Years ago, we moved my sister's indoors-only cats by car on a 5 hour drive.

In that case, we got a mild sedative from the vet - they didn't have to go to the vet to get them, as long as the vet had records of their weight. This is a common thing to do for cats that are travelling for a while(might prevent barfing, too!) Also, empty tummy before the trip(except water) might be an idea - but check with your vet.

Worked really well for my sister's cats - except the noisy one took a little longer to grog out(Oriental Shorthairs)! They didn't pass out, were just groggy.

When you make stops on the trip, offer them water - they may not want it, but offer it anyway.



Trying the short trips is a really good idea; that will give you an idea of if they might need a tranny.

When I take my cats to the vet, they go at different times. I position the carrier so they can see me and I them, and I can talk to them. Seems to help.