Woman Asks If She's Wrong For Flying With Her Cat Who 'Hates Kennels' & Cries Every Time She Is In One — 'A Lot Of People Glared At Me'
The woman prepared her cat in every way possible, from anxiety medication to her favorite toys. Still, her pet was stressed and afraid.
cynoclub / IM_photo / Shutterstock A woman was reduced to tears after bringing her anxiety-ridden cat aboard a plane, to the dismay of her fellow passengers. Although the woman claimed that she was moving across the country and had no choice but to bring her cat along with her, now she is wondering if it was the right choice.
The woman flew with her cat, who she says ‘hates kennels’ and cries every time she is put in one.
Sharing her story to the subreddit, r/AmITheA–hole, the woman revealed that she recently moved from the West to the East Coast of the United States. While she had been living in the West, she and her ex-partner had adopted a cat.
“She really grew attached to me, so when we separated a year later, there was no question about who she’d live with,” the woman says of the cat. “The next two years that bond continued to grow and I knew when it came time to move that I could not abandon her.”
However, the woman claims that her cat hates being placed in tight cages and kennels, which would make traveling undoubtedly challenging.
Before flying across the country, the woman took every precautionary measure possible to ensure that her pet would be comfortable during the flight.
She consulted with her cat’s veterinarian, who prescribed her anti-anxiety medication and bought her a vest that was designed to keep her calm, a face mask to shield her eyes, and a toy to keep her occupied.
“I did trial runs in the car and tried testing out the meds weeks out,” the woman wrote. “She seemed somewhat calm, but it was a very thin line.”
The woman opted to book her flights at night in hopes that passengers would sleep through her cat’s crying and meowing if she became overwhelmed.
Photo: AnnaStills / Shutterstock
“All the way through the process, though, from the shuttle to TSA to sitting down a lot of people glared at me,” the woman shared. “They all had something to say under their breath. Don’t get me wrong, some people were excited to see a kitty, but they were outnumbered.”
Once the woman and her cat boarded their flight, she was “hopeful” that her cat would be all right, since she was quiet when they first got seated on the plane. Unfortunately, that would change once they were up in the air.
The woman's cat became anxious and loud after take-off, and other passengers became annoyed.
“Take off happened and she went crazy. I mean, SCREAMING,” the woman wrote. “I snatched her kennel out from under the seat and stuck my hand in to try to soothe her and she thrashed, bit me, and cried. I cried too. It was terrible.”
The woman’s seatmate was understanding about the situation and calmed her down, assuring her that it was no different from a baby crying on a plane. The passengers seated in front of her, however, were not as sympathetic.
“I could tell they all thought I was the a---- for purchasing a ticket for my pet,” the woman wrote.
Thankfully after a while, the woman’s cat calmed down and she and her seatmate chatted for a couple of hours before drifting off. Still, she cannot help but feel guilty for bringing her cat along on the flight with her when she was clearly not coping well with being in her kennel, and for disrupting her fellow passengers’ peace.
Most people empathized with the woman and commended her for taking the necessary measures to keep her cat as calm as possible.
“Sometimes you have to fly with a pet or a baby. it sucks but that's life,” one user commented. “You took every precaution you could to make the flight as pleasant as possible. That’s more effort than I’ve seen some parents put into soothing their children. Rest assured you’re no a–hole, your cat just isn’t a good traveler,” another user pointed out.
“It’s pretty much the same as having a screaming baby on a flight. It might annoy some people, but you did what you had to do to travel with your pet,” another user wrote. “You can’t always soothe a scared animal or a cranky baby, that’s just how it is.”
Other users praised the woman for taking her cat along on her move with her, as some pet owners simply dispose of their animals at a shelter instead of taking them when relocating.
If you have been on social media, you’ve most likely come across a video of a screaming child on a flight.
If you read the comments, chances are the majority of them will be from compassionate people encouraging plane passengers to have empathy for the child and their parents, who are likely far more frustrated about the situation than you are.
Each year, more than 2 million pets and other animals travel on planes in the United States. They and their owners certainly deserve the same compassion that we extend to stressed parents, especially if they are clearly doing everything in their power to alleviate their pet’s behavior during the flight.
After all, pets too, are family.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.