Driving versus Flying

[Nicole & Baby]

Baby, Sadi & I are moving 1455.66 miles away - from Overland Park, Kansas to Miami, Florida.
I am someone who likes to fly, not drive - I plan to sedate both furbabies, which is best for them do you think? I know it is impossible to predict, each cat is different :?
Flight time (with stops) is 4 hours. Drive time 23 hours.

Flying PROS: 4 hours

Flying CONS: Never been on an aircraft, Going through Security, 2 take offs & 2 landings, drive time to airport, drive time after airport, probably a total of 8 hours once we sit through Security, get a Rental car & Hotel for our first night (next day we will take possession of our new home)

Driving PROS: Just the 3 of us, not a lot of strangers in an airport, aircraft, I can talk to them, console them, we can stop at a hotel 1st night, 2nd night, relax & begin again on new day. They know my voice, they know me, they have been in a car before (although HATE it)

Driving CONS: 2 days minimum, 3 days max.

Any thoughts?

 

[Phoebe_TiggyGA_NortonGA]

With two cats, driving is probably better.

The airline will charge per cat and they usually have a limit on how many pets they will allow per flight. Last time I checked, it cost $80 for each cat for each leg of the flight - so it can catch up and pass the human ticket cost if you have a lot of stops.

Also - sedating for travel is usually not a good idea - if the cat goes nutso while drugged up, it will injure you in panic. If not drugged up, he/she might be upset but they will still recognize you and hopefully not go nutso.

The main risk with driving is escape while enroute. When I have traveled with my cats, they wear collars with their name tag and my phone number - the one notes DIABETIC on the tag. If you can afford it - microchipping would be a good idea.

Most cats are happier on long trips if they are not in a cage -- however, that is very risky. So I got a good-fitting secure harness and leash - kitty can walk all over the car but I don't have to worry so much about dashing out a door and running away if I have a good hold of the leash before any doors/windows are opened. I leave their crate door open with a nice bed inside - and they spend a lot of the trip either inside or on top of the crate anyway. I leave some food and water in non-tippy dishes.

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

Sorry to go against your wishes but I vote driving.

But do be extraordinarily vigilant about opening doors ( in the car, in the hotel, stopping for food, checking in/out)
Never let your guard down thinking they aren't ready to bolt. Fear is irrational and all an animal thinks is run.
Tethered is a good idea. I hate kennels but I do see the value in them while traveling. If anything happened and someone crashed into you
then at least they are in their crate and not running freely down the road.

I've known so many well meaning people who have accidentally lost their animal from that unexpected bolt.

The stress of flying is worse because there are so many strangers about. The plane is so very loud especially to animals.
So many rules to follow to fly these days.

flying is more stressful for them and driving is more stressful for you.

 

[Deanie and Boo (GA) and Scout]

If you want to fly, you would need a 2nd person togo with you. You don't want to fly them in cargo, especially with the hot weather, and the carrier needs to fit under your seat. To fly 2 cats, you would need 2 tickets for people too.

I understand wanting to get there faster but with cats, I would opt to drive.

 

[Sheila & Beau GA & Jeddie GA]

I would probably opt to drive as well. I drove with my mom from OR to IL with her two cats when she moved back to MI. That was a 4-1/2 day drive. We kept the cats in their separate carriers the whole way and they were fine. They were never loose in the car.

I have been taking my cats on vacations to MI, a six hour drive each way, for 19 years. I used to have them loose in the car, opening the carriers so they could get out. I had a litter box on the floor. I decided that wasn't safe in case of an accident and could be a distraction for me driving. Three years ago I got a dog crate that would fit in my backseat, had wire closet shelving cut to the inside width and placed them across one side to form a "loft". I got some quilt batting and polar fleece to make mats for the bottom and shelves. There is room for a LB, although Beau usually hunkers down inside it so no one can use it, but it is there. This is the second to largest size dog crate and it barely fits in there. I think its 42x28x29. Probably the medium size (36x24x24) on would work for two cats.

I load my cats in/out with a carrier using it, my body and the crate door to block them from escaping, but I have to be very vigilant because the two younger ones have almost made an escape. I really should have harnesses on them for the transfer.

Here are photos:

Here are all five cats (hard to believe two of them are gone in the past 10 months.. :cry: ). The fifth one you can only see a bit of her fur under the shelf - she is sitting in the LB below: