Driving 12 hours in the winter with a cat- ideas?

I would strongly suggest:

1. NO driving 12 hrs straight thru. You really should stop overnight because even show cats are not put under that kind of long distance traveling. You should make arrangement to spend one night in a hotel - for yourselves and especially for the cat.

2. You need a hard sided carrier (medium) for safety.

3. You cannot expect a cat to go more then 6 hrs without eating/using the liter pan.

You didn't say the age of the cat, but again, no way would I ever drive more then 6-7 hrs max without stopping. I've shown cats a lot and many of them were well seasoned riders in cars/planes. That is just too much stress on the cat. You can easily cause a possible UTI by the cat holding that long and not eating/drinking/peeing.

Sounds a little better. When we go to shows (most of our shows are about 4-6 hr drive time), we do stop for lunch/supper, etc. When we stop for eating (about 1/2 hour) we let Jack out of the carrier to roam in the car while we are eating. He's offered food, water, and litter pan at that time.

He's eaten and used the pan in the car that way. When we are done, we put him back in the carrier and hit the road. But keep in mind he is a show cat and used to it.

Hopefully your cat will do the same. I also would suggst you have a bag handy with paper towels, extra litter, and small plastic bags for any cleanup needed.

Good luck and hope things go well for your trip with the cat and you guys get home safely.

I agree with everything that Golden Kitty suggested.

I moved with my former cat about 15 years ago when she was 7. She was a stray who had adopted me, and she had never traveled. I had a large, hard-sided carrier for her, gave her a tranquillizer (from vet), and did not feed her (as advised) before we started. It was a 7 hour drive, which I did straight through.

She was too stressed to need a litter pan. However, I did not EVER let her out of her carrier. I stopped only once for gas, and I got some food from a drive in, so I did not leave the car. I needed to use a rest stop near the end of our voyage, and I brought her in with me in her carrier. I would never leave her alone in the car.

And you seem to suggest that if you stopped to eat, you'd let the cat out of the carrier in the locked car. If I read that correctly, please DON'T do that. First, the cat will escape when you return and open the door and/or the cat will hide under the seats, and you'll have difficulty with that situation.

Are you returning to college after the holidays? The reason I ask is if you are, I'd suggest leaving the cat until you return. You write about getting her to a vet, but if there are vets in your college town, I'd bring the cat there for a check up and board until your return. The reason I suggest this is because my cat had been with me for 6 years before our trip, and it was very stressful for her. For a 'new' and very young cat, the stress of such a trip may be overwhelming.

The trick with the cat loose while you are eating is simple - works well for us.

All we do is before anyone opens the door, is to draw the cat's attention to the back of the car. We first find out where he is and then one of us will tap on the window and call him to the back seat (we have a 4 door car).

Jack has been taught to "stay" when you tell him and it works well. If you are driving a long time, the cat really needs to "stretch" and its better to let them out then to be cramped in a carrier the entire trip. Think about it - YOU get to step out and walk, so why not the cat in the car?

Don't let her loose in the car at all. Ever. Only in the motel. And don't leave her alone in the motel room unless you put her in the carrier. Be sure she is wearing a tag, or get her chipped.

Cats go 12 or more hours without food before a surgery. It's not ideal, but it happens. However I agree that a stop in between is best.

But she should never ever be out of the carrier except when you are in the motel room with her. If the motel door is going to be opened, (for instance if one of you is going out and the other staying in) at least shut her in the bathroom any time the door will be opened, but I really stress, do not leave her alone in the room without putting her in the carrier, ever.

All paws crossed it goes without a hitch. Now I'm off to read the story of how it all came about.

Golden Kitty- Don't you think your situation is a little different because you have a cat who is used to traveling? I'd never let a cat who has not been a traveler loose alone in the car. (
A friend of mine had a show cat who had traveled from the time he was a kitten, and as an adult, he actually sat in the front passenger seat, no carrier, and when he got tired of watching the landscape go by, he'd curl up and sleep.) But my experience with typical cats is that they are totally freaked out by car travel, and precautions need to be made for their safety.)

