Flying a cat from Great Britain to the United States
USA: Federal rules for pets entering the US mainland. Each state can add its own entry rules.
Yes
A cat can enter the United States (Federal rules for pets entering the US mainland) from Great Britain without quarantine when every condition is met. It needs a healthy appearance on arrival. If a condition is missed: An animal refused entry after a flight is returned by the airline to the country it left, on the next available flight and at the importer's expense.
- Cabin
- Airline decidesA cat may arrive through any US airport. The federal rules we read set no cabin, hold or cargo limit for cats, so the airline decides.
- Quarantine
- NoneIf a rule is missed: An animal refused entry after a flight is returned by the airline to the country it left, on the next available flight and at the importer's expense.
- Rabies titer
- Not required
- Lead time
- 0 days
Your deadlines, counted back from arrival
None of these steps is a hard deadline. Changing the date re-dates the plan in your browser; it fetches nothing.
Lead time: 0 days
Arrival
Arrive on
Which airlines carry cats on this route
| Airline | Cabin | Hold | Manifest cargo | Fee from | Snub-nosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | No | Restricted | Yes | Quoted on request | Refused |
| British Airways | No | No | Yes | Quoted on request | Case by case |
| Delta Air Lines | No | No | No | No | No |
| United Airlines | No | No | No | No | No |
| Virgin Atlantic | Suspended | Suspended | Suspended | Suspended | Suspended |
No rule changes in 12 months
We have recorded no change to the rules on this page in the last 12 months. See every recorded change.
Where every rule above came from
- eCFR (Office of the Federal Register / GPO)ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-09-22/title-42.xmlA cat may arrive through any US airport; The cat must appear healthy on arrival and may be inspected at the port of entry; An animal refused entry after a flight is returned by the airline to the country it…; The dog is denied admission and returned to the country it left; The airline must refuse to board a dog whose importer has not shown the CDC Dog Import…checked
page says updated amendment citation in the text: 89 FR 41837, May 13, 2024 (the dog and cat rule, effective 1 Aug 2024); eCFR text as of 2026-09-22
- USDA APHISaphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/another-country-to-us-import/catsA cat needs no proof of rabies vaccination to enter the United States, but CDC…checked
page says updated December 24, 2025
- USDA APHISaphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/another-country-to-us-importFederal rules for pets entering the US mainlandchecked
page says updated March 19, 2026
- CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-us/index.htmlThe cat must appear healthy on arrival and may be inspected at the port of entry: what fails; The cat must appear healthy on arrival and may be inspected at the port of entry; A cat needs no proof of rabies vaccination to enter the United States, but CDC…; CDC does not require a general health certificate, but some states and airlines dochecked
page says updated Aug. 22, 2025
- GOV.UK (APHA)gov.uk/export-health-certificates/export-dogs-and-cats-to-the-commonwealth-of-massachusetts-usa-certificate-8696From 1 August 2024, a cat going to Massachusetts travels on Great Britain export health…checked
page says updated 5 May 2026
- American Airlines Cargo (American PetEmbark)aacargo.com/learn/animals.htmlFrom May 1 to September 30, no pets outside the cabin to, through or from Phoenix…checked
- American Airlines Cargo (American PetEmbark)aacargo.com/learn/animals-policy-and-restrictions.htmlAmerican Airlines: route, manifest cargo, snub-nosed; American Airlines Cargo will not carry animals when the ground temperature at the…; American Airlines Cargo will not carry animals on any single flight of 12 hours or more; A pet shipped from outside the United States must be booked through an IATA-regulated…checked
- American Airlines Cargo (American PetEmbark)aacargo.com/downloads/know_before_you_go_FEB2026.pdfAmerican Airlines Cargo will not carry animals on any single flight of 12 hours or morechecked
- American Airlines Cargoaacargo.com/downloads/rates/International_to_International_Live_Animal_v1.09.pdfAmerican Airlines: routechecked
page says updated EFFECTIVE DATE: March 1, 2024
- Delta Cargo (Delta Air Lines)deltacargo.com/Cargo/catalog/products/petsDelta Air Lines: route, manifest cargo, fee from; Delta Cargo accepts no pets at Amsterdam (AMS), Paris (CDG), Frankfurt (FRA) or London…checked
