Cat-tastic! How to Fly with Feline Friends?

[irishpilot]

MS, anyone have real-world experience flying with a cat? I'm grabbing my kids and cat and flying them back prior to COVID restrictions getting worse.

 

I don't have mutt muffs or any hearing protection. I was planning on flying the cat in the baggage section of the Bravo with the kids keeping an eye on her. Will that level of noise damage their hearing? I don't have another travel option as this is last minute.

 

Thanks in advance and Cat Memes are welcomed!

 

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[ArtVandelay]

You have a carrier for it?

[Amelia]

Have flown cats several times. First one moved with me and the Mooney, in her crate in the back seat. She yowled piteously for three solid hours, except when she was vomiting. Poor baby, but driving that far would have been worse, without the benefit of dear David Clark. Second one was annoyed for a little while, then just glowered for the rest of her relocation. Third one was a fine large marmalade rescue boy who   would have spent his ride curled up purring in my lap if I’d let him. Fourth desperately wanted out of his crate, I think mostly out of curiosity. He loves being on our boat with us, wants to be able to see out, to rule the waves. So, it depends on the cat. Some cats are good travelers, some aren’t. 

I have a hard rule: In my Mooney, all cats are crated. Period. Short final is no time to deal with psycho cat, all fangs and claws. I don’t feed them the night before a trip,  or have water in the crate. Paper medical bed pad makes a decent disposable crate liner. I kind of wondered how a kitty stoned on catnip would behave, but not inclined to experiment.

Good luck!

 

[Shadrach]

I’d avoid them if possible. Huge egos, lousy CRM and no rudder skills.

 

[irishpilot]

I do. She's been on commerical flights before. I am not concerned about the flight, but more about the noise level in a Bravo.

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[MooneyMitch]

Hi ya Mr. Irishpilot.

I’d say consider your cats temperament.  Peaceful, laid back, easy goin’..... not a scardy cat?  Possibly just put the cats bed in the baggage area for the little feline and let it be.

My experience was with a cat that was none of the above !  Out of safety for all humans traveling inside the aircraft, we secured the highly reluctant cat in an animal carrier.  

I’d recommend that regardless.  A frightened cat could do some serious damage to you, the other passengers, your Mooney, and could honestly cause a serious safety issue for you all.

Happy safe travels to you...... meow ....

[Shadrach]

Just now, irishpilot said:

I do. She's been on commerical flights before. I am not concerned about the flight, but more about the noise level in a Bravo.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
 

My F is likely louder than your Bravo. Simon has flown with us twice with no ill effects. His preferred seating position is odd but he actually seems to enjoy flying. I didn’t let him hold the yoke the whole time. He was in a carrier for most of the flight without issue.

[irishpilot]

She's an odd cat. For sure going in the carrier as she's packing heat...all claws and teeth accounted for!

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[MooneyMitch]

Did I mention a wild crazy, out of control kitty could be CATastrophic to your flight ? 

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, irishpilot said:

 

MS, anyone have real-world experience flying with a cat? I'm grabbing my kids and cat and flying them back prior to COVID restrictions getting worse.

 

I don't have mutt muffs or any hearing protection. I was planning on flying the cat in the baggage section of the Bravo with the kids keeping an eye on her. Will that level of noise damage their hearing? I don't have another travel option as this is last minute.

 

Thanks in advance and Cat Memes are welcomed!

 

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

 

 

 

I don't know if it would help if a cat would sit still but

My little dog is the size of a car.  She doesn't like her cute doggy pilot ear muffs.  But she does like to hide when we fly.  So I put a towel over her and she seems happy and calls a sleep and I think the towel muffles the sound a lot.

If your kitty does not like that maybe in her crate you could put a blanket over the crate to muffle the sound?

[N201MKTurbo]

I took my orange cat from Denver to Phoenix once. He just laid down on the passengers seat the whole way with no issues.

It depends on how well your cat is trained.

[irishpilot]

I don't know if it would help if a cat would sit still but
My little dog is the size of a car.  She doesn't like her cute doggy pilot ear muffs.  But she does like to hide when we fly.  So I put a towel over her and she seems happy and calls a sleep and I think the towel muffles the sound a lot.
If your kitty does not like that maybe in her crate you could put a blanket over the crate to muffle the sound?

Great idea, thanks!

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[aviatoreb]

..edit - my little dog is the size of a cat - not the size of a car.

 

[EricJ]

It can be done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nheqDASt7bg

 

 

[wishboneash]

I have flown plenty of cats and kittens for Pilot n Paws. Not an issue if you put them into crates. Never had them meow or get agitated.

[k8n]

I have an M20S (with an IO-550) that is probably louder than a Bravo. I was also concerned about damage to our cat's hearing so I talked to my vet about it. He prescribed Acepromazine (1/4 tab of a 10mg tablet). We give it to our cat about 30 minutes before our flight and he is very relaxed (drunk?) for about three hours. Without a sedative, our cat is very vocal and restless in his pet taxi while traveling in a quiet car. With the sedative in the plane, he is calm and occasionally naps. I second the recommendation about always keeping your cat in a carrier while flying. 

BTW, we tried a pair of mutt muffs that fit him well, but he would wiggle out of them in less than a minute.

[67 m20F chump]

I would be willing to fly with a cat but I cant get the door to open enough once airborne.  What’s the secret?  
 

It’s a joke so relax.

[Jerry 5TJ]

We flew 4 rescue cats, each in a medium size crate, Baltimore to Austin in January.  They sang a few cat songs during taxi and takeoff then settled down. Active ANR headsets (on us, not on the cats) muted them fine.  

[0TreeLemur]

11 hours ago, Shadrach said:

I’d avoid them if possible. Huge egos, lousy CRM and no rudder skills.

 

 

Only experience can produce humor this spot on!

[LANCECASPER]

I would need a fully articulating seat for Elijah.

 

[LANCECASPER]

On 3/20/2020 at 8:51 PM, irishpilot said:

I do. She's been on commerical flights before. I am not concerned about the flight, but more about the noise level in a Bravo.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
 

If she's been on a commercial flight, did she get upgraded to First? I think Bose should make her a special set of feline A20's for private air travel.

[David Lloyd]

I went flying with a cat...once.

[LANCECASPER]

2 hours ago, David Lloyd said:

I went flying with a cat...once.

I find it very disturbing that she took him home for lunch. 

Lemon Kitten? Sesame Kitten? Cashew Kitten?

 

 

[David Lloyd]

It was a slow news day in Columbus.  Local TV stations wanted to talk to me.  Uhh, No!  I told the FBO if I knew they were that starved for cats, I would have been hauling them down all along.  Hey, how  'bout that Cessna Bonanza?

[GeeBee]

To quote "Mayhem" in the Allstate commercials, "I'm a thousand years of tiger DNA waiting to pounce".