We have our itinerary for April 10.  It says cat in cabin.  I do plan on calling United to confirm and make sure of everything needing to be done.  But does anyone have any advice or info to give.  We are traveling to Narita from Yoko.  Who can take us to the airport with a cat since we can't take the bus?  Also, besides the (within 10 day) health certificate, anything else we need?  I will be calling the vet tomorrow if I can remember to.  But I guess what I really need to hear is, has anyone taken a pet in flight with them?  This is a first for me.  My husband said a friend told him to take a bag of litter on the flight to take the cat into the bathroom to let him use it.  Good idea?  Just anything would be good.  I have read over the other posts about departing with pets but I just need some advice.  Thanks!

I have never taken my cats in cabin, but have done 3 flights with mine in cargo. Our first flight was from Mobile, Alabama to here, Yokohama. My suggestion would be check with the vet. I was told by my vet on the way here ( she specialized in cats) Do not feed them the night before flying, only water. Ours were fine in their kennel carriers and did not even use the bathroom at all...total time they were in their carriers were about 18 hrs. They did spend about 15 mins. In litter box when we got to our house. Might want to check with airlines too about taking litter on the flight. Security might take it from you...never heard of anyone doing that before. Also how would you do that unless you took a litterbox with you? Attendants might not let you take your pet into bathroom...I would check first. Make sure your carrier is airline approved too. Good luck

As far as transportation to the air port goes, you need to contact the FAST office. It's in the Community building ( library building). Theyll transport you with a pet. I'm not sure how far in advance you can make reservations with them but we were given the information when we got our base check out sheet 2 weeks prior to PCSing. Can't help with anything else since we PCSd with in Japan. Traveling with a cat through out Japan was easy. Good luck!

We are leaving in March ... You need to make sure that your pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations - especially their rabies. Here in Japan they have to have one every year so make sure your cat has had one in the last year. You also need an Application for Export Inspection of Animals Under the Rabies Prevention Law" which is a form the quarantine people at Narita require. The vet's office gave me this form. I don't think the airline would want you letting your cat out of the carrier. The "Exporting Animals Out of Japan" information that was given to me at the vet says "You should provide your pet with something absorbent in the bottom of their carrier. For example, a towel or blanket works much better than puppy pads or newspaper." Our cat came over in-cabin 3 years ago and did just fine "bathroom-wise" without leaving the carrier. Hope this helps!

Awesome Kate, thank you!! I will be going in there in the next couple days to see if I can sign up now or when I can!! He is up to date on shots, has microchip and all that. But I am going to call anyway, make sure he doesn't need anything else. Also go grab that form! Does anyone know the proceedure once you get to the airport? Do I have to take the cat somewhere before we check in or after security? This is the first time ever traveling with a pet so I am pretty anxious about it but hoping it goes smoothly!!

I would just go check-in and they will let you know if anything else is needed to be done. I know we had to go to the quarrentine office after we checked in, but ours were going into cargo...so it may be different with taking them into the cabin.

We are leaving this summer with our cat too... For those who has the experience already, can you tell me did you have to put them in cargo or just under the airline seat? I'm wondering should I get a hard case or soft case for the cat should we put them under the seat? Thanks in advance for any advise!

We just flew out last month with our two cats. They flew with us in cabin ($125/piece) in a soft-sided carrier under the seat in front of us. A hard case will not fit under the seat. Check with whatever airline you are flying with and they will have the measurements that they require for in-cabin pets. I believe ours were 11x11x17 ...

Thanks Donna for the info. Another questions, were your cats in the carrier during the whole entire flight or you were able to let them out on your lap? My cat is only 1 year old and my question is does the airline you took has any preference on size and age of cats in order to check them into the cabin?
By the way which airline did you take? Thanks for sharing!

Just wanted to ask for your experience on the plane with your cat. Did your cat get a chance to go toilet during the flight? And did you bring a bag of litter like you mentioned? How did you get to Narita with your cat?
We are PCSing next month and kinda nervous about getting the cat on flight for so many hours. Did your cat gets to eat or drink anything on flight? Would love to hear your experience.
Thanks for any input.

Posted By Nekoluvr on 02-05-2012 4:18 PM
I have never taken my cats in cabin, but have done 3 flights with mine in cargo. Our first flight was from Mobile, Alabama to here, Yokohama. My suggestion would be check with the vet. I was told by my vet on the way here ( she specialized in cats) Do not feed them the night before flying, only water. Ours were fine in their kennel carriers and did not even use the bathroom at all...total time they were in their carriers were about 18 hrs. They did spend about 15 mins. In litter box when we got to our house. Might want to check with airlines too about taking litter on the flight. Security might take it from you...never heard of anyone doing that before. Also how would you do that unless you took a litterbox with you? Attendants might not let you take your pet into bathroom...I would check first. Make sure your carrier is airline approved too. Good luck

Mobile? I'm from Pensacola

We are leaving this summer to Japan with a cat and 5lb dog. Both will be in cabin.

