cat being taken to cattery

We have a mature cat who we take to the cattery each time we go on vacation.  The cattery is approx 20 minutes drive from our home.  We transport the cat in a basket. She lets out a pitious meeow each and every 2/3 seconds of that journey.   She has done this with all catteries we have taken her too.

She is a tortoise shell cat and we think is about 13 to 15 human years old but may be older.     During the fall and winter months she chooses to be a house cat.  Spring and summer she spends alot more time out in our garden but returns to home early evening.  She is fed on primarily dry food but does eat wet food.

Our issue        how do we resolve the pitious meeowing

please help us and our cat

Cats often do that... most aren't really big on car travel.

You could try some rescue remedy, and/or use Feliway spray in the carrier.

Or you could get a house-sitter and not worry about the journey at all

You can also try Composure feline treats or Composure liquid max.  For stressful experiences you can double or triple the standard dose.  I use it each time I take my cat to the vet.  Another trick is to cover the cat carrier.  Since you are using a basket, I would suggest investing in a cat carrier.  Then cover it with a light sheet or towel.  It really helps to calm the cat.

I don't know many cats who don't howl in the car :lol3:. I think it's just a thing you have to put up with. The calming suggestions are good but she might still meow.

Mani said:

 
You could try some rescue remedy, and/or use Feliway spray in the carrier.

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I'll have to second the Feliway spray. Sebastian meows non-stop when he is in the carrier. I had forgotten that I had the Feliway spray (duh!), so one time I misted the small towel that I had in the carrier. The meowing was substantially less. Of course, my vet is much closer (8-12 minutes), but it might be worth a try.

If she's a catnip junkie, putting a large amount of loose catnip in the carrier may help too.  I think she just hates leaving home, many of them do, especially if they have not been carried around a lot when they were young.