does anyone have experience traveling with cats on a plane?

I'm flying west coast to east coast (about a 6 hour flight) and I'm worried about her going to the bathroom.

She is good with traveling in car, etc. in her carrier but one time I brought her to work with me and she went #2 on the rug (even though I had a litter box set up for her in bathroom).

anyways, does anyone know how many hours prior to leaving I should stop giving her food/water?

also any calming tricks to reduce her nerves (cat melatonin perhaps?)

Thanks in advance!

I've never flown with a cat before, but my $0.02 is that of all the things to worry about, whether of not they "go" should probably be the least of the worries. Suppose she does go? *shrug* so it takes you a little time to clean it up. No biggie, no harm done. Just assume that she will, make plans for if she does, and then be pleasantly surprised if she doesn't. Much bigger worries are things like whether your cat will be safe, how terrified or stressed she will be, and if she won't be in the cabin with you, what will you do if they lose her carrier, like so much of our luggage is.

Here's an article on this from a magazine that I subscribe to:

http://www.catster.com/cats-101/cat-air-travel

_________________
The little monsters 3

We don't know your kitty. Is she easily stressed out? Is she a confident kitty? One member here has pictures of his bengal Snickers being held by the flight attendants. However, you honestly should NEVER take your cat out of the carrier while on a plane as the cat can get spooked and start running all over the place. A small, soft carrier that will more envelop your cat is the best. Making sure there is mesh so she can see you. The flight may only be 6 hours, but the time away from your home and your actual destination may end up being more like 9 or 10. I would withhold food the morning you are traveling, however, water is extremely important, so have some available. Travel with kitty wipes and a clean blanket for the carrier in case of an accident. Don't be too overly concerned about a pooping accident. Most cats will be stressed out by the noise and environment and won't even think about pooping. And if there is an accident, have some plastic zip lock bags handy as well. Be prepared for the worst -- and if nothing happens you are so much farther ahead.

Sadly, I could never fly with my bengal. He is a yowler and not a happy camper with any type of change. I would be forced to drive 3 million miles to my destination. Just know that ..... a plane trip to .. means a plane trip back ..... good luck and I hope she is a little angel and sleeps the entire way. Know, too, your vet can prescribe a tranquilizer to help with the nerves.

That being said... obviously, you are traveling for the holidays and your kitty will be in a completely new environment for a few days -- and if there are other pets around -- while we always want to have our pets with us, sometimes it is not the best thing for the pet. Hopefully, she is microchipped. Train her on a harness and leash so you have some control over her. I cannot tell you how many Facebook Lost Pet pages I'm a member of that I read, "we are visiting from another state and our dog/cat got out. We are forced to return home, but if you see our dog/cat, please contact us." In fact, they are still trying to find a cat that got out of a hotel room when the family evacuated from Texas for the hurricane. They spent three days here trying to trap the cat with no success. Volunteers continued the search for weeks after -- they never found the cat. I know this is a worst-case scenario, but when I travel, my cat is safely boarded in a 3-story condo in the vet's cat room. There is no way he can escape through multiple doors. He may not overly thrilled, but at least he is safe and I do not have to worry about him.

For any kind of travel, I put human pee pads in the bottom of the carrier and carry some extras. They are soft and have adhesive strips to keep them in place.

(Pee pads made for animals usually have hormones in them designed to encourage the animal to pee, which is what you do not want for travel)

I do hope the member returns and lets us know how things went. I read where cats must be removed from their carrier to go through security which is why they need to be on a harness and leash, lest they jump out of your arms and run through the airport terminal. Just the thought of it terrifies me. My Raiden does not do well around people -- even one person walking down the street, he hunkers down and watches them until they pass. A whole slew of people and he would be trying to get away. I just want to know the member and the cat got to their destination and back safe and sound.