Driving From L.A. To N.Y.C. With My Cat...

She's, for all intents and purposes, an indoor cat. I have been letting her out a bit for a few minutes very rarely just because some days she seems curious. But I always keep her in arm's reach, if not, actually, in my arms. I tried a harness and it didn't go over well. She, as is typical, sunk low and started creeping before giving up and just sitting strangely angled and stone still until I took it off of her. I have, also, been taking her on short, non-vet related car trips in her carrier seat-belted to the passenger seat to get her more used to the car. And she has taken to it very well. However, I have to drive across the entire country with her in a few months and I don't have any idea about how this should be done. Her carrier is large enough for her to turn around in but, despite being a very small cat weight and length wise she has very tall legs and it seems like it would be a pretty cramped experience to go all the way across the country not being able to fully stretch out. I have been looking on various sites for some sort of barrier that would keep her in the back of my hatchback with the seats down, but none of the barriers, metal or mesh, seem like they would work for a cat and the few tent like things I've come across seem like they would totally obstruct my view. I really wanted her to be able to have a spread in the back of the car where she could have a hiding/sleeping place, space to play, be able to see outside, a space for her litter and food/water, but I seem to be coming up empty. She was microshipped at the pound when I got her and I am ordering a new collar with her name and my cell number on it and she's going to have to wear the hated harness for the entire trip. If anyone has any suggestions or first hand experience of having done a long haul drive with their cat(s) in a small vehicle, I'd really appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks.

I drove across Europe with five cats when I moved from Bosnia to France last summer. First of all, I would persevere with the harness - it is normal to have that 'creep' but it doesn't last and they do get used to it. I kept the harness and leads on them the entire trip for peace of mind and it really helped when we stopped. Then I would get a large dog crate - that is what I travelled mine in ( I needed two of course!) and it worked beautifully. There is room for them to stretch out and sleep and sit up and look round, which they all wanted to do. And you can clip water holders onto the bars. I started with one (Dushka) in a carrier, because she usually likes to be on her own, but she meowed so much I transferred her to a crate at the first stop and then she was fine. I had small litter pans in the crates but they never used them and they took up space, so we started to have 'toilet stops' for everyone, me included! That was where it was really important that I could get hold of the leads before opening any doors. I researched hotels/motels that would take pets ( I didn't dare just turn up with 5!) so I knew where we would stay.

They all travelled pretty well. There was a bit of open-mouth panting that scared me, but it didn't seem to mean anything, and I stopped and made sure everyone had drinks regularly. I used a syringe to give them water in case they were getting dehydrated as they didn't all want to drink at each stop. I also used a Feliway spray in the car to keep them relaxed. One seemed a bit lethargic and maybe he was feeling a bit sick, but the others were basically curious. And loved checking out the hotel room!

Here is a pic of Ellie and Persil during the journey


It is worth doing as you are doing and letting them travel for a while first to get used to it.

Good luck with it.

Thank you so much for your response.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

I drove across Europe with five cats when I moved from Bosnia to France last summer.

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Wow! Five!

Originally Posted by jennyranson

First of all, I would persevere with the harness - it is normal to have that 'creep' but it doesn't last and they do get used to it. I kept the harness and leads on them the entire trip for peace of mind and it really helped when we stopped.

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Okay. Most of the time she seems totally happy to be inside, but sometimes she yells at the door (she's spayed) and seems very insistant upon wanting to venture out. So, I'll try to use those opportunities to try to get her back in the harness. She's additionally harness shy because one day she managed to get the harness and leash which were on a counter tangled around one of her legs and she thought it was chasing her as she dashed from room to room trying to get away from it. It was hillarious to watch, but has made her a bit more reticent than she might otherwise be. However, I will persist. BTW, where did you get your harnesses? They're really cute -- as are your cats.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

Then I would get a large dog crate - that is what I travelled mine in ( I needed two of course!) and it worked beautifully. There is room for them to stretch out and sleep and sit up and look round, which they all wanted to do. And you can clip water holders onto the bars.

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Okay. I'm not sure how large I can go. Need to get the measuring tape out. But, yeah, that's what I want, for her to be able to get comfortable and have a enough space that she can make it her own. My only concern with that is that her only experience with a metal cage of that type was at the pound where I rescued her and, maybe I'm applying human logic to cat experience that is invalid, but I wouldn't want to make the trip any more traumatic for her by reminding her of being held there.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

I had small litter pans in the crates but they never used them and they took up space, so we started to have 'toilet stops' for everyone, me included! That was where it was really important that I could get hold of the leads before opening any doors.

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Huh. Was it a lack of privacy that made them not want to go? How did you get them to understand that when you stopped it was time to use the bathroom? Did you have them use the litter pans inside the cages or by the side of the car or did you just have them go in the grass?

Originally Posted by jennyranson

I researched hotels/motels that would take pets ( I didn't dare just turn up with 5!) so I knew where we would stay.

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I'm looking into this now and trying to figure out how many hours a day seems reasonable for both of us. I'm used to traveling in a pretty free-wheeling way. So, all this necessary scheduling is kind of alien to me. Also, trying to plan around unforeseen things like traffic jams, etc. is confusing me. How many hours a day did you average on your trip? I've driven back and forth across the US probably 8 times now, but never with an animal and, usually, taking odd detours to visit friends or just on a whim, sometimes staying in remote, unexpected places for several days just because I felt like it. But, along with making sure the kitty and I don't have to car camp, I'm going to have to synch up this trip with the delivery of some of my stuff in NY so will have to curb the self-indulgent wandering for this jaunt.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

There was a bit of open-mouth panting that scared me, but it didn't seem to mean anything, and I stopped and made sure everyone had drinks regularly. I used a syringe to give them water in case they were getting dehydrated as they didn't all want to drink at each stop.

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I have some syringes from medicine I had to give her which I could bring just in case. And probably would anyway; she has an undiagnosable allergy which occurs out of the blue every few months. Which leads me to another question and maybe you wouldn't know since you're in Europe, but I wonder if there is 1-800 number to locate 24 hour vet services for wherever you happen to be.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

I also used a Feliway spray in the car to keep them relaxed.

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What is that? She has been surprisingly calm in the car. She can be quite skittish. And still gives me a hard time getting her into the carrier. But she's, actually, seemed to have enjoyed (with a bit of trepidation) the last few jaunts and, after the one tonight, was hanging out in her carrier and then yelling at the door to go out. This seems like a good sign to me. One of the other reasons I don't take her out as often as she asks is that I don't want her to get too used to the outdoors, to the point where she'll miss it when we get to NY. The only outside she'd have access to there is my fire-escape and there's not a chance I'd let her out there.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

One seemed a bit lethargic and maybe he was feeling a bit sick, but the others were basically curious. And loved checking out the hotel room!

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I'm kind of scared about the hotel room thing. Did you keep them in the bathrooms? Did they put up a struggle when you tried to get them going in the morning? Could you ever not find one in the rooms?

Thanks again.

The longest drive I made with a cat was from Chicago to Houston - about a 20 hour drive. We made one overnight stop at a hotel and I let him loose when we got in the room. For the car ride, he was so terrified of cars in general that he would immediately crawl in my lap with his head stuck under my armpit and he basically road the entire trip that way. I don't recommend that - this was close to 20 years ago and I was stupid back then.

The second longest drive that I've done with mine was a 16 hour one. We had a large van, but also had 5 large dogs and 3 cats to move. 1 of the cats had never met the others so we also had to do introductions along the way.

We had 2 crates for the cats. 1 jumbo dog crate (big enough to fit a 100 pound greyhound) that held a litter box and bedding. Another smaller one but still larger than your typical cat carrier. We rotated the new cat with the other 2 in and out of the jumbo carrier during the ride.

Get the largest crate that you can find that will fit in your car.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

The longest drive I made with a cat was from Chicago to Houston - about a 20 hour drive. We made one overnight stop at a hotel and I let him loose when we got in the room. For the car ride, he was so terrified of cars in general that he would immediately crawl in my lap with his head stuck under my armpit and he basically road the entire trip that way. I don't recommend that - this was close to 20 years ago and I was stupid back then.

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Not the best way to travel for 20 hours, but a funny image, nonetheless.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

The second longest drive that I've done with mine was a 16 hour one. We had a large van, but also had 5 large dogs and 3 cats to move.

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I really can't imagine. Were you able to find hotels that would let you bring in that many animals or did you camp or stay with friends along the way?

Originally Posted by Momofmany

1 of the cats had never met the others so we also had to do introductions along the way.

We had 2 crates for the cats. 1 jumbo dog crate (big enough to fit a 100 pound greyhound) that held a litter box and bedding. Another smaller one but still larger than your typical cat carrier. We rotated the new cat with the other 2 in and out of the jumbo carrier during the ride.

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Did your cats use the litter box during the trip? Or only when you stopped? Did they eat while in transit?

Originally Posted by Momofmany

Get the largest crate that you can find that will fit in your car.

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I will. Thanks for sharing your experience with me.

Originally Posted by Oonalyl

I really can't imagine. Were you able to find hotels that would let you bring in that many animals or did you camp or stay with friends along the way?



Did your cats use the litter box during the trip? Or only when you stopped? Did they eat while in transit?

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We had the van and 2 drivers, so if one got tired we switched drivers. When both of us got tired we just plopped down in the back of the van. With 5 large dogs, the back of the van was pretty much filled with dog beds and a bean bag chair (cargo van).

The cats did use the litter box and I would say usually when we would take a break to walk the dogs (every 3-4 hours). With the dogs, we were forced to stop longer than normal (20 minutes or so) just to get them out to potty and stretch their legs. The cats also ate and drank at that time. You don't want to keep open water in the car as it is moving or it will slosh out and wet any bedding you have for them. They won't have much interest in food as the car is in motion either.

Some cats don't mind the car. I have a friend that adopted 3 cats from us and drove them from our house in KC to Denver. The first 2 were 5 week old orphans and were basically confined to a box the entire ride (she finished bottle raising them to better bond with them). The 3rd was 4 months old and he road on the dashboard the entire way. Of course he went back in the carrier anytime that the door was opened.

Even with the microchip and a harness, you simply don't want them loose when the door is open. As a rescue volunteer, I've seen the ads for people that were traveling and their cat got out of the car mid trip. None ever found their baby again.

OK, answering your points:

1. Harnesses - you can get them at any pet shop, or online - just google 'cat harness'. I got mine from a variety of different shops in different countries. Each cat has its own colour for collar, harness and lead.

2. I agree that you should get the biggest crate you can fit in the car - I needed two and that was what I did. I doubt very much that your cat would associate it with the pound - get it in advance, let her play in it with some favourite toys, and take them on the trip.

3. I did not let them out of the car for toilet stops. I put the litter tray at the back of the car, and let each cat in turn use it if they wanted to. I also put towels down in the cages in case of accidents and had some spare ones. There were a couple of times when one peed in the cage.

4. I planned 8 hour days, but one day ended up being 12 hours because of border problems (something you won't have!). I stopped every three hours or so to give drinks and offer litter pans. They didn't seem to mind the extra time, that was the advantage of the crates - they could stretch out and move.

5. I never lost them in a hotel - when we arrived I put them in the bathroom with food and litter while I and my co-driver went and ate. Then they had the run of the room while we were there. I made sure we had rooms that were not on the ground floor to minimise any escape plans.