We have flown all  over with our cat in cabin, but not in or out of Japan. This advice is based on traveling between Europe and the US and within the US. A great carrier is the Delta pet carrier. Here is a link..

http://www.wag.com/dog/p/sherpa-delta-deluxe-carrier-121143?site=CA&utm_source=cse&utm_medium=cpc_W&utm_term=QUA-239&utm_campaign=Google&CAWELAID=1323858269&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=QUA-239&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw=%7Bkeyword%7D

It fits all airlines and honestly, most of the time, the airline doesn't even check the carrier. As long as it doesn't appear overly large. I've never once had anyone question me. We had given our cat a sedative one time, but he was so drugged out. That was for a long flight. I rec not giving any sedatives. There's been a lot of research done stating that the meds can cause the animal to have issues with heart rate and pressure. You can read online, and of course talk to ur vet. My cat is pretty quiet on flights. If your cat is a meow-er, eventually he/she will hush up right? Also you will have to pay a pet fee of $125, something like that. I have always paid it at check-in, but I read on here somewhere that another family paid it in a different place. To be safe, ask the airline. I take one of those foil pans and a ziplock bag of a little litter. I take my cat out into the family room at the airport or in the bathroom on the plane, and hope that he pees. If your flight is empty, many flight attendants are more than happy to seat you near no one else. Then, I take my cat out and he has his harness so he can stretch his legs, but not get more than a few inches. Also, buy a harness! When you go thru security you will have to take the cat OUT of the carrier and carry him through the metal detector with you. Don't put him through the xray machine. And the harness can come in handy if you're in a layover and find an empty corner, you can take him out and let him stretch. I try to be mindful of others because u never know if someone is allergic to cats. I always ask the person seated next to me if they are allergic and if so, move seats if possible. And if or when I take him out in the airport on his harness, I make sure to do it in a secluded area. One last thing...I have a persian, so we shave him 2x a year anyway...if you shave ur cat, it's a nice idea to give him a nice short shave before the flight so he doesn't get too hot. If anything, shave his stomach to help keep him cool. Best of luck and let me know if I can be of any more help. Again, I've not flown in or out of Japan, I hear they're sticklers for rules, so triple check everything.

Ps. As far as getting to the airport...can ur husband or one of his coworkers rent a duty van? 

Great advise, Octobersongs! Thank you for the great ideas! Just two questions, was your pet carrier big enough for your cat to stand on 4 legs? I think I saw one post mentioning that we have to get a pet carrier must be big enough to let the cat stand on 4s. Was is a software too? Thanks for sharing your info!
By the way, is there a reason why our shave your Persian cat? Does it helps it's fur to grow healthier? My cats shed so much and she's a Scottishfold.

Hi Blessings!

It is a soft mesh carrier. But it doesn't fold to collapse, which is fine for us. The carrier is a nice size. It's a the max for the measurements that airlines allow. Again, I'd check the JAP airline because they are so strict. I'm happy with it and it's held up since 2006 like brand new. If you're wanting to splurge on comfort for your cat, check out the "sleepypod air" or "sleepypod atom". Those are both comfy carriers that are airline friendly, but they are EXPENSIVE. $150ish. In the delta carrier he did have enough room to stand up and turn around, but I feel bad that he's cooped up, so I always take him out and will do that on our flight to Japan this summer, even if it's just in the bathroom. Depends who is sitting around me.

I shave him because #1, I am allergic lol! Also, he gets knots every 6 months. He also naturally sheds so I'll find huge balls of fur. He seems to really like the shave. He rubs himself like he's in ecstasy haha. We shave him in the summer so he's cool, even tho he's an indoor cat. Shaving has worked out great for us. If you consider it, make sure the vet knows what's up. We had a vet in Italy that just HAD to sedate him in order to shave him. I said no way.

@Blessings: We flew with our 1-1/2 year old cat and our 7 year old cat. They were both so scared that it was more comforting for them to be in the carrier. Both soft-sided carriers the cats were in had soft pads that would absorb any urine (my one cat did a little peeing because he was so scared). Once we got to our destination and set up a litter box, they did their thing and all was good. I wouldn't worry about feeding ... After we got through the quarantine dept and through security, I did try to put a few treats into their carriers but neither one would eat. I can tell you that they (and we) survived the ordeal and they are now happily ensconced in their new home with nary a worry in their heads!

