TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Care & Grooming › Need advice on long-distance traveling with a new kitten
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Need advice on long-distance traveling with a new kitten

post #1 of 10
6/2/07 at 2:04pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, my DH and I are about to become the proud owners of a little red point male devon rex, Ares. We will be picking the little tyke up in about 3 weeks, when Ares is 12 weeks old. The breeder lives in Louisiana, and in order to pick Ares up and get back to our house, it is 2,000 miles round trip. (About 32 hours in total.) I guess our concern is the 16 hour trip back with a little kitten who has only just met us!
We have sent to the breeder a carrier, toy, and harness with the desire that Ares be comfortable while traveling. I have also purchased a water bottle, a tray for food in the carrier, a disposable litter box, a leash, and Bach’s Rescue Remedy for the trip. Now for a few questions:
How many drops of Bach’s Rescue Remedy should be rubbed onto Ares’s ear? He will be a small kitten, as Devons are a small breed of cat.

Currently, the breeder is using a non-clumping clay litter, and our desire is to switch to WBCL. I went to our local Petco with plans to purchase both types of litter, but they did not have the non-clumping clay litter. When I spoke to an employee about it, the salesperson suggested that since we were getting a kitten, using new litter should not be a problem and that no transitional period was needed. Would you agree? Should I buy a non-clumping clay litter over the interenet?

I have read that some people have used syringes to ensure that their cats get water during the car trip. Should I consider purchasing syringes? I was thinking of adding water Ares’s dry food.

Would it be safe to hold him outside of the carrier, as long as we have his harness and leash on him at all times?

Would it be best simply to leave the litter box in the back of the car or take it out of the trunk every few hours for him to use.

How often should we take breaks?

Any other thoughts on making our kitty more comfortable with us on the trip home would be greatly appreciated!
Reply
post #2 of 10
6/2/07 at 7:11pm
Welcome to TCS!!!

I haven't had any experience traveling that long with Roxie but we do usually take her with us when we go upstate which is about a 4 hour trip. I may not be too much help but I'm sure someone will come along soon to give you some expert advice.

When Roxie was a kitten she would sleep in my lap for most of the way. If we stopped for a break I would put her in the litterbox for a few minutes but in general she would start to whine when she needed to go. I would put her back in the carrier for breaks since I didn't have a harness and leash but if you have those on him at all times you'll be fine.

I also put a soft towel on the bottom of her carrier and threw in a toy or two for her to play with.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help and Congratulations on your new addition! I am looking forward to seeing many pics of the little darling!!
Reply
post #3 of 10
6/2/07 at 10:53pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks! BTW Roxie is a BEAUTY!
Reply
post #4 of 10
6/3/07 at 5:36am
First of all congrats on the new little one (pictures soon as you can )

As far as traveling. Do NOT let them ride outside the carrier. The kitten could get under the seat, around the drivers feet/legs, etc. and cause an accident. At that age, I don't think you can find a harnes/leash that small Its much safer in the carrier. Expect crying but the kitten will probably sleep most of the way.

Are you planning on stopping for the night or a few nights? You can stop every few hrs at the rest stops; maybe 3-4 or when you stop for eating; let the kitten out for a bit to stretch and offer some water/food then.

I'd have several extra towels and paper towels/bags for any accidents. The kitten may or may not get sick if you feed/water him during the ride. We know that Charlie will (he winds up pooping almost every time on long distance travelling over 2 hrs). So we carry extra clean up material

Personally, I don't like to give them any "medication" when traveling - cats sometimes have bad reactions.
Reply
post #5 of 10
6/3/07 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iluvdevons View Post
Thanks! BTW Roxie is a BEAUTY!
Thank you

Let us know how the trip goes and like I said, I want to see pics of your baby asap!!
Reply
post #6 of 10
6/4/07 at 5:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
First of all congrats on the new little one (pictures soon as you can )

As far as traveling. Do NOT let them ride outside the carrier. The kitten could get under the seat, around the drivers feet/legs, etc. and cause an accident. At that age, I don't think you can find a harnes/leash that small Its much safer in the carrier. Expect crying but the kitten will probably sleep most of the way.

Are you planning on stopping for the night or a few nights? You can stop every few hrs at the rest stops; maybe 3-4 or when you stop for eating; let the kitten out for a bit to stretch and offer some water/food then.

