Question:
Me and my little guy are flying to Vancouver in a couple of weeks from Toronto.

It's a long flight and I am worried about him!

I called the airline and they said the cats can only go in the cabin in a carrier that is less than 9" tall. My Nugget is a big boy, about 11-12" at the shoulder, and very long.

I think he is too big for the soft carrier, but the thought of putting him in cargo breaks my heart! I don't know if I will be able to do it. So many horror stories!

Does anyone have any experience flying with their cat? Any advice? Do you think Air Canada will be very strict about the carrier requirements for in-cabin?

Answer:
I flew with a dog and 3 cats from Toronto to Calgary in 1997 .
All of them were in the cargo hold. All of them did fine!

I flew with Air Canada.

None of my pets had sedatives , one of my cats was a scared little thing and I had him in a cage with his brother.
Air Canada had me sign a release that if anything happened to them AC would not be helt responsible. They do require pets to be in a kennel by themselves, but I had recommendations from my vet that these two had to be together.
The other cat flew in her own kennel and so did the dog.

They were all fine, very happy to see me at the other end !

It is important depending on what time of year you fly, that you check that the cargo area is heated !

Air Canada is strict about their rules and regulations. They are strict about measurements of kennels and cages, so I don't think they will let you on with a kennel that is too large. Also , you want your cat to be comfortable , so putting him in a regulation kennel that is too cramped won't be a good idea.

Answer: