Transporting pets from Berkeley to NYC

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Stephen Denney - 04 Oct 2005 19:12 GMT

I have a friend with five rabbits and five cats. She was recently informed
that her company will be moving from San Francisco to New York City at the
end of this year. If she moves, what is the best recommended way to
transport her pets? I think it would be too long to drive cross country;
by plane I understand she could place one pet underneath her seat, but I
guess all the others would have to go in the cargo section? I have heard
bad things about transporting pets in this manner, mainly that the cargo
section is not temperature controlled and that it is very traumatic for
the pets.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

- Steve Denney

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Laura Atkins - 04 Oct 2005 19:35 GMT

> I have a friend with five rabbits and five cats. She was recently
> informed that her company will be moving from San Francisco to New York
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> manner, mainly that the cargo section is not temperature controlled and
> that it is very traumatic for the pets.

I've flown rabbits twice (WI to MA and MA to CA). The cargo section is
both temperature controlled and pressurized. The bunnies (all 4 of
them) did well both times and didn't act overly traumatized.
That was, of course, before september 11 and things have changed since
then with flying pets. You'll also have to worry about temperatures on
the ground (they won't fly animals if temps are outside a certain
range).

If it were me, I'd look at some of the pet transportation companies and
see what their services are. It's really hard to move cross country
with the animals. We ended up in SF with 4 rabbits a box of stuff and a
suitcase. It took a week to get furniture and our car from the movers.
I believe that some of the transportation companies will do some
boarding so you can get things set up locally before moving in the
critters.

b

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bo peep - 05 Oct 2005 03:05 GMT

<<The cargo section is both temperature controlled and pressurized.>>

Step 1 is to check with the airline - some of them (such as Southwest)
simply won't fly live animals.

John Cowart

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Mickey - 04 Oct 2005 19:36 GMT

i would not send them via plane. if possible, find a way to get them there
either by renting a motor home (like beth did!) or having family and friends
help out. just my two cents.

mickey

> I have a friend with five rabbits and five cats. She was recently informed
> that her company will be moving from San Francisco to New York City at the
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> - Steve Denney

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Elizabeth Blake - 05 Oct 2005 04:50 GMT

10 years ago my brother moved from NYC to L.A. He had two cats and a
python. He made 2 homemade cat carriers out of plastic milk crates. He
hinged two together and put a lock on it. He used 2 crates for each cat.
He rented a truck, loaded his stuff in the back (I think Benny the Python
was in the back) and put the cat crates in the cab. He was driving by
himself and stopped at motels. He brought the animals into his room each
night. I don't remember how long it took, but they all arrived in
California safely. 2 years ago he moved from L.A. to Pennsylvania. This
time he had a wife, just 1 cat and 2 dogs. They drove and took their time
heading back to the East Coast. The animals went into the room with them at
night.

--
Liz

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tracyrose@gmail.com - 05 Oct 2005 19:58 GMT

Geez. I did a cross-country move with ONE cat (now we have a duo) and
it wasn't easy. If we did it again, we'd have to drive because the
semi-feral would be very difficult to take through an airline security
gate for carry-on. Personally, I'm leery of the cargo hold.

It is a long drive, of course, but if your friend can find a fellow
driver - and get a list of motels that accept pets in advance - it
isn't un-doable over a 4-5 day period and it will be easier on the
animals to have their human in plain sight, even though their territory
has disappeared :>

The care and feeding of ten animals on the road is no small thing
either. I'd really try to enlist an animal-loving friend into the trip
(maybe with paid airfare for the return).....

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Biskybabe - 06 Oct 2005 03:55 GMT

> Geez. I did a cross-country move with ONE cat (now we have a duo) and
> it wasn't easy. If we did it again, we'd have to drive because the
> semi-feral would be very difficult to take through an airline security
> gate for carry-on. Personally, I'm leery of the cargo hold.

I am too. On both plane flights I was a wreck the entire time. It's
harder on me than the bunnies.

> It is a long drive, of course, but if your friend can find a fellow
> driver - and get a list of motels that accept pets in advance - it
> isn't un-doable over a 4-5 day period and it will be easier on the
> animals to have their human in plain sight, even though their territory
> has disappeared :>

I did the driving with 3 rabbits in a U-Haul. 1100 miles, 2 days. It
was tough but doable.

There wasn't much difference in the rabbit's reactions between the two
transportation methods, quite honestly. Flying was, in many ways,
easier 'cause it was over faster. My parents did the cross country
drive last year (they drove from Ocean City, MD to Palo Alto, CA) and
it took them over a week to do.

> The care and feeding of ten animals on the road is no small thing
> either. I'd really try to enlist an animal-loving friend into the trip
> (maybe with paid airfare for the return).....

Alone is tough. I worried every time I had to stop for any reason
because I had to leave them alone in the truck. I dunno if I'd do it
again, but our next move is probably not somewhere we can drive, which
does affect the "how do we get there?" question.

b

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