11/21 Garland AMPS 295 PMPS 172 -Travel advice needed

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Violet and Garland

Violet and Garland

Member Since 2011
We are driving down to San Antonio for Thanksgiving to see my in laws. We will be gone 4 days. I can take Garland with us, but I've never traveled with a cat before. This is a 6 hour drive minimum. And the kids will need us to stop to eat, and bathroom breaks .

How do you travel with a cat? How do they pee/poop when needed if I have her in a carrier for such a long time? Eating? I know she's gonna be freaking out too. The drive to the vet, she meows the whole way....

Any advice is greatly appreciated :) thanks!
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

No advice here. I hope she considers the whole thing a great adventure, once she realizes it's not a vet visit. Oh well, I can hope, can't I?
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

Hi guys .. Nice yellow for garland this morning! The only time we ever really "traveled" with mocha was on the way to her dentist, 2 hours each way .. we bought a large enough dog carrier that allowed her free movement plus enough room for a small kitty box .. she cried for the first half hour or so, then settled in for the most part .. She was more vocal on the way home, probably telling us all about it! But if you have room for a larger carrier that can fit in a small pan that might be a good idea .. Some people might get prescribed meds from their vet, for calming kitties down .. others will be by with more experience soon I am sure .. have a great day!
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

Ella and Edward and Dyana are the travel gurus. I'd suggest sending them a PM if they don't see your post. You may want to see if you can get hold of either Feliway or Rescue Remedy to help keep Garland calm while you're driving. Also, Jill has recommended Calms Forte. You may need to call around to health food stores for the Rescue Remedy or Calms Forte.

Jill also posted this a while ago about how she travels with her crew:
Jill & Alex said:
our kitties travel in dog crates in the back of our SUV. there's enough room for a small bed and a disposable litter box. i spray rescue remedy on everything right before we leave. one of the vet techs who used to post here recommended Calms Forte (natural --- no sedatives). i crush one pill in each kitty's food the night before and the morning of the trip. you can get it online or in some drug stores. covering the crates with a sheet, towel, or quilt helps, too. cats love cave-like enclosures! covering really seems to help calm them down.
Click to expand...
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

No travel advice but it may be hard to get everybody on board where you are going to make sure doors are not left open etc. So easy for a cat to bolt out when they are not in a familar place. And this time she wouldn't know where to come back to. Losing a cat is a GREAT fear of mine.

Please be sure she has a collar or chip and is placed in a room where people won't be coming in and out. I have read nightmare stories where cat gets out of car enroute or lost once there.

Good luck with the trip. Traveling with any of my cats would be torture -- but I do think once you get underway the crying will subside and she will settle down.

Elaine and Pinky
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

Just a quick note from tbp.
I would use Rescue Remedy, and I would get her Micro Chipped, if she isn't already.
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

I would also keep a harness and leash on her at all times, or any time there is any chance she could escape.
Bring HC and LC and lots of treats to entice her to eat, in case she is nervous. I bring appetite stimulants (Cypro and Mirtz) for J.D., but lately he has eaten pretty good on trips.
I'll come back and post some more, when I return home from work, tonight.
I bought a foldable soft crate for J.D. to stay in while at my Dad's house. You could put a sheet over it to keep her more comfortable.
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

Dyana said:
I would get her Micro Chipped, if she isn't already.
Click to expand...

And make sure to register the microchip. Having a cat microchipped is great but the microchip is of no use if it's not registered with the microchip company with all your contact information. I would update collar ID tags to have the microchip number on it and the name of the microchip company. Jess and Earl started a post about this not long ago: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=53933

Is leaving Garland at home with a pet sitter or at a boarding place an option?
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

I can't afford micro chipping right now. :( I don't think she will get lost though. DHs parents house entire 2nd floor is basically an apartment. 2 bedrooms, bath, small kitchen. The only people up there will be me and DH. The area has a door that closes it all off, as well as a baby gate at the stairs. That's where Garland will be

My main concern is the actual car ride. Her not meowing like crazy for 6 hours...Specifically eating and peeing during the ride.... Eek lol
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

This is DCIN's paper on ground transports. Maybe it will give you some ideas for car transports.
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

I wouldn't use any prescription sedatives, as they can sometimes make a cat more hyper. The natural remedies that have been suggested would be OK.

If you can get a small crate that fits in the car, that may work out a bit better than a carrier. I would also double up with a harness (not a collar) and a leash. The biggest fear is having her get away when the doors are open. I would make it a rule that the door never opens unless the cat is locked in the cage. Some cats are comfortable travelling on your lap (on the harness) rather than in the carrier. Note that in the event of an accident, the cat will be much safer in the carrier, not loose in the car, so if she is OK in the carrier, that would be preferred.