I'd have several extra towels and paper towels/bags for any accidents. The kitten may or may not get sick if you feed/water him during the ride. We know that Charlie will (he winds up pooping almost every time on long distance travelling over 2 hrs). So we carry extra clean up material

Personally, I don't like to give them any "medication" when traveling - cats sometimes have bad reactions.

Thanks for the advice! We will keep him in the carrier, as the last thing we want is a loose kitty in a moving car. I think we will spend 1 night in a hotel, and we are looking into pet-friendly lodging. We will definetely stop every three hours, so Ares has a chance to potty, eat, etc. (And thanks for the advice on extra towels, bags, etc!) I was a bit nervous about using the Rescue Remedy, so I think we will skip it. Can I just say I love the pic of Keno, Charlie and Ling?
Reply
post #7 of 10
6/7/07 at 10:48am
hi there, he will be OK my Givi (who is devon too btw) travelled in the train for 3 days, if im not mistaken..when we picked him up he was stressed, tired but in general everything was just fine. the guy who supervised Givi during his journey said that he wasnt sleeping much, and was meowing most of the time (after that trip he hates his carrier!)..but still that was a train
and u travel in your own car plus u plan to stay in the hotel. so i think theres no problem whatsoever good luck with ur pixie
Reply
post #8 of 10
6/7/07 at 11:04am
I'm no expert but here's what we did:

We picked up Munchie from the breeder and it was about 9 hrs each way from Maryland to Indiana. (We didn't want him to be traumatized by air travel ). So about 18+ hours total.

He was about 4 months old at the time. He was in the carrier the whole time, but it was a carrier with an open top, so whoever was in the passenger seat (took driving shifts) would just pet him to try to keep him calm. He meowed a lot, A LOT, but slept a bunch, too. We'd take a pit stop whenever he pooped (about twice); there was a mini cardboard box that we filled w/ litter inside the carrier. The breeder also gave us his toys and a ziploc bag of the dry food he was raised on. We lined the carrier with towels; we had extras in case of pee/poop accidents that we could swap out and discard the soiled one at a rest stop.

It was an adventure! Munchie is my first cat, first pet really. And I'm glad we have the memory of the escapade of picking him up!

P.S. We tried to do the whole trip w/o stopping at a hotel/motel. No a good idea. And we didn't know there was a Indy car thing going on, so a bunch of hotels/motels were booked solid when we were tired and looking for a spot to stayover -- though we finally found a place -- 4 towns over from when we were feeling famished!
Reply
post #9 of 10
6/10/07 at 8:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZ<3Me View Post
hi there, he will be OK my Givi (who is devon too btw) travelled in the train for 3 days, if im not mistaken..when we picked him up he was stressed, tired but in general everything was just fine. the guy who supervised Givi during his journey said that he wasnt sleeping much, and was meowing most of the time (after that trip he hates his carrier!)..but still that was a train
and u travel in your own car plus u plan to stay in the hotel. so i think theres no problem whatsoever good luck with ur pixie
Thanks! Pics of Givi please
Reply
post #10 of 10
6/10/07 at 8:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiskerynature View Post
I'm no expert but here's what we did:

We picked up Munchie from the breeder and it was about 9 hrs each way from Maryland to Indiana. (We didn't want him to be traumatized by air travel ). So about 18+ hours total.

He was about 4 months old at the time. He was in the carrier the whole time, but it was a carrier with an open top, so whoever was in the passenger seat (took driving shifts) would just pet him to try to keep him calm. He meowed a lot, A LOT, but slept a bunch, too. We'd take a pit stop whenever he pooped (about twice); there was a mini cardboard box that we filled w/ litter inside the carrier. The breeder also gave us his toys and a ziploc bag of the dry food he was raised on. We lined the carrier with towels; we had extras in case of pee/poop accidents that we could swap out and discard the soiled one at a rest stop.

Thanks! Your advice is invaluable, and we will plan alot of stops, as well as lodging prior to leaving I must admit that I am really nervous about the trip, but I figure that the more that I plan, the better I will feel!
It was an adventure! Munchie is my first cat, first pet really. And I'm glad we have the memory of the escapade of picking him up!

P.S. We tried to do the whole trip w/o stopping at a hotel/motel. No a good idea. And we didn't know there was a Indy car thing going on, so a bunch of hotels/motels were booked solid when we were tired and looking for a spot to stayover -- though we finally found a place -- 4 towns over from when we were feeling famished!
Thanks for the advice I must admit that I am nervous about the trip, but the more I plan for it, the better I feel!
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Care & Grooming
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Care & Grooming › Need advice on long-distance traveling with a new kitten