I lived in Taiwan for a year, during which time I acquired a cat. At the end of the year, I took her with me back to the U.S. I spent a lot of time getting her the required shots and paperwork (a kitty passport, pretty much). She actually traveled in a soft pet carrier in the cabin with me on the flights, but it was the most stressful trip I’ve ever had. Prior to take-off, I gave her a sedative to relax her, which promptly put her into a deep sleep for several hours. So, then I worried that she wasn’t breathing– that maybe the sedative had been too strong. Then she woke up and kept freaking out, understandably– thrashing around in the carrier, hissing at me, wouldn’t take any food or water. Poor thing. Luckily, we were in the last row and there was no one in the seat next to me. But it was stressful for both me and the kitty. Once we got to customs, the agents didn’t even care to see the paperwork (or the cat, who was buried in the carrier)…so at least that part was easy. (Plus, since there’s no rabies on Taiwan, I didn’t have to put her in quarantine in the U.S.)

And that was just one cat! And no kids.

Heather