8/26 Moonie AMPS 198+3~59+4.5~61+5.5~54,+6~62

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Roni and Moonie

Member Since 2009
Morning LL! We are going to evacuate & go to Conn. It's about 1 hour away, BUT my DB's town house is set up for his elderly dog Bo, so Moonie will be safer there than anywhere--You know me, I'm more worried about her than us...Need some feedback about traveling with Moonie as we dont know when to leave, tonite or early tomorrow morning--& What about shots??
Moonie hasnt been out other than vets since she was 6 mths old--We are taking her bed, her cat steps, her small cat condo, and all foods,bowls, & treats, needles & insulin--Maybe her fav pilow & blanket!
Oh her toys and LB-litter!--I am so worried about her traveling so long in the car--She has never been in the car so long--OMG this is so upsetting--Have no idea how to travel with her, but I am sure we need to get the Heck outta here!!--Any help is appreciated--Lub & Hugs from us--Hope to have access there..
Hugs & love from us

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=50789
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198 help re: traveling w cat

Roni - I have no advice for you since we have never travelled with our kitties. I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I have been thinking about you and am glad to hear that you are evacuating. Sending all kinds of good thoughts and hugs your way. Let us know, as you can, how you are doing!

((((RONI)))) ((((MOONIE))))
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198 help re: traveling w cat

I'm sure our pro traveller, Ella, will be by, but send her a PM.

You can figure your travel around Moonie's shots. An hour really shouldn't do much to mess with shots. How does she react to going to the vet? I'm assuming her BG are higher and it's likely that they would be higher while in the car.

You might want to think about giving her some quiet time alone or with you once you arrive. It will all be new territory so she may be uneasy.
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198 help re: traveling w cat

Sounds fun! I don't know about Moonie, but with Star, her trip stress was generally right at the beginning. The "I can't believe you put me in a loud moving vehicle" reaction. So once she got over it, she was fine. Whether we were going to the vet or going 14 hours away. We vary between letting roam the car and keeping her in the carrier. The stress of a new place was more trouble, but so long as she had a good hiding place, she was fine. Good luck finding what works for you!
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198 help re: traveling w cat

Hi Roni,
I think you have everything covered, and Ella can help with some travel advice, too. I'd leave early if in doubt is the only thing I can think of to help. If you think Moonie will be really upset with the drive, would the Vet prescribe a mild tranquilizer? And then don't forget to have a cocktail when you arrive at your destination to calm your nerves. It is scary, and I can't believe just after an earthquake, now you have this hurricane. Sending vines and prayers for you and DH and Moonie. Please stay safe. It sounds like you are well prepared. Hugs and lubs from me and Maggie and extra loving scritches to Moonie.
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198 help re: traveling w cat

Two years ago I made an 18 hour drive with my 2 cats Jetta and Ranger. They were both healthy, so no worries about meds, but I didn't know how to handle a long drive like that with litter and food, etc. SO, I went to WalMart to buy a giant dog crate and got a soft side dog crate instead. It's like a pop-up-tent. I think other stores have them too. It was pretty cheap. like $30. It's fabric and mesh. I got the XL size for 2 cats, but a smaller one would obviously work for one cat. Then I bought a couple of those disposable litter trays. So in the doggy tent/crate went 2 kitty beds, a disposable LB, and a TALL water bowl with an inch or so of water to avoid splashing. The tent is nice becuase it's friendlier on your car interior while keeping any spilled water, litter, etc confined and gives kitty more room to move around without the trapped feeling a smaller plastic crate creates. The dispoable LBs were a godsend. When someone made a stinky, we simply found the next rest area, tossed the used pan, and installed a new pan. Voila!

Good luck to you!!!!
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198 help re: traveling w cat

she'll be ok, roni. don't worry.

a few suggestions:

  • ss isn't updated so i can't advise on dose. however, reduce or skip the shot if you're nervous. you'll get her back on track in no time.
  • always travel with kitty in a carrier. allowing free roam in the car isn't safe. secure the carrier with a seatbelt if possible.
  • place a towel, sheet, or some kind of covering over the carrier. she'll feel more secure.
  • if it's possible, pickup some Hyland's Calms Forté from a drug store before you leave. give her one Calms Forte pill (it's a homeopathic remedy, not a drug) followed with 6cc of water about an hour before you leave. you might want to take one yourself. :mrgreen:
  • in addition to the things you've mentioned already, don't forget your hypo kit.


an hour car ride isn't long. she may serenade you the whole way, but don't worry about it. once you get there you might want to confine her to one room until she calms down.

travel safely! we'll be thinking about you...

