How to keep a cat warm in the cargo hold of an airplane?

I am forced to fly my cat in the cargo hold of an airplane for 7 hours in December. I know it's early, but I am really worried about him being cold. I've heard stories of cats freezing to death or otherwise dying in airplanes. I CANNOT take him in the cabin with me, he has to go in the cargo hold, across Canada, in the beginning of winter (around Dec 17.) If anyone has any advice on what I could do to try and make sure he doesn't freeze I would really appreciate it. Thanks a lot.How to keep a cat warm in the cargo hold of an airplane?
When I moved from the UK to Cyprus and took my 17 year old cat with me, she had to travel in the hold because UK regulations don't allow pets (except for guide dogs) to travel in the cabin. My vet explained to me that pets travel in a specially prepared area of the cargo hold away from the luggage area. It is pressurised and heated to between 50 and 70 degrees F. It is kept dark to help the animals to sleep and to decrease stress. My vet also recommended against the use of any kind of sedative. It can make them disorientated and unable to steady themselves in their carrier if there is any air-turbulence during the flight. Sedation lowers blood pressure and altitude can exacerbate this effect. Many airlines will refuse to allow pets to board if they are known to have been sedated. Another of my worries was that her travel box would be loaded onto the luggage carousel upon arrival in Cyprus, but this fear was unfounded. She was taken straight to the animal clearance centre for a quick health check and to ensure that all her paperwork was in order for her to enter the country. My cat was fine after the 5 hour flight and suffered no ill effects whatsoever.





I would suggest that you contact several airlines to enquire about their policy for transporting pets in the hold. You may need to check in advance with the airline which of the planes in their fleet have a special area in the hold for pets and then book a flight on that specific plane.





This link will allow you to check the individual policy of airlines for transporting pets.





http://www.pettravelcenter.com/page_item鈥?/a>





Choose a travel box that is large enough for your cat to stand up and turn around in. Line it with several inches of shredded paper. Not only will this help your cat to retain their body temperature, but if they have an accident during the flight, it will absorb any liquids. (Blankets or towels tend to draw heat away from the cat's body).





This link has advice on air travel for pets and how to prepare your cat for the flight, which you may find helpful.





http://www.pettravel.com/passports_conta鈥?/a>





Hope all goes well.How to keep a cat warm in the cargo hold of an airplane?
Lots of blankets, and maybe some of those heating pad people put on their backs, or other body parts. They are one time use and some of the off brands last up to 12 hours. The brand I use, Body Heat, is really good because it lasts a long time, and it doesn't get so hot it will burn. You will want to cover most of the airholes, especially the door, with a breathable material so not much air gets through. You may also want to think about putting an emergency blanket (used mostly for camping, it's a thin, silver sheet that looks like foil) on the inside roof and floor of the cage. You may also want to call the airline and see what they suggest.
Why can't you take him in a cat carrier and carry him on with you and put it under the seat? My friend just flew to Germany with her cat that way and did just fine. The cat needed innoculations and the vet gave her a sedative for the trip. Check into that. I wouldn't put my cat in the cargo area for anything.
Violet has it right.


Those things are called ';Snuggle safe'; They are obtainable for about $20 buck at Petsmart or online. They stay warm for about 8 hrs. they come with a soft cover and can be placed inside to keep kitty warm enough. Be careful to ship in a large enough crate so she can get away from warm or cold.
They put animals in the pressurized and heated portion of the cargo hold. It isn't allowed to get to freezing. The biggest problem will be waiting to board the plane where it could get pretty cold. The idea of making a little sleeping bag is a good one.
Put one of those thermal sleeping bags in the cage with him. He'll cuddle inside of it during the trip. The sleeping bag is better than blankets because it will provide more warm but be much lighter.
Well you can put thick blankets in the carrier to make him warm but just don't cram him in it
Put a towel inside so he can keep warm. Just dont put alot or it will get crammed.
yeah blankets.... my dog did fine and he's flown many a time from colorado to alaska
um...hello?! ever heard of blankets?!!
Why can't he travel in the cabin? If the airline doesn't allow it - choose another. If there's already pets in the cabin that flight and they won't allow more - book it at another time or another day. I did fly with my cats in cargo when I moved from Florida to Seattle but it was only because I had my ferrets in the cabin. Otherwise I would have had them in there. And it was also in late Spring so quite warm in all areas we flew through.





I would NOT chance putting a cat in the dead of winter up in Canada. Has the airline told you where the cat will be is temperature controlled or not? Generally it is and cats dying on planes from the cold generally do so because they've been left too long on the runway outside of the plane. But even if it is temperature controlled there's the risk of that malfunctioning or the air supply to the cargo hold accidentally being closed off. Do you really want to take that risk?





sux_2be - please explain how you expect a thermal sleeping bag to fit inside a cat carrier!
I would be worried too.





You can get these little disk things that you can heat up in the microwave and use to keep kitty beds warm. My friend does this for her outside cats in the winter. She says they last all night. They are made specifically for pets for this reason





You could get one of these, heat it before you go to the airport, wrap it in a pillowcase and then put a fuzzy micro fleece blanket (the size of a throw, or twin bed size perhaps cut in half depending on how big his traveling crate is) over it. The fleece blanket will also help him stay warm and comfy because it is soft and he can snuggle into it. Get a traveling crate that is mostly enclosed with just some air holes so as to prevent the loss of heat. I'm sure in the cargo hold in Dec there will be no chance that he will overheat.





If you are interested in those disk things, email me and I'll get the name from my friend and where she bought them.





Good luck.