Flying with Pets

[Entropy_Rising]

I ended up adopting an abandoned cat; it was to be temporary but as everyone except me could've guessed beforehand I've totally fallen in love with this stupid cat and so I'm ready to go through whatever's necessary to bring her back home.

I know it's going to be traumatic for her, but I think that will in the end be outweighed by the life I'm able to provide her back in the states. The reason she was abandoned was mostly due to incompetence and the person I was supposed to give her to before I left also has shown a considerable measure of incompetence so I think it'll be worth it for the cat.

However, I'm not sure how things are on the technical side of things. It would involve three flights in all, one from my city to Beijing, another from Beijing to Chicago, and another from Chicago to my hometown. I'm asking community members here about tips for the first two.

I've found a pretty good link discussing the rules and requirements for transporting pets in a domestic flight in China. Unlike in the US, animals aren't allowed in the cabin, so she has to be stored in the cargo hold.

Has anyone gone through this process? I'm worried about two things in particular, first, I'm leaving in February from Xinjiang, where outdoor temperatures will be ungodly cold. With myself as a passenger and the cat as "checked luggage," the process she will go through after she gets "checked in" will be completely invisible to me and I'm afraid that this will involve her kennel sitting out in the outdoor air for a considerable period of time. From the feline point of view, does anyone know if cats can handle extreme cold for probably 20 - 60 minutes? From the airport point of view, does anyone know if airport workers can be instructed to handle a cat kennel differently? Or from an experience point of view, has anyone done this in the winter without any problems?

My second concern is how the cargo hold works. I read that part of the cargo hold is heated and pressurized. This part of it, or only all of it? Does the captain of the airplane need to turn heating and pressurization in the hold on, or does it happen automatically? Again, I'm wondering if someone who has gone through the process can tell me I'm worrying too much.

Finally, I know that American laws allow animals in the cabin. I prefer that way more than putting her in the cargo hold. Sure, it's less space for her and me pissing off all my fellow travelers, but I think being able to be there, reassure her, feed her, etc. will be better than the uncertainty of putting her in the cargo hold and once more trusting airport workers to load her and unload her.

I've called United in China and they seemed to agree that animals can be taken onto airplanes originating from here and flying to the US. But one thing they weren't able to comment about was airport security. If I'm going to take her on board I'll have to go through airport security. From what I've read about travel in the US, this inevitably involves taking a cat out of its kennel and walking through the metal detector. This of course is a disaster in the making and I plan to find a good leash and a good set of gloves so I can get a good hold of her, but my bigger concern is whether or not I'll just be completely stopped by security and told I can't even go in. There have been countless instances in my time in China where written regulations or another department of a particular organization or body tells me one thing but then another part tells me no and refers to a different set of regulations, so I wouldn't be surprised if the United people say it's a-ok and the airport people say no. So basically again, I'm asking, has anyone done this? Or knows someone who does?

Thanks! The cat appreciates your help too.

[roddy]

Can't offer much help, but you don't need to worry about the hold - they're pressurized and heated just like the cabin, otherwise you'd end up with toothpaste that first burst and then froze. There are also issues of structural integrity too - it's not just for the cats and toothpaste.

[fanglu]

I totally sympathise...

With the cat being outside, it probably depends a lot on the type of cat. Cats do live in cold climates, and they're pretty tough generally. I think it should be ok. Maybe look into putting a coat or blankets in the cage with it, if security will allow that. Alternatively you could get a train to Beijing, it would presumably be at least a bit warmer there.

One other thing you should check though is quarantine. I don't know what its like in the US, but in Australia when you bring an animal in from outside you usually have to pay for it to be kept in a customs kennel for a period (minimum of 30 days) and you have to pre-apply and pre-book. Also it has to have already had vaccinations and things. Actually, just looking at the website now, they don't allow any animal imports from China at all. I presume American quarantine is less strict, but you should probably check it asap.

