Flying Internationally With Cats- Chinggis and Shemo’s Big Adventure

30 Sep

Flying with cats Chinggis and Shimos big adventure.jpg

A tale of two Mongolian street cats that journeyed across the world during Covid craziness. Leaving Mongolia was not easy, but we were finally on the next step in our journey that took us to the United States. Michael and I had visas, Covid vaccinations, and tickets to fly from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, all the way to Los Angeles, USA.

The tricky part was getting our cats to come with us! We didn’t want to leave them in Mongolia because we weren’t able to get back into the country if we left, we couldn’t take them to New Zealand because we were locked out of there too and cats need six months of quarantine to get in anyway, so the best option was for them to come with us to the United States and join us on our transient adventure.

Chinggis is a little cat so he was able to fly carry-on with us is the cabin of the plane. Shemo wasn’t so lucky. He was too big too travel carry-on and the flights out had no spaces for cats in cargo. We left Shemo with his first owner Glenn, who had just returned to Mongolia and was happy to have his old roommate back for a short while until we could get Shemo shipped to us.

For our trip with Chinggis, our two flights were with Asiana Airlines. The first was 3hours from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Seoul, South Korea. We then had a ten hour layover at Incheon Airport, then flew 11hours from Seoul to Los Angeles, USA.

Meet the passengers
Chinggis’s Big Adventure
Shemo’s Big Adventure
Flying with your cat- Should my cat travel carry on or cargo?
Tips for Flying with your cat
Packing list for flying with your cat

*This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Meet the Passengers

Name- Chinggis Mittens

Age- 13 years old

Weight- 4.2kg/ 9.3lb

Story- Chinggis was a street cat that was rescued as a kitten. He had several families in Mongolia before he came to us and has now been with us for six years. Chinggis is a sneaky, adventurer cat that would be in Gryffindor of Slytherin if he was a Hogwarts kitty. He is always trying to escape and explore whatever is behind the next door or gate.

Method of travel- Carry On with humans on Asiana Airlines

Name- Shemo

Age- 8 years old

Weight- 6.5kg/ 14.3lb

Story- Shemo was a tiny little street kitten and was rescued by friends of ours in Ulaanbaatar. When they left Mongolia we adopted Shemo and he’s turned out to be a giant cat with fluffy snow feet all year round. He would be in Hufflepuff if he was a Hogwarts cat. He is a sweet cat that doesn’t cause trouble and loves to snuggle up beside me on the couch.

Method of Travel- Unaccompanied pet cargo Asiana Airlines

Cats side by side for scale. Chinggis is 4.2kg Shemo is 6.5kg.

Preparations to Leave Mongolia

Our friend Zolko had spent weeks before we left helping us organise everything from vet checks, to government certificates, to booking cat flights, and finding out how the whole process worked (nobody actually knew and Zolko quickly became an expert). Chinggis was the first cat to fly out of Mongolia on the new Asiana Airlines flights so it was a steep learning curve for everyone.

We had our vet booklets for records, and both cats were up to date with all their rabies shots and other vaccines. The vets at Энэрэх мал эмнэлэг/Enerekh Small Animal Clinic were great. They speak both English and Mongolia and deal with a lot of expats taking pets in and out of the country so are very familiar with requirements for pet travel.

Энэрэх мал эмнэлэг/Enerekh Small Animal Clinic- Location | Website | +97670114723 (call to make an appointment)

Shemo would be flying cargo sometime later, so we prepared his cage with all the containers, stickers and live animals labels he needed. We also prepared a backup cage in case things went wrong (as they often do in Mongolia) and we needed to send Chinggis cargo at a later date. We weren’t taking any chances, if for some reason he wasn’t allowed on the flight with us at least we had a backup plan.

The day before we left, the Mongolian Government announced a lockdown just as Michael and Zolko were taking Chinggis to the airport to check off paperwork and do a final weigh in. The city erupted into chaos and the already terrible traffic got ten times worse. They got trapped in a nine hour traffic jam on the 15km drive home, but Chinggis handled the unexpected journey well and we took it as a sign that he would be fine on the flights.

