Cats that ride in the car?

Mine all hate it.

I wouldn't let them loose, let alone on my lap during driving. It's an even bigger distraction than a cellphone. I have nearly been hit numerous times by drivers who have their dogs in their laps and/or hanging out the driver side window, simply because they're just too distracted or maybe they can't see through their dog's butt to see traffic at an intersection.
Plus, just think of what happens to people who don't wear their seat belts and get in a wreck.

Double checking : even cities and towns here have laws against pets being loose in the vehicle and/or in the drivers lap, and loose in the back of a pickup truck. Oklahoma is behind on most common sense things, so there's likely to be laws against it in many other cities, too.

Before her behavior issues, Miew was great on the road and would often ride either on my lap or on the passenger seat. My other two freak out but I attribute that to never being in a vehicle on a regular basis when they were younger. We've got a lot of elevation changes where I am so it can make for a rough ride when she hasn't been out in a while though.

plus taking her to Pets Supplies Plus without a leash is an accident waiting to happen... LOTS of dogs goes there; he can get startled and run away, a large dog can run after him and without a leash there is nothing you can do to protect him. Please Bob, do not do this again... It is really not safe... If something goes wrong, that can be the end of him...

Bijou and Mika both love the car. We put them on harness and leash and have taken them to several stores (ones without food). Mika likes the car more than Bijou but both are great. We started them when they were young and I think that made it easier.

I was injured in a car accident because of a woman with two big dogs in the car with her. Our car was totalled. I would never put my cat in the car loose. It is to much of a distraction and too dangerous for them if the car were to be hit by another driver.

I have two that love truck and tractor rides, but I would never take them far without being in a carrier although I have taken Jack to the field when I play chauffeur during seeding and harvest. Haven't tried him in a harness because I haven't been able to find one big enough - should probably make a run to a pet store sometime before seeding starts and see if I can find something big enough. At any rate, I don't feel comfortable taking any cat loose for any distance, it isn't safe.

Riot absolutely loves car rides! She rides back and forth on the hour drive between school and my parents' house. She loves to sleep in my lap or look out the window. When she was little she'd get on the instrument panel though!
She's only had a few vomiting accidents, one of which was in a parking lot, I totally just flung the door open and held her outside haha!

I've only had one loose in the car when he got out of his carrier, it's illegal to have loose animals in cars so lucky I wasn't caught.

When Banshee was alive, she loved to ride in the car. Usually in my lap with her front paws perched on the drivers window, so she could look outside. All I had to do was jingle my car keys and say, "Banshee, ready for byes?" and she was at the door before I was.

Banshee went everywhere with me that she possibly could. I'd pack up a bag with toys, food, and a litterbox, so she could go with me. We'd go to my parents' to spend the day with them so she could play with Ebony, my parents' cocker spaniel. She went to the mountains for a family reunion picnic. She had her picture taken with Santa Paws every year. I even took her to a Public Speaking class one time because I was giving a presentation on grooming a cat. She was my model for the presentation and she purred her way through the whole thing. The prof and the students could not believe how well behaved she was throughout the class.

One year, when we were waiting for her Santa picture, we took her into the store, wrapped in her blanket, so we could walk around. A lot of people thought she was a human baby. But the store had some birds flying around and she heard them. She popped her head out of the blanket, on full alert. And everybody started smiling and laughing. She was a sweetie.

That being said, after an ad appeared in our local paper, where the owner was looking for her cat after a car accident (the cat wasn't in a carrier and got loose after the accident), we started putting Banshee in her carrier. And then she hated rides.

We have show cats and so they always are riding in the car. However, when the car is moving, the cats are in carriers. They are only allowed out when we stop to eat lunch/supper and given food, water and litter pan. Once we are on the road, they stay in carriers.

I'm not a fan of allowing any cat to ride loose in the car for any reason Here is a true story that happened to a friend of mine - take it for what its worth to you and your pet.

My friend was helping out another friend by taking them to the vet. Friend A (my friend) wanted Friend B to put the cat in a carrier. Friend B refused saying "oh he rides loose all the time with no problems". Friend A reluctently allowed the cat to be loose in the car in Friend B's lap in front.

