The Wirecutter Show Episode 12: Traveling with Pets | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Christine Cyr Clisset, Caira Blackwell, Rosie Guerin, Abigail Keel and Mel Plaut

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Many people unknowingly put their pet in danger while driving or flying. This week, we talk about how to keep your furry friends safe and calm when traveling.

Mel Plaut, Wirecutter’s pet gear writer and longtime pet lover, talks about what to look for in a pet carrier, why dogs and cats should never roam free in cars, and how to navigate the confusing world of getting your pet through the airport and on a plane. Mel also shares tips on when to take your pet to the vet before traveling, and the gear to help your cat or dog acclimate once at your destination.

How to keep your animal companion safe in transit in a car or plane.

After much research and hundreds of air miles traveled, Wirecutter pet owners have learned to rely on this gear when flying with cats or small dogs.

Here’s our advice on all-in-one problem solvers.

CAIRA: From The New York Times, you are listening to The Wirecutter Show.

CHRISTINE: Hey everyone, it's The Wirecutter Show. I'm Christine Cyr Clisset.

CAIRA: I'm Caira Blackwell.

ROSIE: And I'm Rosie Guerin. And we work at Wirecutter, the product recommendation site from The New York Times.

CAIRA: Each week we bring you expert advice from our newsroom of 140 journalists who review everyday products that will make your life better. This episode of The Wirecutter Show is called "Traveling with Pets."

[SOUND EFFECT] Meow

CAIRA: Rosie, Christine.

ROSIE: Hello.

CHRISTINE: Hi.

CAIRA: I'm a little bit ashamed to say that I think it's my turn to say that I don't think that I've been doing something right.

ROSIE: Really.

CHRISTINE: Hot seat.

ROSIE: Do tell.

CAIRA: Oh my gosh. Yeah, I'm in the hot seat. So, basically I've had a cat, he's a very large black cat, for almost 10 years now, and I take him with me everywhere. But after reading Wirecutter’s guide on pet carriers, I'm starting to think that maybe I've been traveling with him all wrong.

CHRISTINE: Oh, really?

ROSIE: Your biggest mistake is reading Wirecutter?

CHRISTINE: Well, I am impressed that you can even travel with your cat. My cat freaks out if we even open the door of our apartment.

ROSIE: It's impressive, yeah.

CAIRA: Oh, he's my little road dog. I throw him in a backpack and I just go. But yeah, no, I'm also-

ROSIE: It turns out that's not the way?

CAIRA: Maybe it's too easy and I should have known that that was bad. Am I a bad pet parent?

CHRISTINE: Well, what are you doing? What exactly is happening?

CAIRA: Well, I drive upstate with him almost once a month, and I will just let him roam free in the car and sit in my lap, because otherwise he just cries the whole time. It drives me crazy.

CHRISTINE: I mean, if traveling with pets is anything like traveling with kids, I think that's probably a no-no. Right?

CAIRA: Yeah.

ROSIE: Yeah. I'd like to say I don't think you're a bad mom. I think you have good intentions, but I perhaps think maybe it's time to rethink the approach. Fair?

CAIRA: Fair.

CHRISTINE: Well, being Wirecutter, we have the perfect person to talk to. We're going to bring Mel Plaut on today. Mel is Wirecutter's staff pet gear writer, and they are so knowledgeable about this topic. They've written about all types of pet gear for Wirecutter, and for their most recent guide they tested a ton of pet carriers. Mel interviewed vets, crash test safety experts and service dog organizations to learn about what you should be looking for in a pet carrier, and basically about pet travel in general. Mel also has a lot of experience traveling with pets. They've traveled to Italy with three cats, which is wild, and also traveled across the country with their dog, Dave.

CAIRA: Dave.

CHRISTINE: I'm looking forward to learning more about Dave.

CAIRA: I love when pets have people names.

CHRISTINE: It's funny, yeah.

CAIRA: I think Mel is going to be great to talk to, because they can tell us about the things you absolutely cannot take shortcuts on when traveling with your pets, and the things that you didn't even know that you were doing wrong.

ROSIE: This sounds juicy, and I'm just excited to hopefully figure out some more information about what the rules are, because I know that there are rules out there but they're not clear, there's not clear guidance on what's best, what's most convenient, but also what's safest both for you and your pet.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, and the rules change, depending on how you travel! So we’ll start off talking about car travel, and then later, we’ll talk about flying with your pets.

ROSIE: Let's do it.

CHRISTINE: All right, we'll take a quick break and be back with Mel Plaut, our pet writer. See you in a sec.

CAIRA: Welcome back to The Wirecutter Show. With us in the studio today is Mel Plaut. Mel is a Wirecutter staff writer who covers all things pet gear, and of course, a long time pet owner and lover. Mel's tested over 100 products for pets, like dog beds and pet water fountains. More recently, their 65 pound dog, Dave, joined them on several long road trips across the U.S., first-hand testing at its best.