We packed up our lives, left Shemo with his old friend Glenn, and we were ready to go.

Checkout my article- Nine Years in Mongolia if you want to find out more about our time in Mongolia.

Chinggis checking out his new accommodation.

Chinggis enjoying his bed before he knew what it was for.

Stickers for cages that we printed off the internet.

Covid testers that came to our apartment in Ulaanbaatar.

Chinggis’s Big Adventure

Departing Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

We left Mongolia in April, the morning after a crazy snow storm. The streets were slick with ice and the city was in complete lockdown due to Covid. Our driver Davaa got special permission to drive through the city to get to the airport during lockdown.

The footpath at the airport was so slippery and we weren’t dressed for the cold since we were travelling to Los Angeles. We balanced the cat and all our bags onto a cart and said goodbye to Davaa and Zolko, two people who always looked out for us and made sure we were okay, and this was no different. We made it through check in and everything seemed to be fine.

Michael carried Chinggis through the security check as the Mongolian security officers eyed the cat suspiciously. Mongolians are not known for being fond of cats, many are terrified of cats, or superstitious about them, though I know a few cat lovers who are the exception!

Our flight was delayed by an hour, but this wasn’t an issue since we had such a long layover ahead of us. Chinggis sat quietly in his cage taking in everything around him as people bustled by and kids made loud squealing noises.

Jenny with Chinggis on her knee before take off.

Finally we got on the plane. We had seats right at the back as to cause the least disturbance if Chinggis decided to make a lot of noise. The plane was pretty empty so once we took off I moved to the centre isle so Michael could put Chinggis on the seat next to him.

Chinggis did not like flying. He has a cute little sad meow that kind of sounds like a bird chirping — it one that tugs at your heart strings. He meowed away for most of the flight, but you could hardly hear him over the noise of the plane. I felt quite sorry for him as it was clear he wanted to get out of his cage. He was getting frustrated and took to doing death rolls like a crocodile to try get out.

Jenny and Michael excited to actually be on a plane and leaving Mongolia.

Some good social distancing on the plane.

Ten Hours at Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea

After 3hours or so, we landed at Incheon Airport, Seoul. We were so relieved to touch down knowing that we had actually made it out of the country successfully and were actually in Korea! After our plans being delayed for a whole year this seemed like a miracle we had made it that far. I love flying into Seoul. It’s my favourite airport and this was another great experience.

Going through security was the opposite to Mongolia. It was nice and quiet so it wasn’t at all stressful, and the people there were so friendly. As soon as the first security officer saw we had a cat she squealed and began fawning over Chinggis. Michael got Chinggis out of his cage and walked through the metal detector. By that point all the other security people had come over to see the cat.

One of my favourite things to do in Seoul is to go to cat cafes in Myeongdong because people are so enthusiastic about cats and cute things in general, I love it! It seems to be a cat loving place and the security people were talking away to Chinggis as we packed up our bags. They waved goodbye and we were ready to start our long layover.

Chinggis watching the birds inside Incheon Airport.

Jenny wheeling Chinggis around in his chariot.

Chinggis inspecting/ eating the airport plants.

We considered going to the transit hotel for a sleep, but they don’t allow cats so didn’t want to risk sneaking Chinggis in (though one of our friends has done so successfully in the past). We had business class lounge passes, but after checking with the lounges we found that they would only let cats in if they stayed in cages. It was clear Chinggis wanted to get out.

The whole airport was pretty much empty. We were in Terminal One, the older terminal, but we had been in there so many times before that it was all very familiar and we knew how to find everything we needed. This is the best airport; there are showers, darkened rooms you can sleep in, laundry rooms, kids areas, cultural activities, and a royal parade that tours the airport! It’s a great airport to be stuck in. We found a nice place to sit down and got Chinggis into his harness and let him wander around.