6. I think there is an emergency number - but you would need to check. There may be one for each state.

7. Feliway is a calming pheromone that you can buy in spray form at any good pet shop. I used it every time I heard any hissing or thought a fight would break out. You only have one cat, but it really does help to make things stress free.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

I also put towels down in the cages in case of accidents and had some spare ones. There were a couple of times when one peed in the cage.

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Very good point! I now have a cat that pees in his carrier ever time you get him in a car. Line the bottom of the carrier with newspaper and place any bedding on top of that. Bring extra newspaper, towels, plastic garbage bags to place dirty towels into, a roll of paper towels, spray cleaner and perhaps wet-ones. If you get a mess in the car, you won't want to drive very far with the smell.

Yes, I forgot to mention the plastic bags! I found them essential.

I would like to take our cat to our vacation home sometime (24 hour drive). We usually drive 15 hours the first day and then the remainder on day 2.

My plan would be to use a crate and put piddle pads or something like it in the bottom. I would like to be able to put a small litterpan and a cat bed also. I know many people say the cats won't use the pan in the car -- but can he really go 15 hours without using it? Also, I figured if we stopped for dinner, he would be alone in the car (without it moving) so maybe he'd use it then. Also, its it ok to feed them? Again, if we stop for dinner maybe he'd eat since the car wouldn't be moving. Can't imagine going 15 hours without offering food.

Lastly, if the cat is confined to a crate, why is it necessary to have a harness on him? My cat has almost never had his feet on the earth. He would go from the crate to his carrier for walking into the hotel room or condo.

I do try to take him for short car rides in his carrier. He pretty much quietly meows the whole time. I am not sure how long DH could put up with that while driving.

Keep the ideas and experiences coming -- they are very helpful.

you have gotten tons of great ideas. I agree with continuing with the harness training... large trucks and traffic could really freak out your cat and you should be prepared for the unexpected. I found in the drive from alabama to oregon that my cat preferred being contained in her carrier or in my lap. it really helped her feel secure. she didn't like the t6raffic in rest stops so i let her roam around the interior of the car when we stopped.

I second the feliway spray. spritz it in the car and in the hotel room too.
My cat didn't pee during the day and i didn't feed her alot in the morning in case she got car sick. I gave her rescue remedy each morning and she was quite mellow. In addition to something absorbant in her cage i would add a teeshirt you have slept in, the scent is a comfort.

I also kept the routine at the hotel each night exactly the same. putting the litter box and food dishes in the same location each night - we used the same chain of motels so the lay out was quite similar.

Many cats have made journey like yours quite calmly and well and your sensitivity to her is so strong I am sure you'll have a great trip.

I was kind of wondering all of these same questions, but it seems someone beat me to it. I want to get my cat from Iowa to AZ this summer. I live in Arizona and my cat has been staying with my mom in Iowa. What is the best way to get a cat from location to location? Would you consider bringing them in a car or I know they have special companies that will transport them for you. I never planned on driving from IA to AZ, but if that's what I have to do to get my baby here.....then I guess that's what I have to do I just thought this was the perfect place to let you know about my situation as well. Everyone's answers have really helped me understand things I would have never thought about!!!

The harnesses are an extra safety feature. You never know what is going to freak a cat out, and you do have to open the cage from time to time. I found that if I looped the harness over my wrist before I fully opened the door, then the cat was less likely to make a run for it. It also depends on the car you have - but it is difficult to get a cat from cage to carrier with absolutely no risk of escape. By the way, I used soft carriers to get them from car to hotel, as they took up less room in the car.

Someone sort of mentioned this but I will second it: they do sell piddle pads for puppies that would work better than newspaper in the cage.

Take your cat to a vet and have a complete health check before you go. Some states require that they have a health certificate before you move them into their state. Better to have one in case you are stopped. I did get the "emergency" tranquilizers for the cats before each long drive just in case the stress got to them. I never had to use them, but they were there in case I did.

Most cats get bored after the first hour or so. If they don't like cars, they will probably scream at you for a while, then settle in and resign themselves to the drive.

i haven't read all of the replies, but wanted to post my experiences.

we travelled from wisconsin to california, and then back to wisconsin with our cats in the car. we had just 2 at the time. we used H-style harnesses for them. we let them stretch their legs at rest stops (at that time they were quite used to the harnesses and going in the backyard on them). we offered them the litter box at those times. but used a syringe for water on the trip from california to wisconsin. we drove through the desert and i was afraid of them dehydrating. we also camped, the cats slept in their carrier at night in the tent. we spent 1 night in a hotel both ways and had to make the cats sleep in their carrier at night there too. they found a way to get into the box springs of the cheapo hotel beds, so they also stayed on their leashes while out.

we did not use medication. i had read that the sedative would interfere with their ability to regulate their body temperature. i was pretty paranoid, because we had to drive through the desert.

everything went well. after a while they just went to sleep. we did smarten up and get separate carriers for the trip back. the trip out they shared a carrier and that didn't go well. nabu didn't appreciate raven's constant meowing.

our cats were pretty young the last time we travelled like that too. i think they were only about 3 yrs old. i don't know if they would handle it as well now that they are almost 10 yrs old.

That's a long drive to take with a cat! I've driven from Cave Creek Az to Salt Lake City with 2 cats before and that wasn't too bad. I had them each in their own carrier. It was a medium sized hard sided carrier big enough for a small litter pan. I had attachable water and food bowls (hooked on to the side). They seemed to like it when I'd play classical music or a talk radio station.

Last year we moved from San Diego, CA to Seattle, WA - 2 of us in my little Corolla with our 2 cats. It was a longer drive than we expected (mostly due to weather-induced detours, which added many hours to our trip). Our cats did amazingly well in the car...beyond my wildest hopes.

In fact, we found that keeping them in their crates was more stressful than letting them out of the crates to move around in the car. They tended to like to either sit in the back window or nestle in among the boxes and bags. We did arrange it so they could not crawl under the seats. They didn't eat or drink much, nor did they use the litterbox at all in the car. I did "force feed" them water throughout the trip though with a syringe.

The hotel stay, I have to say, was awful. I believe much of this had to do with the fact that it was about 95 degrees in the room (no kidding - it was the only room left in the whole hotel and something was wrong with it obviously!) and that it was an unknown space. They were terrors, and terrified. I ended up locking them in the bathroom, where they nestled in the bathtub (cool) and snoozed after awhile. They did use the litterbox that I set up in there.

We checked out of the hotel about 5 hours later (it was too hot for us to sleep!) and got back on the road. They were angels again in the car.

The trick for us was making sure we crated them back up before we opened any car doors. Our cats HATE collars, so I know they'd probably strangle/hang themselves if we tried harnesses. I think they liked the motion of the car - they'd start to whine if we stopped or slowed too much - and enjoyed looking around at the other cars when they weren't napping. (Which was most of the time.)

I wish you good luck on your trip - that's a long haul!

It has been awhile since I have posted but I knew I would find the info i needed here!
I have to travel with my cat and have put a harness on him so he can get used to it. We took him for a ride yesterday and he had his mouth open and was panting. Should I worry about that? He cried alot for the first few minutes then settled down but was still panting.
I was hoping he would take to the car as I would like to have him loose (harness on, leash handy) in the car. The back seat will be kind of full and there is not alot of room on the front seat for his carrier.
It will be about a 16 hour drive with lots of potty stops, but no hotel. I also plan on taking some 'used' litter from his box at home (in a baggie) to eaither put in his travel litter box, or on the ground in a quiet, out of the way area, so that he knows that THIS is where he should potty.
Am I crazy or should I keep him in the crate even though I cannot keep the door open due to space.
He is about 9 months old.

This is a super helpful thread, I am preparing for a move from Seattle to LA and I am going to take lots of the advice shared here - thanks!