Bringing a cat to spain (via carry on)

forbairt

OK myself and my cat are going to be traveling over to Madrid towards the end of the month.

I'm worried though as he'll be carry on ... I have this major fear of him crying the whole flight

Now recommendations seem to suggest having a long play session before hand which I'll do .. but I'm wondering if people would recommend any mild sedatives as well ? Ultimately I'll get to the Vet and ask them I'd just like to know if anyone else has experience of bringing a cat as carry on and their experiences

He's gone from Galway -> Dublin in the car before and he cried a hell of a lot in his "box/container" so much so that I ended up letting him sleep on me but as that isn't allowed on the flight (no pets outside of their box) I'm just nervous.

Thanks,
James

Alun

We took a cat by car from the Netherlands to Ireland via the UK, and the vet gave us some sedative tablets for him. Pretty much knocked him out completely IIRC.

Tallon

Shouldn't be a problem, they usually only cry when they know theres someone there to let them out.

Just be aware that you WILL need a pet passport for her, which cost about 300-400 yo yo's

andreac

AFAIK you cannot give any animal travellling by plane any sedatives.

Narsil

Not sure if this is relevant to your situation but.....

I was watching an episode of the tv show 'Airline' (About Easyjet crew in England) and a Feench lady brought her cat as carry on from Paris which was ok from the French side but not from the English side so they had to take the cat into quarantine as she also had no passport for the cat.
I would seriously ring the airline in question and ask them about it both from the Irish and Spanish perspective. No harm in getting it in writing or email too just to b safe.
Good luck with the travelling!:)

Aru

i know some one who brought a cat back to america from dublin as carry on....
she didnt need a passport for america just a health cert but you will have to check what rules and regulations spain has for the transport of animals think the eu has different rules anyway and what specifics the airline give...ringing the airline worked best for my friend...and id say maybe the irish embassy in madrid?unless you have good enough spanish to read the quarinten regulations and that in spanish....

her cat was usually a very vocal and complained a lot when she was in the car but aparently on the plane she was fine very quiet though a little stressed initially in the airport....
However as far as i no you cant sedate any animal before it flys i think it has something to do with the fact that they cant control their thermoregulation under sedation and so can over or underheat very quickly and as their not meant to be taken out of their carriers thats not good at all...but again that might be just animals going in the hold so ask the airline and your vet about that one...
Good luck!

forbairt

Thanks for the replies guys

I've already got the microchip .. he has been vaccinated up to his kazoo

@Tallon ... the pet passport is free ... the only issue would be the microchip and the shots which end up costing a bit

He has the passport (vet should be signing it today and yes there is even a photo of him on it) we've already got the number of it.

I was already talking to Iberia (who I have to fly with as they are one of the few allowing carry on pets) and they've ok'd him as carry on.

Issues with Spain would be bringing him back as he'd have to go into quarantine then as Spain is a rabies infected country whereas Ireland isn't (or something along those lines)

I guess ultimately I'll just have to get to the vets and have a chat with them about traveling and what I could give him to calm him down a bit.

olaola

Getting the pet passport will cost as much as the vaccinations & vet fees. It will be a 6 month wait from the results of a successful rabies vaccination before your cat will be allowed back into Ireland. Otherwise, it's a 6 month quarantine upon arrival home.

The problems will be coming home, not getting into Spain. Prob best to get the cat sedated if you reckon it will be causing a racket.
Or you could try building up its time in the holder between now and your journey.

PCros

Tallon wrote: »

Just be aware that you WILL need a pet passport for her, which cost about 300-400 yo yo's

Ouch....someone ripped you off?:eek:

Tallon

PCros wrote: »

Ouch....someone ripped you off?:eek:

No, my sister moved to spain for good last month and couldnt take the cat because the vet wanted to charge her. i think it was a secret ploy to get us to look after her

PCros

Ah I see!

kildara

I was gonna say pretty much what olaola said. Its not an issue leaving the country, its getting back in where you might come across some problems.

I know you can't sedate animal travelling in the hold, not sure about this as an option if carrying the cat on board.

It might also be a good idea to increase the time the cat spends in his cage/container (what are they called?!).
Where do you put the cat when you get on the plane? Do you stick him at your feet or does he need to go in the overhead luggage compartments?

forbairt

kildara wrote: »

I was gonna say pretty much what olaola said. Its not an issue leaving the country, its getting back in where you might come across some problems.

I know you can't sedate animal travelling in the hold, not sure about this as an option if carrying the cat on board.

It might also be a good idea to increase the time the cat spends in his cage/container (what are they called?!).
Where do you put the cat when you get on the plane? Do you stick him at your feet or does he need to go in the overhead luggage compartments?

Things to find out I think .. I'd hope to be able to keep him on me lap though I'm not positive (He'll have to remain in the container) ... they had to confirm that I could bring an animal on the plane as well when I was booking my ticket this morning

Can I travel with pets?

