5 Best Cat Transport Companies [2022 Review]

The Best Cat Transport Companies

• Most Shipping Options: uShip
• Most Experienced Pet Transporters: Airpets International
• Most Transparent Pricing: Happy Tails Travel
• Best Options for Disabled Pets: Blue Collar Pet Transport
• Best Overall Customer Service: Animals Away

Here’s a quick breakdown of the best available cat transport companies. For more detailed information on each, you should continue reading. We know that this is a big decision, so we’ve conducted deep research into each provider’s reputation and track record to put your mind at ease when booking.

*The pricing figures above are approximations for single-pet shipments. Prior to booking, you should always examine your options and get quotes.

uShip

uShip is a broker that facilitates connections between clients and independent shippers for any moving need, including pet and animal shipping services. Through this platform, you’ll be able to post your job listing to uShip’s forum for shipping companies to bid on. This is truly a worldwide shipping network; new jobs are posted every minute of every day from all over. You’ll have your pick of highly-rated carrying companies for the transportation of your cat to any point around the world.

Their Services

uShip connects clients and shippers for a number of moving and shipping needs, including moving your pets. One of their leading categories for service is the transportation of livestock and pets, including:

• Cats
• Dogs
• Horses
• Livestock & farm animals
• Domestic and international relocation for all animals

uShip Cost

Your cost will vary greatly depending on which partner shipping company you book with. Similarly, private versus shared transportation, as well as air versus ground shipping, will have a great impact on your cost. Starting ranges of $500 to $1,000 for domestic shipment and $1,000 to $2,000 for international shipment for a single cat are reliable enough to set your budget before shopping around.

uShip’s Service Area

uShip partners with more than 41,000 independent shipping companies to carry out a variety of pet shipping and other needs across the country and around the world. Regardless of where you need to send your cat, you’ll be able to find a shipping partner to help.

Why We Like uShip

uShip provides customers with the most overall options for their shipping needs. The sheer number of partners ensures that you’ll be able to find quality USDA-certified help for your cat’s safe travel.

Airpets International

Airpets International is one of the leading providers of transportation for cats, and all pets, in the country. They are by far the most-experienced dedicated pet carrier in operation today. After more than 30 years of uniting pets with their owners, they’ve perfected safe and humane travel for your valued companion. If you’re looking for a cat transportation service, this company is definitely worth your consideration. With basic transportation and a number of specialty services offered, they’re one of the best-reviewed companies in the business.

Their Services

Airpets International has had 30 years to perfect and expand their service portfolio and now offers some of the best options to owners of all kinds of pets. These include:

• Domestic and international pet relocation
• Air and ground transportation
• Pet nanny services
• Crate fitting for your cat
• Pet boarding and exercise for international travel
• Cat grooming
• Curation of health and vaccination documents for all pets

Average Cost

Airpet International’s rates are a bit higher than their competitors, but their increased price points come with excellent care and service at all points in your cat’s journey. You can expect to pay around $1,000 and up for domestic travel and around $2,000-plus for international travel per cat. Even if these price points seem high, you should at least get your free quote from Airpets to compare with other providers.

Airpets’ Service Area

Airpets operates from coast to coast for domestic travel. For international shipping needs, they will take your cat to any country whose laws allow for pet importation. 

Why We Like Airpets International

Airpets International has had 31 years of experience in providing only the best care for pets of all kinds. In that time, they’ve transported 5,500 pets and counting. This breadth of experience, coupled with the number of specially-catered options they offer, makes them a leader in their field.

Happy Tails Travel

Happy Tails Travel is one of the best cat transport companies in business today. They’ve been in business since 1995 and offer the clearest pricing structure in this sector of the moving and shipping industry. Their stated goal is to arrange for the most hassle-free pet transport experience possible for both you and your cat. They provide experienced professionals trained in the gentle care and handling of your pet, so you can be sure of safety throughout their trip.

