Cat is terrified of riding in the car

maureen brad

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Try the Comfort Zone Feliway spray for cats and spray inside the crate before you go. I have not tried the spray but have used the diffusers many times and they do work to keep the cats calm. I have heard the spray does the same thing and I know a couple people who spray the inside of the carrier before a vet visit.Google it and I believe most pet stores sell them and you can get them on Amazon.Not the cheapest thing you can get but effective. I have bought a couple other kinds that were less expensive and in my opinion the didn't work.  Good luck to you.
 

Winchester

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I have always desensitized my kitties as kittens to car travel and new environments. When Maia was a kitten I took her with me whenever I could for car rides, different friends houses for overnight stays or longer. I also leave her carrier out before and after any trips we have to go on. Today if I take her carrier out, set it down with the door open, she is in there in seconds! Happy little hiding from me Maia..............

    I would simply start with creating a positive space for her in the carrier, leave it out, door open, feed her in it, give her treats in it. Then close the door when she is in it, don't even pick it up. Each time do a little more, pick her up in carrier, next time carry her outside, next time put her in car parked, next time start car but don't move it. Each time a little more and reward her after each session. It will take time and patience but if you really want to help her it will work
 To this day, as soon as I get the carrier up from the basement, Mollipop is the first one in it. She'll sleep in there if we let her. It's her little safe haven. When she first came to live with us. I had the carrier in the computer room where she lived during the day. Her pink blankie and some toys. She napped in there during the day. She still loves "her" carrier.

When
Banshee was alive, I always told her she had a gasoline butt (
). From the time she was a kitten, she was in the car. I'd pack her stuff  (toys, water, food, and litter box) and we'd go to spend the day with "Grandma", my mom.  Mom and Dad had a black cocker spaniel and they were good friends. They'd spend the day chasing each other around the house, then nap together back on my parents' bed. When we went on picnics and family reunions, Banshee came along. (We had some family reunions at a local state park and she loved coming with us. We'd take her on walks through a trail in the woods on her leash, so she could explore.) Sometimes, if I was just running to the store quickly, Rick would come along, just so we could bring Banshee with us. We did so many things with her in the car and took her to so many places that she actually looked forward to getting in the car with us. She was so used to the car that when I'd rattle my keys, she'd meet me at the front door. Or I would say, "Banshee! Byes!" and she'd gallop down the steps to the front door, so we wouldn't leave her behind. My mom always said she was part puppy in that she loved riding in the car. I think part of it was that I started when she was a kitten. And we didn't just take her to the vet.....that girl went everywhere with us.
 

catspaw66

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 To this day, as soon as I get the carrier up from the basement, Mollipop is the first one in it. She'll sleep in there if we let her. It's her little safe haven. When she first came to live with us. I had the carrier in the computer room where she lived during the day. Her pink blankie and some toys. She napped in there during the day. She still loves "her" carrier.
I keep one permanently open under the table in the kitchen, and they play and sleep in it. I put a sweatshirt that I have worn and not washed in there, and so it smells right to them. They fuss a little bit, but when I put on the CD player with some soft classical music, they settle down. I use the Bach Cello Concertos mainly. There is something about a cello that calms them down. I guess it is the vibration frequency, which resembles a purring cat, that does it.
 

fudge2

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Hey I think that is might help just to have her out of the cage.She might feel like she is trapped 
 I have a cat and she has never been in a car
 

fudge2

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me again should I worry if I don't take him to the vet?My mom is trying to find a wormier that doesn't have all the money involved   anything would help. I have a kitten. 
 

katmando

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It is safer for the cats to be in a carrier for the most part, not just for the cat but for the driver. If the cat gets spooked, they could cause an accident or be hurt if you have to stop suddenly. Or they could escape if a door or window is open and put them at risk to be injured in traffic or get lost. Some cats can be let free in a car, but they are the exception. One of my cats absolutely loved to ride in the car, she would climb behind my head and the head rest and watch the world go by, or sit up on the dash board or just sit in my lap with her feet on the door. But as I said, she was the exception. Most cats should be in a carrier that is latched into place with a seat belt through the handles for their safety and yours.
 

molldee

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me again should I worry if I don't take him to the vet?My mom is trying to find a wormier that doesn't have all the money involved   anything would help. I have a kitten. 
Kittens need multiple sets of shots. They should definitely go to the vet to get checked out if you've never been there yet. Especially if they have worms...
 

animalover1717

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My daughter usually holds Kitty Kitty on her lap and in kitty's favorite blanky. She pets her and keeps her calm until we arrive to wherever we're going.
We've never had a problem. Hope this helps.
 

lrosewiles

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another thought for two of the components - after taking my feral rescues for multiple vet trips after the initial one was for spaying/neutering so carrier and car were a frightening prospect.  1.  I leave their carrier sitting  in our Florida room so they became used to playing around it, jumping on top of it and  going in and out of it as part of their play environment, and 2. when I am taking groceries etc. in and out of the car or cleaning it, I leave the door open so the naturally curious kitties go in and explore it in a stress-free way (they are indoor-outdoor kits so this may not be feasible for an indoor cat).  It also helps that our vet is very kind to kitties and nothing bad happens to them there (other than the thermometer up the rear end); I think that helps overcome the "car trips are always bad" idea. I've also tried taking our oldest boy for a car ride (in the carrier) that does not end at the vet but rather going a short distance to a local park that you can drive around slowly with very little traffic or noise, and easily pull over and take a break, then come home with nothing having happened at all.
 