(((((hugs)))))
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198 help re: traveling w cat

(((Roni))) Wishing you a safe trip sweetie....
I brought my two on a two day trip down to Florida and they were amazingly good ....and quiet! That is NOT the case when we are on our way to the vet office usually...so I was super surprised! I did withhold food and water from the night before but for an hour's ride, you don't have to think about anything like that. But maybe you can time it so that you are not feeding her right before the drive....pack some extra towels....
I think that all will be okay with Moonie on the drive itself....and if you have blankies from home and stuff that she is familiar with once you get there, she will be okay because you two will be with her too! No matter what, it is better than braving the hurricane at home. Wonderful that you have a place to go and I am sending lots of hugs to you all.... :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198 help re: traveling w cat

Hi guys .. I know you have so much on your mind right now with the evacuation .. I don't have any traveling advice, but wanted to tell you that I am sure she will be fine in the car ride .. and if that is the safest place for you all to be at, then that is where you should be .. just remember her meds, her "familiar" blanket or two and her fuds .. Keeping you all in our thoughts!
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198,+3~59! traveling w cat

Juat dropped to 59! Just ate a lot of her lc food--I hve to go up to corner to store to buy food--
Feeding her HC & see if she will eat--or else temptations it is!--bb in a 1/2 hr!
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198,+3~59! traveling w cat

Hi there!

Just wanted to drop by and say hi. Junior has been a pretty good traveller -- we go out to my mom's house (~1 hour drive) every few weeks so he's gotten used to it. But since Moonie doesn't travel that often, I'd recommend the following:

- no shots. You don't want to deal with a hypo while you're on the road
- try to go after you know Moonie's gone to the bathroom
- try not to feed her beforehand. She might get carsick and barf.
- Put a towel in front of her carrier so that if she does barf, less mess
- watch her breath. If she starts panting, turn the AC on or open the windows for some fresh air.
- never take the cat out of the carrier while you're driving. Too unpredictable and dangerous. My mom likes doing that with her cat and it drives me crazy.
- expect higher BG. She'll be stressed until you return home.

Sometimes I'll try to put my roller bag underneath his carrier so that he can see outside. If Junior sits in the back seat, I've found that he doesn't like sitting right behind me and prefers sitting in the middle so he can see more. I think he likes getting a/c that way too.

Good luck and stay safe!
Bonnie
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198,+3~59! traveling w cat

HI Roni!

What a drop for Ms. Moonie.....turning into a beautiful cycle for the pretty little lady. I have made the trip from OH to FL 3 times with Zoe....she is not a good traveller....but what helped us a lot was to cover her carrier with a towel or sheet....she did soooo much better when she couldn't see anything outside. I still cover her carrier even when I take her to the vet which is 10 minutes away! She would open mouth breathe and pant really hard if she could see....which in turn makes me miserable. :-|

Stay safe......travel easy....update when you can! :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198,+3~59! traveling w cat

Hey Roni!

I travel alot with Leo, we've travelled 3 times this week that i can remember (an hour each way) to my parents place. Sometimes he's good in the car, sometimes not. I always travel with his carrier, seat belted in of course (he rolls in the carrier and flips it over) and i put it in the backseat in the middle so he can see. For the most part i leave him roam free in the car, he tends to sit in my lap and i always have to have the windows open otherwise he freaks out, Leo serenades me no matter what! In his carrier i have a towel that he sits on, in case he has an accident, which thankfully he's never done. I would suggest putting Moonie in the carrier for now just to see how she does. She might surprise you and like travelling!!

Good Luck and i hope your safe in Conn.
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198,+3~59! traveling w cat

Miss Moonie! :shock: Slow down a little, girl! Maybe she knows something is up.

Tess isn't a great traveler, but we've taken her to Santa Barbara several times. Usually we take her if she is low and the stress doesn't necessarily make her go up. Getting her to eat in the car was next to impossible. She is a hider so lots of blankies for her to crawl under and one over the carrier helps too. LB, food and water are always ignored, although they are available. i usually sit in the back seat with her. I can pet her in the carrier or let her sit in my lap, but always w/ harness and lease in hand. We use Feliway and Rescue remedy, but I'm not sure if it helps or not.

When we moved to CA we had Cleo in the car for 5 days, one thing I noticed was that although she didn't like the car she was usually quiet until it got dark. Then she really didn't like traveling!

