Pet-Friendly Travel: Cats at the Airport
We get tons of questions about what it’s like to travel with cats, and honestly it’s hard to provide a suitable answer when the process can be quite complex, especially for international flights, and there are many aspects to consider. Still, I figured I would provide a more detailed idea of what the airport process might look like for when you are departing and also upon arrival. As with most travel things, your experience may vary depending on your country of origin and your expected destination(s), and my experiences pertain to Canadian, American, and European airports.
Anyways, let’s get into it! Here are some things that you need to know about traveling with cats and getting through airport procedures:
Traveling with a pet means that you cannot do early or self check-in and will need to speak to an actual airport attendant at a check-in counter.
It’s convenient when airlines allow for early online check-in or have a self check-in kiosk set up. Unfortunately, if you’re travelling with a pet, you’ll likely have to give up these conveniences as someone at the airport will need to double check that your pet documents are all in order. The attendant may also need some extra time to photocopy your pet documents once they’ve confirmed that everything looks good. If you’re missing any documents at this stage or the attendant deems the documents invalid, you will need to quickly decide whether you call someone to come take your pet or you may just need to reschedule your trip. Always make sure that the attendant hands back your documents as you will likely need these to return home.
The check-in person may also check the weight of your pet and the dimensions of the carrier, although we’ve found many airlines will skip this step if you show good awareness of the airline’s pet restrictions and make the extra effort to be nice to the worker. We are consistently over the maximum weight and size restrictions, but thankfully the cats have always been approved to travel in the cabin. Do keep in mind that you aren’t guaranteed to make it through if you are over the limits and there is always a risk that you will be asked to place your pet in the cargo and pay extra fees.
You’ll want to make sure to give yourself some extra time to get to the airport in case lines are long or the agent determines there is some type of problem. Don’t think you can just show up an hour before your flight when you’re traveling with a pet because you never know when something will go wrong and significant delays when you are stuck with a pet are not fun. We actually almost missed one of our flights after having to wait over an hour and a half to have a missing pet ticket issue get resolved.
Once all the pet-related matters have been addressed, the typical check-in procedure will occur where they check your passport, print your boarding pass, and deal with the rest of your checked luggage.
You must remove your cat from its carrier and hold it through the scanner.
Once you’ve dropped off your checked luggage, you can start heading towards security. You’ll need to line up and wait like everyone else, so be mindful not to jostle the pet carrier too much. You can also try requesting a private screening, but some airports may decline you depending on various factors like number of staff or available rooms.
Pets should never go through the bag scanner when going through airport security as this can be harmful for them. Instead, you will need to carry your cat through the human scanner. In most cases, your cat must be removed from the carrier and some airports will even ask you to remove harnesses, although you can always try to argue that it’s needed to ensure your cat doesn’t escape and run loose through the terminals.
We try to send the carrier through the scanner first and then empty the rest of our personal items into the trays afterwards. Doing this will ensure your cat is out of its carrier for as little time as possible, although sometimes you’ll need to just leave your carrier for last if security is particularly hectic or if there is no space for you to set up multiple bins.
Once you’ve walked through the scanner, you will also have to get your hands, waist, and legs checked by one of the workers. This usually only takes an extra minute or two, and we’ve found all the security people to be very kind and understanding of those traveling with pets. Our favourite experience was when one of the security workers held up the rest of the line to grab their phone and show us photos of their cat at home.
At one airport in Germany, the procedure for pets was a little different as I was asked to carry Reinhardt through the scanner while he was still inside the carrier before being escorted to a small room at the back of the security area. It was a little confusing because the staff didn’t seem to have any interest in speaking to me at the time, so I wasn’t fully sure what was happening. In the end, they made me open up both bags, watched the cats jump onto the desk to mess up some papers, and then asked me to put them back inside and leave. The whole process only took an extra 5 minutes, but the only words spoken to me were “come”, “open”, and “done, you can go”. I was thankful to be traveling with someone else as going to this other room meant I wasn’t allowed to grab my other items (phone, passport, laptop, camera) and it would have been easy for someone to just take something without me even seeing it happen.
