Taking kitty on weekend trip - advice?

Good Morning Everyone -

Hubby, our two kids and I are going to a ranch resort for Christmas weekend, and I don't think the kids would allow Christmas to happen if we didn't take our kitty Duncan! Thankfully, the resort is only about an hour away, and we'll only be there for three days.

Duncan (or Duncan Donut, as he's known in these parts, lol) is a 12 pound Maine Coone mix. He's strictly an indoor kitty...the only time he's been outside the house is to go to the vet and one time he got out by mistake. He's not a huge fan of his carrier. I have it sitting in the living room now with the door open and my daughter's old bathrobe inside for a blanket, since it's a favorite of Duncan's, along with a well-chewed cat toy. This is how he'll ride in the car, in the backseat between the two kiddos.

I'd love advice from anyone about a few things. First, I don't really want to take our litter box, because it's one of those rather large contraptions with a cover on top. It would be sooo much easier to take a smaller "temporary" one with us for the weekend, and put clean litter in it with maybe a little from his box from home?

Also, we're staying in a cabin, and we'll be gone to a waterpark off and on during the weekend. I'm nervous Duncan will spaz while we're gone and he's left in an unfamiliar environment, and he might reward us by leaving "gifts" all over this nice cabin. (I'd really like to get the $100 pet deposit back!!) Should I shut him in the bathroom while we're out of the cabin, with his litterbox, food and other stuff in there? I have never shut him in a small room before...he's so spoiled, he's likely to go into shock and be pretty ticked off. But I'd rather have him soil a bathroom floor that I can clean up easily, than let him have a field day all over a carpeted cabin. Duncan has been known to take his revenge in this way a couple of times in the past when he's not happy. When I bought him the above mentioned covered litterbox, for example, he dragged my favorite dress pants down off a rack in the laundry room, gave it his best #2 on them, then sat there looking pretty proud of himself, to let me know how much he appreciated me updating his litterbox. I'd like to avoid any shenanigans like this during our weekend if possible!

This will be the first short trip we've ever taken him on. Usually I have a friend come visit him at home every day if we're away. This time though, the kids would be heartbroken if we celebrated Christmas without Duncan. Any advice?

Thank you very much - and Happy Holidays!

Natasha

Gosh, I don't know what to say if Duncan is of the temperament to "punish" you. We have taken Bijou and Mika to a cottage last summer for a week and the trip was 4.5 hours each way. We had no problems.

We used a temporary litter tray which they both used with no accidents and they had free run of the 2 bedroom cottage when we were out. They often sat in the window with just a screen between them and the rest of the world. Folks would come by and talk to them. They were pretty relaxed.

I would be tempted to allow Duncan free range - unless his poo was soft and runny, it can be easily cleaned up if he does have an "accident", so I wouldn't lock him in if it were me.

We have a quite a different application than yours; we are driving from Dallas to Mexico City (20 hour drive) and we are going to take our beloved cat. However; we have an SUV, the cargo area of which, will be devoted entirely to the cat, his litter box and carrier, but we will not keep him in the carrier unless he wants to be in there. There will be lots of spread out blankets and when one of us is driving, the other will be back in the cargo area with the cat. (The suitcases will be in the second row of seats.) We have not even taken a short trip with our cat but we are bound and determined to do this. We have already considered the worst case scenarios and none of them are as bad as leaving our cat alone with some stranger for 17-18 days. We may be blithering idiots when we get back but we will be happy blithering idiots.

I hate to say it -- but I would leave Duncan at home. You are gone such a short time -- he will barely be acclimated and you will be taking him home. Also -- I don't know that I'd take a kitty that inappropriately eliminates to a rental cabin or someone elses home. If you are not going to be in the cabin that often and he would need to locked in a bathroom -- I'd say he'd be a lot happier at home. Sometimes the kitties needs have to come before what the kiddies want!

As for Persi --- I can't wait to hear how your trip goes. Please be sure to post the details. I am thinking about taking our cat with us on a 1200 mile trip next June to a vacation condo we own (we will be there two weeks). The drive will be tough but I think he will appreciate it when we get there (there is a nice screened porch for him to hang out in). How are you planning on handling him in the car? There is no way I'd leave my cat in carrier for that long -- I'd like to get a small cage and put a small litterpan and his cat bed in it. That way, when we stop at a hotel, I can just bring the whole thing in with us. Be sure to post how the trip goes so we can all learn from it.

Originally Posted by Persi

We have a quite a different application than yours; we are driving from Dallas to Mexico City (20 hour drive) and we are going to take our beloved cat. However; we have an SUV, the cargo area of which, will be devoted entirely to the cat, his litter box and carrier, but we will not keep him in the carrier unless he wants to be in there. There will be lots of spread out blankets and when one of us is driving, the other will be back in the cargo area with the cat. (The suitcases will be in the second row of seats.) We have not even taken a short trip with our cat but we are bound and determined to do this. We have already considered the worst case scenarios and none of them are as bad as leaving our cat alone with some stranger for 17-18 days. We may be blithering idiots when we get back but we will be happy blithering idiots.

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We took the carrier and left the door open for them to come and go if they pleased. I put a soft towel in the bottom and put a towel over the top, sides and back so they could have a little "hidey-hole" if they got nervous. Mika slept on my lap most of the way there, Bijou slept in the carrier for a little while then curled up on my feet in the passenger area. I think your kitty will probably be a little freaked at first but cannot see him crying for 20 hours. We also had a litter pan set out and a dish of water. However, they were required to wear their harness so that when we stopped we only had to snap on a leash in case they decided to bolt (which fortunately they did not).

We started taking Bijou and Mika out with us on errands, grocery, library, hardware store, etc. most weekends when they were both babies so they have pretty much gotten used to travelling in the car. In fact, if Bijou is outside with John when I get home from work, as soon as I open the car door Bijou jumps in and gets all comfy and ready for a car ride.