OT: flying a pet

My sister, bless her heart.  She and her cheating husband are splitting up.  She's moving back to North Carolina from Minneapolis, MN.  She needs to find a service that will safely fly her cat back to NC.  Anybody know of a service that will do this?  My google searches aren't coming up with a whole lot.  I want to help her any way.
Thanks!

I appreciate everyone's replies.  I guess I should have been more specific.  She will not be traveling with the cat.  She has to make the 3+ day drive to bring her car to NC.  We were looking for a way to spare the poor cat from having to deal with a 3+ day car trip.  I am planning to fly up there to help her pack up some stuff and I'll drive back to NC with her so she won't have to do it alone.  It's just too hot and her car is BLACK, inside and out, so that car would heat up to a dangerous level if we stopped just to go to the bathroom along the way.

Delta has a service, but there are some restrictions by season etc...best is to CALL the airlines, not look it up on the net, the websites don't have all the information easily found.

Good luck to your sister.

 With an extra fee, Delta will allow a limited number of pets fly in the cabin with the owner in a small carrier that fits under the seat.  I have never had a problem with Delta and flying German shepherds...neither has my mother and she is a breeder.

 PS....She will need to get a health certificate from the vet for the pet to fly and I would suggest a tranquilizer from the vet.

Delta Dash ships animals, but they go cargo and they won't ship in certain temperatures. I am thinking not during the summer, but you would have to check the airline to be sure. You can take the animal as a carryon just about any time of the year.
If she isn't going to fly, she might want to consider taking the cat with her in a kennel in the car.

As an owner of 4 cats... all who don't travel well... 1/4 of an adult gravol (50mg in quarters) goes a long way to quieting them down.  I have one that I give that dose to an hour before hand and another 1/4 just before ready to leave.  She goes wacko just trying to put her in the carrier.   (This btw is all with a vet who specializes in cats, blessing.)

What I will say... is that cats do settle down once they're in the car... and I think it's Quality Inn or Hilton Inns allow pets for travelling guest (check their websites).  No need to fly a pet if she's driving... kitties don't mind happy drugs either :)

Airlines will not allow any pet to be shipped that has taken any type of medications....meds can lower their bloodpressure and cause death when mixed with the change in altitude....for driving that is a great idea though.

Is she flying with the cat? Four months ago I flew my dog from Kuwait to Houston. He was on the same plane that I was. Most airlines will have a service that does this but it is restricted by the time of the year. It is getting pretty close (or may already be here) when it is too hot to fly a pet. However, if the pet is small enough (and the arrangements have been made with the airline) they can be brought into the cabin as carry on luggage. My sister did this with a Chihuahua.

When flying internationally, the pet crate has to be airline approved and have air flow capabilities on all four sides. Some airlines are better than others. I purposely flew back on KLM and through Amsterdam because of the care they give animals that travel. They even have a doggie hotel that Fuzzy Butt was taken to because we have a 5 hour lay over. They took him out, walked him and changed his water.

Continental has the best pet shipping and the best price.  Detla does ok, but costs more and has given me fits as not all their employees are trained enough to know whats going on and end up giving out wrong info.  My dog was fine, but I was super stressed. I fly my dogs around the country on a regular basis.  Oh, continental also gives me frequent flyer miles for my dogs so be sure to ask about that.  During the summer they continue shipping pets as they are one of the few with climate controlled cargo.  I always pick summer flights that leave at dusk and arrive late, so pets are not left on the tarmac with the sun glaring on them by mistake.  Continental has an entire staff devoted to pet care and they do an awesome job!

Alway try to get a non-stop flight.  Most carrier mistakes happen during changes, so try to avoid that option if at all possible. 

what airline has a hub in her home city?  usually getting the most major airline in a city can be helpful

Alaska air also does a good job with pets.  Northwest used to have a great program out of MN...are they still flying? 

read the rules carefully once you select an airline as to crate size, allowable contents, and health requirements.  They can vary by airline.  If sis is flying, too, I would actually go with taking cat as carry on if possible.  More airlines allow that than ship as cargo and most cats are small enough.  It is also much cheaper.

Services area available, just search under Google. BUT, these expenses are not inexpensive. She can do it all herself, whether she is flying with the cat, or shipping the cat by itself.  If it's an adult cat, she'll need a small or $100 kennel, normally at $25 to $50 (hard shelled kennel). She'll need a spli****er and food dish--required.  A health certificate dated within 10 days of the flight date.  If she is flying with it, most airlines won't fly it for free, there will be some fee. If the cat is being flown by itself, the airline shipment cost is around $225.  She'll need to put the name of the part picking up the cat on the health cerficate and airway bill. If there a possiblity of 2 different people picking up the cat, both names should appear on the paperwork, as their ID will be checked before releasing the cat.   She'll need a reservation to ship the cat too.  Cat will usually have to be dropped off about 2 hours before flight time.  I've shipped cats since 1978, so I'm familiar with the process. Most airlines will allow you to ship collect, except Continental.  If the temps are above 85 degrees, then you may have to try some red eye specials OR use Continental Airlines as they don't abide by these temperature restrictions.  DAVE