Long Air travel with pet cat... advice?

Im taking my cat on a long air travel with 2 transits, as cabin baggage. I'd like some advice bout sedating him. He's the type that gets very stressed in a strange place and does moan and howl about it sometimes, n i wouldnt want any trouble if pasengers complain. besides But i am worried about sedating him cuz it'll be 20 hours in all, n thats a long time. Will he be ok without food for that long? what about his toilet? I don want him awake and stressed for that long either, plus i dont know if he'll get air sick or something, or if the altitude and stuff would give him a hard time.
i'd appreciate some advice or tips if anyone has taken their pets on long trips before...
thanks for the advice everyone...
i should add im takin him from india to canada n its permanent since we're moving. i've checked on health cert stuff, n he's vaccinated n all. n by cabin baggage i mean i can keep him with me under the seat in his carrier. im takin his own carrier which is pretty sturdy, but the airline (lufthansa) said they'll provide one too if i need so i'll take that one if its better!
im not sure what their rules are bout drugging him, but it would seem that 20 hours will be pretty traumatic if he's awake n stressed out about it. but looks like sedation has its down side too. are there any drugs that calm him down but don put him out or something?

okay! i would be sacred too! u should see if the airline will let you kep ur cat in a crate in the seat next 2 u or under it if u explain the problem to them! (i would let u) just see! but don't sedate him! sooooo dangerous when it is 4 20 hours!!!

Check with petsmart.com or petco.com for such items.

Don't be surprised if you encounter difficulty booking your cat's travel. The Federal Aviation Administration has made security changes since the terrorist attacks that affect how pets are shipped. Professional pet transporters have the necessary licenses to move pets with the airlines, but only a few airlines will currently still deal directly with the public. Depending on the airline, one or two cats may be allowed in the cabin as a carry-on, or can be booked as excess baggage with you on the same flight in the cargo area of the plane.

Follow the Rules: An airline-approved shipping crate is required. For travel in the cabin, a soft-sided carrier may be used. But for travel as cargo or in the baggage area, the crate must be plastic with a metal door. It should be big enough for the cat to sit up, turn around and lie down in. The less expensive carriers are not the safest. The higher-priced crates are made of sturdier fiberglass, rather than plastic, and have stronger doors that will not fly open. Each crate must be labeled with live animal stickers, consignee information, feeding instructions, and have two dishes attached to the door. These are federal regulations that must be met.
Provide Timely Proof: Every cat needs a health certificate and proof of rabies vaccine. The Animal Welfare Act says the health certificate must be dated no more than 10 days prior to the trip. If it expires a new one will be required.
Say No to Drugs: The American Veterinary Medical Association and the Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association do not recommend tranquilizing your cat for flying. It is now widely recognized that tranquilizers are the number one cause of illness and deaths in pets shipped by air. Several airlines will now also refuse to accept a tranquilized pet. Better to have a pet soil the crate, but arrive safe and sound. Travel by air is stressful no doubt; but healthy pets survive a few hours of travel quite nicely. Pad the bottom of the carrier with plastic diapers (padding turned up) to help absorb any accidents that might occur.
Understand Delays: Excessive heat and cold can prohibit pet shipments. Each airline can put an embargo in place to prevent moving a pet when it is less than 45 degrees, or more than 85 degrees at either end, or at any stop along the way, if they will be exposed to these temperatures for more than 45 minutes. Professional pet transporters and airlines must abide by these federal regulations. Therefore, even if you have your cat booked to go with you as excess baggage, temperatures may prohibit it traveling on that day. This is for the health and safety of your pet.
Planning and common sense can alleviate most of the problems encountered when traveling with your cat. Fluffy may never love traveling, but you can help make it easier. For more complex moves the use a professional pet transporter for air travel is not the least expensive alternative, but may be the best choice, when moving the cat yourself becomes overwhelming. Professional pet shippers are licensed by the USDA for interstate travel and have a TSA approved security program. They will handle all the documents for arrangements with the airline and to meet the FAA/TSA requirements.

