When cats fly (AP)

Last edited Mon Nov 27, 2017, 07:20 PM - Edit history (1)

Oscar is a cat of the world but he didn't like flying

By TALI ARBEL Associated Press Nov 11, 2017 (0)

NEW YORK (AP) — Oscar is a cat of the world. He has his own Instagram account, @Oskibabi , along with high-tech toys like a remote-controlled centipede.

But there's one aspect of modern life Oscar doesn't like: flying.

Rather than leave Oscar home in New York while I spent 10 days in Phoenix, I decided to take him with me. It's not that unusual. Over 500,000 animals a year fly on U.S. airlines as cargo, and it's common now to see dogs in the cabin, too.

But Oscar appeared to be terrified. On two nonstop flights, he curled up in a ball for hours on end, damp to the touch. (Cats mainly sweat through their paws, but veterinarian Brian Collins explained to me that sweat could be profuse enough to wind up on his fur. Or maybe it was my sweat.)

The experience was, however, the closest we'll probably ever come to having celebrity status, at least in terms of the positive attention we got from airport and airline workers. Their unexpected sweetness tempered the stress of traveling with a pet. I've never encountered such friendly TSA agents. Flight attendants didn't snap at me to put my seat in the right position before departure. Instead, they cooed at me — or, rather, at the gray-brown tabby in my lap.
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more: http://www.stltoday.com/business/oscar-is-a-cat-of-the-world-but-he-didn/article_b49df9b3-7810-5d09-9f94-ce46e2dc61fe.html




Thought this was interesting, and might prove useful to some.