Chinggis wanted to smell everything and couldn’t sit still. He’s kind of like a dog when he’s outside. He’s not scared of anything and loves smell everything and check stuff out.

Chinggis nice and cosy in his airport trolley nest.

Pretty plants and architecture at Incheon Airport

We spent a long ten hours chilling out and wandering around. Chinggis loved sitting in the trolley and being pushed around the airport. He was happy and quiet the whole time and didn’t make any noise. All of the food stores were open so we got takeaway meals and the shop people were so excited to see a cat. Chinggis ate his dinner with no problems. He didn’t go to the bathroom at all. We took him into a bathroom that has a garden attached to see if he wanted to pee, but he didn’t use the facilities.

Most of the time it felt like we were the only people in the airport. There were hundreds of empty chairs around us everywhere we went and it was probably the best layover I’ve ever had.

Chillaxing in a lounging area at Incheon Airport.

Flying to Los Angeles

The flight to Los Angeles was loooong. So much longer than usual. It was actually a normal time of around 11hours I think, but Chinggis did not sleep at all. He was either meowing, fighting the cage, or glaring at us the entire flight.

We flew business class because it is really cheap on Asiana Airlines, but the issue was there was nowhere to put a cat for takeoff. The flight attendant told us to put him in the overhead locker but there was no way I was going to do that! I asked to go sit in Economy for take off and this was great because I could just tuck him under the seat in front of me. I had the whole row of nine seats to myself and I don’t think anyone even noticed there was a cat on board.

Chinggis didn’t like take off. He hated the noises and was pretty scared. I tucked my hand into the zip and patted him to help calm him. When I got back to my seat I found that he had peed in his carrier, fortunately we had come prepared with a replacement carrier liner and absorbent pads.

Michael took Chinggis into the tiny bathroom and let him out in there so he could clean up the carrier. After that Michael and I took turns having Chinggis on our seats, but he was restless the whole time and he hated being in his cage. Michael ended up having him most of the time and Chinggis continued his death rolls and took to attacking the zip which was slowly starting to come away.

Eventually did get his paw through the zip and we knew the carrier wouldn’t hold up much longer.

Arriving in Los Angeles, USA

Finally we got to LA. We were dreading going through customs because we were exhausted and the thought of having to do paperwork and answer questions was not appealing. But it turned out we spent longer at Immigration answering a million questions there, but there was no one at Customs.

When we collected our bags and looked for the customs area there was was no one to be seen. The last time we went to LA it had been quite a process getting through Customs and we had our bags x-rayed so that is what we were expecting. This time the airport was empty, it didn’t even seem like there were any staff there. So we walked straight through the empty customs area and out onto the street.

We had made it!

We went across town to our hotel and finally relaxed. Chinggis went straight to sleep on the bed and we weren’t too far behind. He was all cuddly and cute at the hotel, I think he appreciated that we brought him with us.

Right at home in the hotel in the rays of sunlight. We brought that blanket from home so he would feel at home.

Drive to Prescott, Arizona

It was clear at this point Chinggis was not going back in his cage. So we put on his harness and he sat on my knee for most of the way while Michael drove. Chinggis enjoyed the car ride. He liked standing up on the dashboard or window ledge to watch the trucks thunder by. He spent a lot of his time sitting on my knee, but he was very restless and wouldn’t sit still for long.

Mostly he just wanted to go where Michael was. He sat there meowing at Michael, not understanding he couldn’t go sit on him. He was slightly appeased when he worked out he could sit next to Michael in the centre console in the car. At one point he forced himself into the back seat and went to sleep between the bags.

After a seven hour road trip we were glad to finally get to our Airbnb house in Prescott.

Staring at Michael wondering why he can’t go over there.

Meowing at Michael because he isn’t allowed to sit on him.

Sun setting in the desert. Finally in Arizona!

He took Michael’s seat when Michael left to get petrol.

