Airline rules about animals are changing, and you now may be able not only to take your pet along on a flight but keep it in the cabin with you. If you’d like to try this, keep a few things in mind:

· To see which airlines allow pets in the cabin, visit pettravel.com . The site also tells you airlines’ individual rules.
· Generally, the animal has to be small enough to fit in a carrier under a seat. There are weight requirements, too.
· Sorry, your pet doesn’t count as free carry-on baggage. There will be a charge (except for trained assistance dogs).
· It should be “inoffensive” as Southwest Airlines put it, and that includes smells. (Bath time before you go, in other words.)
· Animals do have ear trouble, just like babies, during takeoff and landing, which is why I heard a dog whimpering the last time I flew. Be prepared to deal with this, though preferably not through drugs (again, just like babies).
· You may need a certificate of health from your vet (Alaska Airlines, for example, requires this).
· Your choice of flights may be limited, as only a few pets typically are allowed on any one flight. This is because . . .
· Other passengers may find their allergies set off by your pet. Passengers with allergies are supposed to let the airline know in advance, but you can’t count on it – it may not even have occurred to them that there could be an animal in the cabin. If they figure out you’re the one with the Persian cat that’s making them sneeze, it could be a long, tense flight.

Since some of these rules took effect on Air Canada just this month, there’s been a discussion of the subject at CBC.ca.