Their Services

Happy Tails provides friendly and professional service for each pet entrusted to their care. This includes the following options:

• Domestic and international pet transport
• Air and ground transportation options
• Door-to-door transportation to and from airports
• Pet rescue programs
• Discounts for military personnel
• Facilitation of import documents and licensing for international travel
• Pet travel packets (see website for details)
• GPS tracking for ground shipping

Happy Tails’ Cost

Happy Tails Travel offers some of the most easily understood and transparent rates for service in the pet transportation industry. Whether you’re moving your cat to the next state or another country altogether, you’ll likely be able to find an advertised rate for service on their website. Domestic relocation for your cat can cost anywhere from $350 to $1,400, while international service will cost upwards of $2,000. 

Their Service Area

Happy Tails Travel can accommodate shipping and transportation for pets to most states and foreign countries. Simply fill out a no-obligation travel form for your pet on their website to find out more.

Why We Like Happy Tails Travel

Happy Tails Travel’s pricing structure is the most transparent you’ll find in the pet transportation industry. Planning a move of any kind often comes with budgetary and financial uncertainties. However, Happy Tails makes this part of the planning process fairly easy to wrap your mind around.

Blue Collar Pet Transport

Blue Collar Pet Transport operates with its core values – safety, dependability, quality, and integrity – constantly in mind. To them, your pet is not just another piece of cargo. They’ll treat them with just as much care as you would to ensure safe delivery. Blue Collar was founded in 2019 and has already become a leader in the industry. If you’re trying to plan a move around the relocation of your cat, then this is a fantastic choice for you.

Their Services

Blue Collar offers an array of luxury and designer services along with the more commonly-found options other pet transport companies provide. They include the following:

• Local pet transport (only within Central Florida)
• Shared ride transport
• Private ground transportation
• Foreign and domestic air transport
• Private jet pet transport
• Options for disabled pets
• USDA-approved kennels in-transit
• Food and purified water for pets during their trip
• No breed restrictions
• Same-day dropoff for flights

Their Cost

You’ll have to contact Blue Collar Pet Transport for a quote. When you do, bear in mind that shared ride ground transport is the cheapest option, while private jet transport to any location is by far the most costly. If you book any less than a week out from your cat’s trip, then you could be stuck with a large expedition fee.

Blue Collar’s Service Area

Blue Collar serves cat transportation needs throughout the US and many other countries around the world. If your cat is eligible for acceptance into a given country, this transport service can help you.

Why We Like Blue Collar Pet Transport

Blue Collar offers the most disability-friendly options for pet transportation. Their specialized care, by background-checked and qualified pet handlers and drivers, make any of your cat transport needs easily accessible.

Animals Away

Animals Away is a trusted name in the pet transportation industry and can provide excellent care for your cat, no matter where they need to go. Since 1995, this company has strived to set a standard for personalized care and efficient transportation. When you schedule your cat’s move with Animals Away, you’ll be booking with a company that can easily expedite the often-complicated process associated with the end goal of a safe relocation.

Their Services

Animals Away offers ground and air transportation for your cat to various locations. Here are some of the options they provide:

• Ground transportation to the following areas: New York, Connecticut, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Albany, Syracuse, and Boston
• Air travel for your cat to all points in the US and abroad
• Boarding services for your cat
• Facilitation of customs clearance
• General pet travel consultation
• Custom shipping crates for all animals

Their Cost

Get a Quote

Arranging for your cat’s transportation could potentially be more stressful than an actual move. However, vetting each pet transportation service is necessary before you book – both for the sake of your cat’s safety and to ensure competitive pricing for your move. You’ll have to contact pet transport services at least two to three weeks in advance in order to be sure of booking with your number one choice.

Buyer’s Guide

Before you book a company to transport your cat, you should evaluate each vital criterion of any pet carrier service. Here are the main areas you should address when you get a quote.

• Customer Reviews: You’ll most likely evaluate a company’s customer service reputation before you even pursue a quote or estimate. Pet owners as a group will be very vocal about the proper treatment – or mistreatment – of their furry friends. It is incredibly important that you review customer feedback from multiple sources before booking.
• USDA-Accreditation: Booking with a USDA-accredited pet transport service is important if you’re looking to ship your pet safely. Simply put, a lack of this accreditation should be a deal-breaker.
• IPATA Membership: The International Pet and Animal Transportation Association is an independent association of excellent pet carriers. They ensure the equitable and humane treatment of animals transported by their members. For this reason, you should ask about this membership when vetting any pet shipping service.
• Shop Around: Explore your options. When arranging for the safe transit of your pet to or from your home, it’s worth looking into all possible options. You should weigh each company’s service profile and reputation against each other to ensure that you ultimately book with the right carrier for your pet.