CHRISTINE: Mel, welcome to The Wirecutter Show.

MEL: Thanks for having me.

CHRISTINE: It's great to have you here.

ROSIE: So Mel, I know you recently wrote a guide for Wirecutter about pet carriers for cats and small dogs. Before we get into the recommendations… I have to know… how did you test these things? What was the process?

MEL: So initially, so I get all the bags, and I do a lot of what I can do without an animal. So, I'm like recreating a vomit concoction.

ROSIE: Sorry, what?

CHRISTINE: Vomit? Concoction?

MEL: It's not as bad as you might think. I take a pretty smelly dog food and I mix it up with water, and dog food's very oily and gross. To us, not to them. And so, I would rub that inside of each carrier, on the walls and on the bedding. And this time I didn't do the fake cat pee. I've emulated cat pee, but I didn't have the materials. You have to buy this stuff that I feel like puts me on a Homeland Security list somewhere. I did that for the litter guide and I did that for other things, but I didn't have the ability to do that this time. So, I get it all disgusting, I let it situations, then I do a bunch of spot cleaning, then I wash whatever I can in the washing machine. So, there's still a lot of cleanliness testing. I take these meat shredder claws. They make you look like Wolverine-

CAIRA:What are they actually supposed to be used for?

MEL: Meat shredding.

CAIRA: Literally just to make shredded chicken.

MEL: Yeah, exactly. And they're really sharp, they're plastic.

CAIRA: And then you just take them to these carriers just beat them up?

MEL: And I go at them, yeah. And so, I see if there's any tears, if the mesh will hold up. This is your worst nightmare. A cat especially, dogs are, I mean, I don't want to say dogs are dumber. I love dogs, I have a dog. But cats are very good at ruining your plans.

CHRISTINE: Correct.

CAIRA: Oh, yeah. Ruining anything.

CHRISTINE: My cat ruins my entire apartment all the time.

MEL: Exactly. So, you don't want a cat to break out of the mesh. So, I'm gripping the mesh or trying to rip the mesh as best I can. I'm trying to poke out from the inside with the zippers to see if the zippers are secure. I was also testing for human comfort, like how comfortable are these to carry around? So, I got a 15 pound bag of rice, because no animals should be subjected to this, and then I took each carrier, put the 15 pound bag of rice in, and I walked up and down hills in summer in Los Angeles for 10 minutes per bag. It was the worst CrossFit workout I've ever done in my life.

CAIRA: Yes, getting that workout during work. I like that.

MEL: Yeah. And then the other thing I did was I also measured all the square inches of ventilation. I based my benchmark on the International Air Transport Association's guidelines. They have very solid, clear guidelines for kennels that you're going to put in a cargo hold in a plane. They want your carrier to have 16% of the carrier to be ventilation, but it's 16% of the four sides, not including the top or bottom. I'm not sure why. So, I did all this math, I did a lot of calculations and there with my tape measure, measuring each mesh panel and then measuring the whole thing, and then doing percentages. That was really fun, that was a great spreadsheet that no one should ever have to look at. But basically they all either met or exceeded that, so nobody was under. There was one that was at 16% and not below.

CAIRA: Because you don't have cats anymore, I thought I read in your guide that you had gone to the local shelter to enlist some pet help too, right?

MEL: Best day of my life.

CAIRA: That's so fun.

MEL: I almost ended up with 20 new cats.

CAIRA: Of course you did.

MEL: Yes, I went to a rescue organization in L.A. called Kitten Rescue L.A., and just set the carriers down. I had my sense of what would be the picks, but I was like, "Well, let's let some cats go at these." And I did have two different dogs come in and give their opinions as well, but cats are more opinionated typically.

CAIRA: Of course.

MEL: But yeah, these kittens and cats were biting at the straps, and clawing at every possible thing, and fighting in and out. And then there was a party in the one that expands, so then there was as many cats as you could fit in them. They're like, "Oh, I want to get in there. I could fit in there." And then somebody's sitting on top, but trying to ... It was really fun. I really did almost leave there with several new cats.

CAIRA: It's worth doing the math when you get to do something like that.

MEL: Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Ok so Mel, let’s talk about traveling with your pet by car. I recently went on a road trip and almost every day, I feel like I saw a dog with its head out the window, ears flapping in the wind. I’m guessing this is not the right way to travel with your pets, yeah?

MEL: Yeah. I mean, the consensus is your pet should always be restrained in the car, and that some form of restraint is better than none. So, no pet should be roaming around, nobody should be sitting in your lap in the front seat, and they shouldn't also be in the passenger seat because they can get injured by airbags. Now, it depends what your pet will tolerate and what you can afford, and what kind of car you have, but you should be putting them in something, especially cats. Dogs, it's best to put them in a kennel, it's the supposedly safest thing, but there are some harnesses that you could try to attach them to the seat belt with.