They DID check the size of the carrier at Narita and we almost didn't get to take our bigger cat in the one we had because it was 1" too long. We didn't have to take our cat our of the carrier in order to go through the metal detectors - they just looked into the carrier and we picked them up after we came through. Size-wise regarding cats, they just have to be able to fit under the seat - that is all they care about. It was preferably to me (and cheaper I believe) to have them fly in-cabin. We flew United - not because we wanted to but because by the time we got our orders, it was the only airline that had room for 3 people and 2 pets.

If you contact the FAST team at Fleet & Family, you can make a reservation for them to bring you to Narita. They picked us up in Ikego and dropped us off at the United flights entrance.

Hope this helps

Thanks Donna for the info! I will definitely call Fast to check with them. Did you buy your soft mesh carrier on base or off base? Does it matter if is collapsible type? When you make mentioned that your older cat almost couldn't make it on flight because of 1 cm too long....do u mean by the cat size or the pet carrier?
Thanks again for the input. I'm a little at ease now about getting my cat on board. LOL!

Posted By octobersongs on 04-30-2012 9:24 AM
Hi Blessings!

It is a soft mesh carrier. But it doesn't fold to collapse, which is fine for us. The carrier is a nice size. It's a the max for the measurements that airlines allow. Again, I'd check the JAP airline because they are so strict. I'm happy with it and it's held up since 2006 like brand new. If you're wanting to splurge on comfort for your cat, check out the "sleepypod air" or "sleepypod atom". Those are both comfy carriers that are airline friendly, but they are EXPENSIVE. $150ish. In the delta carrier he did have enough room to stand up and turn around, but I feel bad that he's cooped up, so I always take him out and will do that on our flight to Japan this summer, even if it's just in the bathroom. Depends who is sitting around me.

I shave him because #1, I am allergic lol! Also, he gets knots every 6 months. He also naturally sheds so I'll find huge balls of fur. He seems to really like the shave. He rubs himself like he's in ecstasy haha. We shave him in the summer so he's cool, even tho he's an indoor cat. Shaving has worked out great for us. If you consider it, make sure the vet knows what's up. We had a vet in Italy that just HAD to sedate him in order to shave him. I said no way.

I'm allergic to mine too! LOL! But kids love her! Anyway, thanks for all your information!  I will consider shaving her fur. She has been shedding her fur like crazy! I thought it was her diet and need to change the brand or something. Thanks again!

you're welcome. For what it's worth, we shaved him for the very first time because our vet recommended it for the flights. Since then, we kept it up because he seemed to like it.

When we came to Japan, our one cat at the time came in a Sturdi-Bag carrier ( http://www.sturdiproducts.com). A small one fits a cat or dog up to 10 pounds and the measurements are 10x10x18. I think the airline specifications for a carrier were 11x11x17 so it was the carrier that caused a little scrutiny. Our other cat we got in Japan and I got his carrier at Homes - he is smaller and the length was 16" I believe. I don't remember seeing any carriers on base but I could be wrong about that. Both carriers were collapsible which is preferably when you are trying to get them to go underneath the airline seats. How big is your cat and how much does she/he weigh? My one cat is 15 pounds and he is a big (think fat here) boy and he did just fine under the seat. Of course, he might tell you different and about how horrible it was but he is now a purring machine and all is forgotten He actually shed some weight because of the ordeal and now looks much better

We need help or advise for alternative to take our cat with us. My husband ship issued air tickets for our PCS move back to States but unfortunately is with American Airline which has a stipulation in checking pet in cargo that is if the temperature is above 85 they will not check in our pet. I've been observing the weather report and from this weekend onwards, the weather temperature will be at the 90s!!! Had the PSD on the ship issue us UA tickets....we will have no problem check our pet in cabin but unfortuanatelu this is not the case! Does anyone has any suggestions or informations what to do? According to Sato Travel, the agent told me if we switch the tickets to UA....those date we are supposed to flyout are all full....no seats BUT if we buy commercial tickets from them there will be seats available? Does it sounds right?
I'm really worried and do not want to leave my cat behind....anybody has a good suggestions, or contact with shipping pet back to US, that will be great!

Call the airline. United let us fly to Japan with our cat in the cabin with us.

Posted By felinious on 07-14-2012 8:28 AM
Call the airline. United let us fly to Japan with our cat in the cabin with us.

I already did and for American Airline does has in cabin checking from Narita to any States.