Not sure if this should go here or OMNI, but here goes.

I'll be moving to NYC in a couple months, and I'm planning on taking my cat. He despises being outside of his house, and freaks out when, for example, I take him to the vet. He pants, meows like he's being electrocuted, and just generally is a miserable kitty.

My partner wants to drive to NYC. What do people recommend for a 11-12 hour car trip for a kitty who doesn't travel well?

I'm thinking I'll go to the vet and get some cat valium, certainly. Other than that, I suppose I'll need to provide a litter box, food, and water in the car. What else can I do?

Thanks!

My best recommendation is to follow this thread in it's new home, The FT Travel With Pets Forum.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Oooo, I had no idea such a forum existed!

Have you ever tried leash-training your cat? Some take to it right away and it will be great to take breaks on your trip so he can stretch his legs safely.

Otherwise, for a car trip, I would use a larger hard plastic kennel rather than a Sherpa bag as it will give the cat more room to move around. Try to get your cat accustomed to it over the next couple of months. Feed him in the kennel so he associates it positively. Give him treats in it. Whatever you do, I don't recommend allowing the cat to roam free in the car. He could go nuts, get in the driver's way or get out from an open window or door.

As for a litter box, there are disposable ones available with the litter right in it making it very easy IF the cat takes to litter boxes easily. When I took a cat on a road trip, I used a cheap plastic box and carried a tub of litter and liners but this would have been easier. If you can, keep his regular food and water bowls so he associates them with home.

Your partner is right. IMO, do this by car rather than plane. It will be less stressful for your cat and it's not a really very long trip. I did 2 cross-countries with a dog and cat. They do fine but my cat was very vocal which was annoying but it would have been very bad on a plane. As for kitty valium, I'd leave that up to the Vet.

Start preparing your cat early for the trip - take him for some car rides where nothing bad happens, like seeing the vet.

Many cats will not use a litter box "out in the open" - believe me, we tried. My cats have ridden in the car cross country, New England to Florida, and generally all over with us. Not once did they take advantage of the "mobile facilities" we offered, even when we place it in the trailer. However, once we hit the motel, well, you don't want the details. (where's the smiley for "holding one's nose"?)

I would suggest breaking the trip, taking two days instead of one very long one, because Kitty may not drink, eat or relieve himself at all while actually traveling. Did you know La Quinta Inns are pet friendly, and have no pet fee?

Important safety tip for cats: if you cat gets overheated while traveling - you were only in that cafe 5 minutes, right? - have one person hold the cat upside down (paws up), stretched out, and the other person pour cool, not ice cold, water over the cat's belly and rub the water into the fur until the cat is cooled off. We got that one from our vet during what fortunately turned out to be only a minor crisis. It worked.

Think twice about drugging Kitty, and if you do, give a test dose a few days before you leave to make sure Kitty doesn't have an adverse reaction, like vomiting.

I've moved twice cross country. Drove both times with pets (2 dogs and a cat, and the second time with a toddler as well). For the cat we got kitty sleeping pills from the vet. Knocked him out for a few hours every day. But 11-12 hours is too much IMO. Like someone else said, give it a trial run before you leave to see how he reacts. Some cats will throw get sick with those pills. And whatever you do, follow the right weight/dosage recommendations. I almost killed the cat because I eyeballed it instead of measuring.

The one downside to that is if he's out and he has to go, he will still go. So you may have some messes to clean up.

We put the cat in one of the dog's kennels and the dog just rode without a kennel since she's well behaved. This way the cat had some extra lounging room and wasn't confined to juts his carrier. And we could also fit his litter box in there as well as some food. For water, we bought this contraption from PetCo that sits upright and dispenses water when it's touched. Otherwise if you leave water in a bowl, every little bump in the road will cause it to spill.

I'd echo the suggestion to use a large dog crate vs. the typical cat crate. Line it with a familiar blanket, sheet or towel so there are some familiar smells.

You can probably get a kitty sedative that will mellow your cat out rather than knock him out. While I think you should avoid too much sedation of any animal, ask your vet if you should do a trial run at home beforehand. Some of those can have weird side effects and experiencing a side effect after you're on the road isn't any fun.

Rescue Remedy can also be used to calm a cat down, and it's herbal. I rub a few drops on my hands then rub it on my cat's nose/face before he has to ride in the car. Otherwise you can put a few drops in his water.

If you decide to do the trip in one day (though I'd also recommend the two-day option), check with your vet re. withholding food/water prior to the trip. For digestive reasons (and if you're using a sedative) you might be advised to remove food & water 6-12 hours beforehand. You may be able to give water & food again midway through the trip. I'm not a vet, so check with one re. the best approach.

