EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT Traveling TO ITALY & Germany WITH CATS

Written By Hilda Castillo-Landrum

Gosh where do I even begin?

Let start with travel documents for traveling to Italy and Germany with a large cat. Keep in mind that the documents that the country requires can differ from what the airline you are flying with requires so make sure you have documents to satisfy every need.

I booked a United Airline flight because my cat is huge (I have a maine coon) and they don’t have a weight limit for their animals. As long as they fit in the TSA approved carrier, then it’s fine. The problem with this was that it wasn’t a direct flight, so the weight limit rules for the other airlines made things difficult for me since my cat was over the weight limit. Also, keep in mind that the weight isn’t specifically for the animal, it’s for the animal AND carrier combined. If you have a small cat or dog, then this likely wouldn’t be an issue for you. I was taking a real risk with the other airlines (Lufthansa & AirDolomiti) allowing me on with my cat being over the weight limit. I had a back up plan that if they said “no”, I would call the airline to let them know I would be skipping that leg of the connection and why and then I would have to rent a car or take a train to get to my final destination. Know that if you just skip your flight without calling the airline, they will cancel your ENTIRE flight (return flights as well) because you are considered a “no show”. I was fortunate and they let me slide on both airlines. They actually never even weighed him, they just looked at the measurements of the carrier.

So to get into Italy and Germany, you need a pet health certificate. This has to be acquired from a USDA veterinarian and the time limits can be tricky. You can’t submit documentation to the USDA until 10 days before the trip and you just have to hope it arrives in time for departure. Ours arrived 2 days before we left. For approval they need to be up to date on all vaccines (titers don’t work without a medical reason, like an allergy, etc.), have a microchip AND if it’s a dog, have parasite protection within like 3 days I believe. Your vet will know all of this, so ask them for your SPECIFIC country in case it differs from Italy & Germany. On top of that, United Airlines also wanted to see the rabies certificate. Airdolomiti and Lufthansa also wanted to see the rabies certificate AND have me fill out and print 2 copies of a form they have online.

Please note that the pet health certificate should cost no more than $400. I got gouged and paid $1200. HARD lesson learned. Learn from my mistake and shop around for the best price months in advance.

Don’t forget you have to declare a live animal upon return to the United States. This will hold you up a little bit getting out of the airport. It wasn’t too bad though to be honest. I have Global entry so I never have to wait in the customs line and was able to get straight to the front of the agriculture/pet line.

Now for the flight itself. If your animals is not a service animal, they will need to remain in the carrier and under the seat in front of you for the duration of the flight. So MAKE SURE the carrier you have is well ventilated and comfortable. I also purchased a hand held fan that I used on the warmer flights to keep my cat cool. The flight to Europe was ridiculously warm so without the fan, I would have been very worried about Shark. You could get lucky and get flight attendants that love animals and are ok with bending the rules a little and they will let you take your pet out for water or potty breaks but don’t count on it. Instead, make sure your pet is well hydrated the day before and don’t feed him/her right before the flight so they don’t have to relieve themselves on the plane. Also, look for the pet relief areas at the airport, to give your fur baby one last chance to “go” before boarding the plane. I tried to feed and water my fur baby as we got closer to landing. He didn’t want anything but that is when I thought would be a good time to offer food/water. If your pet gets cold easily, then bring a small blanket that they can curl up with in their carrier. Make sure it’s not too bulky though, so they can still move around easily in the carrier.

Notes for at the airport. Each airport is different, at both in San Francisco and Italy (Rome and Venice), I was told to take my cat out of the carrier so the carrier bag could go through the x-ray machine and I then walked through with my cat in my arms. In Venice and Frankfurt, I was also sent to a totally different area of the airport to pay the in cabin pet fee, so this added some extra time. In Munich (Germany), they took me and my cat (in the carrier) to a totally separate room, to do a thorough search of the carrier bag and the cat. I found this to be quite a waste of time and inefficient but whatever. Oh and it made me almost miss my flight because it took so long. Keep these things in mind when deciding what time to arrive at the airport. I suggest an extra 45 minutes, for “just in case” random stuff. Better safe than sorry.

Notes for your destination. I always like to locate the nearest emergency vet clinic/hospital, as well as the nearest pet store for each destination I travel to.

Once at the hotel (or other accommodations), it’s important to do a thorough search for dangerous items such as choking hazards, pest poisons, unstable items, etc. and also make sure there are no escape routes for your fur family member to leave the accommodations. Once that has been established, it’s time to set up the litter box and food/water area. Make sure your cat knows where both are.

For trains in Europe, I found that the same rules apply as airplanes. Pets remain in carriers for the duration of the journey. Again, if you get a super pet friendly employee (thankfully I did), they might let you bend the rules and let your pet out of the carrier but don’t count on it. Prepare for the strictest case scenario, with a comfortable and well ventilated carrier and a hand held fan/blanket depending on the weather.

TRAVEL PACKING LIST

Did I leave you with any other questions? Feel free to drop them in the comments and I am happy to answer them. :)

If you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends/family and on your socials! :)

Shark was the FIRST cat EVER to do a tour of the underground dungeons of the Colosseum in Rome!!! :D

Hilda Castillo-Landrum
Previous

TRAVEL INSURANCE IS A MUST
Next

ITWE APPAREL, APPAREL WITH A HEART