she was quiet and just a bit drowsy, no problems at all.



Also, for carriers to go under the seat, check out Sherpa Pet carriers, they are airline approved and very good.



Good luck!
I sedated my cat for the plane ride from Anchorage to Seattle. She's a pretty skittish cat, and I thought that she would be meowing throughout the flight. So, we cornered her and shoved the sedative down her throat (unlike dogs, cats are smart enough not to eat a pill covered in cheese, or tuna fish, or cat food - we tried everything!)

Turns out that she still meowed throughout the entire flight! But (I didn't think of this before the flight - duh!) the plane was noisy enough - with background and engine noise, that no one heard the kitty. She was in the cabin with me, under my seat. If you are going to have her in the cargo hold, don't ever sedate them, because the hold is only temperature controlled during the flight, and not during take off or landing. If you are stuck on the taxiway for a hour (which happens pretty often) the heat (or cold) can easily kill a sedated cat.

Hope this helps!



P.S. If you are going to have her in the cargo hold with you, use a soft sided carrier and not one of those itty bitty clamshell plastic carriers. My cat freaked out when we put her in the plastic clamshell carrier, but was OK with the soft sided carrier (we fed her in the carrier and left it open for her to play in for a few weeks before the flight so she was pretty comfortable in it). And trim your cats nails (or get the vet to do it) before you fly, or else she will shred the soft sided carrier (and you have to take her out of the carrier and walk with the cat in your arms through the security screening - can be very painful if she still can claw you!)