splodger Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 I am moving to Shetland in the summer, unless an earlier holiday there goes disasterously wrong and puts me off, and would like to bring my three adorable cats but am worried how they would cope with such a long journey.I live near London and don't drive so any tips or advise on getting them up there safely would be most welcome, thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandRover S2a Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 We moved from Yorkshire to Shetland with 5 cats and they transported perfectly well in cat carriers. Book them a kennel on the ferry and if you can book on a crossing that stops at Orkney. You can then have them out in the kennel with food/water and a litter tray (you have to provide these yourself though). When you book a kennel, make sure you book a LARGE kennel as this would provide ample room for 3 cats in together. They do smaller kennels but tbh once you have put a litter tray in there, the cat has virtually no room to move.When the boat stops at Orkney you are allowed down onto the car deck to go and check on them if you wish.As you don't drive, I would suggest you go and see your vet as they can prescribe travel medication which will de-stress your cats on such a long journey. All the best and hope your move goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8 Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 After boarding the ship, speak to the person on the desk that you have concearns for you animals and they will make arrangements for you to go down several times during the journey accompanied by a member of staff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOYAANISQATSI Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1925/catcarrieryg0.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances144 Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 12 years ago we flew up to Shetland with our 3 cats. Each one had its own container. I also doped each cat with ACP (from vet) and they were taken from us at Heathrow and arrived on the baggage carousel at Sumburgh in the afternoon. I did not see them at Aberdeen and only let them out when we got to our final destination. The cats were absolutely fine. It was a day without much food or water, I think they might have peed in their containers but they adapted almost instantly to their new environment in Shetland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splodger Posted January 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Thanks for the feedback, the flight sounds the best option but if I can't do that the kennel on the ferry is a good idea, so thanks to everyone (apart from KOYAANISQATSI who's obviously pure evil (only joking)). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances144 Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Well..... if you do go down the airplane route, I would:- 1. Get separate cat containers (I think it was a requirement of the airlines) and ones that the airline approve of. It might be worth finding out first what the airline requirements are. They will be different according to each airline.2. Get some sedative from your vet if you think your cat(s) need it.3. Check with each airline for each part of the journey that they actually will take the animals. I am not sure how Flybe feel about animals especially on the Aberdeen to Shetland leg of the journey. I would phone them up, take a name, reference number of flight and make a record of what they say because they may change the rules as they go along and deny all knowledge when you are actually trying to achieve this feat. People on the end of the telephone have very different rules from the ground staff who (perhaps) change them according to how they feel on the day! Some planes are just too small to take the animal carriers. When we went, it was British Airways from Heathrow to Aberdeen to Sumburgh - things might have changed alot since then and Flybe ........ well don't get me started on them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Speaking on behalf of cats I have to say that a relatively short journey by plane is better than an unspecified journey up to Aberdeen followed by 12/14 hours on a seasickness machine called a ferry. One possible alternative is a land journey.......train or friend with a car...to Scrabster then a short hop to Orkney and a reasonably short hop to Shetland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances144 Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 On behalf of my three cats, I did the maths and worked out that two short hops on the plane (ie a day's travelling) was better than car, ferry, car, by a long way. It was unpleasant, but two shortish flights plus a wait in the terminal was acceptable and easily forgotten. The ferry is vile whether you are in the kennel, in the car in a box or in a bed tucked up, IMO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances144 Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 On behalf of my three cats, I did the maths and worked out that two short hops on the plane (ie a day's travelling) was better than car, ferry, car, by a long way. It was unpleasant, but two shortish flights plus a wait in the terminal was acceptable and easily forgotten. The ferry is vile whether you are in the kennel, in the car in a box or in a bed tucked up, IMO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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