Hello... my cat Timmy is in Austin, Tx right now and we want him sent to Ft. Myers, Florida. He would be travelling alone and I am curious what the first steps are that I need to take to send him on an airplane. Also, does anyone know how much this costs?

#1 try for a direct flight that is very important. The best thing you can do is call the airline that you are thinking of using and talk with them. Some of them even have websites with that information on it, but it is better to follow up with a person. Antoher thing is with the holidays and the airlines being so busy, ask them the chances of him being bumped from 1 flight to another. I know with cargo if the planes get to full they will bump cargo to the next flight. Animals that fly alone are shipped via cargo. If you were flying he could go as carry on. Also another thing make sure that the state you are flying him in does not require a certificate of health. Your state may not need one but Flordia may. Ask the airline rep about this.

Airline Pet Rules Regulations for In Cabin or Cargo/Checked Baggage for your pet airplanes. (http://www.pettravel.com/airline_rules.cfm) has a lot of information about shipping your cat by air. Do be aware that winter weather can cause massive problems with air travel, and the pet could wind up stranded at an airport. I was in Chicago one year when a blizzard blew in, and they had literally piles of luggage running down the hallways from traffic that had come in and had no connections to go out on. There were several pet carriers in there, and I know that it took days for all that to get worked out.

There are companies that will ship them by ground which you may want to look into. A Google on "pet transport" will get you several sites to go browse, in case that seems like a better option.

And finally, you might want to consider getting a cheap round trip flight, and take the cat with you in the cabin.

Make sure that
A) your pet can last that long cooped up in a carrier.
B) try to get a larger dog carrier that he will be more comfortable in.
C) try to condition him to the crate by maybe making it so he sleeps in it at night.
D) put a blanket in there with cat nip cause it will calm him down.