You can pack cat litter, but it may cause your bag to be flagged (more common in NA)
When it comes to packing cat litter, you need to check your airport’s security requirements for sand. For example, the max amount of cat litter that is accepted at Vancouver International Airport is 350g per person, and from experience this will be just barely enough to absorb one or two of your cat’s pees during a longer flight. When we went through Washington Dulles International Airport and Lisbon Airport, we were cleared to bring a mostly full travel litter box (I believe it was around 5lbs of litter) so long as it fit into our carry-on bag.
All throughout North America, cat litter tends to get your bag flagged, so be prepared to have your bag re-examined for an extra 5-10 minutes and clearly explain yourself to security. We found we easily made it through security while in Portugal and Belgium, so you may have better luck at packing litter when departing from Europe.
For other cat-related items, we’ve found that liquid medicines, tube treats, and feliway calming spray make it through without any issue.
Some airports allow pets to walk on a leash
Many airlines will have their pet policy outlined on their official website, but you can always reach out to the information representative about pet rules or inquire when you arrive at the airport. When we forget to research ahead, we tend to seek forgiveness rather than permission, but this can lead to some embarrassing encounters. If you’d like to avoid any confrontations with airport staff, it’s probably best to just check beforehand.
If you’re fortunate to be in an airport that does allow pets to walk around while leashed, then it’s best to find an area that’s less populated or look for a more private area to avoid bothering others or garnering unwanted attention. Always be mindful of where you walk and make sure to keep your pet leashed! You should also be keeping a lookout for people walking their dogs and try to maintain a good distance. Don’t forget to mentally prepare yourself to get stared down, receive several doubletakes, and have random strangers start meowing in your direction!
Keep in mind that some pets may not want to go for a walk and forcing them to stretch before a flight can actually be more detrimental than beneficial. You’ll know your cat best and should be able to gauge their reaction and needs.
It’s best to find a quiet and climate controlled spot to wait for boarding
Regardless of whether or not you can walk your cat, it’s always best to stay somewhere quiet. If you happen to have travel lounge perks, this would be a good time to use them. The coming and going that occurs in airports can cause some pets to be stressed, and we’ve found that lounges have a calmer environment overall. Lounges also seem to have better temperature regulation which is important when your pet is confined inside a carrier.
Washroom breaks are always a good idea
If you’ve made it through check-in and security and find yourself with quite a bit of time to kill before boarding, then you may want to consider scheduling in a washroom break for your cat. Having a cat do its business at the airport instead of on the plane is the ultimate win, and we pack a litter box in our carry-on whenever we travel just for this reason.
Ideally, you can use a family washroom to check if your cat needs to use the litter box. Almost every airport should have these rooms, and we find them extremely useful as they’re typically enclosed rooms with ample space. Using the public washrooms can also work, but I’ve found that if it’s quite busy the cats get too distracted by all the other people and sounds, causing them to ignore the litter box almost entirely. An extremely isolated corner of the airport (good luck finding one) could also technically work, but we would only do this as a last resort. Regardless of where you decide to take the cats, always make sure to thoroughly clean up the space you use and properly dispose of any waste.
Some flight attendants will give you priority boarding even if you didn’t pay for it
If you didn’t want to spend extra for priority boarding or if the option just wasn’t available during booking, then you can always try your luck by requesting to board early. More often than not, flight crew will be very empathetic of pet owners, so we think it’s always worth asking whether pets are able to receive priority boarding.
When making the request, we frame it as an issue of efficiency and explain that we don’t want to hold up the line because sometimes it can take longer to position pet carriers underneath airport seats. Forcing the carrier under the seat can also upset the animal which can trigger loud meows. Truthfully, we just like to ensure we have our carry-on right above us so that it’s easier to make emergency washroom trips or access the cat treats! Here’s an example of what we might say:
Smile, say hello, and ask how the attendant is doing
“Sorry to bother you, but I’m traveling with a cat and I was wondering if pets are able to receive priority boarding for this flight. It sometimes takes me awhile to fit my cat’s carrier under the seat without upsetting him, and I’m worried about getting in the way of other people and creating traffic in the aisles.”
Make sure to ask at least 15 minutes before boarding begins and make sure to remain kind even if you’re denied! If the flight attendant says that it’s fine, always remember their name (or ask for it if they have no nametag) because it’s likely the person checking tickets will be someone else, and the attendants don’t always have time to communicate last-minute changes before boarding begins. We’ve only been denied priority boarding once in eight flights (and we think it’s because we asked a bit too late), so the odds are pretty good.
