Travelling With Cats


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I am moving in two days. The drive is almost six hours long with no stops. I have two cats, a 10 year old girl who hates car rides and a 2 year old boy who hates them because he cannot sit still for very long. How do I go about doing this? My girlfriend got them some calming drops or something. Do you think I will need to pull over to let them use the litter box at some point or will they last? They are both relatively healthy. I would get nervous letting them out of their carriers in my car, so I would like to avoid that if I can.

 

Any tips or general advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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When I had to move my Cats I borrowed my Brothers-in-laws large Van and just let them wander around the back. They had a litter box and such and for the most part I don't think they even know we were driving. They hate car ride as well and not one 'complaint'. If you don't have access to a Van with a Cargo area then you can possibly rent one I doubt it'd be too expensive.

 

If you're stuck with a car, you're going to be stuck with some moody cats. They will use the bathroom in that time period and they will be highly stressed for the first little while. After they realise that their death isn't imminent they will calm down. I recommend a Cat carrier. Pull over every hour and let them wander around the car and hopefully find the cat litter you've placed on the floor behind the driver or passenger seat. I wouldn't let them out of the car at all, that high level of stress could make them do unpredictable things.

 

Good luck, lol.

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I moved my cat from marietta,oh to lebanon,tn to nashville,tn to cary,nc to raleigh,nc to little rock,ar to akron,oh to marietta,oh to parkersburg,wv. all in various vehicles and she did great. 

 

line the seats of the car with tarp or plastic wrap from furniture (stop at a furniture store and ask if they got any wrap they can give yah they might even give you some boxes!)

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When I moved back to Kentucky from Washington it was 4 days of driving, averaging about 700 miles a day.  I did it with an SUV full of stuff, a small dog and a cat.  What I suggest is put out their food and water the night before, and then as soon as you wake up the day you're leaving, take all their food and water away and leave them and the litterbox sitting out.  Get the car packed up, get yourself ready, and do the cats last so they have time to use the bathroom if they need to.  Don't give them any food or water throughout the day.  As long as your car has A/C they will be just fine.  When I would stop and get a hotel I'd put out their food and water, then in the morning I'd take it, take the dog out for a walk and make sure they both used the bathroom before I got in the car, and I had absolutely zero problems, even though I was doing 700+ miles per day pretty much non-stop except for getting gas and a quick bite to eat every 300 or so miles.  If they can deal with it, I suggest fastening their leashes to something so they can't move around very much.  I tied a string around the back of the front seat and tied it through my cat's collar so he couldn't get up and walk around.  He just laid there the whole day, but I was close enough to reach over and pet him occasionally and give him attention so he didn't feel like he was being punished.  I tried letting him run loose but after about an hour I had to tie him up because he was running around the back, then tried to wedge himself between me and the door and sit on my shoulder, and I realized he might cause me to have an accident.  Cats, even the emo ones like mine, are playful and curious, especially in new environments, so I highly recommend finding some way to secure them so they can't get in the way of your driving.

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When I had to move my Cats I borrowed my Brothers-in-laws large Van and just let them wander around the back. They had a litter box and such and for the most part I don't think they even know we were driving. They hate car ride as well and not one 'complaint'. If you don't have access to a Van with a Cargo area then you can possibly rent one I doubt it'd be too expensive.

 

If you're stuck with a car, you're going to be stuck with some moody cats. They will use the bathroom in that time period and they will be highly stressed for the first little while. After they realise that their death isn't imminent they will calm down. I recommend a Cat carrier. Pull over every hour and let them wander around the car and hopefully find the cat litter you've placed on the floor behind the driver or passenger seat. I wouldn't let them out of the car at all, that high level of stress could make them do unpredictable things.

 

Good luck, lol.

Well, the problem is that my girl would be stuck to me like glue. I do not like any distractions while driving. When I took her home the first time she was free and ran under the pedals. I cannot risk that. My girlfriend got two cat carriers. They seem quite small but they will fit. I am thinking of pulling over once about half through the drive to let them go potty. They will be strapped to the back seat of my Grand Prix. My trunk is filled to the brim with boxes, so there is no room for them there unfortunately.

 

I moved my cat from marietta,oh to lebanon,tn to nashville,tn to cary,nc to raleigh,nc to little rock,ar to akron,oh to marietta,oh to parkersburg,wv. all in various vehicles and she did great. 

 

line the seats of the car with tarp or plastic wrap from furniture (stop at a furniture store and ask if they got any wrap they can give yah they might even give you some boxes!)

I am jelly. My cats will meow until they fall asleep. Non-freaking-stop. They might get car sick, to be honest. I am not sure.

 

When I moved back to Kentucky from Washington it was 4 days of driving, averaging about 700 miles a day.  I did it with an SUV full of stuff, a small dog and a cat.  What I suggest is put out their food and water the night before, and then as soon as you wake up the day you're leaving, take all their food and water away and leave them and the litterbox sitting out.  Get the car packed up, get yourself ready, and do the cats last so they have time to use the bathroom if they need to.  Don't give them any food or water throughout the day.  As long as your car has A/C they will be just fine.  When I would stop and get a hotel I'd put out their food and water, then in the morning I'd take it, take the dog out for a walk and make sure they both used the bathroom before I got in the car, and I had absolutely zero problems, even though I was doing 700+ miles per day pretty much non-stop except for getting gas and a quick bite to eat every 300 or so miles.  If they can deal with it, I suggest fastening their leashes to something so they can't move around very much.  I tied a string around the back of the front seat and tied it through my cat's collar so he couldn't get up and walk around.  He just laid there the whole day, but I was close enough to reach over and pet him occasionally and give him attention so he didn't feel like he was being punished.  I tried letting him run loose but after about an hour I had to tie him up because he was running around the back, then tried to wedge himself between me and the door and sit on my shoulder, and I realized he might cause me to have an accident.  Cats, even the emo ones like mine, are playful and curious, especially in new environments, so I highly recommend finding some way to secure them so they can't get in the way of your driving.

Bro, thanks a bunch for these tips. That is a very good idea. I think I will take their water away at 12 AM or 1 AM and then their food at about 3 AM or so. Moving guy will be here at about 7, and I hope we can get loaded up by 8:30 at the latest. Their carriers are quite small, so they will not have any choice. They face turn around and look the other direction but that is all. I plan on fastening their carriers in with the belts on the back seat. I am always very OCD about my cats (family thinks I am strange to worry so much), but they are my babies. I am very close to them. I should take pics when I get there. They are cute. Oh, just checked and the trip is about 320 miles. I plan to haul arse when I can safely get away with it. When I get there, I will throw them in the bathroom with litter and food until I get my furniture in there.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay, so everything went well. I hauled ass as safely as I could to get here in good time. My boy was absolutely fine. My girl hid under my dresser for half of the first night to protest (or just because she was scared). Then around 4 AM she snuggled up against me and all was well again. :P

 

I think I just got lucky that nobody went potty in their carriers.

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