Cat onboard the Infinity

My inlaws just returned from the Infinity Panama Canal cruise on the 24th and they said they saw a lady carrying a cat down the hallway.

I thought only dogs could be brought on as service / companion animals?

If this policy has changed I need to know. My husband is severely allergic to cats (Mayo Clinic has never seen anyone more allergic) and would not survive staying in a room that had housed a cat !

My inlaws just returned from the Infinity Panama Canal cruise on the 24th and they said they saw a lady carrying a cat down the hallway.

 

I thought only dogs could be brought on as service / companion animals?

 

If this policy has changed I need to know. My husband is severely allergic to cats (Mayo Clinic has never seen anyone more allergic) and would not survive staying in a room that had housed a cat !

No change in policy, there are more than just dogs who are service animals and the cruise line cannot refuse to carry them. I worked in a supermarket and a woman came in with her service parkakeet. There was an article on the news not to long ago where the Justice Dept. stated that a woman who had a service horse should have been allowed into a restaurant. It was a small horse but the problem with horses is they can't be trained to go like dogs can. I would think you would not run into too many cats though.

I was on Eclipse in January and someone had the cutest toy breed in their carrier (to my surprise).

LOL will wonders never cease.... a small horse and a parakeet I would never have believed it!

I was on Eclipse in January and someone had the cutest toy breed in their carrier (to my surprise).

LOL will wonders never cease.... a small horse and a parakeet (service pets) I would never have believed it!

Just doing some research...

U.S. Department of Justice

Civil Rights Division

Disability Rights Section

Service Animals

The Department of Justice published revised final regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for title II (State and local government services) and title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) on September 15, 2010, in the Federal Register. These requirements, or rules, clarify and refine issues that have arisen over the past 20 years and contain new, and updated, requirements, including the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards).

Overview

This publication provides guidance on the term “service animal” and the service animal provisions in the Department’s new regulations.

Beginning on March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized as service animals under titles II and III of the ADA.

A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.

Generally, title II and title III entities must permit service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas where members of the public are allowed to go.

Miniature Horses

In addition to the provisions about service dogs, the Department’s revised ADA regulations have a new, separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. (Miniature horses generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds.) Entities covered by the ADA must modify their policies to permit miniature horses where reasonable. The regulations set out four assessment factors to assist entities in determining whether miniature horses can be accommodated in their facility. The assessment factors are (1) whether the miniature horse is housebroken; (2) whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control; (3) whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight; and (4) whether the miniature horse’s presence will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility.

I have no problem with companion / service dogs. But there are a lot of people allergic to cats and this poses a health risk because a simple cleaning of a room will not remove the danger.

My husband has walked into a house and within 20 minutes will ask if they have cats when he can't take a full breath. The people always claim they have cleaned and the cat is downstairs. But that doesn't matter.

I can't imagine a cat in a small ship cabin for a week.

They need to designate rooms that can be used by certain animals.

Slightly off topic but on the subject of small horses as service animals...They are known as miniatures or 'minis' and can be housebroken. They are considered superior to dogs for a number of reasons. Life expectancy of a mini is approximately 40 years while a service dog may only be productive for 8 to 10 requiring someone to have 4 or 5 service dogs through their lifetime which is very expensive. They do not have 'aggression' or temperment issues, live well with other animals and are not subject to many of the same hereditary diseases as dogs (i.e. hip dysplasia). Some cultures view dogs as dirty and it is against religious norms to have dogs in close proximity to people. Service minis alleviate that problem as well.

It might be interesting to see a service horse on a cruise ship!

I have no problem with companion / service dogs. But there are a lot of people allergic to cats and this poses a health risk because a simple cleaning of a room will not remove the danger.

My husband has walked into a house and within 20 minutes will ask if they have cats when he can't take a full breath. The people always claim they have cleaned and the cat is downstairs. But that doesn't matter.

I can't imagine a cat in a small ship cabin for a week.

 

They need to designate rooms that can be used by certain animals.

My husband is very allergic to dogs. I hope that if a room is occupied by a service dog it receives a special cleaning!

Hi,

It would be interesting and informative if one could get '' the word'' on this from Celebrity itself. I know they have a poster from Celebrity who comes on here from time to time to straighten us all out on some confusing issues.

This particular item of discussion would be one of those.

There are downsides to any animal's presence ,should it be prone to trigger allergic reactions.... and there is a whole lot of upside to the presence of an ADA-approved service animal for its owner/guest on a cruise ship.

How to deal with all that.......

Cheers

If you are allergic to an animal, please inform the Cruise line Special Services. They may suggest a different room. Nowadays, many people can use different animals for different things. This way they have a heads up and you can ask to be informed if such an animal will be on the ship. Then you can decide to go or not. Take an epie pen with you just in case.

perhaps they brought a sack and some bricks too, and were waiting for the water to get deep enough?

No No No I am just kidding, I would never condone drownng a cat like they used to, that was just a historic insight, in the days of wooden ships when sailors thought cats on a ship were witched.

^^^ AstroCAT thinks this is purr-ty funny!