Pets (such as dogs, cats, birds, etc.) that meet legal and documentary requisites may be accepted as hold or cabin luggage. In any case, the excess luggage rate will be payable for their carriage.
To be able to travel in the cabin, the animals should be of a specific weight and size, except for Guide dogs.

The maximum weight allowed for the animal, including the carrier or cage in which it is travelling, will be 8 Kg.

As the number of cages is restricted on the basis of the type of aeroplane involved, the carriage of animals must be authorised by the booking office. Authorisation will only be given for journeys when all legs thereof are confirmed.
The size and weight of animals must be in keeping with the limits established for inbound and outbound flights alike.

In no case will the animal be able to come out of the carrier inside the cabin, and the passenger shall be responsible for looking after it.

As a general rule:

* Carriage of live animals should take place in the aircraft hold, in carriers or containers which are provided by the passenger. Carriers should be sturdy and secure, comfortable for the size of the animal and should provide ventilation, have a waterproof base and a latch which ensures that they will not open at any time.
* For pets carried in the cabin, the container may be a maximum of 45 cm in length, 35 cm in width and 25 cm in depth, provided that the sum of those 3 measurements does not exceed 105 cm.
* They should be suitable for transport, sturdy, ventilated, and have a secure waterproof base.

Please remember that if the carrier does not meet the minimum conditions for acceptance, it will be refused boarding.

kildara

forbairt wrote: »

Can I travel with pets?...
...
...Authorisation will only be given for journeys when all legs thereof are confirmed. ...

Does this mean they wont take a 3 legged cat?!!

Alun

kildara wrote: »

I was gonna say pretty much what olaola said. Its not an issue leaving the country, its getting back in where you might come across some problems.

But that's what the whole Pets passport thing is all about. It was never much of an issue taking pets in between EU countries other than the UK and Ireland, or even from the UK and Ireland to other EU countries. The main problem was bringing them (back) into the UK or Ireland because of the perceived (and largely non-existent, despite all the scaremongering) threat of rabies.

So, as long as you keep your pet's rabies shots up to date with booster shots, your Pets Passport remains valid, and you can bring an animal back into the UK or Ireland any time you like. If you let them lapse though, you'll have to start all over again with the six-month wait. Some EU countries require rabies jabs for dogs anyway, regardless of whether they're 'imported' or not (not sure about cats), so not too much of an extra burden.

My sister in the UK takes her dog backwards and forwards to France, where she has her second home, once or twice a year with no problems whatsoever, but she does, as mentioned above, have to keep the Pet's Passport current by giving her dog regular rabies boosters.

ValerieR

Alun wrote: »

... keep the Pet's Passport current by giving her dog regular rabies boosters.

We travel to France with the doggy twice a year too. The only requirement apart from keeping the vaccinations up to date is that you visit a vet more than 24 hours and less than 48 hours before the time of leaving the country in order to be administered with flea and worm treatment. The date/time is stamped on the passport and are thoroughly checked upon.

Re. sedation : I would ask the vet to see whether it is advisable and get some medication if required.

Hope this helps.
Valerie

olaola

You could try Kalm Aid - the vet says it can work really well. I think it's about €12 for a big bottle.

http://www.vetscriptions.co.uk/KALMAID.html

forbairt

Hi Guys,

Sorry for resurrecting this old thread but I just thought I'd let people know how I got on ...

Nervous as hell ... I wasn't really sure what to expect

Anyways ... we left the house at 12:00 on Saturday and headed to the airport (Cat was meow meowing all the way in the taxi) once we hit the airport the cat went very quite ... the amount of people I would guess scared the bejesus out of him...

I'd gotten quite scared about the carrier size as the standard size seemed to be a bit above the airline guidelines ... Got to the Iberia Desk and basically she told me to go over to pay the extra 50 quid to bring the cat as carry on all good so far ... and then this is where it got interesting we went to go through the security thingy xray and whatnot ... the standard one that we all go through. And I'm just taking off my belt and sorting out things and the woman tells me ... oh .. you'll have to take the cat out of the carrier ... now I don't know about the rest of you cat owners but Yoda (the cat) doesn't like being put into the cat carrier ... anyways I had his blanky with us and had the lady put it through the xray and came back with it and gave it to me so I could grab yoda ... he resisted getting out so I basically had to pull him out as much as I could (strong little so and so clawing to anything) .. we went through the metal detector and I'd guess he was terrified as he ended up pee'ing all over my t-shirt ... and the carrier went through the xray and then a bit of hastle getting him back into it (all the time I was afraid he was going to get loose which would NOT be good in a crowded airport ...

Anyways we were through and he was very good in his box ... I ended up having to wash the carrier a bit ... there was a ground sheet type thing in it ... but at the same time you can only do so much when you're at the airport and can't take the cat out as such ...

