PDX Flight Nanny
Cat flight nanny, out of Portland.
PDX to your airport. I book a confirmed seat, keep the carrier under the seat in front of me, and message you at every stop along the way.
Waiting at PDX. 
Under the seat in front of me, the whole flight. 
On the PDX carpet.
At a glance
- What this is
- A flight nanny for cats. I fly with your cat in the aircraft cabin from Portland International (PDX) to anywhere in the United States, and hand it to a named person at the other end. It's the in-cabin alternative to shipping a cat as cargo. I also do ground transport: cattery to airport, airport to a home.
- What it costs
- Most flights land between $600 and $2,000, all in. That includes the airfare and the airline's cabin fee, and it depends on how far the route is and how long the day takes. Ground work is priced by distance and time.
- How to reach me
- Call or text (360) 984-8059, or email info@pdxflightnanny.com. I answer both myself.
- Who carries them
- Me, the whole way. I breed Ragdolls, so the first cats I flew were my own litters going out to families. Registered with USDA/APHIS as a Class T transporter.
- Who books it
- Usually the buyer. A breeder will normally pass you my details and we plan it from there.
- Departs from
- Portland International (PDX).
- Carries
- Cats and kittens, up to twenty-five pounds including the carrier. That's my limit, not the airlines'. Theirs is the carrier: she has to stand up and turn around inside it without touching the top, and Alaska's is the tightest at 17 x 11 x 9.5 inches.
- Minimum age
- Twelve weeks for a kitten. Every airline out of PDX would take one at eight weeks. I won't.
- Never
- Cargo, checked baggage, or standby flights.
- Notice
- Two days minimum. Sooner costs more.
Five stages. The same person at all five.
-
i.
You send me the route
Where it's going, roughly when, how many cats and what they weigh. I check cabin pet space, which is capped per flight and fills up early, and come back with dates that actually work and a price for each.
-
ii.
You book, I buy the tickets
Seventy percent up front, which is what pays for the airfare I'm about to buy, and the balance the day before we fly. Zelle, Venmo, or an invoice. Card works too and adds three percent.
-
iii.
Paperwork
Between the breeder and the buyer. Send whatever you've got with the cat and I'll make sure it arrives with her.
-
iv.
Meeting up, then the flight
The cat comes to me at PDX, or I collect for an added fee. Then the carrier goes under the seat in front of me. I book a window seat, skip the bulkhead, and keep connections at zero wherever the route allows it. You get a text every time we get on a plane and every time we get off one. On a nonstop that's two. A connection makes it four.
-
v.
Handoff
I meet you past security or at baggage claim, check ID against the name on the booking, and hand the cat to nobody else. If you'd rather I brought her to your door, say so early and I'll price it in.
$600 to $2,000 All in, per flight. That's the airfare, the airline's cabin fee, and my time. Where you land in that range depends on how far the route is and how long the day takes.
One flat price for every city either overcharges the short hops or quietly eats the long ones. So I quote each route on its own and show you what's in it. There's no percentage buried in the middle.
- To book70% up front
- The balanceDay before we fly
- Zelle, Venmo, invoiceNo fee
- CardAdds 3%
- Less than two days noticeCosts more
- I collect instead of meeting at PDXAdded
- I supply the carrierAdded
- Second carrier, needs the next seatAt cost
Sometimes the flight isn't the problem.
Plenty of people can manage the flying and get stuck on the driving. A cat landing at PDX while you're at work. A cattery three hours from the airport. I do that on its own, no flight attached, priced by distance and time.
What I'll need.
Paperwork for the destination, a cat under twenty-five pounds with the carrier, twelve weeks if it's a kitten, and a soft-sided carrier that fits under the seat. The one thing to get right early is timing, because where a health certificate is required the window is usually ten days.
The details.
What does it actually cost?
Most flights land between $600 and $2,000, all in. That covers the airfare, the airline's cabin fee and my time, and where you land in the range depends on the distance and how long the day runs. A short hop down the coast is nothing like a cross-country day with a connection. Send me the city and I'll give you an actual number.
Who pays, me or the breeder?
Usually the buyer. Most breeder contracts make transport the buyer's cost, so the breeder passes you my details and you and I plan it from there. Some breeders arrange and pay for it themselves. Either way it's 70% to book and the balance the day before.
Can you ship a kitten to another state?
Yes, though I'd quibble with the word. Shipping usually means cargo, a crate in the hold, checked in like a suitcase. I don't do that. The kitten rides in the cabin with me, in a soft carrier under the seat in front of me, and I hand it to a named person at the arrival airport. Same result as shipping, PDX to any state in the country, without the part that worries people.
Do you fly adult cats, or only kittens?
Both. Retired queens going to pet homes, cats moving cross-country with a family. The limit is size rather than age. My own ceiling is twenty-five pounds for cat and carrier together, and the airline's is whether she can stand up and turn around in the carrier without touching the top. Alaska allows 17 x 11 x 9.5 inches, so a long-bodied adult can fail that on length while passing on weight. Send me a weight and a rough body length before we plan anything.
Will my cat be traveling with other animals?
Never a dog. If I ever put two jobs on one flight it's two cats, and you'll know before I do it. Most trips are one cat, or littermates going to the same place.
What happens if the flight is canceled?
Weather and mechanical cancellations get rebooked on the next flight with cabin space, and the cat stays with me the whole time. I carry pads, food and water for exactly this. If a cancellation happens before we've left Portland, the cat goes back to whoever handed it to me that morning.
What if the kitten gets sick before the trip?
Then we move the date. It usually surfaces days ahead, before I'm anywhere near the cat, so the breeder calls and we reschedule. Your deposit rolls to the new flight, it isn't lost. If the airline won't credit the fare, that cost sits with the breeder rather than with you.
What if I'm late to the airport?
Call me on (360) 984-8059 and I'll wait. The first half hour is free, after that it's $50 per half hour, because I'm usually turning around on a flight of my own. If nobody reaches me at all, I get back on the plane with your cat rather than leave it with a stranger, and we sort out getting it to you afterward.
What if I need to cancel?
The 70% is spent by then, on tickets I've already bought, so I can't return it. If I'm the one who cancels you get everything back, and since I never take the cat until we're at the airport, nothing is stranded anywhere.
Where do you fly out of?
Just Portland International. I'm in Vancouver, Washington, so collecting anywhere in Clark County or the Portland metro is easy. Drives over about twenty minutes beyond the airport get priced in. I don't fly out of Seattle. The drive adds hours to both ends of an already long day.
Do you fly internationally?
Ask me. International adds import permits, whatever the destination country requires, and often a rabies titer with a waiting period measured in months. It's a different job from a domestic hop and it needs planning well ahead. I'll tell you straight whether your timeline works.
How do I know this isn't a shipping scam?
A fair question, because kitten shipping scams are everywhere and they all run the same play: a courier you can't call, then urgent surprise fees mid-trip for insurance or a special crate, supposedly refundable on delivery. None of that happens here. I'm one person, and the number is (360) 984-8059 before you book and the whole way through. I quote once, and the number doesn't change after the kitten is in my hands. At the end I hand the kitten to you myself at the airport, after checking your ID against the booking.
Are you registered with the USDA?
Yes. I'm registered as a Class T transporter under USDA/APHIS. That's the category APHIS wrote for people who move animals for hire, and it means unannounced inspections of my records and how I handle animals.
Tell me where it's going, and when it has to be there.
I answer every request myself, usually the same day. If the route or the timing doesn't work, I'll say so.