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Kitten Transportation - What You Need to Know About Shipping and Pickup

Olga Shatokhina, a cat breeder, holds oriental shorthair cat
painted butterflyCat house Cataristocrat catteryCataristocrat and kitten Cataristocrat cattery

I’m a cat breeder. I’m not a shipping agent.
I am not obligated to organize delivery for you. I can help you with this because I have such experience, but I do not profit from this additional work, and I am not responsible for the service provided by a third party.

If you want the kitten to be delivered by cargo, both the payment for the kitten and the delivery must be made 3-5 days before the kitten leaves my home.

Up to the age of 6 months, two kittens can be shipped in one carrier. The cost for such a shipment is not doubled.

When you personally pick up the kitten, payment can be made on the spot at the time of picking up the kitten.

There are several options available for shipping kittens to their new homes.

Airline Pet Cargo Shipping

Kittens will be transported in a plastic carrier with a metal grated door. The kennel provides adequate ventilation on three sides and is appropriately sized for the kitten's comfort. During the journey, kittens travel in a pressurized, heated, and ventilated cargo hold located below the passenger compartments. Tie-down straps secure the flight kennel to the cargo compartment's deck.

A person holds a specially designed, durable, IATA- and airline-compliant plastic carrier with a metal grated door in the airline's cargo terminal, containing an Oriental Shorthair kitten.
A cargo crate for kitten transportation should be IATA and airline compliant, ensuring it is strong and secure


Please be aware that airlines have temperature restrictions for shipping live animals. I cannot know all temperatures in every state, so please assess on your own whether the temperature in your state will be suitable when the kitten is ready to move to a new home. The airlines do not transport warm-blooded animals when ground temperatures exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit or fall below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This applies to the origin, connection, and destination cities.

Sometimes, at the time of reserving a kitten, airlines have a pet-friendly flight to the airport that suits you best. However, a few months later, when the kitten is ready to go to its new home, airlines make changes, and I may not be aware of all such changes. No one notifies or coordinates with me.

Meantime people, for some reason, think that I initially gave them a promise that delivery is available and then fail to fulfill my commitments. I'll emphasize once again: Delivery is not my professional activity and is not my obligation.

The cost for this option is approximately $700. The airlines do not provide transportation carriers, and it incurs expenses on me. Additionally, I purchase bowls that attach to the carrier door, and their presence is required by the airline. Furthermore, I provide a pet bed/blanket for this carrier.

Oriental Shorthair kitten in a carrier labeled 'Live Animals' at an airline cargo terminal, ready for transportation. The kitten waits patiently inside the carrier, highlighting the careful handling and safety measures in pet cargo services.
An airline cargo facility is usually separate from the passenger terminal area and located in a different building

On the day of departure, I have to wake up at 3-4 am as the journey to the airport takes an hour, and I need to bring the kitten three hours prior to the flight. As I mentioned before, I cannot choose the departure time, and most airlines schedule the flight for 7-8 am.
As you might have guessed, I don't like to ship kittens that way. If you know in advance that you will need cargo shipping, you should let me know as soon as possible. Then, I can sign the necessary documents with the veterinarian during the wellness check after the kitten's neutering/spaying and rabies vaccination. I don't arrange these special documents requested by airlines for each kitten because it costs extra money. If you decide that you need cargo shipping last minute when it's time to pick up the ready-to-move kitten, you should understand that it will take some time to schedule a new appointment with the veterinarian to arrange the required documents demanded by the airline. Keep in mind that these documents are only valid for 10 days from the day they are signed by the veterinarian.

If you want the kitten to be delivered by cargo, both the payment for the kitten and the delivery must be made 3-5 days before the kitten leaves my home.

Pet Nanny Service

You have the option to find a pet nanny online, or I can provide you with the contact information of a pet nanny who has shipped our kittens to various states multiple times. Our businesses are separate entities, and you can directly contact her to inquire about a quote.

In the case of delivery with a nanny, the payment for the kitten must be settled before I hand it over to the nanny. Financial matters regarding the kitten's delivery with the nanny do not concern me, and you will handle this matter with a pet nanny directly.