CAIRA: What about, I have a really big cat and I've had a problem where I've bought a carrier that seems like it's a little bit too small. Should I have been measuring him literally from head to tail to see what size carrier I should get?

MEL: You should measure according to what the manufacturer says, because again, there's this hole in the research partly because it's underfunded, it's not like the government is funding this kind of stuff. They don't do the same for pet travel as they do for kid travel, kids in cars and car seats. So, each manufacturer has its own ideas about what a good fit is. What the consensus is for sizing, to the degree that there is any consensus, is your pet should be able to sit, stand up, turn around, and lay back down. They should have that much room. But the other caveat is, especially for dogs, the sizing should be smaller for a travel kennel than it should be for a home crate. Because if there is a hard stop or an emergency maneuver, or a crash, you want a smaller space for them to bang around in. But just enough still that they can be somewhat comfortable.

CAIRA: Can you tell me, because I am one of those bad pet parents that I really do let my cat just sit in my lap, because he cries otherwise or whatever. But after reading your guide, hearing you say it today, that is very bad. Can you tell me why?

MEL: Because they'll become a projectile, number one, in the event of something terrible happening. Even if you have to just hit the brakes, they'll maybe hit the steering wheel. And number two, they're a huge cause of distracted driving, so they may actually be the cause of that crash, because you're just like, "Oh, look how cute you are." And I will say, don't beat yourself up too much because when I was writing this carrier's guide, I texted my wife and I was like, "Do we have pictures of one of these road trips with the cats?" And so, she sent pictures. I mean, this is again, now I know too much. And so, it's-

CHRISTINE: Stressful.

MEL: ... almost more stressful, of one of our cats. And there's me driving with her in my lap, and she's looking out the window, and you think it's cute but I actually think now in retrospect that she was probably just as stressed out in my lap as she was in the carrier.

CHRISTINE: What's the concern about the window specifically?

MEL: She was looking out the closed window. I would never open the window for a category, and a lot of people open the window for dogs. And through my reporting, I spoke to people at American Kennel Club, AKC and vets, and they see a lot of injuries of, one, eye injuries from debris in the road getting kicked up into a dog's eyes, and number two, dogs falling out the window.

CHRISTINE: Oh my God.

MEL: And in fact, one of the vets was like, "We see this way more than just crashes." I mean, it's much more common for a dog to get injured that way. And she did say if your dog can fit their nose out the window, they can get their body out if they really want to. Sorry to be a buzzkill for everybody.

CAIRA: Yeah.

ROSIE: No, that's fine.

CHRISTINE: But it kind of feels like the state of traveling with pets right now, regulation-wise is maybe a little bit like being a kid in the '80s, because you could just ride around without a seat belt, ride in the back of the truck, which I did a lot. But you mentioned earlier that-

ROSIE: It's rock and roll.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, just hardcore fun. That's super fun as a kid, honestly.

MEL: And look, you're here today.

CHRISTINE: I'm here, I made it.

ROSIE: So, what are we even talking about?

MEL: You're proof that it's safe, case closed.

CHRISTINE: But to your earlier point, you mentioned that there really isn't any federal regulation around things like pet carriers or how you even travel with your pet, there's no rules about this. Which brings me to the question-

MEL: Well, there is for air travel.

CHRISTINE: For air travel, okay. So, we'll get to that in a few minutes. But when we’re talking about a pet carrier, what are you looking for? Are there safety certifications or something that when you were figuring out what to test that you were looking for?

MEL: There is one organization that we're aware of, and there could be some much smaller outfit doing this, although I highly doubt it because of the expense involved, this one organization that's independent nonprofit that is doing crash testing for carriers, kennels and harnesses to a certain degree. And manufacturers that make these things can pay them a fee to have them coordinate this crash testing. It's called the Center for Pet Safety. And so, that is the only one I am aware of in this country that is doing anything like that independently. A lot of companies will say, "Our thing is crash tested," and they're not doing it through the Center for Pet Safety. And that may be all well and good, it doesn't mean it's bad crash testing, but the Center for Pet Safety has its own set of standards where if a company does crash testing and passes with them, and they make any changes, significant changes, non-aesthetic changes to the product, they have to recertify. When I was looking, it was a very good sign that a company was willing to invest in doing it with an independent entity so they could say, "We've been crash tested by the Center for Pet Safety." Is it a perfect system? No, and they'll be the first to tell you that too. There's no way to recreate all the variables involved.

CHRISTINE: Does getting one of these carriers that has this certification from the Center of Pet Safety, does it increase the cost of a pet carrier? Are those usually more expensive?

