Flying a cat FROM Argentina TO the USA

[Peony54]

Are you sure you can use a soft carrier? I've traveled multiple times with my cat through American and I had to use a hard carrier.

 

[Girino]

Good luck with that and with the flight! It is always best if you can have someone bring it over for you. The Sturdi Bag comes in different sizes, but the Large size was the only one that fit the sizes of the airlines I checked (Iberia, mostly). However it has a flexible top so maybe even if you buy the XL, it can still be accepted.
When we made our reservation for a pet passage, the lady from the call center asked for the size of the carrier. Of course she didn't mean "how much you can compress it".

The Sturdi was quite expensive in Europe, but I hadn't so many choices as there are in the US. The sherpa is cheaper, for example, but I don't know a lot about it. I just saw it is very popular on Amazon US.

 

[nlaruccia]

I found a pet shop with an IATA approved cat carrier. Now if I can get my cat accostumed to it. He freaks out if he even sees a cage. To go to the vet or anywhere I have to carry him in my arms. Sometimes cars in the street stop when they see me walking down the street with this huge blue eyed siamese. The vet says I can give him some sedative drips to make him calm down before traveling. Step one: take care of beloved cat. Step teo: sell beloved car.

 

[kiara]

Suggest you take her along with you in the cabin. I recall seeing a sign fixed with scotch tape to a wall in Ezeiza from a lady that travelled from Italy to Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) by Aerolíneas Argentinas with her 3 cats in different carriages. She was asking for help to find one of them because the carriage turned up open and empty on the belt. I contacted her and tried to help contacting protectionists in Ezeiza but unfortunately coundn't do anything.
Also recommend that you let the carriage around open so your cat becomes familiar with it.

 

[Bv3]

My wife flew with a cat from Ezeiza to the US on Delta two weeks ago. She took the cat in the cabin with her in a Sherpa "medium" sized soft sided carrier. She had to make a reservation for the cat ahead of time.

US Customs says that no health certificate is needed to bring a cat into the country, and Delta airlines also told us no health certificate was needed. However on the day of travel she was not allowed to board because the people working at Senasa in the airport insisted that she did need a health cetificate from the Senasa office in Puerto Madero or she would be denied entry into the United States. Her travel was postponed until the next day. So, no matter what the airline or anyone else tells you, go get a health certificate anyways before you travel.

 

[nlaruccia]

I'm flying on Aerolineas Argentinas and they don't allow animals in the cabin for international flights. American Airlines doesn't either and they used to. Detla tickets cost almost 50% as much as Aerolienas and AA so I had to go that route. Even though the US Customs says no health certificate is needed, in the end it comes down to SENASA and if they allow your pet out of the country. I discovered if my cat is in his carrier he stops crying as long as I keep walking. He meows when I set the carrier down. I don't think they'll allow me to fly with him in the bottom of the plane so that I walk his carrier around the whole flight.

My cousin told me funny story. An elderly women he knows checked her cat with the luggage on a flight. I think it may have been a domestic flight in Argentina. I don't remember the details, but when she went to pick up her cat she insisted that the cat wasn't hers. They kept telling her it was and she explained it couldn't be, because her cat was dead when she checked the carrier. They thought the cat had died during the trip and apparently found another to replace it. They never bothered to check if the cat was alive before checking the carrier. I'm not sure how true that story is but it's funny.

 

[EricLovesBA]

An ajoknoblauch-approved solution, and final decisive proof that cats can fly!

 

[johnw100]

An ajoknoblauch-approved solution, and final decisive proof that cats can fly!

That hilarious. Another option is a really powerful cat-apult