Kat asked about flying ferrets... I will let someone like Jeanne, Marie or Pat answer the part about taking ferrets OUT of CA, as I do not want to give incorrect info. I do know about taking them on planes, however it is a tad stickier when you are flying internationally. First, you will likely need to fly the ferret as cargo. I am not aware of ANY carrier who will accept them as carry-on or even checked luggage on an international flight. Assuming that you will need to fly from CA to an Eastern airport, and then change flights to the Netherlands, I would check into Delta (I believe they are a KLM partner) as a carrier for the domestic portion of your flight. There you should be able to take the fuzzy in the cabin with you. I would attempt to arrange to fly into NYC or Boston (depending on the carrier) a day before departing for Europe. That way your fuzzy will be able to spend time out of the carrier in between flights in your hotel room. It would certainly be less stressfull to both of you. You may want to consider the possibility of leaving him in that bathroom for the night rather than the small carrier in the hotel room. Bathrooms are generally easily ferret proofed, as long as they can't get under the door. You will need an International Health Certificate issued by the vet no more than ten days prior to commencing travel. Make sure the vet realizes that it is an INTERNATIONAL flight. Back to the cargo part. My advice is to use two carriers if you will be carrying the ferret on during the first leg, it will have to fit under the seat. You may want to invest in a collapsible sherpa bag for this. After that, switch to a medium sized carrier that will be large enough to fit a litter pan. Carry enough bedding to make at least one complete change during travel- another reason that newspaper is a great bedding material- you can always chuck it and buy more whereever you are for very little money. E-mail me privately if you want info on how to padlock a cage, etc. Put lots of newspaper on the bottom as insulation, and string up a hammock and include a thinsulate blanket or sleepy sack. You can not use waterbottles- first, nothing can be hung on the outside of the cage, secondly, the vibration would cause them to drip and make a mess. Invest in two deep crok-loks, one for food, one for water. Only fill the water one halfway. On International flights, you need to be to the airport two hours in advance, which means that the ferret will need to be checked into air cargo- a different building on the airport grounds three hours in advance- some carriers require four hours. So it could be 10-14 or more hours before you and the ferret clear customs and are reunited. If it were me...and PLEASE SPEAK TO YOUR VET ABOUT THIS... I would have my vet teach me how to do sub-cu fluids, and I would sub-cu my fuzzy with fluids at air cargo just before handing him over. (Make sure the vet gives you a prescription for the syringe and needles!!!) That way you know that even if the water is all spilled out of the crok-lok he won't dehydrate. You can also speak to the vet about a sedative, but there is concern about sedated animals not being able to thermoregulate, and you won't be around to help. In most cases, ferrets do just fine in airplanes- to them it is the same as a car ride. One other thing to find out about- certain carriers will not take on live animals as cargo during winter months. You will need to have a cargo reservation in advance. Make sure to check, double check and triple check EVERYTHING you are told, and write down ALL names and numbers of everyone you talk to. Try and get it in writing from THEM! I would also call the Dutch Consulate in NYC or Washington and inquire about any laws that they have there regarding quarantine, licesnsing, and general legality of ferrets. Best of luck! -Anne [Posted in FML issue 2150]