The flight was a while later ... (I'd arrived WAY too early as I wasn't really sure what to expect)

Boarding the plane there was no problems ... apart from ... the slight smell of pee ... which if you're not a cat person will probably give you a major gag reflex ... so I was happy that I eventually (in seat 29 at the far end of the plane) ... got to sit with someone who loved cats ... (Victor) ... the cat was sitting on my lap and to be honest there wasn't a whole lot of room for movement ... (I had a window seat) ... then the person next to me came in ... and well ... he wasn't a cat person at all .. and I don't think he was that impressed at all ...

Take off was a bit nervous ... and the Yoda .. exhibited some strange signs ... panting ... tongue out .. mouth wide open ... I don't think he was getting enough cool air into the carrier ... I also think the air pressure was screwing with him ...

The rest of the flight was kinda uneventful .. for the most part ... the airhostess gave me some water for him and I must say everyone was very nice ... ... but then ... we started the descent .. now to be honest at this stage Yoda had been in his cage about 6 hours and I feel SO bad about that ... coming down to land ... he had a bit of a fit .. major drool coming out of his mouth ... and he really wasn't happy at all (meowing) ... he wanted out of his carrier ... again I'd say the air pressure change was screwing with him .. .. I was terrified truth be told as I've never seen him that way before .... had to get some tissues and wipe away the drool ( bile or whatever not entirely sure) ...

Anyways ... we landed ... he was ok again after a few minutes ... we had to go collect luggage ... and then we got a taxi from the airport to the appartment ... we're now set up a few days ... Yoda has adjusted to the new place the temperature ... though not THAT much .... we'll probably be taking him to the Vets in the next day or two just for a check up ...

All in all not as bad as I thought and worse in some ways but I just thought I'd follow up and let people know my experience for better or for worse

James

ps: once again thanks to all who responded and I'd like to say a really big thanks to Ark Vets in Galway and Anicare on Botanic road... who were really great

Lauragoesmad

forbairt wrote: »

Issues with Spain would be bringing him back as he'd have to go into quarantine then as Spain is a rabies infected country whereas Ireland isn't (or something along those lines)

I think if you keep his rabies vacs up to date with a registered vet you will not have to put him in quarantine on the way back either. Two of my petsitting clients did this with 2 cats and 4 dogs. It was to the States though.

dee o gee

Fair play to you for actually going to the bother of bringing your cat with you, a lot of people would just give them up, shows you really care for you cat!!
A friend of my mums had to pay 900e to bring her cat to spain, dunno why it was so expensive, another friend payed 4,000e to bring her dog to australia.

Just remembered reading something a while back, about somebody trying to smuggle their hamster onboard a plane, hamster got loose anyways and they had to ground the plane, or emergency land or something, because of this little hamster.:D:D

forbairt

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

I think if you keep his rabies vacs up to date with a registered vet you will not have to put him in quarantine on the way back either. Two of my petsitting clients did this with 2 cats and 4 dogs. It was to the States though.

Issue I think will be finding an airline that will let me bring him as carry on. Aerlingus for some reason only allow pets from the states ... and they probably don't allow carry on ... really don't like the idea of the pet being in the hold terrified

dee o gee wrote: »

Fair play to you for actually going to the bother of bringing your cat with you, a lot of people would just give them up, shows you really care for you cat!!
A friend of my mums had to pay 900e to bring her cat to spain, dunno why it was so expensive, another friend payed 4,000e to bring her dog to australia.

Just remembered reading something a while back, about somebody trying to smuggle their hamster onboard a plane, hamster got loose anyways and they had to ground the plane, or emergency land or something, because of this little hamster.:D:D

Thanks ... the cat and me have been working together from the home office for 2 years now so you get quite attached to them

The hamster issue .. EEK ... but I'd guess hamsters chew wires and that would be the danger

manofmoynalty

well done on you cat move. Just to make people be aware that you should NEVER sedete your pet while flying. My job is actually shipping pets abroad and although vets know animals they dont know planes!!.
When you sedate an animal it can thin the blood and you should be aware that once in the air their blood will thin anyway. So it is a big risk especially with large dogs. Most animals travel in the cargo hold and although it does not sound nice they sleep while in the air and not disturbed ( in most cases ).
You may have to consign your cat to Lissenhall for a short period coming back in due to us not having rabies here.

To answer the mans question on Aer Lingus they only move animals from the East Coast due to flight duration time. To be fair to them they are probably one of the better airlines when it comes to animal welfare. Some are the pits without naming any.

While its good to go to the expense of taking an animal away with you people should also look at the practical side of it. Cats to Australia for example. Take their age into consideration and think about it. They will arrive safe and sound ( a bit groggy mind you ) but once they go into Quarantine they run some serious risk of infections etc. High mortality rate and taking new climate into it too.

Another good example is the guy who came into me one day with 2 guinea pigs to somewhere in Eastern Europe. Cost him a small fortune and he had to take the risk into mind too. These animals are very highly strung and that was a big risk. They got there OK though.

People have to really think on how they should move animals and plan well in advance. Find out from the agent what they get and what they are paying for. Not many out there but big difference in service. Personally I think the value for your money is good advice and more importantly honestly as to what happens to the animals once the airline have them.