Good luck, I'm glad you are heading inland!
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMPS 198,+3~59,+4.5~61,+5.5~54 traveling w c

Roni,
So sorry y'all are going to have to evacuate. My aunt and uncle are on Long Island but I haven't heard what their plan is right now. So scary! I haven't traveled with either Simon or Cleo but used to have a kitty that went with me back and forth to my boyfriend's (now my DH's) house, about an hour away in traffic. It never failed that she would get so nervous that she would always poop, even if she had just gone at home. At that time in my life, I didn't think to put her in a carrier, but put the litter box in the car on the floor. I would definitely suggest have a litter box no matter if Moonie goes right before the trip. Nerves might get the best of her and it is better to be safe than sorry! And bring air freshener -- my kitty would always stink up the car right when I couldn't pull over and dump the lb! Please be safe and I hope and pray Irene isn't as big as everyone is predicting.
 
So now Moonie has been surfing all day--Keys to my DB's condo are with the pet sitter & she is nowhere to be found!--Plan B I will go to our cousin who lives inland with 2 kids, 5 cats inside, 2 grown kids her BBF & another friend, but we will have our own bedroom--That's where Moonie will be!--
OMG wish this wasnt happening!--At least we will be out of here..hope you all are safe--Update soon!
 
Hi Roni, I'm very glad that you are going to get to higher ground! I'm sure that all will go well. I think it would be best to leave tomorrow morning, since the hurricane isn't supposed to get to NY until Sunday (unless "Irene" changes her mind, that is). That way you won't have to spend more nights than you have to.
As far as traveling with Moonie, everyone seems to have a different approach to travel with cats in the car. One hour is not a long time, but you have to be prepared for longer if unforseen circumstances occur. Rusty (and Stu and Alice) always travels free in the back of the car. We always have the carrier, however, in case of emergencies. We start out with the cat in the carrier and as soon as we're underway, we reach back and open the door. That gives the kitty the option to stay inside the carrier, or ride free. Rusty tends to get carsick when we go around bends on bumpy roads (just once per trip: the first bend!), so we always put newspaper down in the back seat. That way, the vomit spot can be torn off and the rest of the newspaper is still clean. We travel with a small litterbox (and it has always been used: Rusty uses it almost immediately; Stu used it mid way through a 6-hour trip; Alice used it when she had to). Other things you could bring for the car part of the trip: puppy pee pads (to use instead or in addition to newspaper); paper towels; a water bottle for clean-ups. I would not expect you to have to give any food or water for such a short trip. I would not feed Moonie within 3 hours of when you plan to start. Perhaps give a reduced insulin dose that morning, just in case she vomits and doesn't have enough food in her stomach to work on the insulin.
Think positively and try not to let your Angst get transmitted to Moonie. I know that all will be OK. You can hold her in your lap. Edward does this with Rusty (I am the driver because Edward has low vision). She may surprise you and be a good traveler.

Now, as we always say (in German) as we "sit down" in our livingroom before a trip: "Gute Reise; gute Fahrt" (Good travel; good journey). (Apparently this custom of "sitting down" before a journey is Russian, also: Tolstoy refers to it in "War and Peace".)

BIG, BIG HUGS!!

Ella & Edward and Rusty
 
Re: 8/26 Moonie AMP 3~59+4.5~61+5.5~54,+6~62

Going to Conn--Do I not shoot or feed till I get there?
Leaving about 7-730 pm tonite--I'm thinking not to feed --but what about traffic? will take some Temptations they always work--Hugs & love Thanks--
 
Roni: HUGS....you sound very frightened but I know all will be ok. Just be sure you keep her in her carrier. An hour is not that long and she'll be fine. She probably won't want to eat, drink, or use the LB while travelling. If you can fasten a seat belt around her carrier, that would be good, and make sure she has a collar on with a tag.

She has great numbers today!!!! WOOOTTT!!

Be careful...we'll be thinking of you.
 
Hi Roni
Many :YMHUG: to you and Moonie.
I am sorry this is happening, but very glad to hear you will be safe. THAT is most important.
I will be thinking of you and wishing for the best.
 
Glad you are evacuating, Roni. I'm sure Moonie will do fine, and the relatively short trip will hopefully be no big deal. I have traveled with Willie on several 5 hour trips to my parents' house. He's a horrible traveler, but we get by. Rescue remedy drops work pretty well. Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers!! Big hugs from us!!
 
Hi Roni - sending many hugs! I wish you guys well. I can't offer nay help - I've never had to travel with feline in tow. You received great advice, and I am sure Moonie will be fine. It's not too long of a trip. take care, and be safe. We will be thinking of you guys.
 
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