Traveling with a cat.

[Uabassoon]

Sorry I haven't been around in a while, things have been pretty busy for me!

Alexa is moving to Texas on Friday and is taking Tuna and Payson with her. She wanted me to ask if anyone had any advice on how to travel a long distance with a cat. The first day they will be driving around 10 hours and the next I think is only a 4-5 hour drive. So if anyone has done a long travel with a cat please offer any suggestions!

[catmandu]

THATS A GOOD QUESTION, MAYBE TUBBY AND PEANUTS MEEWOMIE COULD HELP. MY CATS ESPECIALLY JOSEPH ARE NOT TRAVELLERS AT ALL, AND IF I EVENTUALLY DO MOVE, THATS GOING TO BE A NIGHTMARE TO GET THEM WHERE IM GOING TO.

[Jessika]

Portable litterbox, and DEFINITELY use a carrier! If the cat seems to get very stressed you can try covering the carrier with a blanket.

[Karen]

A friend started getting her cats used to car rides by taking them on a ten-minute trip one day, 15 minutes the next, etc., gradually increasing the time, and the cats acclimated pretty well.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I moved 800 miles with Seine- the whole trip took about 16 hours driving straight through. I knew she hated cars so I asked the vet for a sedative, but actually this was worse! She did not fall asleep altogether, she was just very drowsy and upset. She actually did better once it wore off. She was not happy but she was ok.

What worked for her was a small dog crate with a little litter pan, water and towel for a bed. I offered her food when we stopped. She had enough room to lie down and she could use the litter if needed. Also, if it's hot make sure the air conditioning can reach the cats if they are in the back seat.

Best of luck to Alexa, and to the kitties!!

[RockyRoad]

Hi Laura! I don`t have any advice with long drives, because we`ve never had to take our four anywhere. But from the experience of those I`ve known that have taken their cats on long drives, a semi-spacious carrier seemed to work for them, with a portable litter box of course. Best of luck to Alexa, Tuna and Payson on their trip!

[Edwina's Secretary]

We drove Eddie and Edwina from Chicago to SoCal. We had litter and water and food for them. They did not use any of them except at night in the hotel room.

Eddie preferred to stay in his cage when the vehcile was moving. Edwina sat in a seat or my lap.

I tried the sedatives but was so unhappy with the results I only did it once (with Edwina.)

There was some whining at first but they settled down rather quickly once they knew we weren't going to the vet.

[Uabassoon]

Thanks for the tips. We are going to look today for a small litterbox for Tuna, I have a feeling that he will be like Eddie and Edwina and not use it at all. We also decided against the sedatives thinking that Tuna will not need them. I'll be sure to update after the move to let you know how he managed!

[lvpets2002]

I think you have enough good advise.. I just want to ask where in Texas is our new PT'rs going to be.. Maybe close..

[Uabassoon]

Alexa is moving to Austin, I'm staying here in Tucson for one year because of school. Then next summer I'll be packing up Tibby, Corkscrew and Pocky and heading out to Austin to join Alexa.

[Vio&Juni]

This is a good thread and at the right moment for us - we are moving next week with three cats through 5 countries. I was thinking that the cats will sing probably until first border and then will hopefully calm down.

[Barbara]

Even Filou who is a big opera singer if it comes to driving to the vet settles down after some time. But of course I ahve no long haul experience.
Vio: I keep all my paws crossed.