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hublebuble4

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I have two cats. One, Elsa Gloria is, when I'm alone in the car with her, she is free. And then she goes to the back window, and look at other cars. This I will not recommend. If something happens and there will be an accident with the car, then I am responsible having a "free going" cat in the car. But it's ok for me. I see her in the back-mirror.

My other cat, Benjamin Franklin, is different. He Thinks that I'm the bad guy. I don't know why? But I have a high soft plastic carrier bag in black, and that keeps him calm on the way to the vet and back home. BF is rather nervous.
 

molldee

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I could never let my cats free roam in the car. They get scared easily so putting them in a moving vehicle would freak them out!
 

hublebuble4

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I Believe that a high soft plastic carrier with a big net in the front and zipper can help. And if you put the carrier on the rear seat, Always of course Point the net to the front so she can see you or somebody. And to put some newspapers with wite paper on the top if she will pii of fear. And if she is terrified just stop the car (if you are two in the car = no problem) and open a Little hole and pet the cat so she gets calm again. Perhaps that is a way to do it?
 

hublebuble4

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Now I heared that if a police stop my car and the cat is free I get a fee of about € 778. The cat must be fasten with a leash or to be in a basket or something like that, so that the cat is fixed when a car crash appear.
 

starlyte

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I have 5 cats in my care, 3 who are friendly hous/outdoor cats, but als 2 kittens, born outside who lost their mum at 2 or 3 months (she was killed by a big bad tom!), and I can't even touch them, even though they eat in the house. I need to catch the female, at nearly 6 months, to get her spayed. I'm handicapped (reduced mobility) and really can't get hold of her. I want to get her to the vets to see if she's not pregnant, and arrage for spaying, but she's really timid, to say the least. I've tried Felicat, etc, no help, except she spends her time in the house more often. I know it'll be HELL taking her for a check up, but I've used tranquilisers from the vet before, and it really helped. I just need her to eat it, not one of the others. Her grandma was ferral, but right now she's lying in front of the chimney, happy, purring at each cuddle. She's a real converted, her 2 sons, born wild, too, are asleep 1 on a cushion on a shelf, the other in a box, that's really got to small for him, but he likes boxes. The 2 kittens are social with the other cats, but not people! I'll get through it, but it's depressing how they're so timid, these last 2. :(
 

panther n river

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It is true about the music! My newest addition to the family, a stray cat that adopted us, proved it right when I took him to get neutered on his way back home he was MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOWEE!!! all the time and saw him starting to panic inside the carrier and since I didn't want him to hurt himself being just out of surgery I turned on the radio and tune in the Classical radio and in seconds he calmed down and was soon sleeping. It was this beautiful guitar and piano melody. We found crazy traffic so the music calmed me down too!

I need to try those calming treats mentioned above, will check out my local Petco as my lil' Panther always freaks out when we go for rides and I take her randomly to places different than the vet. For example, to Grandma's where she loves to be with her auntie and lab-dog cousin but the ride is still a pain for her and me because she always turns in a Tasmanian Devil inside the cage!
 

catspaw66

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All of my ladies like good Classical music, and hate it when I play Devo or the B52s.
 
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towanda

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(I know this response is late, but I must reply to this.)

I would NEVER allow a cat (or other pet) to ride in a car unrestrained! It's asking for trouble. The cat could interfere with your driving. Worse, the cat could bolt out of an open door or window and be lost or injured! In an accident, the cat would have NO protection.

It's far better to help the cat become accustomed to riding in a carrier in a car. Start slowly by leaving a carrier open all the time; make it comfortable and put a few treats inside periodically. When kitty is used to the carrier, put her inside, close the door for a few seconds, then open it and reward her. Slowly extend the time the kitty is inside. Walk her to another room, then to the other side of the house, then maybe outside. ALWAYS reward the kitty at each step.

Then work on the car ride. Start with sitting in the carrier in the car. Then a ride around the block. Then a longer ride... You get the idea. See whether she travels better with the carrier covered or uncovered. Don't let the kitty see out the side windows; seeing the landscape rushing past can cause anxiety. I usually have the kitty face me.

I make sure to put a comfy towel or bed in the carrier -- one that kitty has used. I spritz a little Feliway in the carrier 15-20 minutes ahead of time for really scared cats. Keep the car windows up and play soft music. Don't feed the kitty for a couple of hours before the ride so she will be less likely to be sick. If the kitty is still prone to vomiting or diarrhea, put a puppy pad over the kitty's bedding in the carrier.

It's not a difficult process, but it takes some time and patience to help your kitty get over her fear.
 
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