Taking Your Cat on an Amtrak Train: 5 Things To Know

If you’re getting ready to take a trip via Amtrak, you may be wondering whether or not your cat can ride the train with you. Here’s what Amtrak’s pet policy says:

You can bring your cat on Amtrak trips up to seven hours on most routes. However, you’ll have to make your pet reservation in advance, pay an additional fee, and use an approved carrier. 

In this article, I’ll take a closer look at Amtrak’s pet policy including how much you can expect to pay for your cat’s reservation, how to book your cat’s ticket and more. 

Amtrak Pet Policy: Taking Your Cat on the Train

Just like driving or flying, traveling with your cat on a train can be stressful. However, with a little bit of preparation and patience, you can easily travel with your cat via Amtrak. 

As long as your cat is over eight weeks old and weighs less than 20 pounds, they should be eligible to board an Amtrak train. However, certain routes don’t allow pets, pet-friendly trains have a limit of five pets total, and pets can only join you on trips shorter than seven hours. Additionally, each passenger is limited to only one pet.

If you plan on traveling with your cat via Amtrak, I recommend booking your ticket as soon as possible. After that, you’ll need to make sure you have an Amtrak-approved cat carrier. 

In this article, I’ll cover all of these details and more to give you a step-by-step guide to taking your cat on an Amtrak train. 

Table of Contents:

• Eligibility & Requirements
• How Much Does It Cost?
• How To Book a Ticket for Your Cat
• How To Travel With a Cat on an Amtrak Train
• Amtrak-Approved Cat Carriers

Below, you’ll find more information on the entire process of traveling with your cat via Amtrak from planning your trip and booking your ticket to boarding the train.

Eligibility & Requirements: Can My Cat Ride on Amtrak?

Before you board an Amtrak train with your cat, you’ll need to make sure your cat is eligible. 

There’s a maximum of five pets per train (not including service animals) on most routes. Each customer is also limited to one pet. For these reasons, it’s important to make your pet reservations as early as possible. 

Cats and dogs are allowed to travel as pets with Amtrak as long as they meet the following requirements:

• At least eight weeks old
• Odorless, harmless, not disruptive, and require no attention during travel
• Weigh less than 20 pounds (combined weight of cat and carrier)
• Up-to-date on all vaccinations
• Healthy, free of illness, and has not been in the presence of any contagious disease/illness/condition within the past six months

Pets may not be shipped or checked as baggage, but instead must travel with a human at all times. Service animals are not considered pets, and are welcome on all Amtrak services. 

According to Amtrak, reservations with pets are limited to seven hours total travel time including transfer time between trains on multiple-segment trips. This is a good amount of time for your cat to travel before needing a break anyway.

Also, it’s important to know that not every route allows cats (or any pets excluding service animals). In Canada, you cannot bring your cat on Adirondack, Maple Leaf, and Amtrak Cascades. In the states, you cannot travel with a pet on Auto Train, Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian, San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor, or Thruway Connecting Services.

You can learn more about pet eligibility and requirements online by reading Amtrak’s pet policy.

How Much Does It Cost To Bring Your Cat on Amtrak?

In addition to your own ticket, you’ll have to purchase an Amtrak ticket for your cat. The pet fee costs $29-$39 depending on your route. If you have multiple travel segments, the pet fee is assessed for each segment.

In the table below, you can see how much your cat’s reservation will cost (in addition to your own ticket) depending on which route you take:

Route Name	Route	Pet Fee
Acela	Boston - Washington, DC	$39
Adirondack	New York City	$39
Amtrak Cascades	Seattle - Portland - Eugene	$29
Amtrak Hartford Line/Valley Flyer	New Haven - Springfield - Greenfield	$39
Berkshire Flyer	New York City - Albany - Pittsfield	$39
California Zephyr	Chicago - Denver - Emeryville	$39; $29 between Chicago and Galesburg
Capitol Limited	Washington, DC - Cleveland - Chicago	$39
Cardinal	New York City - Cincinnati - Indianapolis - Chicago	$39
Carolinian	New York City - Raleigh - Charlotte	$39; $29 between Rocky Mount and Charlotte
City of New Orleans	Chicago - Memphis - New Orleans	$39; $29 between Chicago and Carbondale
Coast Starlight	Seattle - Portland - Los Angeles	$39; $29 between Seattle and Eugene & San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles
Crescent	New York City - Atlanta - New Orleans	$39; $29 between Greensboro and Charlotte
Downeaster	Brunswick - Portland - Boston	$29
Empire Builder	Chicago - Minneapolis - Seattle/Portland	$39; $29 between Chicago and Milwaukee
Empire Service	New York City - Albany - Niagara Falls	$39
Ethan Allen Express	Burlington - Albany - New York City	$39
Heartland Flyer	Oklahoma City - Fort Worth	$29
Hiawatha	Chicago - Milwaukee	$29
Illinois Service	Chicago - Quincy - Carbondale	$29
Lake Shore Limited	New York City/Boston - Albany - Chicago	$39
Maple Leaf	Toronto - Niagara Falls - New York City	$39
Michigan Services	Chicago - Grand Rapids - Detroit - Pontiac	$29
Missouri River Runner	St. Louis - Kansas City	$29
Northeast Regional	Boston - Springfield - Washington, DC - Norfolk/Newport News	$39
Pacific Surfliner	San Luis Obispo - Santa Barbara - Los Angeles - San Diego	$29
Palmetto	New York City - Washington, DC - Savannah	$39
Piedmont	Raleigh - Charlotte	$29
Silver Meteor	New York City - Washington, DC - Miami	$39
Silver Star	New York City - Washington, DC - Miami	$39; $29 between Rocky Mount and Cary
Southwest Chief	Chicago - Kansas City - Albuquerque - Los Angeles	$39; $29 between Chicago and Galesburg

