Let's See Your Cats!!!

Also: all of my orange boys will sing me the song of their people the entire trip to the vet in the carrier. As soon as we step into the office, silence.

 

We drove our cat from Albuquerque to Milwaukee two years ago and will be driving her back in September. It was a 22 hour drive over two days. At first we had her in a cat carrier. She was unhappy. The second, longer day, we just let her crawl under the seat and she was a bit happier. You need a litter box, and some food and water. Otherwise, they are pretty adaptable. Out vet also suggested children’s Benadryl. We may try that on the way back.

 

The orange blob in his favorite spot


Just barely hanging onto that nap


Maggie sniffing my fresh flowers, “oh for me?? Thanks!”

 

This past December we drove from Boston to Phoenix with our 2 fur morons in the back of my '04 x-tra cab. 5 hours the first night and then four 10-hour days. Neither likes the car and they've always howled all the way to the vet and back.

For a month before we left we got them used to wearing harnesses. They didn't like them, but at least we could eventually get them on without needing stitches. We got large carriers with mesh sides and put them on the little rear seats facing toward each other with the front flaps open. The cats were clipped to the inside of the carriers on leads long enough to reach each other, but too short to get tangled or reach over or under the front seat. I set up a small travel litter pan on the hump on the middle of the floor, level with the rear seat. Small bowls of dry food and water on the seat between them. I turned off the rear speakers so they didn't have my road tunes blaring back there.

First day on the road, they howled non-stop for the first half-hour, then sporadic meowing for another half-hour, then they sat quietly until we reached the motel. They didn't come out of the carriers at all. They didn't eat or pee or sleep or curl up or stretch out at all, just sat, looking a little nervous. Not shaking nervous, just alert-for-whatever-new-thing-is-next nervous. At the motel I set up their big litter box from home and gave them their canned food. We let them loose in the room and they were normal - exploring, wrestling, eating, pooping, coming over for ear scratches. I brought the comforter from our bed at home and laid that over the motel bed and they slept on that. More canned food in the morning before we hit the road.

The next 4 days were all the same - a few minutes of mewing at first, then sitting quiet but alert in the carriers all day. I was a little concerned that they didn't pee or eat or nap for 10 hours, but they were totally normal in the motel room each night.

At the new house in Phoenix we set up all their stuff in the master suite and closed that off. They wouldn't come out of their carrier for a couple hours, and they were skittish for a few hours after that, then they were fine. We kept them in the master for 2 days until the movers came and went, then they were freed. It's been seven months, and this is now their house, not mine.

 

Thank you for all the replies.

We have a large carrier for him when we take him to the vet. It has plenty of room for him to move around but he can't really see out of the sides. Only the front. And it is a nightmare trying to even get him in to the carrier. We'll have to buy a different one when we take him. He is truly a house cat and he has a routine that he keeps every day. He doesn't like change at all. Pretty much wherever I am he is. If I get up to go somewhere he is right there with me. We've tried to just let him ride inside the car without a carrier and that isn't going to happen lol. He hates any kind of change and the inside of the car is not a place he want's to be at all. I suppose we'll see how it goes. But I don't think it's going to go very well on that trip. He's just going to have to deal with it.

 

I would also try to make the drive without a stop in the middle. It would be a long day, but stopping in a strange place, then doing it all over again the next day would add significant stress. If it were me I would suck it up along with the cat and just do the drive in one shot.

 

I don’t have any experience with long distance trips with any of my cats but we did do an overnight RV trip with our late cat Max. She liked being in the motorhome and just walked around on the dash while we were driving but she was so freaked out that she hid all that day and night. She wouldn’t use the litter box either. A few days later... yup... a bladder infection. This might be more common with females than males but thats my word of caution of something to look out for.

 

Oh and once we got to our destination we thought cat got out. She was hiding on top of kitchen cabinets.lol so keep doors closed to outside or they might bolt out...

 

We got something like these for the trip. Not sure if it was this exact brand.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y61S9Q...&pd_rd_r=8693423f-6e07-45ce-b508-36bd12ecf8f7

There was only room to open one side in my rear seat area, but it was great to give them at least that much extra space. The mesh side and top gives them a more open feel. Lots of soft fleece padding inside. There is a lead attached to the inside so they can't jump and run as soon as you open it. We attached another lead to that so they had more freedom of movement and opened the front flap once they were in the car. The flap on top makes it a zillion times easier to get them in and out.

You may not be able to make the trip enjoyable for him, but you can make him as comfortable as possible. And I'm sure he'll get over it and adapt to his new surroundings pretty quickly when you get to the other end.

 

I worried about too many days in the car and just wanted to get it over so that's why we did four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. Actually, I wanted to do it in 3 long days, but my wife can't sit in the truck that long. But since it turned out that our cats didn't use the litter box, or eat or drink at all during the day, and since they were completely normal and comfortable in the motel rooms each night, the stops were actually a way to de-stress them. For us the stops worked out well. YCMV

 

This is Hermin. I wish he would stay off my truck

 

Then you might want to see about the ve prescribing some sedatives for you .

 

We actually got some before our trip. The vet said if they didn't get agitated then don't give it to them, so we didn't. Couldn't hurt to have some on hand for peace of mind.

 

I'll assume you meant for the cat. Don't want to drive on downers.

 

Sleepy time, again.

 

Do yalls cats hold grudges?

A few months back when i first got her shed cuddle up by me to sleep one time she slept on top of me and at 3am i needed to piss so i carefully as possible slid her off but she woke up and ever since jumps off as soon as i carry her to bed and refuses to jump onto it other than to yell in my ear to let her out of the room

even than she doesnt leave the ground

 

Not sure if I’m loved, they’re cold, or they just really like each other.
Regardless of their intent, we’re gonna need a bigger chair

 

Rough life around here.

 

Belly trap set...

 

I gave up on that.
Until I get it repainted someday.



I leave the rear slider open and he makes himself at home in the back of the cab on the cushy dog setup.