[BrandeX]

The most stringent requirements often come when you’re trying to bring your pet back to North America. Coming from China into the U.S., for example, China requires that pets must have a rabies shot within 14 days of departure, be examined by a vet and written a health certificate, get microchipped, and receive special government sanction (organized through the vet) in order to leave the country. These documents must be handled, signed, and stamped by various offices, and the process can be quite time-consuming. Check with the American Embassy or reliable veterinarian in the new country if you have difficulty determining the requirements for bringing your pet home.

http://petcare.suite101.com/article.cfm/bringing_pets_overseas

more info:

http://www.pettravel.com/immigration/UnitedStates.cfm

and directly at CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/animal/dogs.htm#cats

Anyways, it seems China is more strict on releasing them, than the US is in letting them in country.

[roddy]

If it looks like too much trouble to get the cat to the US, there's info here on where you might be able to leave it for sale / adoption in Urumuqi. There's also Beijingcat.org in Beijing, but I'm not sure what their stance is on importing cats from Xinjiang - they may be of the opinion that there are plenty in Beijing already.

[adrianlondon]

It's just a cat! Dump it and buy another one. Hmm, maybe that's why I don't own any pets and people don't ask me for empathy ever ;) If some poeple on here put as much effort into marrying and relocating with their new Chinese brides as you are doing with your pet, then their lives would be much easier.

[Entropy_Rising]

Thanks for the help, guys. Some of the links provided here talk about getting an inspection at a "government veterinary clinic." Does anybody know how one would say that in Chinese so I can start seeing if there's one in my hometown?

[lemur]

I ended up adopting an abandoned cat; it was to be temporary but as everyone except me could've guessed beforehand I've totally fallen in love with this stupid cat and so I'm ready to go through whatever's necessary to bring her back home.

I'm glad the cat found you.

Finally, I know that American laws allow animals in the cabin. I prefer that way more than putting her in the cargo hold. Sure, it's less space for her and me pissing off all my fellow travelers, but I think being able to be there, reassure her, feed her, etc. will be better than the uncertainty of putting her in the cargo hold and once more trusting airport workers to load her and unload her.

I don't have any practical experience to relate. However the concern about pissing off your fellow travelers should be given due consideration. My wife and I have two cats and I've thought briefly about what it would mean to bring them over to Taiwan. Our male cat would probably handle it fine. He's already made a 12 hour car trip from Canada to the US and handled that fine. Our female though I would be concerned about. She's vocal to start with and I'm concerned that in the middle of the flight she'd start yowling her ass off.

Some cats have motion sickness. You should bring your cat out for short car trips and see how she handles it.

I've read that American vets do not recommend sedating pets for travel.

From what I've read about travel in the US, this inevitably involves taking a cat out of its kennel and walking through the metal detector. This of course is a disaster in the making and I plan to find a good leash and a good set of gloves so I can get a good hold of her, but my bigger concern is whether or not I'll just be completely stopped by security and told I can't even go in.

You've heard right. There have been multiple reports of cats escaping during security checks. The TSA agents seem to be totally clueless about how cats behave in a strange environment and thus are unprepared to deal with that.

Good luck with the trip.

[ipsi()]

Please consider your fellow travellers! I find small children quite bad enough (don't have any of my own. And hopefully not for many more years), and they're people... Come on board with a screeching cat, and you run the risk of someone snapping.

The flight from Beijing to Chicago is also going to be kinda long, 10 - 12 hours or so? Not saying you shouldn't do it, just asking you to realise that not everyone is happy with something like that, and if you've got a lot of crying kids on-board someone might take it out on you and your cat. Alternatively, you might find yourself sitting next to someone who really likes cats, and have a wonderful flight.

[roddy]

If some poeple on here put as much effort into marrying and relocating with their new Chinese brides as you are doing with your pet, then their lives would be much easier.

I'm tempted to move the posts around:

Q: How do I get my new Chinese wife to the UK?

A: Well, she'll need rabies shots, and to be microchipped.

Q: Any idea how I can get my cat to the US?

A: Once you've got married, you'll need to apply for a spouse visa . . .

If I was ever going to travel with a cat (unlikely, I'm not a great pet person) then it'd go in the hold if there was any chance of it being noisy and / or smelly.

[skylee]

How about hiring someone to arrange it for you? Some links that I've found -

http://www.worldcarepet.com/

http://www.expatexchange.com/rgall.cfm?categoryID=12&networkID=31