When you pull over for a rest stop for the kids, I would suggest getting everyone out of the car except you and Garland. When it is quiet, offer her a small litter pan with a bit of litter in it. You could use a cardboard box of the appropriate size if you prefer, and discard it. Then offer a bit of water and a bit of food. Feed as lightly as possible before and during travel to avoid car sickness. Make sure she is locked back up before the car doors open and everyone gets back in.

I would put some familiar smelling bedding in her crate or carrier. I would travel with water, rags, moistened rags, empty garbage bags, paper towels, clean bedding, rubber gloves and hand sanitizer. You can put some towels down for when she is going to use her travel litter box. You may not need any of this, but it is good to have it on hand in case it is needed. She may prefer to have her carrier covered with a towel. Maybe you could sit next to her carrier so you can put your fingers or hand in to stroke her and reassure her.
 
Re: 11/21 Garland AMPS 295- Travel advice needed

Hi Violet,
We always travel with the cat free in the car. We have the carrier with us, of course, and leave the door open In case Rusty wants to go into it. We have a small suv and carry a litterbox in the back. We carry a small cooler for Rusty's food (in a small plastic container with a lid.) We also carry the insulin In the cooler, well wrapped to protect it from the cold blocks. When we make rest stops we put out the small container of food and a small, shallow dish of water ( from the bottle of water we always carry on trips). We put the food and water on one of those cardboard flats a case of cat food comes in.
Essentials: a roll of paper towels; a small litter scoop and plastic bags; lots of newspaper spread out where the cat will be riding; a fleece blanket for napping on; puppy pee pads for accidents (vomiting and otherwise, since you can just roll them up and throw them into a plastic bag for disposal; the newspaper serves the same purpose, and you can simply tear off the soiled spot); extra water bottle or sani wipes for cleanups.
Since Garland has never traveled distances in a car, I would recommend a harness with a leash long enough to allow her to get to the litter. write your contact information on a white collar and the fact that she is diabetic.

All of our cats have traveled this way, but we don't have children, and their presence might complicate things, especially if they are very young. Patti (Merlin) has a great Google doc. About traveling and camping with cats. I'll see if I can find it, but I'm away from home and my computer until tomorrow night. If you go to the list of the FDMB spreadsheets, etc, it is
there.
Found the link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gMwbpx3Lnrq5KDiKk0lhyQIRZylEmhztYhxZCpNcDqM/edit?hl=en_US

If you feel more comfortable using a confined crate, get a large dog crate that will have enough room for a small litterbox.

Good luck!

Ella

P.s. I see that while I was struggling to write on this device Linda has already given you lots of good advice
 
Hi: Good luck with your travels. I traveled from the east coast to the PNW (WA) with 11 cats. I put a big screen (made for SUVs) between the front and back and they were allowed to roam in the back with food, water, litter boxes, a scratching post, beds, etc. I also put plastic on the carpet and puppy pads on top of the plastic. Used tape to hold so it did not slip. We never had an accident and/or sickness. When I stopped to walk the dog I always checked the water and food and LB.

Recently when I traveled with Tuffy (diabetic and on the juice at the time) I had a large dog crate, I cut a piece of wood for a shelf and padded that and put in the crate. I also had a water bowl that hooked on the side of the crate and a small litter pan. She was quite contented and would lie on the shelf and survey the scenery.

I hope she settles for you and enjoys the trip. The feliway does work well. I have used that when I integrate new kitties into the fold.
 
Hi Violet:

We also have travelled across the US with cats in the car. Personally, I would never allow them to be free in the car.....if, God forbid, you had an accident, they could be very seriously injured. They are best, as suggested, in a large crate that has room for a small, disposable litter box. Whenever we stopped, I'd offer food/water.....making sure all the doors of the vehicle are closed and no one can open them while you have the cage door open. Most of the time, our cats would ride for an 8 hour day without going potty and then would go when we got into the hotel. Covering the crate is a great idea...it does seem to make them more comfy....so is providing some comfy bed/blankets with their smells on them. Is Connor going too???
 
I'm leaving Connick at home. He is VERY VERY skittish. He would be much better here. I have a neighbor coming over to check on him. I am worried about him getting lonely though. Usually when we go out of town they have each other while we are gone....

Garland, on the other hand, is a trooper. Not a skittish bone in her body lol I think I'm going to crate her for the ride. Hopefully she doesn't meow the whole way. Yikes!
 
This does not apply to you, Violet, but when someone travels interstate with a cat or dog, s/he should carry the animal's rabies certificates or medallions. Most states require proof of rabies vaccination to legally "import" a cat or dog.
 
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