MEL: Yes.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, okay. And are there other things that you should be looking for inside a carrier to secure your animal inside the carrier? Or is it just fine that they're moving around in there?

MEL: So, a lot of the carriers, like the smaller soft-sided carriers for cats and small dogs will come with a leash tether. But that is not something you should actually attach while you're in motion, especially in a car. It's something to sort of say, "Okay, I'm in the airport and I want to reach in and pet you, and make sure you're okay or give you a drink of water, treat …but you're attaching them to that so that they can't bolt. My nightmare was like a cat just breaking out and being somewhere at JFK-

CAIRA: Just loose in the airport.

MEL: ... and then I end up on the cover of the New York Post.ROSIE: Honestly, I would option that article, I would make that movie, and I'd watch that movie.

CHRISTINE: Cats On A Plane.

CAIRA: That happened to me at Amtrak, actually, my cat got out, because I had a terrible carrier that had a zipper on the bottom for some reason. He dropped through the carrier while we were on the train, and he bolted just down the train. And somebody at the end of the train, I ran through the entire train, somebody had him. They just picked him up and they were like, "I guess this is yours."

MEL: You're like, "Stop that cat."

ROSIE: Yeah, that's the end of the trailer for the film. We'll sidebar.I think there are a couple of other things I would look for though. So, you want it to be comfortable for your pet, the carriers especially. THe kennels, you're going to have to supply that yourself, putting a bed inside or something. But most of the carriers come with some sort of soft bottom. Ventilation is another good thing. But also, especially for cats, the ability to, we've been calling them privacy panels where you're like, you have all this ventilation but you just want to dissociate and you want to pretend that this isn't happening. I get it, let's make it a dark little den for you so you can just pretend.

CHRISTINE: Derek, my cat, would like that.

CAIRA: Not Derek.

CHRISTINE: Yes, Derek.

CAIRA: Derek.

ROSIE: Bless him.

CAIRA: Let's say that you have a rowdy pet, or specifically a dog I would think, and you know that you need to put them in a crate in the back. Can you just explain, does that need to be strapped down somehow or is it fine as is?

MEL: It should always be strapped down.

CAIRA: How?

MEL: So, if you have like a SUV, or a crossover SUV, or a minivan, something like that, it's much easier because you have that cargo area. And so, often car manufacturers will have these tie down hooks in the back that you can put ratchet straps through or straps with cam buckles. It's meant to secure a cargo, because really anything can be a projectile in a car crash. So, you can make use of those, but there's other things like the things on the back of the back seat called the latch system, which is built for child car seats-

ROSIE: Yeah, we use them, the car seats, they're like those anchors and you latch them in.

MEL: Exactly. So, you can put your straps through those as well. If it's in the back seat, it's a little bit harder. So, you have to do what you can and you just find what's in your car. Again, it's just not perfect because every car is different, the car manufacturers are a little bit less invested in the strength of the hooks for your cargo and your dog than they are in your latch system for your child, but they will do that, they will test those and care about that. I think it's a little bit harder for them to figure out how to do it for pet travel.

CHRISTINE: So Mel, in our pet carrier guide you feature six pet carriers that are good for traveling with your pet. And we’ve linked to that guide in our show notes, so listeners can go and see those picks. But I'm curious for your top pick – it is actually not crash tested. Can you tell us what that pick is and why is that okay that it's not crash tested?

MEL: So, that pick is the Sturdy Bag Pro 2.0.

CHRISTINE: And is that for cats and dogs, or it's just for categories?

MEL: It's for cats and small-

CHRISTINE: And small dogs, okay.

MEL: Yeah, it has a weight limit. So, crash testing is all well and good. It's again, not perfect. So, how much can we weight it against other features? And what the Sturdy Bag had that, from personal experience I know to be important, is that it is the only one where almost all of it can be machine washed.

CHRISTINE: Oh, yes.

CAIRA: That's nice.

CHRISTINE: Yes.

MEL: So, you have to take these flexible rods out, and there's a hard little foam core board in a pocket at the bottom underneath the pad, and you take all these little things out and you can put the whole thing in the wash. And in the testing, and in my personal unfortunate experience, that is incredibly important, especially for cats. For dogs, yes, their pee is gross, their poop is gross. But there is nothing, I mean, I don't think this is a controversial statement if you've ever interacted with a cat, there is nothing quite as noxious as cat pee. It doesn't go away.

CHRISTINE: Correct.

MEL: It has a half life of eons. There are houses that are imbued in cat pee that just need to be torn down because there's no way to machine wash your wood floor.

CHRISTINE: So, the convenience of being able to wash that carrier made it okay that it didn't have the crash testing. You felt like it was still safe enough, but the convenience factor, people can use it and use it well, and not have to throw it away if their cat pees in it.

MEL: Yes, exactly. And I asked the head of the Center for Pet Safety about this, and I was like, "What do you do if it's not crash tested? What's your recommendation?" And she said, "Look, even if it has buckles for a seatbelt, or something that can attach in," she's like, "I don't trust those unless they've been crash tested. Those could fail." The best place to put it would be, in her opinion, on the floor behind the driver or a front passenger seat, and keep it snug in there so it doesn't really fly around in case something happens. And yeah, you don't want to put your cat on the floor, but you also don't want your cat or your dog-

CAIRA: Becoming a projectile?

MEL: Yeah, exactly.

MEL: So, I think that's a good workaround for a bag like that, especially if you know your pet might be prone. And look, I traveled 18 hours with three cats, and two of them were in the 1.0 version of that bag actually, and we had to wash it by the end. I mean, they could not hold out.

CAIRA: Ok so to recap – it IS important to get a carrier and use that in the car with your pet. They need to be restrained. And when you’re looking for the right carrier, you wanna consider the size of your animal, what might be comfortable for them, and also if it’s been independently crash tested.

CHRISTINE: We're going to take a quick break, and when we come back we'll talk about flying with pets, And the NUMBER ONE THING NOT TO DO with your pet on a plane! We'll be right back.

CAIRA: Welcome back to The Wirecutter Show. This episode is about traveling with pets. So Mel, we just talked about traveling on the road with your pets, but I want to really dig into traveling with your pets, the final boss, which is airplane travel. I have yet to do it because I'm terrified. So, the whole reason that I haven't brought my cat on a plane yet is because I don't really know if it needs to be vaccinated, if the carrier that I have for him is going to be accepted on the airline, and there just doesn't really seem to be a standard regulation across airlines for what you need to do to bring your pet on a plane. And I don't want to end up doing all this stuff, and then get to the airport and I'm turned away last minute.

MEL: You're not alone. I mean, it's very confusing. There's not a ton of consistency in how to approach this. Each airline likely has its own size requirements for a carrier for in cabin travel. So, if we're just keeping it to in cabin travel for your cat or your small dog, the first thing you would do is first of all decide is it worth it to do that to yourself and to your pet? I mean, I have done it several times because I've moved a bunch, or gone away for six months and learned that nobody loves me enough to take my cats, three cats for six months, so they had to come with, there was no other option. And that was an international trip, so the rules are different too.

The first thing you would do is call the airline and find out if they even allow pets to travel in the cabin with you. Some won't. Most do, but they also will have a limit to how many pets can be on an aircraft in the cabin. So some will be like, "Well, there's already six pets flying, so that's that," or something like that. And the number changes, it's different so I don't have them offhand. So, you have your reservation and when you make your reservation, even if you made it online, you're going to have to call in and be like, "I'm bringing, can I do this?" They'll charge you, they'll probably tell you what is required of you carrier-wise.

Now, when it comes to carriers in the cabin, each airline also has its own size requirements, these change over time, It's really hard to buy for that because you could buy something today, if your animal fits into it to begin with, and tomorrow the airline's like, "Well, nope, we're changing it." Or you're flying on an aircraft that actually has a slightly different size requirement.

CAIRA: Oh my gosh, I hate it when that happens.

MEL: Yeah. So, it's just so hard to plan. What I will say is you look at their guidelines, you ask them what they are, and then I would look for a carrier that is close to that, as close as you can get with your animals still being comfortable, and there's some sort of informal flexibility. I've never had somebody measure the carrier. If it's close enough, they're going to eyeball it and go, "Yeah, that's going to fit under the seat. That's fine."

CAIRA: What if… and I hate to even think about this… but what if your pet has an accident while you’re on the plane?? You're cramped up next to strangers…. what do you do?! How do you suggest people handle that?

MEL: That situation is terrible. So, you don't have great options, just being prepared, like bringing wet wipes. Because you can't bring fluids on, and they'll happily give you water to clean up your mess. We had paper towels, we had wet wipes, we had extra plastic bags to transport things to the bathroom if we had to throw them away. And really just, obviously you want to be so conscientious to your seatmates, and hopefully they're not allergic, and maybe let them know, "I have an animal in there," just in case if you need to switch seats. The accidents are hard. You can't control it, you can just respond to it and try to be prepared, and really just bring everything you can. Definitely bring pee pads. And I really prefer in general reusable pee pads, because why throw things away that you can wash? In this case, disposable pee pads. Just get rid of it, get rid of the evidence, get it away from everybody, and bring a bunch of those and line your carrier with it.

CAIRA: You recommend one carrier that has a, you describe it as a side panel that you can slide in and out?

