Travel tips

I was moving out from Peru to USA at the end of March 2023 and since I had such a short time to do it (yep I had to leave the country in only 2 weeks), I thought hiring a Pet Travel Agency was the most convenient thing to do. So, I found an organization when I was internet digging, The International Pet and Animal Association (IPATA) with shipper members worldwide that follow ethical guidelines. I found a few companies and when I got an estimate I was surprised because they were very expensive. Finally, I found a company Pet Wings, that charged me $120 for making the papers. It was reasonable to me. Traveling abroad with a cat is much simpler than a dog, especially if you are going to USA because they only ask for general health and vaccination certificates. If you want to know all the requirements to travel with a cat to USA, check this full guide.  What does a Pet Travel Agency include? Otto trying carriers A first visit to the company to check my cat’s size. According to this, I received the dimensions of the carrier that I had to buy. The cat needs to have at least 5 cm/ 1.96 inches between his head and the carrier. Also, your pet needs enough space to be able to turn around inside. Airplanes are very specific on this item. Since I did a transit in Colombia and their authorities asked for a Sanitary Health Certificate, the company brought my cat for inspection by the Sanitary National Service in Peru (SENASA). A deworming for my cat. United States doesn’t ask for this document, but the travel pet agency recommends doing it anyways. The translation of documents in English. It is really necessary to hire a pet travel agency? Indeed, you can do the whole process by yourself. It is not hard at all but you will need time to do it. First, you will have to check the regulations of your destination and the country of the stopover (if applicable). Then, you will have to contact the airline for knowing the guidelines of the carrier. Then you will bring your cat to the veterinarian for deworming and inspection to get a general health certificate. If you are making a stopover in Panama, Chile and Colombia you will also need to bring your cat to the sanitary authority. Finally, you have to gather all the documents and check if you will need a translation if it’s in a different language from your destination. When you hire a pet travel agency, you just get a file with everything ready. So, it is really necessary to hire a Pet Travel Agency? It depends if you have time or not. In my very unusual case, I had to move out of the country in 2 weeks, so I didn’t have time at all. If you ask me if I will hire again a Pet Travel Agency next time, I will tell you if I will have regular timings I will definitely do it by myself. Feel free guys to let me know if you choose to hire an agency or not! I really want to know!

When I saw this pic of Otto I decided to adopt him A little hug from Otto when he was a Kitten 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 Otto and I at the hotel’s Lobby waiting for the room to get clean 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

You have to travel to USA with your cat and you have no idea where to start? Don’t worry! In this article, I will share everything you need to know when you are travelling with a cat. At the end of March of 2023, I moved in to USA and I have to confess, I was so worried about my cat. Is he gonna be ok? What happens if I arrive to USA and some officers don’t let my cat get into the country? I would have died, that’s for sure. I searched on internet and I was overwhelmed, I didn’t find anything that could guide me. Hopefully, this will not happen to you! Read the full guide how to travel with a cat USA. Planning the trip 1. AUTHORITIES IN USA The authorities that regulate the entry of dogs and cats into the United States from other countries are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). However, many individual states also have specific rules you’ll need to follow. You can check on that by visiting the USDA APHIS page for  cats and clicking on your destination state from the drop-down menu. A general certificate of health is not required by CDC for entry of domestic cats into the United States, however some airlines or states may require it. So, in my opinion, it is better to have it. You will also need a vaccination certificate.  2. Minimal age for a cat to travel When Otto was a baby cat There is no restriction on a cat’s age for traveling to the United States. However, many airlines and exporting countries have their own age restrictions for transporting kittens. It is advisable that your cat is at least 4 months old. Many countries require that age because they usually ask rabies vaccinations which can only be administered to pets over the age of 3 months and you must wait 1 month more to travel.   3. Rabies Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination neither rabies titer test for entering into the United States (this is the case for dogs from all high-rabies countries to avoid quarantine). However, CDC  strongly recommends that cats be vaccinated against rabies. 4. Microchip Cats are not required to have a microchip, even so it is advisable   microchipping your pet for proper identification. Microchips are tiny and easily inserted. 5. The size of your cat matters Many people think that can choose how to fly with their pets but actually guys the conditions of each airline are very specific. Since my cat is very big (he weighs 16 pounds) some persons told me to get a fake certification as an emotional support pet to get him in a cabin. That was never an option for me. I mean those emotional support pets are for specific persons, and pretending to be one is not only dishonest but also disrespectful. Well, this is my opinion, of course there are some people that surely disagree with me. Check this article if you want to know my experience flying with a cat to USA.  If you are planning to fly with your cat (not cargo) you have two options: A. In cabin. Most airlines allow pets of 8 kgs/17 pounds in cabin. This weight must be total, that means your pet + the carrier can’t exceed 8 kgs/17 pounds.   B. In the hold. If your cat weighs up to 8kgs/17 pounds has to travel in the hold. There are many myths about pets flying in the hold. Seriously I even read somewhere online that pets die because that area is not pressurized. Don’t believe that. It’s all lies! First of all, not all airplanes (that depends the route- departure- destination) offer the service of travelling with pets in hold because they are not designed for that. When they do, you buy a specific place for your pet in a space that has all the proper conditions for living beings. In my case, this was the most difficult thing. I called like 8 companies to know if they had this service and only 2 had it.   Pets in hold have a designated space If you want to know how much costs to travel with a cat, click here. Also, it will help you to make a checklist for your trip! 6. The carrier A Carrier with only bolts A Carrier with bolts and staples The requirements for the carrier are very specific and every airline has its own guidelines, so it is better to check that information with them. In general, the carrier needs to fit the following conditions:   In Cabin. The carrier has to be flexible and fit under the seat in front of you. In hold. The carrier has to be rigid and must have bolts and staples or just bolts. Note. Carriers with only staples are not allowed. The cat needs 5 cm/ 1.96 inches of space between the head and the carrier.  In both cases, your cat has to be able to turn around. 7. Choosing an airline After you established if your cat has to travel in cabin or in hold, you have to search the adequate airline company. Each country has its own requirements for pet’s importation but also each airline has its own rules. That’s why you will find some companies that allows more or less weight for pets travelling in cabin. For choosing an airline you should keep in mind the following criteria: It is preferable to book a direct flight ticket but if you need to make a stopover, it is better to buy the flight tickets of the same airline company. If you fly with 2 different companies, you will have the issue of who will transfer your cat in the connection flight. You completely avoid this concern, when you purchase both tickets with the same company. They are responsible to put your pet on board. Maximum 1