Occasionally, we’ll purposefully choose to board the plane last so as to let the cats stretch their legs for a few moments longer. The only downside to this is that you may not have any overhead bin space which can be problematic if you plan to sneak your cat into the plane washroom later.
What about on the plane?
If you want a more detailed look at what it’s like to be on a plane with a cat, then check out our other air travel posts as we’ve covered what to do while on the plane as well as how to use a litter box while in the air. If you’re wondering what happens upon landing and at the next airport, then read on!
Getting off the plane will likely disturb your cat’s peace
Once the plane has landed, you’ll need to get into the next airport terminal. Removing the carrier from under the seat, shuffling through the aisle, and then getting into the airport will undoubtedly alert your cat and, if they’re like my cats, result in a ton of meowing. We try to leave the carrier undisturbed for as long as possible, and sometimes this means we’ll wait until everyone else has already gotten off. We find this helps quite a bit as then we don’t feel rushed and it’s also easier to navigate when there’s no one else to worry about.
Some airports will require you to take a shuttle from the plane to a terminal and then you may even need to take additional terminal trains. As long as your pet was allowed to board the plane, all of these services should allow pets, although usually only if the pet remains in their carrier.
Passport control lineups feel longer when you’re with a cat
My absolute least favourite part about flying with cats is having to go through border control after landing. Not only do I spend the entire time in line worrying about the cats randomly getting denied entry, but I also know that at this point Reinhardt and Perseus will have reached the limits of their patience. Similar to the stop and go movements experienced while getting through security, waiting in line to get your passport checked results in grumpy cats. The only difference here is that they’ve been in their carrier for at least 5 hours at this point (double that for international trips) and they’d very much prefer to have their freedom and walk around. Factor in the loud crowds and heat from having so many people in one area, and it’s likely the cats will protest through the whole process which can last over an hour on busy days.
Thankfully, returning home if you are from the US or Canada is a much faster process as there are often different lines for US/Canadian citizens and international passport holders. Remember to declare your pet to the customs officer when entering a country and returning home. The very first time we travelled, we didn’t declare the cats upon returning home because we thought it was only for pets that were purchased overseas and then imported in, and we ended up having to talk to a special security person. Luckily, our genuine confusion seemed to convince him that we weren’t doing anything fishy, and he let us go with a mere warning. We were super thankful that we didn’t have to pay any fines as well.
You may need to go through a pet inspection and will need to declare that you are traveling with animals
Once you’ve had your passport stamped, you’ll likely be ushered towards the main part of the airport where you’ll need to follow signs to pick up your checked baggage. Go ahead and grab your things, but then make sure that you are actually cleared to leave the airport before trying to call a taxi or getting on a train.
Depending on the country you’ve just landed in, you may need to make your way to the official pet inspection area. The process for this will look different at each airport, but you may need to get your papers checked again or even wait to see a vet who can check your pet’s health and issue official import papers, usually at a pretty hefty cost (we paid 80 euros in Portugal). In the event that you are required to purchase additional documents, make sure not to misplace these as you will likely need to present them to someone at some point.
If there is no designated pet inspection area, you will still need to declare that you have animals before leaving the airport. If you haven’t already done this at the passport inspection desk, usually there will be a hallway asking those who have nothing to declare to head one way whereas those with goods to declare go the other way. You’ll likely need to talk to a customs officer who will also check your pet documents, ask about your country of origin, and sometimes scan your pet’s microchip to ensure it matches the documents. On one rare occasion, we went to declare that we had cats only to find that there was no one posted at the station. We waited around a bit before another worker told us to just forget it and leave the airport.
Overall, we find that getting through customs with a pet tends to delay us from leaving the airport by anywhere from ten to forty minutes.
Some finals words
As you can see, the process of traveling with a cat is already stressful just while being at the airport. It becomes even more stressful if your pet isn’t accustomed to travel and shows visible signs of distress. We’d like to remind people that not all cats are suited for travel and even Reinhardt and Perseus have been known to show their displeasure while at the airport. If you plan to travel with a cat, it’s always important that you try your best to meet their needs throughout the whole process, even if it means you’ll feel embarrassed with others watching you. Please also remember that everything shared here is based on our personal experiences and the process will likely vary from airport to airport! Airline rules are also constantly changing, so make sure you do research for each airport that you intend to visit.
Advice from Reinhardt: ujik ;r5tgfpl;./v
