It seems my hope of saving up to $150 has gone right out the window. Someone suggested to that I take the train to go visit my mother, and see if Via Rail would let you bring a pet. So I checked it out, and they do. I even compared the price to Greyhound and it was a tad cheaper the trip itself. I even have a Cat carrier I could of used. The website was being all wonky, and giving me a different price then what it showed when I check on my cell phone.

So I called them up and mentioned that I wanted to bring my cat home with me, and that’s when I found out I couldn’t for the Kitchener to Toronto leg. Turns out the train on that route, does not have a luggage car. I was like ugh.. The only option left for me is somehow find someone to drive me from Kitchener to Toronto, where I can get on a train that actually has a luggage car.
Go Train could be a option as well, I have to call a couple times and find out. I rather call a couple times to make sure I’m getting a consistent answer. You call 5x and 3/5 will say yes, and 2/5 will say no. It’s frustrating knowing I will be in the same city as my kitty, but I can’t bring her back home with me.. *sigh*

From the Go Train site "We allow animals on board our trains and buses when they are in enclosed, secure containers that do not inconvenience other passengers. Containers are not needed for seeing-eye, hearing-ear, or special-needs dogs required by passengers for independent travel."

It sounds like I can, but I want to make sure I don't get turned out when I go to leave.

Well it seems I will be able to get bring the kitty home with me! I found out that Go Train will allow the kitten on the train, as long as she is in a cat carrier. The train from Toronto to Ottawa has luggage car and I will be allowed to check her in as a pet. That saved me almost $200. Win for me. I just have to figure out how to get the kitty, and how to bring myself and they kitten to the Go Train @ 5:30 in the morning when I leave to come home.

Do you have to check the kitten into a luggage compartment?? I would imagine this to be a noisy and scary place for a kitten. In the UK you could carry the pet carrier onto the train with you and have them on your lap (in the carrier).

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Lollo

On some flights the cat can be in the cabin with you. Is that an option?

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Lollo

I'm not really sure what the point of posting a "I'm saving a few bucks by traveling by train with my kitten who will be staying the luggage compartment" is in a bengal forum. That's certainly a rough start for kitty. Most commonly people are asking about how to make the trip with the least stress and impact on their kitten for this type of thing.

I suppose we should at least be thankful that you are not contemplating strapping your kitten to the roof of your car ala Mitt Romney (presidential candidate in the US this last Fall).

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The little monsters 3

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Lollo

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Lollo

Hi

I don't have any suggestions for you but just want to say I sympathise with your situation. I'm in very similar position, of not driving and living quite a distance from my breeder.

My kitten is being flown in on a heated cargo plane and I have to get to the airport and then back. The breeder is putting a blanket in the carrier and hopefully this intense cold snap will be over by mid February.

Those of us without transport are a creative bunch. I was going to hitch a ride with a neighbour who works at the airport and then hang around all day until he came home but then I found out that the cargo area is not actually AT the airport but a few kilometers down the road. So now I'm trying to make a deal with the cab company, I know one of the drivers (he's half owner of company) has a reef tank and as I had to take my tank down I've got over 100 pounds of reef salt and assorted expensive equipment that I might barter with him for a 2 way trip, otherwise the taxi will cost me about 200.00 - but what must be done will be done and I'll get out there and back one way or the other.

I do worry about the kitten flying but the breeder flies her kittens often and has never had a problem. It's not the best way to get my little guy but its the only way.

In this situation flying the kitten in is the fastest way, even if I did drive the kitten would be in the carrier in a strange situation for several hours longer than being flown in and then a 45 min drive to my house.

Anyway, good luck with however you decide to do your traveling, I know without transportation sometimes things are incredibly complicated but we always work them out.

Does the breeder not ship? I don't know how much the train fare is but it seems like a 2 way trip for you might be almost as much as a one way flight for the kitty then you would only (only .... ha ha) need to get to the airport and back home. But maybe you know someone who could drive you to the airport and back.

The flight for my kitten is 140.00 plus 50.00 for the carrier.

I just went to the go train site and pretended to book a return trip from Ottawa to Kitchener and it was 236.48. Thats actually more than having the kitten flown in by the breeder. Of course you will have your cost from the airport and back. But if you are in the city you can take an OC bus out there (there are no buses where am so thats why I need cab both ways) so your biggest additional cost would be maybe 100 at the most for a cab back to your home, working out to not that much more than taking the train to Kitchener and back.

I don't know yet which company my breeder is using as we are still working out all the details but I don't think the cost would vary that much from one to the other. If it was me I'd have the kitten flown in, it just seems a lot less complicated.

Some other ideas:

1. Take the automobile test and rent a car. Surely this isn't the only situation that has arisen in which you'd wished you had access to a car?

2. bribe a friend or family member. You mentioned you mom in their somewhere?

3. make a few budget cuts/sacrifices and do the plane thing.

4. Talk to your breeder. Bribe her if necessary, explaining that you're trying to do what's best for the cat. For example I bought Neytiri from a breeder one state over from me, and we arranged for the breeder to drop her off at my house on the way to a cat show about 100mi from where I live.

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The little monsters 3

In UK it is OK to take small pets on the train. I took my siamese in her canvas travel bag on the train and she was fine,
much quieter than car journeys - and it amused other passengers!