Experiencing the New World

We were like aliens arriving on a new planet. We had come from a city where we had spent the better part of the past year in strict lockdowns and now we were set free in this land of pine forests and log cabins. Chinggis took to nature immediately. In fact, he didn’t want to go back in the house ever again. He rolled around in the dust and sniffed every plant and blade of grass he came across.

But he was clueless to the outside world, he didn’t even notice the giant turkey vulture circling overhead. So we had to watch him pretty carefully so he didn’t get eaten by something or escape over the fence.

This new place had so many new smells for him. There were deer in the front yard, neighbourhood cats lurking around, hummingbirds zipping about, and javelinas doing their daily rounds of the area. A perfect holiday destination for a cat and his humans!

Shemo’s Big Adventure

Meanwhile in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Shemo had a lovely few months staying with his friend Glenn and as soon as an available flight came up, Zolko got everything organised for Shemo’s big journey.

He was booked to fly the same route that we did on Asiana Airlines — Ulaanbaatar- Seoul- Los Angeles — and he was the only pet onboard so had the cargo hold to himself.

On the big day, Glenn filled up his water bottle, attached lots of dry food to the outside of his cage and a note to take care of him, and sent Shemo off into the world.

Zolko took Shemo to the airport and made sure he got on his flight and had his stack of paperwork in order. Thanks Zolko! Poor Shemo got the raw end of the deal and had to make his big journey all alone.

I like to think he slept the whole time on the flights and had a chilled trip. All up I think it was around 25hours he was travelling. A long time for a cat, but I know the people at Incheon Airport would have looked after him.

He had been fed his dry food on his stop over, but his water bottle broke on the trip. The nice people at the airport made him a makeshift water cup and attached it to the inside of his cage.

Lead training not going well. He always lies down.

We drove to LA from Scottsdale the night before, ready to pick Shemo up in the morning. We found some Thai food in LA and checked out Pacific Park while we were there.

The next morning we went to the Asiana Airlines cargo bay. We filled in all the paperwork and paid the customs fee. We could see Shemo’s little green box sitting on a pallet next to a desk inside the giant warehouse.

The lady went to check on him and assured us he was still alive. She said he was just sitting there blinking at her. This sounded like Shemo, and we relaxed to hear he had made it.

Before we could get him, we had to go to the customs place. This was only a five minute drive down the road and very easy to find. It took another 15mins for Michael to do the paperwork there and get clearance that Shemo was allowed into the country (this is just paperwork, there are no health checks or anything).

We were super excited to get Shemo as we drove up to the warehouse and crossed the road, avoiding all the giant trucks that were parking up. The guy there checked the paperwork, asked us if we’d been to customs and paid the fee. When we assured him we had he cleared the paperwork and brought Shemo over.

Shemo was so chilled out. He was just sitting there perched in his cage looking fresh as a daisy. Not at all how I feel getting off a long flight, and not at all how I expected he would be. His cage was a bit wet, but didn’t smell at all of cat pee, he might have just knocked his cup during the flight.

We stopped at a gas station to get gas and I let Shemo out of the cage. I sat next to him on the back seat and told him what was happening, it was unclear if he understood. We gave him some water and a bit of wet food but he didn’t seem interested in the food just yet. We cleaned him off with some baby wipes and he sniffed around the car checking stuff out.

We had to get on the road, so Shemo settled himself at my feet and curled up in a ball and went to sleep. As we drove across the endless freeways out of LA, Shemo would occasionally look up to check I was still there, give a little meow and go back to sleep. His little fluffy paw rested on my foot as he slept.

He slept pretty much the whole way back to Scottsdale. At one point he went to explore the backseat and had a nap back there. But other than that it was a very chilled drive (except that it was 122°F/ 50°C outside!) We stopped at the Desert Center and that’s the hottest air I’ve ever been in in my life!

Pacific Park- lots of crazy people and everything smells like weed. But pretty colours and cool looking rides!

