With travel kennels, one of the most important steps you can take to ease the stress of travel for your pet is to make sure it becomes familiar with its new temporary housing. Purchase the pet carrier as far in advance as possible. Veterinarians recommend leaving the carrier door open in the house with an old sock or familiar object inside so that your pet may spend time near this new addition to your house and perhaps venture inside on its own. Since it is important that your pet be as relaxed as possible during the flight, familiarization with the new carrier is essential.

All pet carriers must follow these guidelines:

Type/size
First, it must be sturdy, properly ventilated on all 4 sides and most importantly, must be large enough for your pet to freely sit and stand with its head erect, turn around, and lie down in a normal posture. To prevent accidental injury, no part of the animal's body can protrude through any openings in the carrier. For this reason, collapsible or wire carriers made are not accepted by the airlines.

Super Size It
Not all airlines can transport dogs in "Giant" crates/kennels (700 series) whose dimensions do not exceed 48" L x 32" W x 35" H (121 cm X 68 cm X 89 cm). Most larger aircrafts will accommodate this size pet carrier, but the pet transporter will need permission to alternately route any 700 kennels booked on smaller aircrafts.

Closing Mechanism
Check the closing mechanism to make sure it works properly. Do not put a lock on the door of the carrier. In accordance with federal regulations, your pet must be accessible in the event of an emergency.

Wheels
World Pet Travel discourages any type of pet carrier with wheels on the bottom unless the wheels have a locking device. If your pet carrier has wheels, it is recommended that they either be removed or taped in order to prevent them from rolling in transit.

Animals per carrier
Each kennel should contain no more than 1 adult dog or cat, or no more than 2 puppies or kittens younger than 6 months, of comparable size, and under 20 lb (9.1 kg) each. Dogs and cats cannot travel together in the same container.

Include two empty food dishes
Include two empty dishes (one for food and one for water), accessible from the outside.

Absorbent Material
The kennel must contain absorbent material or litter. (Black and white printed newspaper is a good choice. However, newspaper with colored ink or advertisements can be toxic to animals.) Please note that the use of straw, hay or wood shavings is prohibited for international shipments.

It is important to get the right size travel carrier for your pet whether they are traveling in the cabin or as cargo.

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