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Old April 11th, 2007, 10:51 AM
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Looking for pet transportation

So my parter and I are moving to Alberta in a couple of months and are trying to figure out how to move our furries out there, 1 dog and 2 cats. We are planning on driving from Ontario to Alberta but feel that for the cats it might be hard and stressful for them. They'd be in the backseat with the dog and it's not as easy for them to go the washroom when we need them to, like during pit-stops.

We've been looking into pet transportation, which so far looks to just be airplane travel but we don't really know much about it and would like to find as many options as possible before we choose. Our number one concern is their safety and keeping them as stress free as possible.

Has anyone made a large move like this and used a pet service? Or perhaps know of a service that's not listed on the internet?
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Old April 11th, 2007, 11:24 AM
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I believe animals being shipped by plane must be 'attached' to a person who is on the same flight - but I could be wrong - in which case you would have to find someone flying to Alberta or fly there yourself. The accompanying person doesn't have to actually do anything, the animal is simply checked in at a special area and arrives with the luggage at the destination (don't worry, they don't throw them in with the suitcases special handling all the way). There are horror stories (pets escaping, even inside the plane) but I think it is a small minority. Cage should be really sturdy, familiar bedding for comfort, and no drugs please.

I don't know how long it takes to drive from London to Alberta (3 days?) but it could be done, depending on your cats' temperaments and available space. If you're staying at motels, there are plenty of places which accept well-behaved pets (or you could just sneak them in).
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Old April 11th, 2007, 11:29 AM
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You can actually fly your pets without being in the plane (the airlines often do this around the Christmas holidays, as there is an embargo on animals flying, so people often ship their pets before they fly) but there would be a lot of things to consider.
The plane will get there in about 4 hours, whereas you'll take about 3 days, so do you have someone that can either put your pets on the plane or else pick them up at the other end?

I fell comfortable flying my dog on the plane, but ONLY if I'm on the same flight. If the plane gets delayed and you're not on that flight, there's nothing you can do.
For that matter, if you do fly as well, if you take westjet your cats can go on board.
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Old April 11th, 2007, 02:06 PM
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If you can get a big enough carrier where you can have both cats and a litter box in it...that would be great. My husbadn crossed Canada with 3 cats and a dog. the cats basically slept in the carrier . He put a light towel over it so they were less nervous. But please make sure they sre all in the carrier before you let out the dog for a pee beak...that's when my husband lost one of the cats. he thought that they were all in the carrier until he made it to the last pit stop and had a head count..:sad:
I personaly like to have my cats travel with me. I find it less stress ful on them. That works for my cats. Good luck
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Old April 11th, 2007, 03:17 PM
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Woo Hoo congrats on moving to Alberta lol. Good choice...I'm not biased or anything

Well how big is your vehicle? If you have the space I too would recommend having a large dog crate to keep the kitties in that way they can have their litter box with them and some bedding and they would be fine.
One of you could fly over with the cats and the other could drive with the dogs.

I would make sure one of you travels with them though, since it will be quite stressful on them.
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Old April 12th, 2007, 06:42 PM
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We have a 2005 Grand Am four door. It's got a lot of space so I bet if we planned it right and bought a good crate we could take them with us. I saw a nice one today that was big and it had built in food and water dishes. I just feel bad for them because they probably won't use the litter box until stop driving for the day and make it to a hotel. I'm hesitant to leave them in the car by themselves, out of the cage, during pit stops in case they 'go' in the car.
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Old April 13th, 2007, 01:26 PM
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Well I would definitley buy the crate, at least then they can have access to the litter box and trust me....they will eventually use it.
I would let them ride in the crate until you got to your hotel and then maybe put the litter box in the bathroom and leave the cats in the bathroom for a half hour or so, just to let them calm down and re-adjust themselves, then let them out into the rest of the room.
They will be confused and probably scared.....but it's only for a few days.
Just give them lots of love and reassure them you are there with them, they'll get through it.
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