Questions to Ask Before Booking

The following questions will help you to more fully understand what you’re committing to when you book with any pet carrier service. If you’re dealing with a reputable provider, these should be relatively easy for a customer service representative to answer.

Are pet crates secured within the vehicle or plane?

Cats don’t cope well with vehicles or being in motion for travel. With that in mind, the answer to this question should be a flat “yes.” If you’re evaluating an experienced company, then they’ll go into more detail about safety precautions they may take. Whether you’re shipping over the ground or via air travel, your pet transportation professional should be able to tell you exactly how safe your pet should be.

How experienced are your pet handlers?

This is a fairly straightforward question that you should ask of any pet transportation professional. You’ll want to have qualified, full-time help to ensure the safety and comfort of your cat throughout their trip.

Are cargo holds pressurized?

Once again, this answer should be a flat “yes.” USDA-accredited pet carriers will only ever work with airlines whose cargo holds are kept at the same air pressure and temperature as the cabins. This means that, under normal circumstances, your pet will be breathing the same air as the human passengers of any given flight.

How much attention is paid to my cat in transit?

Many top pet transport companies will have professionals ready at major hub airports to arrange for the immediate care of any pets on any given flight. If you’re using ground shipping for your pet, then there are typically time-mandated check-ins that drivers must go through with each pet in their care.

Which health and safety regulations will I have to comply with at my cat’s destination?

This will vary greatly, depending on the state or country you’re shipping to. However, a qualified professional pet shipping company will be able to give you an answer and should have some ability to facilitate all necessary paperwork for your cat’s transportation.

Our Methodology

At Pro Mover Reviews, we are committed to providing our readers with comprehensive and unbiased information on each provider that we review. Our methodology is a step-by-step process that ensures we maintain your trust through transparency and data that is backed up through routine check-ins. Our staff has spent hundreds of hours reviewing dozens of local, long-distance, and international moving companies to bring you our recommendation for the best moving companies in the US. We then narrowed down our findings based on criteria that we find to be the most helpful for you to choose the best moving company for your needs.

Our Rating Categories:

• Company Transparency
• Pricing + Cost
• Services Offered
• Overall Reputation

While there are many sites out there that compare movers, we believe our rigorous standards give us more insights into company performance and better data to share with our community.  For each moving company we check for:

• Confirmed Licensing with the DOT
• Updated & Verified Business Registration
• Real & Recent Consumer Reviews
• Industry Ratings and BBB Complaints
• Accuracy of Online Quotes
• Services Provided & Total Service Area
• Pricing & Services vs. Competitors

From here we created a comprehensive, 100 point, rating scale based on the following factors:

• Moving services (25): Companies that offer more flexibility in their services are rated higher.
• Coverage of services (5): The more items a moving company can handle, the higher the score.
• Pricing (25): We compare this to the industry average when rating pricing.
• Trustworthiness (25): We comb through hundreds of reviews and check on BBB ratings to determine the trustworthiness of a company.
• State availability (5): Finding a moving company in your state can be a challenge depending on where you are located. The more states covered, the higher the score.
• Customer service (10): Is this moving company responsive? Do they respond quickly to issues that are brought to their attention? Are they helpful in answering questions? All of these factors are considered when rating customer service.
• Additional benefits (5): Moving companies can sometimes offer special promotions or deals when contracting them for a move. The companies with the most benefit scored higher.

Of the dozens of different moving companies that we’ve reviewed, we’ve broken down the best interstate and long-distance movers in Indiana. To keep our ratings and data current, we have a full-time researcher who collects (and regularly updates) more than 100 specific data points from each company to help us compare them on key factors such as coverage, cost, service, and dependability. This list is ever-changing, as companies will update policies and procedures, and we will change our information accordingly.