I moved out to USA in march of 2023 and I really had no idea how to travel with a cat. I never did it before. In this article, I will share my experience flying with a cat to USA.
If you want to know all the requirements and documents you will need for your feline friend, check this full guide.
My cat Otto was 2 years old back at that time, so his age wasn’t an issue at all. Airlines require that pets are 4 months old minimum for flying.
The thing with my cat Otto was his size, he weighs 16 pounds. So, I quickly established he had to fly in hold.
So, I went right away to buy flight tickets.
Finding an airline
Following the recommendation of the pet travel agency, I tried to book a direct flight but there wasn’t from Lima to Washington DC.
So, I had to do a stopover. Finding an airline that allows pets in hold was the most challenging thing for me. This is merely circumstantial, maybe from your country to your destination are many options.
Copa Airlines (in the route Lima- DC) just offers travelling with pets in cabin or ship them as cargo.
American Airlines doesn’t offer the service of travelling with pets from Lima to USA.
Delta either. And so, the list of airlines that didn’t suit with my needs kept going on.
Finally, I found out that only Latam and Avianca offered travelling with pets in hold.
Latam has a very weird policy, they can’t confirm if there is a space in hold the date you are intending to travel without a purchased ticket. I found this really absurd, if there wasn’t a space for my cat, I was not interested in flying that day.
This situation gave me only one choice left, I had to travel with Avianca. I called them and when they confirmed they had a space for my cat, I bought the airline tickets. I did the whole transaction in the same phone call.
I paid USD $ 200 for the “ticket” of my cat. As far as I know, is cheaper in cabin, like 50% less USD $100.
Once I got the flight tickets I searched the carrier with the dimensions I had to buy for Otto in Market Place and Mercado Libre and sadly I didn’t find it. Hopefully, the pet travel agency I hired had it, so I bought for USD $140.
If you want to know all the expenses of flying with a cat to USA, check this article.
Managing the stress of your cat
Cats are animals that really like routines. When you break their everyday life, they feel uncomfortable. So, if is possible, try not to make many changes before flying.
In my case, I had to go to a temporary place a couple of weeks before traveling and that caused a lot of stress in Otto. The place where I stayed had a broken window (that of course I didn’t notice at first) and Otto ran away through it 2 times. I was desperate looking for him. Luckily, he wasn’t far away.
When you make a stopover in Colombia, Chile or Panama, your pet needs to pass an inspection from the National Service of Sanitary of your country.
In Peru, the regulatory entity is SENASA. For that inspection, your cat needs a very clean skin. No fleas, no ticks and of course no wounds.
Two days before that inspection, Otto started to scratch his ears to the point of damaging his skin. The poor thing was so stressed. I brought him to the veterinary and I gave him some pills, topical medication and I prayed.
Hopefully, he passed the inspection! Four days before the flight, I gave him a natural chew with chamomile and valerian to see if it had a relaxing effect on him. Since it worked, 30 minutes before going to the airport I gave him the last meal and water.
In the airport
The pet agency I hired recommend me to go to the airport 4 hours before the departure. So, I did it. If you want to know my experience hiring a Pet Travel Agency, click here.
You have to check in (as usual) and tell the crew you are flying with a pet.
They take you to “Special Baggage” place where you have to put out your cat of the carrier and pass an X ray.
I strongly recommend to have a leash with you, in case your cat get scared.
If your pet is travelling in cabin I think you will pass the Xray as usual after migrations. I think you don’t need to go to Special baggage area.
When I was waiting in Colombia to take the connection flight, I asked the crew to confirm that my cat was on board. They said yes, so I got relaxed.
Arriving to your destination
When I arrived at the airport of Dulles in Washington DC, I found my cat at the end of baggage claim. There was a dog there too. I was surprised because no one was supervising the pets. Anyone could took Otto.
My cat was calm, after 12 hours of traveling, he was just looking all the people walking around. I put my hand in the cage and when he smelled it, he recognized me. His face changed, he had a sort of relieved expression. It was a very emotional moment.
Renting an apartment in USA is a little bit complicated, you have to fill out some forms and basically apply! Yes, like a job. Lucky me, I could do this whole process since I was abroad but the dates didn’t match with my arrival. Therefore, I had to look for some temporary options and I choose to stay for 12 days in a pet-friendly hotel. Most guests were with dogs, I think I was the only one with a cat.
I paid USD $ 100 for registering a pet in the hotel. As soon as I checked in at the hotel, I dropped Otto and baggages in the room and I went to buy a cat litter and food for Otto. I checked before the trip the location of a pet store and there was one very near. This is really funny, the first thing I bought when I arrived to USA was actually stuff for my cat. I also bought Felix way, I never used it before but I heard it helps cats to relax. It did pretty much. Otto was very comfortable in the hotel, the only thing I had to handle was when the room got clean. I had to take Otto outside because he really dislikes the vacuum cleaner’s sound.
Flying with a cat expenses
From Lima- Washington DC
- “Flight” ticket for the cat in hold: USD $200.
- Pads, Calming Chews, Wet food: USD $35.
- Pet Travel Agency: USD $120*.
- Carrier for cat: USD $140.
- The extra charge in the hotel for a pet: USD $100.
- Buying a new litter box, pellets and Felix Way: USD $110.
TOTAL EXPENSES: USD $705.00
*Note. I also quoted for my cat going via cargo and it was like x5 times more expensive.
Overall, flying with my cat wasn’t so bad as I imagined. In my case he got really stressed the days before we flew. Please feel free to share your experience when you have traveled with your cat. I really want to know!