People love to travel with their pets. After all, dogs and cats are part of the family, too, and we often want them to accompany us when we travel. But flying with a pet can be tricky as it can involve extra steps to prepare for your flight.

If you plan to book travel with your furry friend soon, here's a guide to flying on Spirit Airlines with pets.

The Spirit Airlines pet policy

First things first: On Spirit Airlines, you can travel with many pets on domestic flights, as well as to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but not international flights.

However, pets can only travel in the cabin, not as checked cargo. This means the only pets permitted onboard are small domestic animals that can fit under the seat in front of you.

Domestic animals that are permitted include:

Dogs.

Cats.

Small household birds.

Small rabbits.

Do keep in mind, however, that birds and rabbits aren't allowed on flights to and from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

There are also animals that Spirit does NOT permit onboard, including:

Snakes.

Spiders.

Rodents.

Birds of prey.

Poultry or waterfowl, such as chickens or ducks.

Service animals

The rules differ slightly if you're traveling with a licensed service animal.

For starters, only dogs are allowed to board a Spirit flight as service animals. Before they do, you must fill out the U.S. Department of Transportation's Service Animal Air Transportation Form and submit it to Spirit through their online service animal request form 48 hours before your flight.

In a pinch, Spirit will let you bring the completed form to the check-in counter on the day of travel, but there's a chance staff may not be able to approve your request on the spot and you might have to rebook — which they will help you with.