Long distance move

Hello -

The day is coming when I am going to be moving to California... I was wondering if something like this would be a safe choice instead of using crates during to move. We are talking about a 3 day trip (I do not speed ), 1890 Miles from Texas to California.
I would also block the bottom of the seats, and place food/water and litter box on the floor. I intend to have their harnesses attached to the seat belt in the back.

What do you guys think?

Seems much too stressful for everyone. Them being able to move but being on a harness-- you don't want them to get caught on something while you're driving down the road and have an emergency, they probably won't feel comfortable using the litterbox in the moving car either.

Leslie

DO you guys know if Valium is ok for car trips? Of course I am going to get it from the vet; I just want to weigh my options before the trip - Lucky would be fine, but Bugsy.... nope.... He need something - not a good crate boy AT ALL
I know the blood pressure issues for plane trips, but I am not sure about the car??

Its really not good to sedate cats with anything.
I know its hard with your new cat.
I had trouble with Sasha but found out if she is in a soft carrier she is fine.
Has he ever been in soft carriers?

Originally Posted by mews2much

Its really not good to sedate cats with anything.
I know its hard with your new cat.
I had trouble with Sasha but found out if she is in a soft carrier she is fine.
Has he ever been in soft carriers?

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Yep, he has.... he was close to rip it apart...
Lucky will cry for 5-10 minutes, but Bugsy..... Oh brother.... non-stop-get-dizzy-i-cant-take-it-anymore kind of ordeal!

Thats a problem.
Ask the vet what you should do?

Originally Posted by mews2much

Thats a problem.
Ask the vet what you should do?

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I will ask that vet

Originally Posted by mews2much

When you moving back to California?

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It's looking like on the week of the 9th! SOOOOONNNN! I will know by tomorrow - I am working now on getting moving quotes, and securing the apartment in there... It will be a LOT to do, but I am excited.... Back to where I belong!!! yeyeyeyeye!!!

I have actually had good luck with Badger Sleep Balm - you may have to order it online... I don't know what stores near you may carry it. With Seven, I had to make a transoceanic 14 hour flight/trip - I just rubbed a tiny bit of Sleep Balm on the sides of her face and she was calm the whole time. Grabben has also made the same flight and has flown other times too... he also HATES cars, but I just rub some of this on the sides of his face - and about 10-20 mins later it kicks in and he chills out and sleeps. This stuff will not make your cat fall asleep and stay asleep like a tranquilizer or something like that - which is good - you do not want to give that kind of stuff to your cat. The cat is still aware of his/her surroundings, but is able to sleep comfortably and it's smooth sailing from there. You may have to re-apply after it wears off, or apply a second application if the first doesn't work so well. For me, one application has worked for a full 8-10 hours.

If you decide to go this route, try a little bit ahead of time to see if it works well for your cats.

Good luck with your trip!

How well do your cats get along with each other? The first time I took Shareena and Miss Patchwillow on a long trip I put them in separate carriers and the first half hour was a continuous screaming match. I stopped the car, stuck them both in the same carrier, and they settled down and slept for the rest of the drive. Since then I've gotten a larger carrier so they both fit comfortably and they always travel together. It's a good thing Goldy is okay by herself. I wouldn't dare put her in a confined space with Miss Patchwillow.

Originally Posted by 7_Angel

I have actually had good luck with Badger Sleep Balm - you may have to order it online... I don't know what stores near you may carry it. With Seven, I had to make a transoceanic 14 hour flight/trip - I just rubbed a tiny bit of Sleep Balm on the sides of her face and she was calm the whole time. Grabben has also made the same flight and has flown other times too... he also HATES cars, but I just rub some of this on the sides of his face - and about 10-20 mins later it kicks in and he chills out and sleeps. This stuff will not make your cat fall asleep and stay asleep like a tranquilizer or something like that - which is good - you do not want to give that kind of stuff to your cat. The cat is still aware of his/her surroundings, but is able to sleep comfortably and it's smooth sailing from there. You may have to re-apply after it wears off, or apply a second application if the first doesn't work so well. For me, one application has worked for a full 8-10 hours.

If you decide to go this route, try a little bit ahead of time to see if it works well for your cats.

Good luck with your trip!

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Oh, I will definitely try that!!!

Originally Posted by GoldyCat

How well do your cats get along with each other? The first time I took Shareena and Miss Patchwillow on a long trip I put them in separate carriers and the first half hour was a continuous screaming match. I stopped the car, stuck them both in the same carrier, and they settled down and slept for the rest of the drive. Since then I've gotten a larger carrier so they both fit comfortably and they always travel together. It's a good thing Goldy is okay by herself. I wouldn't dare put her in a confined space with Miss Patchwillow.

