Hello,  We have a little cat (7 pounds) who needs to get from China to America this summer. We've had an emergency and need to move home on June 29th. We got Scout's rabies shot on June 11th. We're really worried about her being under the 30 day requirement for a rabies shot - if we're able to self-quarantine her, that's no problem, but I'm nervous about it. We were also blown away by the tiny size of container Delta told us was acceptable for pet-in-cabin travel. Even though she's little, 17x12x8 still seems a bit inhumane...? So my questions are, will it be feasible for us to import our cat from China, change planes in Detroit during a five hour layover, and get her safely to our new home on June 29th? If not, of course we'll make other arrangements - I just want to understand our options, and I DEFINITELY don't want to show up at the airport and find out there's a problem then. - Cheers, Anne

Hi Anne,

Thanks for your question! 
China requires rabies vaccinations to have been done at least 30 days prior to export, so you will need to wait until at least July 12th before you can take her out of the country. 

Additionally, you can put your cat in-cabin but like you mentioned, your cat will need to fit in a very, very small crate.  Eight inches for the maximum height rarely is tall enough for most cats -- only very small dogs like toy Yorkies and Chihuahuas usually fit.

What you might be better off doing is purchasing a hard-shelled travel crate (probably a #200 series crate - 27"x20"x19") and flying your pet as excess/accompanied luggage underneath the plane.  You will want to check with the airline you are flying on to make sure there will be space and the temperatures will allow.

Alternatively, you could hire a pet relocation company (like ours!) to arrange Scout's relocation from China to America.  In that instance, we could pick her up on the 29th (when you depart), board her at our kitty condos in China until the 12th of July (when her rabies shot is 31 days old), arrange the export paperwork (health certificate) fly her to the US in climate-controlled condition the entire time, clear her through customs upon arrival and deliver her to your residence.  This eliminates any last-minute problems at the airport for you that you mention being concerned about.

Happy travels!