Oriental Shorthair kitten sits comfortably in a secure pet carrier placed on the passenger seat of a car, ready for transportation. The carrier is safely secured with a seatbelt, ensuring the kitten's safety during the journey. The car's interior is modern and clean, reflecting a well-planned and caring approach to pet travel.
Ensure your kitten's safety during a trip

Personal Pickup of Cat

Alternatively, you can choose to fly to Cleveland or Columbus on your own, and I will meet you at the airport to hand over the kitten. When booking a ticket for yourself, you must inform the airline that you will be flying with a cat on the return journey. I will bring the kitten in a carrier that is approved for in-cabin flight if you don’t want to bring your own.

Another option is for you to visit our home to pick up the kitten in person. In this case, I would appreciate it if you could bring your own pet carrier.

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I want to thank Olga for our sweet boy Stormy. We’ve had him just over a week and he has added so much joy to our family. This is our first Bengal and even with all the research we’d done and all the help from Olga we were not prepared for such a love bug. He amazes us everyday with how smart, unique and lovable he is. Olga was wonderful to work with and after discovering what we wanted in a cat was able to match us up with exactly what we wanted. Since we live in WV and it would have been a five hr drive one way to pick up Stormy we had him flown in. Olga did all the hard work for us after we gave her several airports near our location. He arrived happy and healthy. Again Thank You Olga for breeding such wonderful cats and sharing them!
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Angela Westfall

Buckhannon, WV

I don’t normally write reviews, but this experience absolutely deserves one. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Cataristocrat Cattery and Olga. I just brought home my second Oriental Shorthair, Olympia, and from start to finish, Olga made the entire process seamless and reassuring. I was able to find my first Oriental Shorthair locally, but this time I couldn’t find one close to home. I was initially nervous about getting a kitten from out of state, especially after reading about scams in the purebred pet world. I found Olga while searching for registered Oriental Shorthair breeders through TICA (The International Cat Association), and from our very first interaction, I felt completely at ease. Olga was professional, transparent, and incredibly helpful from the beginning. Every step of the process was streamlined and organized, from contracts to payments, and she was always quick to respond to my emails. Not only did she answer every question thoroughly, but she often included helpful articles and thoughtful advice along the way. I was able to FaceTime with her several times to meet Olympia and ask questions, and it was immediately clear how deeply she cares about her cats. Olga provided consistent updates as Olympia grew, including information about her spay, veterinary visits, and vaccinations. She even included 6 week and 12 week photo sessions! The pictures were absolutely adorable and such a thoughtful touch. Many updates were integrated through her website, which is beautifully organized and full of helpful information. I encountered many breeders who primarily operate through social media, but Olga’s professional, easy-to-navigate website really stood out and gave me additional confidence throughout the process. On pickup day, we had to work around some bad weather, and Olga was incredibly patient and understanding when our pickup plans had to shift to much later in the evening than planned. Olga truly sets you up for success when bringing your kitten home. A couple of weeks before Olympia’s arrival, she sent a comprehensive supply list so I could be fully prepared. She also sent Olympia home with generous starter supplies including wet and dry food, litter, a blanket, toys, a carrier, and a well-organized binder containing all of Olympia’s health records and documentation. She even included a small amount of used litter to help Olympia transition smoothly to her new litter box (a small but incredibly thoughtful detail). When Olympia arrived, it was obvious she had been lovingly raised. She was healthy, well-groomed, confident, and affectionate from the moment she stepped out of her carrier. She immediately began exploring my apartment and adjusted beautifully to her new home. She was fully litter trained and transitioned without any issues. I am beyond happy to have Olympia as part of my family, and I am so grateful to have found Olga and Cataristocrat Cattery. Olga's professionalism, communication, attention to detail, and genuine care for her cats are unmatched. I would absolutely work with her again and would not hesitate to recommend Cataristocrat Cattery to anyone looking for an Oriental Shorthair.
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We got our kitten at the end of December, and we couldn’t be happier! She is so sweet and social, and is the perfect addition to our family! She was definitely raised in the best way! Olga made the process so easy, and even helped us when our local airport could not accept live animal deliveries. Thank you so much! Jordan
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