SO exciting that you're headed back to France for 5 months!! While I didn't fly internationally with Mowgli, we did have a 1 hour domestic flight followed by a 5 hour flight. Having water bowls, puppy pads, and a cooling wallet for your insulin are all really important.
First of all
HERE is my post from July where I got a TON of sage advice about flying with a kitty companion, a very useful resource was posted in the above linked condo by
@Sienne and Gabby (GA) in post #33 with links to all of the advice that has been given to other members by
@Dyana who has a lot of experience flying with her cat. In particular I found post #8
here very helpful and inspiring.
Did you book your flight yet? make sure to call because in some planes they only allow two pets on board at a time, so you can't assume that you can have a pet on board if you book online. You can book your tickets and call after, but to make sure there was space I called the airline to book tickets. It is a good idea to know what flights you want (sounds like you do) so that you can request that flight specifically. When you fly with a pet in cabin, the pet counts as your carryon. Most airlines allow a carry on and a personal item so I used a backpack with all of Mowgli's essentials (Mowgli's diaper bag
)for my personal item. Below is a pic of everything I kept in his 'diaper bag'. I packed almost everything into ziplock bags and baggies to keep them organized.
- A backpack: (Mowgli's diaper bag) to carry all of his essentials plus my phone charger, phone, wallet, and a book.
- Puppy Pads: I lined Mowgli's carrier with 3 for the trip, and kept plenty in the backpack in case of an accident. On layovers I would check to see if any of the pads were soiled and replaced them if they needed to be replaced. The pads I used were 56cm x 56cm
- Diabetes Essentials Package 1: Syringes, lancets, test strip, glucosometer, polysporin, I also included the insulin cooling wallet an my callipers in this package (seen in #7). I took this package out when going through security and explained that they were diabetic supplies
- Diabetes Essentials Package 2: LC Fancy feast, MC Fancy Feast, and HC Whiskas, cat treats, food/water bowls as well as some icing gel in case there was a hypo situation. I also took some Dry purina veterinary diet DM in case security made me get rid of my wet food. My strategy with the wet food was to follow the airline rules that state you are allowed a 1 gallon bag of liquids, and just fit as many cans in a 1 gallon ziplock bag as I could. I Agree with Wendy though if you have a note from your vet it should be fine.I also packed this with a lot of extra ziplock bags in case I needed them as garbage bags on the flight
- Cat Litter: I didn't end up using this because Mowgli usually peed on one of the puppy pads while we were flying
- A full roll of Paper Towel: In case of any cleanup that would be needed ( I didn't need those either, thankfully)
- Mowgli's Kong Cloud Mat: I thought a comfort thing would be good to have in case Mowgli was stressed while we were in the airport, I think he was really glad to have something that smelled like home.
I kept Mowgli's leash and important paperwork in a side pocket of his carrier, but I think that could all fit in your back pack too. I liked having the leash in the carrier so that I could attach it to his harness at a moments notice. I kept Mowgli's harness on him for the whole flight and I made sure he had a name tag on his harness with his name, my number, and that he was diabetic all spelled on it in case he ran away (he didn't). Make sure that your carrier fits the airline guidelines that you're travelling with, every airline is different. Here is what his carrier looked like:
Arrive to the airport a few hours early (this is usually a requirement when travelling with a pet, check the guidelines of your airline just in case). Having a pet should allow you to go through the security family line (it does in Canada anyway... this was a major plus to me). When you're going through security, let them know right away that you have a cat with you and that you want a private room for your security check so that you aren't put in a situation where Mačka can escape. At the same time put all of your diabetic supplies in a tray and let the security know that they are diabetic supplies... I didn't even specify that it was for my cat, but since you'll have a note from your vet you can definitely specify that you need diabetic supplies and extra food because your cat is diabetic.
Once you're through security find a nice place to camp until your flight leaves, we found nice quiet corners where we could let Mowgli out on his harness... most airports are not against letting your pets out of their carriers which I was very relieved about
we let Mowgli stay out of his carrier as much as we were able. I also fed him small meals at layovers (half can FF) and tested his BG. I gave Mowgli his normal insulin dose that day too, but I would ask advice a couple days before you leave what could work for Mačka. Below is an example of one of our camps:
You're also eligible to board early when you have a pet (another perk). During both flights Mowgli peed in his carrier, I didn't really have space to change out his puppy pad but Mowgli did somehow manage to pull a clean puppy pad from below to lay on (magic). I was allowed to pat Mowgli but it was absolutely not allowed to take him out of the carrier and I had to leave the carrier under the seat.
I have to admit... flying with Mowgli was not as bad as I thought it was going to be, I really was dreading it in my mind but it went really well. I hope you have a very similar experience to me ... Mowgli and Mačka have had a very similar life so far so I think you will have a positive experience too
Try to remember, last time Mačka flew and developed DKA he was in much worse shape than he is now, you've done such a great job with him, I think you don't have to worry about it.
(*knocks on wood*)
I hope this is helpful!
Neko was my carry on bag. My “personal item” was a backpack full of Neko’s stuff, including dishes, food, spare towel, files of paperwork etc. Oh, and a toothbrush for me.
He is going to hate it. But we're not there yet.