BTW: Chicago to NYC? More like 14 hours without any breaks. Driving that distance in one day, it's almost impossible to avoid rush hour in some city, which can also increase travel times.

We have a cat who literally pisses and moans all 2 miles to the vet. The poor guy would need a bath when he got to the vet and another when he got home.

So in a fit of brilliance my husband suggested diapering him. There was no way that I was going to do this but it did occur to me that we could buy puppy pads (house training pads for dogs). We line his carrier with one and when he pees it is soaked up enough that I can pull him out on to my lap (my lap is covered with another puppy pad) and I can replace the soiled pad. He generally go through about 3 pads per trip.

One thing that has helped our Fluff is that I hold him on my lap and let him look out of the window. If you have a lap cat he might be a little calmer if he can see out and be comforted on a lap.

But if you do this both you and the cat should be in the backseat (you don't want it to be easy for the cat to get under the brake pedal). The windows must be up and doors should be shut and locked as extra protection. If the cat tries to stuggle out of your reach you need to put him back in the carrier. Before any door is opened the cat must be locked in the carrier and everyone needs to verbally confirm that the cat is confined before doors are ever opened. Cats are always crated in the great outdoors. You should never do this with a cat that is a runner or doesn't respond to your commands.

Our lap cat isn't an escapee and comes when you call him. Our other cat we don't trust at all.

I am dreading our next move but I know that we will be boarding the cats before the moving truck shows up.

I temporarily lost my cat once because I didn't board her before the moving truck showed up. When the movers walked in the front door she ran out and wasn't seen for weeks. She wasn't much of a runner but she had obviously been upset by all the packing and strangers at the house was the last straw. It was very very sad, a mistake I will never make again.

We have a firm rule: the carriers stay locked until we hit the freeway/hiway/interstate/whatever you call it, and while we're traveling on it, the boys can be out of their carriers in the back seat or cargo area (they know the "no felines in the front seat" rule) but as soon as we near the exit ramp, my son gets them both back in their carriers (with one notable exception and they stay locked in until we're either in the house or hotel room. One of the boys loves to sit on the luggage, that raises him up enough so he can easily see out the window.

Also, the cats are leashed trained and wear their harnesses whenever we travel - in case of emergency, it's a lot easier to grab a cat wearing a harness than one without. Even if your cat isn't leash trained, you might want to consider using a harness while traveling.

gfunkdave, how is the moving prep going? Have you tried leash-training your cat?

Thanks for the follow up.

We finally have a moving date, or at least week...probably we'll move on or around Memorial Day weekend. I haven't done anything yet due to the date being up in the air.

I will start leash training the cat, I think. He's a standard cat: he HATES HATES HATES leaving his house. If I take him into the stairwell (we're in a high rise) when someone comes to look at the house, he freaks out. When it's time to go back in, he sprints the 15 feet from the stairwell to the apartment door, tail between his legs. I worry that even a leash and walk outside of the house will be a bad experience.

I will take any tips/hints/advice or book/website referral you have on this. I rescued a couple of adorable kittens last year, they are both 1 year old now and I would like to leash train them. I have the jacket/harness/holster for my girls. When I put it on one of my kitties she acts like it throws her off balance and falls over sideways a few times. It makes for a good laugh but we haven't made much leash training progress.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kitty-Holster-Ca...6#ht_559wt_907

Now that you have a date, or week, you can really get things rolling!

I'd suggest just starting with attaching the leash in the house, and allow him to adjust to it there before you consider taking him outside with it. Does he have favorite treats? Give him those when he's out of his house?
LOL, sounds like the kitty isn't too sure about it. Have you tried leaving it out where she can sniff and investigate it?

jennj99738 suggested leash training. She might have more tips.

Initially every cat hates the harness and leash. We used positive reinforcement to get the cats adjusted to wearing the harness- like putting one on them just before giving them their favorite meal and then leaving the harness on them around the house for a while.

Once they would wear it without fuss, we added the leashes and took them out for a "carry" around the yard. After a couple of those, they wanted to get down and sniff. Over time they began to walk along while wearing the leash and harness. It's still hard to steer them, but eventually we get where we need to go.

Our big guy now starts to purr when he sees his leash because it means he gets to go outside with us. You can teach cats to tolerate, if not even enjoy, leash time.


p.s. never hook a leash to a cat's collar - either the collar will open (safety collar) or you'll strangle the cat as he does advanced yoga trying to get it off of himself