My wife wants to take her cat and rabbit on our next cruise.

how can we make them classified as service animals?

kitty opens all doors by herself and our Bunny can be part of the entertainment by performing her saltos...

Any help appreciated.

My wife wants to take her cat and rabbit on our next cruise.

how can we make them classified as service animals?

kitty opens all doors by herself and our Bunny can be part of the entertainment by performing her saltos...

 

Any help appreciated.

Please tell me you forgot the tongue-in-cheek smiley:rolleyes:.

rwr235's post was very interesting. Is it that Celebrity must allow service dogs, that they choose to allow other service animals? While not officially recognized, a "service cat" (possibly for legitimate psychological benefits) could mean the difference between someone being able to cruise and not. Another thing to consider is that Celebrity has an international clientele-- USDOJ ruling does not apply to the rest of the planet. I assume it's enforceable when departing a US port, but I see no reason the ruling should have an effect anywhere else.

I feel for someone with a severe allergy to cats, and I wouldn't think the situation would (legitimately) come up very often. What about those with problems with dogs? NorthCarolinaBelle, I'm curious as to what issues your husband faces when encountering those with service dogs in everyday life? Do you find that the attitude is that their mobility needs trump your husband's need to breathe? Where do the rights of those who rely on service animals end and those with allergies begin?

And abuse of the "service animal" classification is another whole concern. I would sincerely hope the need for the cat was actually legitimate and not some entitled person saying, "I just simply cannot bear to be away from my precious Sweetums, so that makes her a service animal." However, it's Celebrity's business, literally, if they choose to waive their own rules and look the other way. A bad decision, IMO, if such is the case, but their decision to make.

As a cat owner, "service" and "cat" are two words that are not normally associated with one another. Unless it's referring to that fact that cats consider people their servants. ;)

As a cat owner, "service" and "cat" are two words that are not normally associated with one another. Unless it's referring to that fact that cats consider people their servants. ;)

AMEN!

Carol. AKA slave to my kitty kids. LOL

As noted in an earlier post, the ADA does not recognize cats as service animals. Animals for psychological assistance (therapy or comfort animals) are NOT protected by the ADA, even dogs. Perhaps this cat belonged to the crew or an officer?

We were on Equinox March 5-16th where we noticed an elderly couple, he in a motorized wheelchair and she pushing a stroller with a small white service dog in it. "Beau" never made a sound and one would not even know he was there unless you looked. I never once saw him out of his stroller. I was really disappointed to hear a number of grumbles and nasty comments about the dog being on board.

As noted in an earlier post, the ADA does not recognize cats as service animals. Animals for psychological assistance (therapy or comfort animals) are NOT protected by the ADA, even dogs. Perhaps this cat belonged to the crew or an officer?

As Sandi said, only service dogs are allowed on cruise ships. If a cat was seen (which I doubt - maybe it was a small dog?) it would not have belonged to a passenger.

There is no need for anyone to get anxious about a possible change of the cruise lines' policy, or to worry about allergies to cats.

To get a genuine service dog on board a cruise ship, the owner needs to do a great deal of advance paperwork. Usually, the Special Needs department of the cruise line has to be notified, so that arrangements can be made for the animal's welfare. At no time is the dog allowed to be left alone in the cabin.

I learned something new today re: miniature horses. WOW! :eek:

Seminolefan may have brought up an interesting point. Perhaps the CAT was the passenger and the human was the "service animal!"

I say this as a fellow cat owner. ;)

As a cat owner, "service" and "cat" are two words that are not normally associated with one another. Unless it's referring to that fact that cats consider people their servants. ;)

I've read about cats that know when a person is going to have a seaizure before it happens. The choice between being able to take meds or get comfortable and falling on a cruiseship seem clear; Take the cat or stay home.

 

I feel for someone with a severe allergy to cats, and I wouldn't think the situation would (legitimately) come up very often. What about those with problems with dogs? NorthCarolinaBelle, I'm curious as to what issues your husband faces when encountering those with service dogs in everyday life? Do you find that the attitude is that their mobility needs trump your husband's need to breathe? Where do the rights of those who rely on service animals end and those with allergies begin?

I have bad allergies to dogs - I'm fine with the small breeds, but the larger ones (ones that you oftentimes see with service dogs) my throat will close up if i go into the house that one is living in. It would definitely be a big deal for me to occupy a room immediately following a passenger that had say, a german shepherd as a service dog. Hopefully cruise lines are conscious of this and automatically order a deep clean for any cabin that had an animal present.

My next cruise is an inaugural, so I should be ok :-) Well there might be what, 1 occupant before me if they have a crew shakeout cruise but the likelihood of one of them using a dog is probably slim :-)

I've read about cats that know when a person is going to have a seaizure before it happens. The choice between being able to take meds or get comfortable and falling on a cruiseship seem clear; Take the cat or stay home.

Seizures, or worse: I've always remembered the story of Oscar the hospice cat ..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7129952/Cat-predicts-50-deaths-in-RI-nursing-home.html

It is also being discussed on the Carnival Board http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=33486866&highlight=service+cat#post33486866