Santa Monica Pier. We finally made it back to the ocean after years away!

I could watch the waves and that Ferris wheel all day.

Trying out the lead to go eat some grass.

When we got back, Michael let Chinggis into the stairs and Chinggis ran all the way down to greet Shemo once he spotted him. They circled each other, sniffing, then went on with life as if they had never been separated. Though Chinggis did stalk Shemo around the house for quite a while as he checked everything out.

Shemo went back to his life of sleeping on the couch all day pretty much instantly. He settled into life much better than Chinggis, it was as if he didn’t know he had been transplanted to a new country and a new time zone. He ate all the new food and didn’t show any signs of stress or anxiety from the move.

Chinggis on the other hand does not approve of any of the food in America and we can’t buy his usual Whiskers here. Chinggis also seem to have some separation anxiety if we leave the house. Sometimes he comes from car rides with us when he makes it clear he doesn’t want us to leave. He likes going to the In-N-Out burger drive through.

Flying With a Cat

Travelling internationally with a cat is a big decision and one not to be taken lightly. It is stressful for both cats, and humans, but if you are prepared it can make the journey a lot easier.

Should my cat travel carry-on or cargo?

One of the first questions you should ask yourself is can my cat handle travel? Consider how old are they, if they used to travel, what is their temperament, and if this trip is right for your cat.

Next you need to work out if they be better off travelling with you in cabin, or going in the special pet area in cargo? This is something you need to think about very carefully.

For us it was best to bring Chinggis along in the cabin as he was small enough that it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable for him, he is used to walking with a harness, is well toilet trained, and we didn’t want to wait two months to send him cargo (our flight was fully booked with dogs in cargo).

But this was also stressful for him and I feel like the cargo option might be more calming for a cat.

We chose to send Shemo in the pet cargo because we didn’t have a choice. He was simply too big to fit in a carry-on carrier (over 5kg). But he also meows really loudly when he is scared, he isn’t used to travel, and isn’t good at walking with a harness— therefore cargo was definitely the best option for him. The problem was we had to wait two months before he could get a flight out due to limited flights leaving Mongolia and lining them up with flights to the US that had pet spaces available.

Thing to consider for a cat in the cabin

Check with airline’s weight policies for carry-on pets (this differs between airlines and includes the weight of the cat plus it’s carrier).
Can your cat handle the noise in the cabin?
Will your cat make a lot of noise and get distressed?
Can you handle taking your cat in and out of the carrier when going through security checks?
Can your cat handle going through security checks? Will he get back in the cage when you take him out?
Will you have a layover? If yes, check with the airports policies on pets and if there are pet friendly areas. For example, Incheon Airport allows you to have cats or dogs on leads inside the terminals, but you can’t bring pets into the transit hotels, and if you want to go into a lounge the cat must be back in it’s cage.
Which country are you travelling too? Some countries and some airlines don’t allow pets to travel carry-on with you (like New Zealand and Australia).

Things to consider for a cat travelling cargo

Do you trust the airline? Make sure you pick an airline you have confidence in and are familiar with.
Consider hiring a professional pet relocation service. This was not an option for us as none were operating from Mongolia when we wanted to leave. But having a professional company organise everything for you will take a lot of the stress out of the process. Though this is a more expensive option. Some countries such as New Zealand and Australia will only let pets travel through a pet relocation service, so check your exit and destination country requirements.
My sister used Jetpets to take her cat between NZ and Australia and they were really great.
The cost- it can be more expensive to fly cargo than bring a cat carry-on. Air Asiana was the same cost for both, but some airlines are different.
Can you handle be separated from your cat or will you worry about it too much if it’s in cargo?
Is you cat prone to anxiety in new situations? If yes, cargo might be a more relaxing environment as it has less distractions than the cabin. You also won’t have to take it through security checks with you.