All was fine for most of the trip - they were at a stop light when a fire truck came across the road, lights flashing, horn blaring. The loose cat panicked and tried to jump thru the window to escape. The cat hit its head so hard that there was internal bleeding. They rushed to the vet (a few blocks away) but it was too late. The poor cat died before they got it in the operating room.

Had the cat BEEN in the carrier during the trip, he still would have lived!

Brady hates hates hates it. I feel so awful when I put him in a nice soft carrier (it's usually to go to the vet so maybe that's why he hates it?). He MEOWS the whole time telling me in no uncertain terms he'd rather be home!

My little girl loves car rides,except at night.

I wasn't going to say anything, but I really feel that this comment was very unfair. To call someone "negative" because they believe cats should be in carriers is pretty uncool. I wouldn't take my cat in the car outside of her carrier any more than I would allow a child in my car without a carseat/seatbelt. If you choose to keep your cats out of the carrier in the car, that's your choice, but don't look down on other people for stating the obvious fact that it's not safe, and in some cases, against the law.

Cello rides loose in the car. I do worry about it, but he's a therapy cat, and he is VERY upset in the carrier and doesn't do so well at visits. If he is loose in the car he just curls up and sleeps, he is fine with it... so when we are going to therapy visit's he is loose, anywhere else he is in the carrier... he is doing better, but he'll still protest and stuff!

My cats love car rides. Some of them don't enjoy being in the carrier though. I bought a cat seatbelt so Church could ride without being in a carrier. He curls up on the back seat with his seatbelt on instead. Church would actually prefer to be riding up on the dashboard, when the car is off I let him loose in the car (wearing a harness and leash) and he always climbs up and sits on the dashboard!

If I'm going somewhere with one of my cats and someone else is driving, if we're riding in the city (speeds are slow) I sometimes hold them with their harness/leash on because they like to look out the window and see what's going on.

Personally if we are anywhere not inside the house (including in the car) my cats are almost always are wearing a harness and leash. The exceptions are at the vet (for exams) and at cat shows.

All of my cats don't mind riding in the car. But, they are also never allowed in the car without being in their carrier. There are zero exceptions to that. Ever.

A very close friend of mine lost their cat to a head injury after the cat was riding in the car outside of the carrier, but still on a harness and lead. It wasn't unusual for him to have his cat out in the car and sitting on the passenger's lap, but this time was different. They were headed to the vet for the kitty's annual exam and he was on a side road when a car in the distance backfired. The cat (RIP Libby) got spooked and flailed about -- twisting her leg and snapping it and hitting her head on the passenger's window in the process. They made it to the vet about 5 minutes later, but there was internal bleeding and swelling. My friend and the vet worked to save the cat, but after 24 hours, the vet could no longer control the cat's pain and Libby was put down. This was a cat that was used to riding in the car, was on a harness and leash, and was being held by someone on the passenger side of the car. But, still, accidents can and do happen. This time, the cat didn't make it. And, next time? Well, for me, I do all that I can to ensure that that will never be an issue.

While a cat may enjoy looking out of the window and being outside of his or her carrier, to me, the risks are too great. This may be construed as negative feedback, but it's really just reality. There are so many things that can happen even when we're being as cautious as possible. Why then add more risk? But, then again, that's just my opinion...

You can know your pets, but you do not know the other motorists. The same way we can know our children, that doesn't mean they are safe in a car without a car seat - EVER. And no, dogs are not safe in the back of a truck - I saw one hanging by its neck, being dragged on the freeway, while his owner was completely unaware his dog was dying a horrible death. So, I am sorry Bob, and I hope nothing bad ever happens to Simon or yourself while doing this, but there is a reason why it is against the law... There is a reason why there are cat carriers and car seats; the reason is safety.

Smudge LOVES my car. But he doesn't ride in it. He just wants to go out to the garage and play in the car. Weirdo!!! He purrs, and does his nummies and just generally goes totally squishy. The only thing I can think of is that when I went to pick him up at the airport, that was the car I took and we sat in the parking lot getting acquainted for a while. maybe he remembers it from when we first met.