how can i train my cat for a long travel?

Hi.
My 1 year cat is coming with me to the states from overseas. He is going to be in the cabin with me on a 13 hour fly with a 4 hour lay over. So a total of 17 hours in his carrier.
Everytime I put him in his carrier to go to the veterinar, he just go insane. I barely can hold him to put him inside anyway.
I sprayed his carrier with catnip, I put him inside some treats, leave it outside for him to get used to it. He will just meow all the time and try to scrach it untill he breakes his nails.
Is this normal? He is going to be fine on his travel? I don't think I can take him out at all. I'm afraid I will not be able to put back.

You need to prepare him for this like put him in the carrier everyday with some treats and I ball or a fav. toy and leave him in there starting out for an hour or so and then build the time as days go on. Please do this or something to get him OK with his home(Carrier) If not it could be really bad on him. This also would hurt him for ever getting into a carrier again. If you love him you will be able to put him in there why u go shopping ( leave @ home) that way he can be alone with out thinking you are being mean leaving him in there while you look at him. hope his helps.

ah, catnip makes cats go crazy so thats probably not a good idea. i think he will settle down alittle if you talk to him, but the catnip may not be a good idea!!

Catnip is a stimulant. I would not want an over-stimulated cat in a carrier. You might check with your vet to see if there is some herb that will have a tranquilizing effect on your cat. You also might want to buy a round of drinks for the passengers who will be sitting near you and your meowing cat on that 13-hour flight. They might need some tranquilizing too:-)

Please talk to your vet about it. He may be able to give the cat something to calm him without being sedated. I think there is an over the counter product called CALMZ that might help. I don't know if they still make it.

Flying can be terrifying for cats, so it might help to use twist ties to fasten a piece of cardboard to the front of the carrier. That way kitty won't have all the strange things right in front of him. Another help might be a carrier cover. This is a tailored cover with a slit for the handle that covers the carrier. It will muffle the sound a little and also help to keep cat noises and smells inside the carrier. That way kitty will be somewhat protected from the environment and the other people on the plane will be less likely to complain.

Catnip doesn't calm cats down. In fact it has the opposite effect on many cats. They become over-stimulated and aggressive. Don't be surprised if security asks you to take the cat out of the carrier (after all, kitty could be a bomber!). When you take a cat out in an unfamiliar environment, it can be terrible trying to get them back in the carrier. Be sure to clip claws before you leave!

It helped our cats if I left the carrier in the middle of the livingroom for several weeks. I fed the cat in the carrier and kept treats in the carrier. That way he was more familiar with it. Of course, there are some cats that will go bananas anyway. I had one like that I called "Taz".