Transport for London is refusing to take down a social media video which encourages owners to take their cats on the tube network. The unhinged Instagram video shows two owners taking their cats on an escalator, in a lift and on a train, with the slogan: ‘This is your sign to start travelling with your pet around London.’
It’s true that most dogs emerge from flights unscathed but what sort of owner wants to even risk it?
The charity Cats Protection asked TfL to take down the video, complaining that it’s ‘apparently normalising’ taking cats on the underground. ‘Busy stations and crowded Underground platforms with loud and sudden noises’ should be ‘off limits for cats’, a spokesperson said.
You’d think so, wouldn’t you, but then people already take their pets on planes. Holidays are usually trickier for pet owners but some of them don’t let their animal friend get in the way of a break: a survey of over 1,200 pet owners found that 26 per cent have taken their pets on overseas holidays. This trend is dominated by younger people: half of 24 to 34-year-olds have travelled abroad with their pets compared to just 9 per cent of the over-55s.
Of those who take their pets overseas, 56 per cent said they do it because they regard their animal as part of the family and 12 per cent said they do it because pet boarding facilities are too expensive. Standard licensed kennels charge around £20 per dog per day but this price can rise to £90 a night in London or even higher at the posher pooch pads.
More people are taking their dogs on holiday with them and for some trips this is fine. France is just a short ferry ride, or drive through the Eurotunnel, away. But some pet owners are taking their dog when they fly abroad and this is where it can become an issue.
Dogs are generally put in the hold for the flight and this can be terrifying for them. Confined to a small cage or carrier, they’re surrounded by unfamiliar noises and they sometimes panic and fight their way out of their carrier, only to get lost or injured in the hold.
Think about how frustrated and stressed you feel when your flight is delayed on the tarmac. Now imagine that same experience in a crowded hold, but without any awareness of what is happening, no bottle of water handed to you by cabin crew and no knowledge you will eventually be able to get off the plane.
Some owners sedate their pets before they’re put in the hold but this is dangerous because tranquillisers can suppress dogs’ respiratory systems, which makes it harder for them to adjust to changes in temperature and altitude. The air pressure and other challenges of flying can cause a host of issues for dogs, including ear conditions and stomach issues.
Many airlines use temperature and pressure controls in the cargo, but these features can malfunction. A dog called Enzo died of heat stress as a plane sat delayed for hours on the runway. Another dog named Jed died of suffocation. He was found covered in urine, faeces and vomit. Dogs have frozen to death, like one called J who died during a flight from Moscow to New York. Some are injured by rough handling.
It’s true that most dogs emerge from flights unscathed but what sort of owner wants to even risk it? Would owners who take dogs on flights because they’re ‘part of the family’ put a human family member in the cargo? Mother-in-law jokes aside, would they ever treat a relative like a piece of baggage?
People say they take their pets on holiday because they love them, but do they really? I thought we expressed love by sacrificing something of ourselves in a tricky situation, but these people are demanding the sacrifice from their dog instead.
If you want a dog and a holiday you should find someone, or somewhere, you can trust to look after your pet while you’re away. Or you should holiday closer to home and take the pet with you. If neither of those options appeal, then you shouldn’t get a dog. As for cats on the underground, can we just not?