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They get along very well... Bugsy has only been here for 10 days, but they are already grooming each other, and hanging/playing all the time... I will get a large carrier for him, so I can try to put them together...
Thanks!

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve let my cats loose in the car before they do not stay in the back seat! They would probably just climb over that barrier. If they had on harnesses they would probably still try to jump it and then you would have an emergency to pull over and keep them from hanging themselves. I had a cat who would crouch down and not move if you put a harness on her, but she would try to rip a carrier apart. Perhaps you could take Bugsy to the car and see how he reacts without his carrier before making a decision?

My boys ride best if they are in the same carrier. Mulder freaks out if I take him away from Spooky but they ride peacefully and sleep if they are together. I also got them accustomed to their carriers at home by giving them treats and toys in them. I leave one of the carriers set up (its soft sided) as a little ‘cat denâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] in my living room. Whenever they get a new toy instead of just giving it to them I hide it in the carrier so they have to go get it and at least once a week I toss a few treats in there when they arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t looking so now they go in there every so often to check for surprises.

I would still check with the vet for a sedative just in case. That way you donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get halfway to California and one of them freaks out and suddenly you have to find a vet…

I do wish you the very best luck in your move, I know it will be stressful but I know you are looking forward to it!

We've travelled with our two cats over a 2-3 day period four times now. They're in separate hard carriers (though the idea of putting them in one large one has crossed my mind). I cover the carriers too so they can't see outside, which seems to stress them out more. One sleeps or is otherwise quiet the whole time. The other meows (whines!!), sleeps, meows...but she survives. I leave a bowl of dry food in with each of them, which the quiet cat munches on when we're stopped for gas, etc. The whiner won't eat until we've stopped for the night, so we try to go only 8-9 hours/day. We also stop every 4-5 hours to let them stretch their legs, drink some water, and use the litter box if needed. We asked about sedation before we ever took them on a trip, but the vet said that they won't just give it out unless a cat specifically needs it. In your case, it sounds like you do though! All the best.

Originally Posted by bbleho

We've travelled with our two cats over a 2-3 day period four times now. They're in separate hard carriers (though the idea of putting them in one large one has crossed my mind). I cover the carriers too so they can't see outside, which seems to stress them out more. One sleeps or is otherwise quiet the whole time. The other meows (whines!!), sleeps, meows...but she survives. I leave a bowl of dry food in with each of them, which the quiet cat munches on when we're stopped for gas, etc. The whiner won't eat until we've stopped for the night, so we try to go only 8-9 hours/day. We also stop every 4-5 hours to let them stretch their legs, drink some water, and use the litter box if needed. We asked about sedation before we ever took them on a trip, but the vet said that they won't just give it out unless a cat specifically needs it. In your case, it sounds like you do though! All the best.

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Let me tell you - yep, the boy does NOT like car! He almost ripped my soft carrier case off... A trip to the vet, which is a 7-10 minute drive, is a royal nightmare - I got home sick to my stomach, dizzy, stressed out that I needed to go meditate immediately - well, after I cleaned him up, as he urinated all over himself... I need to find a way that is going to be somewhat comfortable for both of us...
Oh brother - it's not going to be pretty...

Yikes! Every travelling cat owner's nightmare! Well I think if that's the experience getting him to the vet, you should have no problem convincing the vet that he needs sedation!

I am in the same situation as you, I will be moving to Washington D.C. A three day drive. I am traveling with two vehicles, Loki's vehicle will be the SUV which I will be driving. I have already padded the back, fixed a litter box inside as well as a water bowl (one that does not splash around). The back of the SUV will have no moving parts and is caged off from the front. It also helps that he travels well and is used to being in carriers; thanks to the breeder prepping him to be a show cat. Should be smooth sailing; however, for safety's sake, we have also mapped out vet offices along the trip, so if anything were to happen, we will be within 30 minutes of a vet at any given time. Let me know how your trip goes, and if you have any tips - good luck!

Originally Posted by bbleho

We also stop every 4-5 hours to let them stretch their legs, drink some water, and use the litter box if needed.

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Ok I'm about to drive/move from South Carolina to Colorado with my cat. She's a sleeper when it comes to being in the car. I'm getting her a slightly bigger carrier for this ride but the issue I'm trying to figure out is the litter box issue during the day. If I try to let her out anytime during the ride I would never get her back in the carrier I know, and the SUV will be slam packed with my belongings, so what are your suggestions for potty breaks? Only thing I can think of doing is only letting her eat and drink for a few hours at night for those three days and then i'll definitely let her roam the hotel room at night and potty her little heart out. I'm really at a loss , any suggestions?