MEL: Yeah, I never seen this before. I was pretty impressed with it, but I'm also, I think it's going to be animal dependent. It's the Diggs Passenger, and it's a really nice bag. It looks like a duffel bag, it's cute so it flies under the radar, pun sort of intended. So, it has this little lower access panel where you could ostensibly get your animal to stand up a little bit, put your hand in and take the entire bed out, and the bed is hopefully lined in there. They have a system where you can wrap the pee pad that they give around this piece of plastic that sits on the bed. I think that's going to be like, how easy is your animal to move around inside the thing? But I can imagine that might make it better, but it was hard to get any of the shelter cats to pee or poop on demand inside the carrier.

CHRISTINE: Mel, what else do you need to think about when traveling with your animals? What other scenarios should you prepare for … situations where your pet might not feel comfortable.

CAIRA: Especially since you've traveled internationally. You had three cats at one time, right?

MEL: Yes.

CAIRA: Oh, man.

MEL: And we took all three to Italy.

CHRISTINE: So lucky, lucky kitties.

CAIRA: I know.

MEL: They be eating that Italian tuna under the Tuscan sun. They couldn't get enough of it, but they did not appreciate the journey, I will tell you that. If you have a cat, you're loading them into a carrier. If you have a dog, you usually just walk them through the airport. And so, the thing you have to do first is you have to remove a cat from the carrier to go through security. So, that is the first challenge. And you have to remove them and carry them through the metal detector with you while their bag goes through the X-ray machine on its own. That is one of the more treacherous moments for human and cat alike, I think. You can get scratched, you will be covered in fur. It will just be upsetting, unless you just have the rare, very chill cat who doesn't care. And then I think just keeping them in their carrier, making sure they know that everything's okay. You can spray some of these pheromone analogs that are on the market, a FELIWAY is one of the most famous ones.CHRISTINE: And you can just get that on Amazon?MEL: Yeah, you can get that and at Chewy, Amazon, Petco, all the retailers, it's everywhere. And so, they make diffusers, which you're not going to bring with you because it's a plugin, you can buy the spray. Your mileage may vary on that kind of thing. Some cats just don't respond to it all. And if I have a long time before boarding I will go to wherever the quietest place is. If I have to be at the gate, I will find a corner where there's not a ton of foot traffic. I mean, I don't know how much that does for them, but it does a little bit. There's so much stimulus that they're freaking out. If you have a particularly anxious animal, you can ask your vet, as always, to see if they want to prescribe something.

It's not great flying an animal when they're sedated. There can be unexpected reactions to those kinds of drugs, so if you do do something like that, and your vet will probably tell you this, give it a trial run before you go anywhere. And same for the car. Any medication that's new, do it at home when you're within spitting distance of your vet, so God forbid something happens you can just get the animal looked at right away, and you don't want that happening at 30,000 feet. And then there's most airports, in the U.S. at least, have pet relief stations.

CHRISTINE: So, let's jump ahead. After the airport, you've gotten off the flight, and this could apply to traveling by car as well. But you've traveled with your dog halfway across the country twice. You've also traveled, as we've talked about, with three cats. What are the things you should keep in mind when you have gotten to a new destination with your pets?

MEL: If you've never traveled with an animal before, you might not know that some hotels are pet friendly and some are not. And then the pet friendly ones might have different prices. So sometimes it's like, "Yes, we're pet friendly, and that'll be $150 a night of a fee." And then others will be like, "That's $30 a night," or no dollars a night. And some of them will have allotted pet friendly rooms, so you want to make sure you're booking in advance. So, you're on a road trip and you're like, "Yeah, spontaneity is great," but you pull up and they're like, "Oh, well, we don't have any pet friendly rooms left," because they want to keep those contained to keep them away from people who might have allergies.

And then I think for dogs, it's like pretty simple. Bring in their bedding. If they sleep on the bed with you, fine. That's easy. For cats, you want to bring their litter box in, you want to show them that. When loading things in and out of a room, and this is the same with the final destination too, like lock your cats in the bathroom because you're going in and out of the door. You don't want them to just bolt out and run away.

CHRISTINE: Okay, great. And tags? I would assume having some tags that it's like, who is this animal and who does it belong to?

MEL: Yeah, tags, certainly collars on dogs. If a cat will tolerate a collar, mine never would. I'd find the collar on the floor.

CAIRA: Me.

MEL: But also microchips, for any animal. Whether you're traveling with them or not, microchip is a good idea.

CHRISTINE: Is that inserted into the animal?

MEL: Oh, yeah.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, okay.

MEL: It's a very sci-fi.

CHRISTINE: Yes. I feel like there's a whole Bible chapter about not doing that.

CAIRA: That's funny.MEL: I will say for international travel, most countries will require your animal to have a microchip.

CAIRA: Can you talk more about the international travel and how it's different from domestic?

MEL: Yes. It's country dependent. So, what you would do before leaving is similar to what I said about air, just any air travel, domestic air travel. But then you also will be required to have a vet health certificate that is issued within 10 days of travel.