Most vets are reluctant to use a sedative when it's not clearly needed. My vets state the reason for that is that they make it very difficult for you to tell if the cat is okay or in serious distress because respiration may slow down and cats may be generally unresponsive.

With that all said, I highly recommend that you consult a Vet for this issue, please do not use any kind of sedative without checking with the Vet first.
Good luck and you both have a safe trip.

I'm not sure what you mean by "cabin baggage". In time past, airline allowed cat or dog in carrier that will fit under seat. Ask about that.
Ask Vet for sedation (AcePromazine worked for me). It lasted only about four hours, but cats were quiet for more than ten hours. Seems the "fuzzy" experience bewildered them enough to keep them calm.
He will be fine without food for 20 or more hours. Cabin is pressurized so altitude should not be a problem. Cats will usually not need to go "potty" when sedated and/or in carrier.
Give kitty water as soon as possible after flight.

Best wishes.

Hi. I've done this post 9/11. It can be done in the cabin (which is the only way I'd do it) but make absolutely sure you've covered everything with an airline rep - they have different rules. Be sure you know what health records will be required, what size carrier you need, etc. Double and triple check this and get names of anyone you talk to.

Then I'd ask the vet about the sedative. I do think it's a good thing to have on hand, although I wouldn't use it unless necessary. The vet can give you enough for a 20 hour trip with instructions on how to give it. If you've never given your cat a pill before, be sure to get one of those pill launchers and have the vet tech show you how to use it.

No food at all, but see if you can get a paper cup for water and then, during a layover, let her sip it. Not much, though - you don't want to have to clean up a mess if she pees (altho one of my cats had a diarrhea explosion once after a prolonged stay on the ground in the heat!)

Finally, when you say 20 hours, I assume that if this is an int'l trip, you've checked on any additional items you'd need to cross a border.

It's really quite doable - you just have to cover your bases before you go. good luck!

i took my cat to Brazil ! he woke up after 5 or 6 hours i dont remmenber wel,its been 10 years! i wait for the connection 1 hour! when we arrive I had to clean his cage ( wet!) so keep napkins on hand!!
if he wakes up before, give a little water and a little food!,but i mean very little water!
but dont feed him 4 hours before the flight or after he used the cat litter, will be fine and I hope you have a pleasant and nice trip!

My advice is: DON'T ever travel with a pet on any airline. On February 2nd, 2006, my parents tried to take our small ten-year-old family cat Zora with them to Switzerland for a long stay. They had an approved carrier and handed Zora in the carrier over to Air Canada officials at check-in at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Three hours later, they were told Zora had been lost, and were escorted off the plane. Finally, hours after that, my parents were informed that the cat had somehow escaped from the (locked and tied) kennel while still inside the (gigantic) luggage hall, made her way outside, and been run over by a luggage vehicle on the tarmack... We are still sick to our stomachs over it two years later, and I can also add that we did not receive satisfactory compensation. Moreover, we have never ever received any satisfactory answers from anyone on what might have happened. When we got the carrier back, it was in perfect condition, but with the door taken entirely off (nothing broken, just disconnected). We're pretty sure our cat was not clever enough to unhitch the door from both sides, and we can only speculate how she possibly could have escaped.

When you hand an animal over to an airline, they make you sign a waver that exonerates them legally from any liability if something goes wrong. Moreover, Canadian law is extremely unprogressive when it comes to animal welfare in the hands of airlines/transportation authorities, and the most you can expect to settle for is the market value of the replacement of your animal. We received a small settlement (smaller than you would expect to receive if your luggage had been lost) from the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (the people who sub-contract the baggage handling).

In short, just don't do it. If you know a nice family in India who can give your animal a loving permanent home, do that instead. It would have been much less painful for my parents to leave the cat behind in safe hands (even for a lifetime) than it is now to carry the incredible pain of imagining how horribly Zora must have suffered, lost in the noise and chaos of machines for so many hours, before finally being killed.