A cat gets its own file. They share the identity, health and travel records, but the rules at the other end can differ by species, and the United States is the clearest case: the CDC's dog route doesn't apply to cats at all.
Where a cat is different
- The vaccines
- Your cat's vaccination set is agreed with the treating veterinarian and checked against the destination rule. We do not present one marketing checklist as a prescription.
- The microchip
- Many routes need an ISO 11784/11785 chip, and some need it before the vaccine or blood test. We check the order for his route before anything is dated.
- The snub-nosed rule
- It's written for dogs and cats, so a Persian or an Exotic Shorthair can meet the same airline refusals and tighter heat limits as a Pug.
- The crate openings
- IATA caps openings at 19 by 19 mm for cats, smaller than for dogs, so no paw gets through.
The carrier, for a cat
The same five steps work, and one matters even more for a cat: taping the door open through the middle stage, so it can't swing.
- Put the crate where the family is. Place the travel carrier box, the travel kennel, in the room the family actually uses. It becomes furniture before it becomes a container.
- Take the door off and make it worth entering. On a plastic travel carrier box, remove the door and put some treats and your pet's favourite toy inside.
- Put the door back, taped open. Once your pet is used to the box, put the door back on but tape it open so it does not swing back and forth. Very often it is the swinging that scares a pet, not the box.
- Close the door briefly, while you sit beside it. When your pet is comfortable inside, close the door for a short time while you stay next to the box.
- Build the time up. When your pet stays quietly inside, leave it alone for 5, 10, 15 and then 30 minutes, and if that goes well, for longer intervals. Your pet will be in the box for a long stretch on travel day, so the longer the practice runs, the better.
Bringing a cat into India
Under current AQCS baggage-rule guidance, a dog aged three months or older and a cat must be vaccinated against rabies more than one month and within 12 months before actual embarkation, with the details officially certified in the health certificate.
The rest, from the legal route to the Advance NOC, is in bringing a pet into India.
Source: IKAN Lola's published guidance on cats, and IATA Live Animals Regulations, 52nd edition, Container Requirement 1.