CAIRA: Oh, man.

MEL: So, you have T minus 10. And so, you should call your vet first and be like, "We're traveling in August. What should we do?" The vet will then tell you, and they'll schedule you for a day within that. And then what they will do is they will look up the country and they will fill out the forms, and then they'll examine your pet and put in a microchip if you need it. Sometimes you might need a new microchip if you have an older pet that was earlier microchip technology, they'll get all the vaccinations in order, they'll attest to the animal's ability to travel. And then they will send that to the USDA, and the USDA will stamp it and send it back. And now it's all digital. So, you definitely have to get that handled, and that is country specific. I've traveled to Italy with three cats, I've traveled to Argentina with one cat, and we had to do that each time and it's not cheap.

CHRISTINE: So Mel, I have a controversial question. I want to bring up a controversial topic. My kids have been lobbying for a dog, and part of the reason I don't want to get a dog is because I like to travel, and I'm not sure what to do with it. Do I take the dog with me? Recently somebody told me that, they were like, "Oh, it's no problem, just get a comfort ..." What is it called? A dog-

MEL: Service dog.

CHRISTINE: A service dog certification or something. And I was like, "Oh." For a minute I was like, "I could do that?" And then I was like, "Wait a minute. I don't know why I would do that. I don't need a service dog." What's the deal with that? I think I know why people do it, but is it okay?

MEL: No, it's not okay. It's really not okay. I mean, the reason people do it is because, especially if you have a dog that's too big to go in a carrier under the footwell of a airplane in that tiny little area, and you don't want to put your dog in the cargo hold, you can bring them on the plane just wearing a harness.

CAIRA: And is it free to do that?

MEL: Yes, service dogs travel for free. The big story is the fact that service dogs are allowed on planes and travel for free is an accessibility issue that is incredibly important. It's part of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and it's a great thing that we have that for people who need it. The issue is a lot of people use it who don't need it, which would be maybe not so bad if those dogs actually behaved even remotely like service dogs. I'm not saying it would be okay, because it's not, but it ruins it for the people who genuinely do need it. Because then you get on a plane and there's a dog that's like wagging his tail, and peeing, and pooping, or barking, or crying or just not behaving like an actually trained service dog that is trained to do a task to help a person.

And so, it is an abuse of that system. And the sad part is more policing over that only makes it even harder for the people who genuinely have to travel with a service dog or service animal. It's a really tough situation, because I get it. I have a 65 pound dog. Do I want him to ride in the cabin with me? Yes. Am I driving across the country instead? Yes. Is that inconvenient and expensive, and not that fun, and takes a lot of PTO, and you know what I mean?

CAIRA: But that's part of being a pet parent, right? You got to sacrifice sometimes.

MEL: It's the commitment you make. And so, I totally understand why people are doing it. It's free, I don't even think it's about the money, I think a lot of these people would pay. I think it's about the size. It's just getting them on, and it is terrifying to put your animal in the cargo hold. I totally relate to that. There have been a lot of really scary stories in the news about animals not making it. However, it does real harm to the people who actually have to travel with actual trained service dogs.

CAIRA: Mel, before we wrap, we always do this thing where we ask our guest one final question. What is the last thing you bought that you really love?

MEL: So, I think this is so dorky, but I got a Leatherman.

CHRISTINE: Oh, love a Leatherman, yes.

MEL: Right? And I wrote to our colleague, Doug Mahoney, who does the guide, and I was like, "Okay. So, I don't really do a ton of stuff that this is useful, but I open a lot of boxes and I do a lot of screwdriver-y stuff-"

CAIRA: What is a Leatherman, you guys?

CHRISTINE: Oh wow, my God. Sorry.

MEL: It's a multi-tool. Yeah, sorry.

CAIRA: I don't know.CHRISTINE: It's like a Swiss Army knife, but better. It's got pliers, it's got all sorts of tools that come out, and it's like a Transformer and it folds up.

CAIRA: Got it, okay.

MEL: Yeah, and it fits in your pocket. I ended up getting two. I got two different kinds because I couldn't decide. It's like the curse of reading your colleagues' guides, you're like, "Well, I kind of want them both now."

ROSIE: Totally true.

MEL: So, I got the Leatherman Skeletool, which is a pick, and I got the Leatherman Signal, which I believe is also still a pick. And they have different use cases, like the Signal has a fire starter, and it has all different stuff on it.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, it's like a primo thing that everyone should have.

ROSIE: But what are you using it for, Mel?

MEL: Oh, I open a lot of my boxes.

CHRISTINE:OK Rosie, Caira, I definitely think this conversation is putting the dog conversation on pause for me. Because I’m not really sure I wanna navigate all with that.

