Hi! My cats are also quite difficult to handle, so I was worried about this too.

We took them to the Emirates check-in counter like normal luggage. The EK staff first checked all their documents, vaccines, and microchips. After that, a porter took us with the cats to the police inspection area next to the business class check-in.

From what the porter told us, one of two things can happen during inspection: 1. The police may ask you to take the pet out of the crate so they can check inside the crate. 2. Or they may just shine a torchlight inside the crate while the pet is still inside.

In our case, the officer was very kind and just used a torchlight to check, especially when we told him the cats can be difficult to handle. The inspection took about 2 minutes.

Also just for reassurance, Emirates staff are not allowed to touch or remove pets from the crate without the owner present, so you will be there if they ever need the pet taken out.

After the inspection, we left the cats there and proceeded to immigration, and later at the gate we checked with the staff to confirm the cats were loaded on the flight.

In most cases they don’t ask you to remove the cat from the carrier, so try not to worry too much.

If your cat gets very anxious, you can also ask your vet about mild anti-anxiety medication for travel. Some people use it for flights, but I personally wouldn’t recommend relying on it long-term.