Traveling with pets might seem stressful, but in reality it might be actually better experience than traveling with humans :)

How to travel with your cat?

Before traveling

1. Before booking your flight, check the airlines website to make sure they allow traveling with pets. Check their requirements for booking a pet for the flight.

I usually travel with Ryanair, but they have nopets policy. So I decided to travel with Austrian Airlines. They allow you to bring your small pet on board.

2. After booking the flight, make sure to also reserve space for your pet.

Austrian Airlines have dedicated online form available after you book your flight. Fill out the form and they contact you back via email with a confirmation that your pet can be on board. They also send some additional forms to be filled about the animal. You should bring these at the airport, but noone checked them there for us.

3. Bring your pet's passport, check if they have required vaccinations or ifadditional paperwork is needed. This depends on the Airline + the country you are traveling to.

Make sure your pet carrier is suitable for plane cabin.

At the airport

4. Bring your pet to the checkin counter. The staff will register it and ask you to sign some paperwork. Sometimes you might pay some fee for the pet. However we didn't get charged.

5. Go through security check in. Notify the staff that you have animal. They will give you instruction on how to proceed through the security.

I put my cabin bag, toiletries, notebook and other items in the tray and run it on the belt through the scanner. Meanwhile I passed the "people" scanner while holding Oli in his carrier. After that I collected my other items and I was escorted to a special room. There they checked Oli, took his carrier, run it trough the scanner and brought it bag.

It was all quite easy, fast and the staff is very helpful.

6. Before the flight try to find a space where your cat can be out of their carrier, drink water, eat but most importantly go on toilet.

I had travel cat toilet with gravel (gravel is OK to bring). Oli was too stressed out to do any serious peesiness or poopsness :D. It is good idea to have a dog pottytraining pad in the carrier,just in case any accidents happen.

In the plane

7. You will have to place the carrier under the seat during the flight.

I was very lucky I had my entire row to myself and there were not many passengers around either. The stewardess was extremely nice and she allowed me to have the carrier next to me after the takeoff and before landing. I could also bring Oli out of the carrier. Before I did that we asked everyone around if they have allergies for cats or if they would mind. Noone did so Oli spent short time on my lap.

Back on ground

8. After you land, take your cat for another poop/pee session + try to give them some food. If possible go straight home, so the cats can stretch and rest a bit :)

Bon voyage!


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