- Delta Cargo (Delta Air Lines)deltacargo.com/Cargo/catalog/restricted-animalsDelta Air Lines: snub-nosedchecked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/products/live-animalsIAG Cargo asks for live animals to be checked in 4 hours before departure, subject to…checked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/products/petsBritish Airways: fee from, snub-nosedchecked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/denIAG Cargo takes no live-animal imports at Denver (DEN) on days 6 or 7, and restricts…checked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/dfwIAG Cargo takes no live-animal imports at Denver (DEN) on days 6 or 7, and restricts…checked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/jfkCollect the pet on the day it lands at New York (JFK), which has no storage, and on…checked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/lgwIAG Cargo takes no dangerous dogs at Heathrow or Gatwick, and restricts some snub-nosed…checked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/lhrIAG Cargo takes no dangerous dogs at Heathrow or Gatwick, and restricts some snub-nosed…checked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/msyBritish Airways: routechecked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/phlCollect the pet on the day it lands at New York (JFK), which has no storage, and on…checked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/phxNo live-animal exports from Phoenix (PHX) from 15 March to 31 October, and no…checked
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/stlIAG Cargo's Stchecked
- Virgin Atlantic Cargo (division of Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd)virginatlanticcargo.com/gb/en/contact-us/faqs.htmlVirgin Atlantic: manifest cargo, fee from, snub-nosedchecked
- Virgin Atlantic Cargo (division of Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd)virginatlanticcargo.com/gb/en/our-network/flight-schedule.htmlVirgin Atlantic: routechecked
page says updated Summer schedule, effective 29th March - 24th October 2026
- Virgin Atlantic Cargo (division of Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd)virginatlanticcargo.com/global/en/book/pets2.htmlVirgin Atlantic: manifest cargo, fee from, snub-nosedchecked
- American Airlines (Tariff No. AA1, published by Airline Tariff Publishing Company as agent)aa.com/content/images/tariff/american-airlines-general-rules-of-the-international-tariff.pdfAmerican Airlines: cabin, hold; Pets cannot be booked through to another airline, including codeshare flights with an…checked
page says updated Document Version No. 705; Issue Date: September 08, 2026 (server Last-Modified 9 Sep 2026)
- American Airlinesaa.com/web/i18n/customer-service/support/optional-service-fees.htmlAmerican Airlines: holdchecked
- American Airlinesaa.com/web/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/pets.htmlAmerican Airlines: cabin, hold, manifest cargo, fee from, snub-nosed; From May 1 to September 30, no pets outside the cabin to, through or from Phoenix…; Pets cannot be booked through to another airline, including codeshare flights with an…checked
- British Airwaysbritishairways.com/content/information/disability-assistance/travelling-with-your-assistance-dogBritish Airways: routechecked
- British Airwaysbritishairways.com/content/information/legal/conditions-of-carriage/general-conditions-of-carriageBritish Airways: holdchecked
page says updated 17 October 2024
- British Airwaysbritishairways.com/content/information/travel-assistance/travelling-with-petsBritish Airways: route, cabinchecked
- British Airwaysbritishairways.com/content/en/us/information/legal/us-optional-extrasBritish Airways: hold, manifest cargo, fee fromchecked
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/international-connection-pet-travelDelta Air Lines: route, cabin, holdchecked
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/special-circumstances/military-travel/petsDelta Air Lines: hold, fee from, snub-nosedchecked
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/overviewDelta Air Lines: fee fromchecked
- Delta Air Lines (Delta Professional, travel-agency site)pro.delta.com/content/agency/us/en/products-and-services/pet/pet-policies.htmlDelta Air Lines: route, fee fromchecked
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/shipping-your-petDelta Air Lines: fee from, snub-nosedchecked
- United Airlinesunited.com/en/us/fly/contract-of-carriage.htmlUnited Airlines: route, cabin, fee fromchecked
page says updated revised May 11, 2026
- United Airlinesunited.com/en/us/fly/travel/trip-planning/military-pet-program.htmlUnited Airlines: manifest cargochecked
- United Airlinesunited.com/en/us/fly/travel/accessibility-and-assistance/service-animals.htmlUnited Airlines: routechecked
- United Airlinesunited.com/en/us/fly/travel/traveling-with-pets.htmlUnited Airlines: route, cabin, hold, manifest cargo, fee from, snub-nosedchecked
- United Cargo (United Airlines, Inc.)media.united.com/assets/m/75be4c49b532e3f5/original/TACT-rules-section-8-3-United-Airlines-PDF.pdfUnited Airlines: manifest cargochecked
page says updated July 2026
- Virgin Atlanticvirginatlantic.com/en-us/policies/conditions-of-carriage/article-16Virgin Atlantic: cabin, fee from, snub-nosedchecked
page says updated Not on the article page; the conditions index says 'Most recent revision: Revision 58, 17 August 2026'
- Virgin Atlantic (help centre)virginatlantic.com/en-US/help/articles/what-are-the-accepted-assistance-dog-breeds----41436c69-a357-4b23-8478-c9e972a1bf30Virgin Atlantic: snub-nosedchecked
page says updated July 31, 2025
- Virgin Atlantic (help centre)virginatlantic.com/en-US/help/articles/can-i-book-a-flight-to-travel-with-my-pet----291a6729-8e4d-4ada-92b3-c8553503694aVirgin Atlantic: route, cabin, hold, fee from, snub-nosedchecked
page says updated June 24, 2025