If OP isn't stopping for the night (and thus allowing the cat to use a litter box and stretch, etc.), then here's how I'd do it--even if I were driving alone.

I'd have a small litter box on the floor in the back of the car (my cat's carrier is always on the back seat for safety). I'd stop the car and get in the back. I'd then let the cat out of the carrier and place him/her in the litter box.

Then I'd try to get the cat to climb on me for a while to stretch (my cat loves to climb all over me), to keep the cat from hiding in the car under the seats, etc. After a few minutes, I'd return the cat to the carrier and proceed on the journey.

However, I also want to emphasize that for any trip longer than 8 hours, I'd break the travel at a motel/hotel for a night.

That sounds reasonable too - have one person in the car and sit and let them out for awhile, then go in and eat after the cat is put back in the carrier. Good suggestion.

I guess it would depend more on how often you would plan trips and want to take her. Our HHP doesn't like shows, so she really only goes to the vet - the car is not a happy place for her.

Personally I'd rather condition them to traveling at least a few times so its not so tramatic if the need arises.

I have a Feliway spray that I used in the car one time for a trip to the vet. It didn't seem to help at all, but our trip is very, very brief.

When I made my 7-hour trip with my previous cat, I got a tranquilizer from the vet, but he warned me to try it before our trip because some cats have the opposite reaction. It worked with her but didn't help much. It may have taken the 'edge' off her stress, but she still cried for 7 hours.

I'm taking my current cat to my sister's for Christmas, and I'll try the Feliway spray again (can't hurt), but I also bought Rescue Remedy, a homeopathic stress reducer for pets. I've given it to him once (to see if he'd take it), and he will eat the food, so I hope this helps.

If I were you, I'd ask your vet's advice about what to give the cat for the trip.

I strongly recommend against tranquilizers.

Cats react funny to things like that, and it can cause more stress, because kitty feels "funny" which makes her feel vulnerable.

In addition, I once used tranquilizers to fly with a cat. It changed his personality completely and permanently. This may have been a rare occurrence, but in my opinion it is not worth the risk.

(In another instance, granted not a personal experience, a cat was prescribed ACE, there was some mix up with the dosage and the cat had an over dose and died, a terrible death.)

Rescue Remedy can help with stress, but the bottom line is, once it's over, she'll be in her forever home, and will be fine.

(you might want to get some ear plugs, in case she's a crier is all.)

I do agree with you Otto - NEVER use sedatives when flying/car riding with cats. I never recommend it under any circumstances. I know of a case where the cat tried to throw up when flying and wound up dead because they were sedated.

I am a big fan of the feliway plug in diffuser, but have no experience with the spray, so wasn't able to recommend it. It certainly can't hurt!

If you can, try to find the Rescue Remedy specifically for pets, as it contains no alcohol.

Is she in much pain from that tooth?

I am not experienced in veterinary medicine, however, I do know that a homeopathic HUMAN remedy is to hold a whole clove to the place where the pain is, whether it is a cavity or broken tooth or abscess. It's a weak anesthetic. You could try putting a TINY bit of the powdered kind, if you don't think it would hurt.

As far as sedatives, I know you said you weren't using them, but I must agree with another poster, it can really change their personalities. And it can be permanent. Prissy can't be sedated. She wakes up several times because she fights it, and she gets very upset and and hurts herself because she's confused and disoriented.

Do not give your cat cloves, even just in the mouth. Cloves contain phenols which are toxic to cats and can lead to liver problems.

My cats do freak out, hate the car. Its really bad if you let them out of the cage they bolt around the cab of the car so its hard to get them back in the cage.

