PILOTS N PAWS

Hello, all,

I am a Newbie to PilotsNPaws, and I hope y'all can clarify some things for me. How are cat transports being done? Do the cats ALWAYS get to ride in the cabin (rather than in the belly of a larger plane)?

I run the Persian Rescue of Virginia, specializing in rehabilitating and re-homing Persian and Himalayan cats, and the occasional other breed cat. Most of our rescue cats have extremely flat, even concave faces with minimal to non-existent nasal passages; for those kitties, it is hard to breathe on a good day, but stress and noise will aggravate the situation, with the result that Persians and Himalayans can flat-out suffocate when transported inside the belly of a large plane.

Thus, to minimize that risk, it is IMPERATIVE that these animals be flown inside a plane's cabin and where the people are. Would I have to put in a "special-needs" request to ensure that "my" cat(s) get to fly where the people are? Please advise.

Thank you in advance! Margarete Ziemer

Hi Margarete ,
Welcome to Pilots N Paws! The majority of the pilots here are general aviation--which means they fly small, private planes. All the pets fly in the cabin area with the pilots. I believe by "belly of the large planes" that you are referring to the cargo hold on a commercial airliner. There are some professional pilots & airline personnel who volunteer to take a pet with them on those planes, but usually only for pets that fit in under the seat carriers--so those transports are also "cabin" only (or in the cockpit with a pilot).

So to answer your question--no, you do not need to specify it is a special needs transport (unless the cat has a specific medical issue that requires additional attention by the transporter).

Good luck,
Joanne

If noise is a problem, be aware that the average general aviation airplane is not very quiet in the cockpit, it's why we humans wear headsets.

One of our PNP pilots works for a company that sells "Mutt Muffs" so the animals' ears can be protected too.
"Michele McGuire" <[email protected]>,