Advice please- traveling long-distance with cats for first time

[VictoriaL]

Need some advice!!! :)

I’m dancing around, which is making it hard to type...
My family goes to the Outer Banks every year for vacation, but in the 22 years DH and I have been married, we have only joined them once (and that was one of the few years they went to Stone Harbor, NJ, instead). This year, only my parents and my sister and her family (3 teenage boys) are going instead of the usual crowd of about 14 or so... Due to a problem with the house they were going to rent, they were moved to another house, a larger one, with 5 bedrooms and bathrooms. So, in an incredible surprise, my darling husband suggested that we join them! Wheeeee! Anyway, after all of that (I’m so excited!), the only doubt I have is traveling with our cats. So here is my question—

Does anyone have advice for long-distance travel with cats? The trip may be around 10 hours total (still have to Mapquest). One cat is 20 years old, the other is 9, they are both relatively healthy (both on kidney diet due to renal problems) and they travel well when we go to our lake house an hour away, and when we go to my parents’ house 2-1/2 hours away. But we’ve never taken them on a longer trip.

We plan to make the trip in one day. We have a Toyota 4-Runner, and am considering packing as lightly as possible and giving the cats free run of the back portion with their carriers to lay in and a covered litter box nearby. The 20-year-old will probably venture no further than that area, but the younger cat may try to get in the front seat with us, and I may be able to control that easily. Or should we keep them “caged” and only let them our at certain times to use the litterbox and get food and water? It was a lot easier years ago when we traveled with our collie— rest stops for a short romp and a pee, then back in the car...

I have to do a bunch of stuff to prepare for this (my Mom is going to cry when I tell her we are going to join them—she’s been trying to get us to go with them for the past 10 years), so I’ll be on the Boards later today for the responses.

A BIG, HUGE THANKS to those who can help!!! :D

[misskitty100]

My advice is to pack ear plugs for you and your husband!!!:D

Seriously, I would call your vet and get there opinion. My girlfriend drove from Iowa to Washington state by herself with 2 cats and a 3 month old baby (her husband was driving the uhaul) and they made it but I know the cats had a lot to say along the way....

Do the cats like cat nip? Maybe bring some fresh nip and spread it around the back of the 4Runner. Also, if you don't already have one, I would recomend getting an animal "screen/gate" (the things dog owners have to keep the dogs in the back of their Suvs/wagons. You could probably borrow one from a friend if needed because they are adjustable (usually). My cat always had a way of getting herself down to where my feet were....you know, close to the gas and brake pedals.

[ellielk]

Talk to your vet. Or, search on Google or Yahoo for 'traveling with cats.' I just did that and came up with too many sites to list that have interesting advice.

[KimK]

Don't forget to have both your cats wear collars with 2 or even 3 different phone numbers on them. If they escape along the way, you'll want anyone who finds them to be able get a hold of you. I second the idea to call the vet; you may wish to sedate your cats should it become necessary.

One other thing.....my cats travel better when in the carriers. They like the security the small space gives them. You may wish to try that before letting them have the run of a larger area.

Have fun!

[aggie94]

Hi Vicci,

How long are you planning to be away? I only ask because, as I'm sure you know, traveling can be extremely stressful on animals, particularly a 20-year-old cat. I would be more inclined to try to find a house/petsitter to stay with them while I was away, unless the vacation is going to be several weeks long.

That said, if you are sure about taking them, I don't think a 9-10 hour trip will be that bad. I have flown with my kitty before (and with the 3 flight segments, layovers, and the drive home once arriving at my destination, the day ended up being at least 12 hours), and DH has driven with her in a U-Haul cab from Austin to Phoenix, which was about a 16 hour trip.

When I flew with Sara, I sedated her, and it turned out to be a huge mistake. I would definitely not recommend that unless it's absolutely necessary and you have sedated them before and know how they will react. When DH drove with Sara, he tried to keep her contained in her carrier, but the howling was miserable. He finally let her out to run loose in the cab, and she was much happier. For the most part, she laid around but she would at times walk around the cab and get under DH's feet (near the pedals), on the dash, etc., and that can be dangerous. If you allow them to roam free in the backseat, you might want to consider getting a pet barrier for the car so that they can not crawl up front and distract the driver.

If they travel well on the trips you mentioned, they should be fine. I doubt they will eat or use the litter box during the trip itself, so you might even be fine just covering the backseat in a large blanket, placing their carriers on the seat or the floor so they can lie down in them if they choose, and offering water from time to time.

Good luck!

[Arete]

Well, I've moved cross country four times with my cats... so I have a little experience. Personally, my oldest cat complains loudly when she is left in her crate, but if you leave the door open, then she goes in and out and usually ends up sleeping on one of my pillows and is very happy. We have an SUV, so I set it up the way you are planning with the litter box available. And my cat was very good about not trying to escape, but I still made her wear a collar. I think since your cats are older that you should be OK with them loose, but I'd try a few trial runs around town first.

