Is it a bad idea to take Tiki to my in-laws house today?

We are going to my husbands parents house and were thinking of taking Tiki for the ride. Is it a bad idea? Will he be real confused? We have a travel litter box we can bring....do you think he will use it?? Anyone have experience with this? Thanks so much!!

If you're only going to be gone a short while I wouldn't take the cat. If he's not used to travelling it can stress him, and he'll probably hide while he's there. I wouldn't take him unless you're going to be there more than overnight.

no reason to take him unless you will be gone more th 24 hours. my husband and i goto friends house alot for hours, recently we drove to nc, was gone from like 11am till 11pm, we just limited kirra's play area. i have 4 rooms in my house and closed it off so she only had acces to two, my room with her stuff and the living room, checked to make sure there was nothing she could get into, pulled the chairs away from the desks and made she the box was clean and food and water out. she does fine, usually sleeps while we are gone lol, i think she finds it a nice break from my kids hehehe

ok I just replied to this but my post appears to have disappeared.

I was saying though that it totally depends on the individual cat. In most cases the cat will probably be freaked out and hide. I had a cat who now lives with my mom who loved riding in the car and going places with me and visiting my moms house. But just confine her to a carrier or crate or something. I apparently didn't have common sense when I did it and I let my cat just lay on the seat next to me. She did lay there the whole time though.

And what if she soils something there, or even scratches out of fear? Cats make crummy travellers at the best of times and are territorial - they need their normal smells around them to navigate properly and relax, and may even get into trouble hiding in places you can't imagine if in a strange place (never mind possibly even escaping).

I would not take her unless you feel you have to for her welfare - getting her used to travel because she will have to do a lot of it, or if you see your parents as needing to be cat sitters in the future and you want Tiki to get used to their house while you are there. But what you see as a fun trip will probably be nothing but stress for her, and for no reason.

I took my cat to visit my parents last week (only a 10 minute drive though). He had stayed there for four days in August. He doesn't like the car (meows the whole time). When I opened his carrier he ran right under there bed. Didn't stay there long though; came out when I called him and started exploring. I think he remembered being there before because he went to where my mom kept his placemat and food and sniffed around.

I plan on doing this often (at least to my mom's house). Obviously, if your cat never leaves the house, they will be freaked out if you take them somewhere. My kitty is only 6 months old and I want him to get used to it now. He will probably stay there when we go on vacation after Christmas so it certainly makes the transition easier when he is familiar with the place.

Anyhow, hard to answer your question because you didn't say how far a drive (or flight), if you cat likes the car ride, etc...

Originally Posted by Larke

And what if she soils something there, or even scratches out of fear? Cats make crummy travellers at the best of times and are territorial - they need their normal smells around them to navigate properly and relax, and may even get into trouble hiding in places you can't imagine if in a strange place (never mind possibly even escaping).

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I actually disagree with these statements. I believe if cats are taken in the car from a young age they will get used to travelling and can actually enjoy it. (I'm sure there will be exceptions to this as well.) Bijou and Mika have been taken for car rides and carried around in a cloth carrier (similar to a baby carrier but with clips inside for the leash/harness) since they were 10 weeks old. They both have been taken with us shopping - food store, hardware store, Canadian Tire store, library, Home Sense and the list goes on. We took them to a rented cottage with us this summer and they were wonderful in the car on a 4.5 hour trip there and another 4.5 hours home. While at the cottage we took them out on harness and leash and they were a big hit with all the children and one couple from Vancouver Island asked for permission to take pictures of them (which we were proud to comply in the affirmative). Apparently Bijou enjoyed it so much that now if he is out in the yard and we open the car door, he jumps in and settles on the back seat or up in the back window waiting to go for a ride.

So, my answer to your query is "why not!". Getting your kitty used to the car
and your parent's home is not a bad thing. I would however suggest that you confine the kitty to one room with litter, food and water until she gets more comfortable with her surroundings. If you visit frequently, over a period of time she may well be quite comfortable at your parents' place.

You have 'super' cats! I know the very odd one will be o.k., but in our experience (forever, LOTS of cats), starting them early doesn't make the slightest difference - they hate it (in or out of a carrier), don't shut up the whole time and make a big fuss no matter what. Lucky you!

Bijou and Mika have been taken for car rides and carried around in a cloth carrier (similar to a baby carrier but with clips inside for the leash/harness) since they were 10 weeks old.

Can you provide a picture or link to this device?


BTW, I was at Petsmart last week and saw a lady carrying a cat draped over her shoulder through the parking lot. She opened her car door and plopped the cat in the car (no carrier). Probably not a smart thing to do considering all the dogs at Petsmart but I was impressed at how calm her cat was.

Our kittens our six monthes old and they are fine with car rides and visiting other peoples' houses. The cried the first couple times in the car because it was a new experience for them, but they now are fine, they don't make a sound. My husband and I live in an apartment so the cats enjoy going to my parents and my inlaws house because they have my room to explore. If I were you I'd try it, see how the kitten reacts. You'll be able to tell if it is really stressfull on the kitten or if they are just being cautious in a new environment!

Good luck.

Originally Posted by meow meow

Bijou and Mika have been taken for car rides and carried around in a cloth carrier (similar to a baby carrier but with clips inside for the leash/harness) since they were 10 weeks old.

Can you provide a picture or link to this device?

Click to expand...

I don't have a picture and I'm not sure where it is right now since we don't use it anymore now that they are fully grown. I don't think Bijou would actually fit in it anymore. It is basically just a cloth bag with a clip sewn into the side seam and straps that go over your shoulder and hook in the back just like a baby carrier. We carried them with the bag in the front so we could pet them and talk to them.

Our daughter just told me she got it at PetValu and that it is actually for dogs (I'm assuming very small dogs ). Mika is like that lady's cat - we can just carry her in our arms and she doesn't try to get down. I carried her around Home Sense one Saturday for over an hour and she was calm and seemed to enjoy all the fuss. Bijou, on the other hand, likes to be let down so he can explore. I had his harness and leash on one day when we went to the hardware store and he went up and down all the aisles checking out the goods. Most people think it's strange that he walks with us on a leash.