Source: Amtrak

How To Add Your Pet To Your Amtrak Ticket

There are six ways to book an Amtrak ticket according to the company’s website: 

• Online or in the Amtrak app
• Over the phone (1-800-872-7245)
• At an Amtrak kiosk
• At the station via a ticket agent
• Through a qualified travel agent
• Onboard (not recommended)

If you haven’t booked your ticket yet, I recommend either making your reservation online or calling Amtrak. Both of these methods allow you to easily add your cat to your reservation. 

I went through the process of booking an Amtrak ticket online for myself and one cat. After I searched for the trip I wanted to take and added my ticket to my online shopping cart, I clicked “Continue” at the bottom of the screen. Then, I was able to add on a pet.

Of course, I was only able to add one cat to the reservation as each passenger has a one-pet limit during travel. 

If you’ve already bought your ticket, you can call Amtrak at 1-800-872-7245 to add your cat to your reservation (assuming pets are allowed on your route). 

Amtrak trains have a limit of five pets per train total (service animals excluded) which is why I recommend adding your cat to your reservation in advance. 

How To Travel With a Cat on an Amtrak Train

Once you’ve purchased your ticket and added your cat to your Amtrak reservation, it’s time to prepare for your upcoming trip! 

First, make sure your pet is up-to-date on all vaccinations. You won’t have to provide paperwork from your vet, but you will have to sign a Pet Waiver verifying that they are. Also, make sure you have an approved cat carrier.

Next, find out if your station is staffed. You can use the trip planning map to see station information online. You’ll have to confirm your cat’s eligibility to board the train by reading and signing a Pet Release and Indemnification Agreement for each leg of travel. This works differently at staffed and unstaffed stations.

If your station is staffed, you’ll need to check in at the ticket office at least 30 minutes prior to departure to complete this step. If your station is not staffed, the conductor will confirm pet eligibility and provide you with the document to sign. 

After you’re checked in, you’ll have to follow the onboard and station guidelines when it comes to traveling with your cat:

• Cats must remain entirely inside a closed carrier while in stations and onboard trains.
• Your cat must stay with you at all times. 
• Onboard, your cat must be placed under your seat (not the seat in front of you), except on Amtrak Cascades trains where you can put your pet carrier on the floor in front of the seat next to you. 
• Pets are welcome in Coach class and Acela Business Class, but they may not travel in Acela First Class seating, non-Acela Business class, First Class private rooms, or food service cars.

In addition to following these guidelines, be sure to check in on your cat regularly. You may want to bring some water or food if you’re going on a longer trip. Additionally, I always recommend using Feliway when traveling to help keep your cat calm.

For more tips on how to best prepare your cat for a train trip and how to travel with them in general, check out my guide on how to travel with a cat in the car. You’ll find that many of the same tips apply!

Amtrak-Approved Cat Carriers

Before your Amtrak trip, you’ll want to make sure you have an approved cat carrier. I recommend getting your cat carrier as soon as possible if you don’t already have one. This will give your cat more time to get used to the carrier before the day of the trip.

Whether you already have a cat carrier or you’re shopping for a new one, here are the requirements it will need to meet: 

• Maximum weight of 20 pounds including your cat
• Maximum size of 19” x 14” x 10.5” 
• Your cat must be able to sit, lie down, and remain entirely inside without touching the sides of the carrier

The cat carrier may be hard or soft-sided, but it must be leakproof and well-ventilated.

If you’re shopping for a new cat carrier for your Amtrak trip, you’ll find my top three picks below. You can also check out all of my top picks for the best cat carrier here. 

Petisfam Easy Vet Visit Pet Carrier

Henkelion Cat Carrier

Sherpa Original Deluxe Pet Carrier

You can check out my full list of the best cat carriers online. Alternatively, you may want to consider a cat carrier with a litter box for longer train trips. Of course, you won’t be able to book a trip for longer than seven hours total travel time with Amtrak. 

Finally, know that your cat carrier does count as one piece of carry-on baggage. Be sure to plan accordingly.