[Alethea]

If the cats aren't going to be contained, definitely make sure they can't get anywhere near the front seat. TRUST me on this, or read on. :o

Earlier this year my fiance and I had to make an unexpected 8 hour drive with our two dogs and one cat, Nike. We were in a Volvo station wagon, with the dogs quietly curled up in rear and where they went to sleep. Nike was in her carrier, and our original plan was to just take periodic breaks where we would let her out of the carrier to use her box, etc., and to walk the dogs. This worked well for about half the trip. She yowled a bit but then settled down, though she didn't really go to sleep. But after one of the breaks, she just freaked out for some reason. I'm driving down the Garden State Parkway in scary, horrible traffic trying to figure out which lane I need to be in to merge. Nike is frantically crying and yowling (which was about what I felt like doing at point too). DF decides something might be wrong and looks into the back seat. I don't know if he was trying to give her water or something, but he opened up the carrier and she got out. At first it seemed like she was just going to sit on the seat and peer out the window, at which point DF looked away to consult the directions. I tell him to keep an eye on the cat until I can pull over. He says he doesn't see her! Next thing I know she's climbing up the back of my seat. He tries to grab her, which freaks her out more. Now she's climbed over the seat, has her back feet, claws out, on the top of my head (!) and her front claws in the ceiling of the car.:eek: We're in the middle of 6 lanes of traffic, there's no place to pull over, I'm screaming at DF to do something, the dogs are barking, and I'm sure people in other cars had the sight of their life. Nike then detached herself from the ceiling, climbed down my chest into my lap. At which point DF leans over and tries to get a kind of "smother" hold on her. Great, now she's got her claws in my thighs. She slid under his grasp, went down by the pedals briefly but thankfully she didn't stay there. Instead she slinked between the side of my seat and the door, stopped for a second to get her foot out of the door's side panel, then made it back to the back seat. By the time we were finally able to pull over, DF was trying to get out of his seat and slide into the back seat because Nike was trying to wedge her head and shoulders around the screen that was keeping the dogs in the very rear of the car, which would have been fine except that she appeared to be stuck there.:eek: :eek:

It was truly one of the most bizarre things that's ever happened to me. We can laugh about it now, but oh god, I have no idea how I didn't drive off the road.

Now, Nike is a very young and foolish cat who will try to go anywhere and do anything, but I would still say try make sure the cats can't get to the front seat.

And ditto making sure they have tags with various phone numbers.

[rosie_one]

Hilarious!

Sorry, I'm sure that was awful while it was happening, but jeez that's funny. :D

I travel with a lead for my cat. Any time the door gets opened, the lead is on her, just in case. They are much easier to catch if they do get free and they have a leash dragging after them.

[Beth H]

I also would urge you to consider a petsitter. It's been my experience that most cats are happier in their own environments, even if they miss their human companions.

Several friends have moved cross-country with cats. I believe that they gave them a vet-prescribed mild sedative so that the travel wouldn't be quite as painful.

[doggerham]

I, too, used a sedative and leashes when I moved here with my 3 cats. However, given the ages of your cats, a sedative might not be the best suggestion.

I had two of the cats on a leash with a double lead -- it was hilarious, because one of them was about 5# and the other about 15# -- so where Pegleg went, so did Mouser, kicking and bitching the whole way!

Pegleg has gone on to kitty heaven, but Mouser (now 17) is Queen of the house, although she is a little miserable with a bladder infection just now.

[badunnin]

In the state of Michigan, it is illegal to have an unrestrained pet in the passenger cabin of a vehicle. You may want to check the laws of the states you will be driving through.

[Slflyt]

I must say that DH and I always take our cat with us when we visit MIL in Florida. We put the litter box in the back for her, but otherwise let her roam freely. She fusses a little bit in the beginning but soon settles down. We put dry food in a clean tuna fish can and put that out for her. We don't leave out water, but stop at intervals to offer her some of the water. We have never had a problem with her and really don't do much of anything else to prepare for the journey. It is a 19 hour ride and we don't always stop - often we just drive straight through. She loves visiting her "Grandmother" in Florida and adapts very well.

Good luck.

[Gina O]

I drove to and from California with my cat. On the way out, I did two 15 hour days, just she and I. I took her carrier but left it open, the litter box, food and water. She was restless and noisy for the first few hours. Then, whenever I stopped for gas, she would get under the drivers seat. That soon became her favorite spot and she spent most of the second day there.

On the way back, it took 4 days (bad weather). I put the litter box all the way in the back against the window with a towel on the lid and she really enjoyed lying up there and looking out the window.

Both ways she roamed a bit, didn't sleep much and was a little noisy at times, but generally did great.

Years ago I tried drugs from the vet - I think it was a kitty form of valium, and it made her very groggy but did not seem to relax her at all, just slowed her down. I would not do that for a car trip again.

Gina

[VictoriaL]

Thanks everyone! :D

I used to give our dog melatonin when he was freaked by thunderstorms or fireworks, but won't go that route with the cats if I don't have to. I will take it in case of emergency, though. Really, they are good travelers (the older one gets a bit "vocal", but our vet says that's because she can't hear herself) so we are used to it. We now plan to strap their carriers in place during the trip, and I think I will keep them in it except for a couple of stops where we will let them out to wander, use the litterbox, have a drink, etc.

As for boarding them, maybe if they were accustomed to other people we could, but we have a bit of a solitary life here and weeks can pass without their having any human contact other than DH and me. They are very attached to us, and I think that boarding them would be traumatic. They would also be very wary of anyone coming into the house, and very lonely if there wasn't someone to cuddle against in the evenings (they are both draped over DH's lap as I write this...).

In the beach house, they will be confined to a bedroom and the attached bath for most of the time. When we visit my parents, the cats have a whole downstairs area with bedroom, bath, living room, and laundry room, and they rarely leave the bedroom! They sleep 20 hours a day, anyway...

I'm feeling a little more confident about doing this now, and I really appreciate all of your advice! I'm so excited. It has been 10 years since I've seen the ocean, and 8 since we went on a vacation. Anybody want to come over and water my flowers for a few days??? ;)

(Amy, I hope that Mouser's bladder infection is clearing up-- they can get awfully miserable when this happens. Poor baby... :()