Our Cost for Cats Flying

Vet bills Mongolia= $20

Flying in the cabin Air Asiana- Mongolia to United States= $150

Flying in pet cargo Air Asiana- Mongolia to United States= $500

Customs fee USA= $150

Plus all the time and energy Zolko put in to help us! We couldn’t have done it without her.

Tips for Flying With Cats

Train your cat to walk with a lead and harness months before you travel.
Don’t get a carrier with wheels if you are travelling carry-on with your cat. The carrier won’t be able to fit under the seat.
Use the family restrooms at the airport if you need to clean up any messes or let your kitty out to stretch.
You cannot sit in an exit row seat if you have a pet. This is a safety hazard, so don’t try and sit there.
If you are flying business class they might ask you to put your cat in the overhead locker for takeoff as there is nowhere to secure them on the floor. There was no way in hell I was doing that. We asked to sit in economy for take off and landing so we could put Chinggis under the seat in front so we could see him.
Bring a lint roller with you- cat hair gets everywhere!
Bring your cats favourite food with you. Chinggis hated all the food in America when we first arrived, he only wanted his Whiskers.
Make sure you give your cat water when travelling (but not too much).

Packing List For Flying With Your Cat

Cat Carrier Options- Carry-On

The best cat carrier for a plane is one that is soft, flexible and airline approved. It needs to adhere to the guidelines of the airline you are travelling with and must be able to fit under a seat in front of you. It should be easy to open and close for going through security, and secure enough for your kitty to not rip apart.

Sleepypod Air in-Cabin Pet Carrier

This cat carrier would be my number one choice. It is a stylish and durable carrier that compresses down to easily fit under a seat. It is spacious inside and the dark interior is great for calming pets. The only downside of this it can be hard to see what your pet is up to, but they should happy enough in their own little travel cave. I have a friend with this carrier who has had it for years on multiple flights and it is still going strong.

check the price

Tailova Premium Airline Approved Carrier

Flying with a cat-Tailova Premium pet carrier.jpg

This is the carrier we used to travel with our cat. We chose it because it looks like a normal-ish bag you might see on a plane, it was a good size, it had soft bedding inside, and had good ventilation. I would recommended this for shorter flights or car trips, as towards the end our cat wanted to get out and ended up ripping his way through the zip after a lot of effort. But this was after about 30 hours of travel so I couldn’t blame him for trying.

check the price

Sherpa Travel Original Deluxe Airline Approved Pet Carrier

Flying with cats-Sherpa delta travel carrier.jpg

This is a cheaper option but is proven to be reliable and is one of the most popular pet carriers. It has lots of mesh for good ventilation and has sides that can be rolled down for privacy.

check the price

2. Cargo Cat Carrier

Petmate Sky Kennel

This hard cased pet carrier is designed for pets flying cargo. It comes with live animal stickers, animal ID stickers and clips for bowls. It comes in different sizes so you will need to check what the right size is your your cat and check with the regulations of the airline you are travelling with.

check the price

DryFur Live Animal Label

check the price

Other Useful Items

Zip ties- To tie on water and food containers and secure the cage door.
Absorbent liners- Great for absorbing any messes in the cage.
Spare bedding- Something comfy for your cat and easy to replace in their carrier if they wet it or get sick.
Baby wipes- Wipes that are safe for babies will be safe for cats as well. Avoid any wipes with scents or alcohol.
Rubbish bags- To clean up any messes on the plane or at the airport.
Cat Food Wet- Your cat’s normal food- Bring enough food carry-on to cover the trip, especially if you have a longer layover at an airport. Pack extra in your check luggage for when you arrive. We had a hard time finding any cat food Chinggis liked when we arrived. He refused to eat any new brands so it was good we had extra food he could eat as we settled in.
Cat Food Dry- What your cat is used to. This is much easier to carry on the plane so you may just opt for dry food for your entire trip.

Current Life

We are all together in Phoenix, Arizona now and have a lovely patio for sunbathing and butterfly hunting. These little street cats don’t know how lucky they are! Thanks for reading :)