CAIRA: It’s a lot!

CHRISTINE: Yeah, it’s a lot. What did you take away?

CAIRA: For me it’s definitely, definitely, definitely, restrain my cat when I’m driving upstate next time. And I also think I need to get a new carrier. Maybe one that doesn’t have a zipper on the bottom. So he can’t fall out. But definitely putting him behind me… when I’m in the drivers seat, putting him behind me instead of just letting him roam around free.

ROSIE: The thing that I took away was this advice from Mela round testing meds for your pet. Like if you are gonna give them an anti anxiety med for flying specifically. Try it out once or twice before you board the airplane, just in case. Can’t be too careful.

CHRISTINE: You don’t want that nightmare situation of something going bad on the plane.

ROSIE: Yeah, or them freaking out? I think the other thing for plane travel specifically I was thinking about Mel explaining all the things you need to do to prepare in case your pet has an accident. ANd I was like, huh, these are all the things I used to prepare the last time I flew cross country with my babies. lots of wipes! Lots of pee pee pads. Lots of bags. Consideration for your neighbor. All of that.

CAIRA: Relatable.

CHRISTINE: Yeah very relatable. I think the big takeaway for me is understanding this issue with the service animal on a plane. I think, if my children are listening, I know they are rooting for a dog. So if we do ever get a dog that was a big takeaway for me that like that’s not an actual OK thing to do. You need to figure out a different solution.

CAIRA: Driving cross-country!

CHRISTINE: Maybe I will get a minivan and just drive across the country instead of flying.

ROSIE: Love this for you.

CAIRA: Get an RV, dream big!

CHRISTINE: Yeah, why am I limiting myself to a minivan? RV all the way.

ROSIE: If you want to find out more about Wirecutter's coverage on pet gear or check out the products we recommend go to nytimes.com, slash Wirecutter or find a link in the show notes. See you next time. Thanks!

CAIRA: The Wirecutter Show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Editing by Abigail Keel, engineering support from Maddy Masiello and Nick Pitman. Today's episode was mixed by Catherine Anderson, original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop and Diane Wong. Wirecutter's deputy publisher and interim general manager is Cliff Levy. Ben Frumin is Wirecutter's editor-in-chief. I'm Caira Blackwell.

CHRISTINE: I'm Christine Cyr Clisset.

ROSIE: And I'm Rosie Guerin.

CAIRA: Thanks for listening.

[BLOOPER]

ROSIE: It's time to talk about Anubis.

CAIRA: Oh my God, you remembered his name!

ROSIE: The baby!

The Wirecutter Show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel.Editing by Abigail Keel.Engineering support from Maddy Masiello and Nick Pitman.Episodes are mixed by Daniel Ramirez, Sophia Lanman and Catherine Anderson.Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Diane Wong.Wirecutter’s deputy publisher and interim general manager is Cliff Levy.Ben Frumin is Wirecutter’s editor-in-chief.Hosted by Caira Blackwell and Christine Cyr Clisset.

Christine Cyr Clisset

Christine Cyr Clisset is an editorial director overseeing home coverage for Wirecutter, and co-host of The Wirecutter Show podcast. She previously edited cookbooks and craft books for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and she started reviewing kitchen gear back in 2013. She sews many of her own clothes, which has made her obsessive about high-quality fabrics—whether in a dress or bedsheets.

Caira Blackwell

Caira Blackwell is a senior staff writer covering sleep, and co-host of our podcast, The Wirecutter Show. She has spent countless hours testing more than 50 mattresses and has slept on nearly a dozen at home. Her work has been published in Nylon magazine, Okayplayer, and Narratively. When she isn’t busy sleeping (for work), she’s busy trying new recipes in the kitchen or reading in the sun.

Rosie Guerin

Rosie Guerin is a creative executive, an editor, a showrunner, and a producer foremost, with a background in news and politics and a great love of pop culture. She specializes in new-show development and has produced for television and radio, and she now resides in the world of podcasting as the executive producer and co-host of the brand-new podcast, The Wirecutter Show. She has developed and produced shows for Apple, Audible, Gimlet, New York Public Radio, Spotify, Wondery, and beyond. Rosie is from Maine and especially loves the beach in winter.

Abigail Keel

Abigail Keel is a freelance podcast producer who helps make The Wirecutter Show each week. She's worked in the podcasting industry for ten years on various chat podcasts, narrative projects, and documentaries. When she's not at Wirecutter, catch Abigail rafting down the Colorado River and reporting on environmental issues!

Mel Plaut

Mel Plaut is a staff writer covering pets at Wirecutter. They developed a special affinity for animals at an early age, when every stray cat and runaway dog ended up at their family’s doorstep. Their writing has appeared in The New York Times, the New York Daily News, USA Today, HuffPost, NPR’s All Things Considered, and others.