cats in cars

[purplecat]

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY (almost)!
A whole day off of work to spend with our furry loved-ones. How fun!

I am moving in a week and am concerned about crating my beloved Ian as he is impossible to wrestle into a crate and is much more than a handful at the vet. He has to be anesthetized just to get his annual. He has never traveled farther than 5 blocks in a car and i'm worried about this 4 1/2 hour trip. Any suggestions, thoughts or ideas on how to comfort him or calm him?

[cubby31682]

When my Mom moved out to California from Michigan. She took her cat with her. He never liked cars. But she called her vet and asked if they could give him some medication that will relax him for the trip. He was unable to take it do to many health problems that could not to be fixed. But if he was a healthy cat they would have given him valume. (I know I spelled that wrong. Sorry.) But it is worth calling your vet to find out if they can give him anything or you any kind of medication to give him for the trip. Just a thought. I hope that helps.
Katie.
P.S. You have such a beatiful cat. Good luck with the move.

[L. Wayne]

About this time last year, I moved from central Calif. to southeastern Kansas. I brought many furkdis with me and placed them in the back of my truck. Before hand, I had placed 1/4" screen mesh over all the windows and left them open. Some of them cried when I began the trip, but soon accepted the fact that they were being moved. Cats adopt quickly to any situation whether it is to their liking or not. Personally, I wouldn't worry about your kitty being upset at moving. He may object at first, but soon he will adjust for the journey.

When I told my vet about moving all of my furkids, I asked whether there was something I could give them to calm them down, mostly in order to get them into the back of my truck. He gave me some (and I do not recall the name of it), little white pills. At first I had to hide it in their favorite canned food in order to get them to take it. The most problem was getting them into the truck but afterwards things calmed down after the 3 day journey was underway.

....wayne

[LOT]

i have brought Momo a few times on a 1.5 hrs or so trip. almost everytime when she first got in the car, she would keep Mewing (so cute....) and walk around, from front to back. but after few minutes she got used to it and slept beside me.

but i find that she is fascinated about the moving objects outisde the car. she would walk up my arm and climbed onto my shoulder.... rest her body behind my neck and look outside the driver's side window... and then slowly falls asleep.

there were 2 bad incidents... cuz she didn't head to her litter box before the trip started... even tho i placed the litter box in the passenger front seat.. on the floor.. she pee near the box, which was alright since i had plastic bag under it...

but the other time, just last week, she let a a few meows, and poo on my rear seats!! good that it is leather.. i managed to leave the highway and cleaned up the mess... then the rest of the trip i placed her inside the .. cage. and she just keeps meowing

but other than those 2 incidents.. the trip went well, and i felt a good bond between me and Momo when she slept on my shoulder

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to Pet Talk. I don't have any advice to give you but I wanted to wish you a safe trip. I hope everything works out. BTW your cat is gorgeous.

[Harley]

Good luck with your move. Two of my three cats travel well...but Bo is another story. He throws up within the first 15 minutes (I carry a large spoon and wet washcloth to clean the car upholstery. LOL) and then he usually has diarrhea so litter box must be easily accessible. I know it's not safest but my cats have free range of the car - they're not in carriers. (I don't want Bo to be stuck in a carrier with his tossed cookies and diarrhea by-product. Yuck.)

The vet suggested a quarter of a Dramamine pill for Bo to settle his nerves and stomach (half an hour before hitting the road.) Only tried it once - never even got the pill in him. I first tried hiding it in food but apparently Dramamine is very bitter and needs to be popped down his throat, but by that time the fight was on and Bo won.

The babes and I made our semi-annual trip to Ohio last week - after the anticipated upset tummy, Bo settled down quite nicely - although he was his usual big baby on the trip back and cried and whined for about three hours. So my suggestions to you - 1/4 Dramamine pill, ear plugs, and good luck!

[Denyce]

There is also another med called Acepromazine. I think that is the correct spelling. It calms them down...makes them sleepy and tends to help with any upset tummies. But the best thing to do is to talk to you vet about the best thing to do. The trouble with Valium is that it doesn't ALWAYS work like it is suppose to. Some cats do not relax on it at all. They lose their inhibitions but become more wired. It is also a appetite stimulant. Not always a good thing on a long car trip. You want to feed your cat smaller amounts of food but make sure he does still eat and get plenty of water. Good Luck!

Denyce