It literally took me months to figure out what exactly was required to fly with my two cats in-cabin from The Netherlands to The Philippines with KLM. (We decided to go to Eastern Europe instead.) I assume that there are a lot more people out there who could use a bit of advice on flying with cats, so I created this blog post that will hopefully be helpful to as many people as people!
I scheduled an 18 hour flight with my two cats from The Netherlands to The Philippines with KLM/Air France. The preparation process was stressful and getting everything organized was also expensive.
Getting a KLM approved Cat Carrier
Finding a cat carrier that is 1) sturdy, 2) escape proof and 3) within the requirements of KLM’s in-cabin pet policy was a huge struggle. In the end, I purchased several cat carriers before making a final choice. Initially, I had my mind made up about the first carrier that I bought, even though it was slightly too big, as the soft material allowed me to easily squish it in so that it would fit under an airplane seat. I asked a customer service representative twice about this and both times I was told that the carrier (and thus my cats, and thus me) would be rejected. I did a lot of searching online on how lenient KLM or airlines are in general when it comes to the dimensions of pet carriers, and although a lot of people seem to have been able to fly with KLM with a slightly oversized carrier, I just didn’t want to take the risk and purchased new ones.
Preparing My Cats for the Flight
If you’re ever wondering: How stressful is flying with cats? I can tell you: very stressful. If you really love your cats and you want to make sure nothing can go wrong, you’ll end up with a lot of stress and sleepless nights. You need vet check ups, a microchip, vaccinations, parasite treatments (in the right order!), a cat carrier, a pet passport, a legalized health certificate, an import permit and in my case a transit permit. Do not hesitate to check whether you need an export permit too (from your home country)! And finally: you need money. The vet visits, vaccinations, treatments, pet carrier, the legalization of your documents and the cost of being permitted to shove your beloved pet cat under the seat in front of you will cost you a lot of money. In my case, hundreds of euros.
What I didn’t like about flying with KLM
No Personal Contact
It was not possible for me to personally contact a service representative via the telephone to inquire about requirements and worries that I had. Every little detail was for me to figure out on my own. Needless to say in the months that I prepared for our flight to The Philippines with my two cats, I have spent hours – and I mean hours – of research online about what it takes to bring a cat in-cabin on an intercontinental flight with KLM. These are some of the issues that I ran into:
Are there any special requirements for my cats during the stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia?
Having very little experience flying (I only flew once before, also with KLM/Air France), I had a lot of questions. One of them being whether I needed to do anything special for the stopover in Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately, KLM could not tell me. So I emailed MAQIS (Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services) and was told that I need to apply for an import permit, but no additional things were needed. I was particularly interested in whether different vaccines or treatments were necessary for the cats to go through Malaysia. This was not the case.
Will I be able to keep my cat in-cabin for the second leg of the flight?
I have only flown once in my life; my first time flying with KLM was a positive experience. But my first time flying, I didn’t have a cat with me. Flying with cats complicates things quite a bit and when there are no clear answers available on the internet (trust me, I searched far and wide) it makes the situation all the more difficult and stressful.
In my case, KLM directed me to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) and KLIA directed me back to KLM for this question.
Considering that we were only going to have a stopover and not a transfer, I figured everything would be fine and the cats would not suddenly need to be placed in the hold.
Cats in-cabin? Ka-ching! That’ll be 400 euros
Look, I happily forked over the money to keep my cats with me inside the airplane cabin, but in all reality, 200 euros per cat is a hefty sum. But if you think is a high price, do not hesitate to head over my blog post about [the cost of flying with cats] to see a break-down of what I spent to get my cats to come with me to the other side of the world!
If Only I Could Take Care of My Cats Better
My main gripe with flying with cats in-cabin is that you’re not allowed to pull out the bag from under the seat – even though I see plenty of people do this in YouTube videos – and comfort your cat. Or give it some water. Or take it to the toilet to clean it up after it had an accident. In the case of Tommy, he always soils himself. So on a trip from Europe to The Philippines, Tommy would have to lie in his own feces for 10-20 hours. And since he would also pee – losing much needed fluids that I am not allowed to replenish – he might get sick after 10 to 20 hours of being on the go.
All of these concerns about my cats and so little that can be done to accommodate some basic needs make traveling with cats extremely difficult and stressful for both the animal and the owner.
If Only There Were More Pet-Friendly Options for Flying
It’s understandable that people have been wishing for pet-friendly airlines that allow your pets in-cabin. And it exists! For dogs, that is. There is now Bark Air. However, the flight paths are limited and it costs thousands of dollars to take your dog on such a flight. So, more pet friendly options for flying with pets are available, but not accessible to most people as usual.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion: flying with cats in-cabin is a stressful and costly endeavor. Your pets are worth it, though, and of course companies know this. That’s why they can easily charge 200 bucks for shoving your cat under a seat. Roughly the same price as your own seat in economy class if you travel within Europe, but even less comfortable for the cat.