When I moved down to Texas from Chicago I used frozen water bottles because I knew it would be hot. They also could lick the condensation off the outside of the bottle if they got thirsty. Since this is winter... maybe not such a good idea. Some warm blankets. As a portable warmer you can put rice in a stocking (sock that goes up to the knee) tie it off and microwave for 2 minutes. It will stay warm for about 30-45 mins if placed under a blanket. It'll smell like rice, which is confusing to a cat but eventually I got mine to curl up with it. If its cold she might like it.

Johnny Cat offers disposable litter boxes for like $5 a piece. Its not the best litter but it is convenient when moving cats.

I did offer them food when I drove however its too stressful, they refused to eat in the car. Once we stopped for the night they were let out into the hotel rooms with us. (The drive from Chicago to South Texas took about 5 days.) At that point they decided it was time to chow down and use the disposable litter boxes.

If yall make a rest stop after 6 hours she should be fine.

You know, IMmssmycats, the fact that Posh has bonded to you so closely, you might actually be able to travel with her while she rests in your arms.

That is how it was with me and Samson the first road trip we had. It was five days long, but each day he would curl up in my arms and just sleep. I think it was because he felt safe in my arms and had that reassurance. And he never freaked out or tried to escape. He was still a kitten back then.

Now if that works it does mean that your friend will have to do all the driving!

Also I do agree with everyone that after 6 hours of driving both cat and humans need a rest! An overnight stay at a hotel is a smart idea. Motel 8 accepts pets, as well as Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn and Best Western.

Also having a litter box available in the car is not a bad idea. That's what I do, I just bring their regular litter box, wrap it in a big garbage bag. When it's time for a lunch break, I simply push the garbage bag back and offer it to my cats, as well as water and dry food.

Traveling with my cat Samson is a dream. We stop, I would shake the dry food bowl , he would eat, then offer him the litter, he would use, then back in my arms ... very easy and relaxing. And also wonderful because it allowed us to bond even more.

I think you should try it, you might be pleasantly surprised, but it's up to you of course.

I drove across the country with the cat loose in the cab of our truck. That was a four/five day drive. We would drive for about 12-15 hours a day with no problems.

Of course we stopped at rest stops and the cat would walk around on his harness, use the litterbox, and take a few bites of food/licks of water.

Whenever I had to pee, the cat went pee. We wouldn't leave until he used his box which we kept in the back of the truck. I would put him in there and stand there until he went and then take him back up front with me.

Your cat may or may not want to eat or drink, but for sure leave some wet food out in case he gets hungry and a litter box in the back seat, possibly on the floorboard of the car.


Your cat MAY freak out at first while driving, but they will eventually get used to it. My cat absolutely HATED it for the first few hours, but then he settled down and slept most of the way between Cody and I or watched the big semi trucks out the window.


If you aren't planning on staying overnight anywhere you should definately consider stopping every few hours for 15 minutes or so to give your cat a chance to stretch her legs and the opportunity to eat or drink.


It's not always bad to drive with the cat loose in the car. If she's not accustomed to riding, maybe crate her for the first couple of hours or so, then leave the door of the crate open and leave it up to her to come out. Only you can guage your cats temperment and how well they will handle the freedom. If you don't feel it will be safe, leave her crated..but stop frequently for breaks.


Edit - if you have a quiet cat and are staying in a motel then it is very easy to sneak the cat in >.> If you get caught of course it's like 200$ but it's not like they bark, and if you are just staying overnight and checking out in the morning the housekeepers wont have time to discover the cat in the room.


AND I also forgot to mention when I did my cross country with Bean it was in the middle of summer and we had no air conditioning.

I've made a lot of long trips with cats, starting in 1974, when we moved to PA from TX. We were young and brave. Snoopy pretty much took it in stride. He would eat, drink, or use his litter box while we were moving, but he did when we stopped for a while. Same story when we moved back to Texas 3 years later. And when we traveled to MA in 1982. And back to Texas in 1983.

We had a couple of cats as truck cats, and they both got very acclimated to it after a short while.

You may be surprised how well it goes, after the first couple of hours.