7/26 Lanky AMPS 366, PMPS 245

[sehjak (Susan & Lanky)]

Yesterday's Condo

Morning - Lanky is acting strangely this AM. He is all bushed up like a pinecone & keeps looking suspiciously out the back door onto the patio & backyard. Dutifully, I searched the back finding nothing. No creatures, beasts, bugs or the like. But, Lanky is still on alert & a bit freaked out. Also, I am tired of the BG impasse we seem to have at pink-yellow. In addition, I noticed a small bubble in the Levemir pen the other day, so I started a new pen today. The old pen at 14 days old still has another 1 or 2 doses but I am curious to see if the new pen gives a different result. The AM shot was cycle #4 @ 11u.

Today I am off to PetSmart, WalMart & the grocery store for trip supplies. If any of you have roadtrip-travel-tips for us, please chime in. Lanky is so easy going, I am hoping he will be able to come out of the carrier & walk around as we drive. Haven't figured out how to have some spill proof water available yet. I'll put pee pads in his carrier on top of the blankies & I was thinking of opening the seat connection to the trunk where his LB will be. When we go the the vet, often I find the kitties pee on the towels in the carrier which I assume is a stress reaction. I have a harness that I will see if Lanky accepts so, if needed, we can use a leash to protect him from escape. I'm taking his water fountain for the hotel room, his favorite food bowls, and anything else I can think of the help make him comfortable.

Hope all is LL is pleasant today for all of you.

xxooxox

 

[Iorwen & Tray]

Re: 7/26 Lanky AMPS 366

ooh I wonder what has Lanky in protective mode.
Good luck with the new pen.

 

[Libby and Lucy]

one travel trip I learned recently from a friend's situation that could have gone very, very bad (but fortunately turned out ok) is to label the carrier clearly on all sides with your name and emergency contact information, and preferably also some emergency contact information for someone who won't be traveling with you. Also carry an extra carrier with you (can be a softsided one or even a cardboard one) for emergencies. My friend had a fairly serious car accident with her cat in the car, and she found that she was the only person on the scene (paramedics included) who was thinking about what to do with the cat.

 

[Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA)]

Hi Susan, We do a lot of car traveling with Stu, so I'll tell you some of the tricks I have discovered over the years. We always have the carrier in the car (for emergencies), but Stu doesn't ride in it. When he was new to car travel we started out with him in the carrier and after about 10 minutes or so, opened the door so that he could have a choice of where he wanted to ride. Will you have another bean in the car? It helps to have someone to keep the cat from getting on the driver's lap or on the floor on the driver's side! Stu usually sits or lies on a blanket we fold up to make it thick and cushiony and put over the center armrest. We put the back seats down so that the blanket extends into the rear of the station wagon (usually have to stick a duffel under it on the floor in front of the folded-down backseat so that it doesn't sag). This is his "seat". He can also roam in the rear of the car (as much as the luggage permits). We have a small "travel" litterbox (with a plastic litterbox liner) that we put in the very rear of the car. We carry some wet food in a plastic dish with a lid in a small cooler. When we make a rest stop for ourselves, we take the food out and put it and some water (in a plastic dish with a screw-on lid) on one of those shallow cardboard cases that catfood comes in. This serves as a tray and keeps the food and water from getting over other stuff. Then we pack everything up again in the cooler for the next rest stop. Stu is still a dry-food admirer, so I also carry a small plastic dish of EVO dry to put out during rest stops. We spread newspaper over much of the back-seat area so that if there is a vomit, the paper affected can simply be torn off and disposed of. Also lots of paper towels. Don't go around sharp curves too fast! If Stu vomits, it is always on a fast, sharp curve!!
That's about all I can think of for now, but if I come up with anything else, I'll let you know. We don't use a harness, but that might not be a bad idea if Lanky might get spooked by something and try to make a break for it.
We traveled with our previous cat, Alice (GA), too, and used the same techniques described above. She didn't like to travel (Stu doesn't mind it), but she tolerated it. She spent most of the trip on the floor in the back seat of a VW Beatle, ignoring the fact that she was traveling. She would have been more comfortable in our present vehicle--a Subaru Forester--, which has a bit more room!

Good luck with your trip. I hope that all will go well and that Lanky will benefit from the treatment.

Ella & Stu

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I'd be really nervous about letting Lanky out of the carrier. If he gets under a seat it could be hard to get him out and if he gets under your feet while you're driving, that's a nightmare. Most of the websites that discuss traveling with a cat advise that you keep your cat in the carrier. One site suggested that you put the carrier on top of a suitcase and a blanket in between so Lanky can look out of a window in order to make sense of the motion.

Like Libby, I had friends who were in an accident with their cats. They were very grateful that they had seatbelted the carrier in place.

You might want to PM Joyce/Tuscany. They have taken Tuscany on several full day drives. She may have some good suggestions.

 

[MJ+Donovan]

Maybe one of those larger travel tents or crate-type things? When I was frequently traveling to cat shows that involved an overnight stay or two, we used these pop-up baby tents for the cats in the hotel room:

Its footprint probably wouldn't fit in a normal-sized car, but a larger crate or something like this should:

I have one like this and it folds flat for storage, is much less of a pain in the @$$ to set up than the baby tent, and has more room inside than the usual plastic cat carrier.

 

[D and Noisy]

Love Stu's advice "don't go around sharp curves" and look at those cool tents.
Need cameras on board (I know you have them) -- this needs to be a heavily documented excursion.
We could do a slide/video show for other people going to CSU in the future.
I think Cynthia has some special restaurant to eat at there. I'll check with her.

 

[Cyn and Cosmo]

I would take a blanket or towel that smells like home, and let him have one of your dirty t-shirts in the car and in the hotel rooms.

In Ft C, you need to (if you like mexican/tex mex) go to Big City Burrito.I like the breakfast burrito.
If you think you'll get a chance to get down to Denver (about 40 min?), I can post some recommendations there. Or maybe Jen and Oreo (she lives in Denver).

Please PM me if you want any info, tips, or suggestions!