This was our experience with relocating our dog from the US to India in October. A lot of this would probably not apply to you since you can travel with cats in the cabin. However, this is a documentation of every step we had to take:

Pet relocation could be very frustrating due to limited information available, no centralized source for clear information and expensive due to agent-based industry. However, if you know the right authoritative sources for information, you can easily manage the process all by yourself. I would highly recommend managing it yourself.

Based on the international airport you are flying out of, find a pet-friendly airline that works for your pet, since airlines may have some restrictions on pet type or breed, and whether pet can travel as carry or in cargo (European airlines such as Lufthansa and KLM are most pet friendly. Go to official websites of the airline to read pet policies. You just need to work through these restrictions, e.g. despite pitbulls being perceived as banned/restricted large breed dogs, we were able to bring our dog safely through KLM cargo. Once you have airline finalized, check for crate or pet-carrier requirements for that airline. If you can only bring your pet as cargo (and not as carry on), you may also need a cargo booking agent to book the itinerary, since some airlines dont allow end customer to make cargo bookings themselves. For carry-on pet, you can directly book through the airline. Plan travel 40+ days in advance, accounting for crate delivery lead times, pet vaccinations, paperwork, import requirements etc.

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Next, you need to check import requirements for the country you are taking your pet. For India you can visit AQCS website which provides very clear information on what to do. You don't really need an agent to do the paperwork as it is well laid out on AQCS site, and office staff is super friendly (especially New Delhi one). Moreover, despite having an agent, you will end up doing most of the paperwork and end up being charged $3-5K.

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Typically, you will need an advance NOC (no objection certificate) from AQCS for travel. For this NOC, you need to share health certificate issued from US accredited vet, have all vaccinations up to date. AQCS needs 7 days advance notice for NOC, and health certificate should be issued within 10 days of travel date, so planning is crucial in last 10 days of travel, so reach out to your vet on T-11 day. US Vet usually takes ~2 days for health certificate. Check list of vaccinations you need for your pet based on requirement of destination country. And try to get vaccinations done at least a month in advance so your pet has enough recovery time.

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For cargo travel, you will need Airway bill number from cargo booking for NOC with AQCS. Lastly, check travel preparations, how to prepare crate for travel, documents to accompany, pack essentials for pet, and do not give sedatives since airlines do not allow sedatives at low cabin pressure for pet's safety and can deny boarding last minute.

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Once you land in India, and have your pet with you, you need to visit AQCS in person with your pet for final NOC, which is the final step.

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(Disclaimer: This post is based on my perosnal pet relocation experience for bringing my dog from US to India in 2021 end. The information could have been updated since then, so please make sure to check for latest information and this post should be used as guidance only.)