A Long Drive Ahead....

I don't know if I'm posting in the appropriate section but I need some advice.

We are headed to the cottage this up coming weekend and are taking our 2,  1 1/2 year old cats with us. The drive is around 3 hours.

We are worried that they may suffer from car sickness or just plain stress. Can anyone recommend anything that might make their journey a little easier? Is better to crate them or just let them be in the back? We took them last year when they were quite young and they seemed to be fine. But now that they are older we want to make sure that they are comfortable during the trip.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

If you're only going to be away for the weekend or maybe even a week, my suggestion is that you leave them home and have another cat friend/sitter look in on them for feedings and litter box care. Cats usually prefer their own familiar environment with a new care-taker who feeds them versus a total change in their surroundings with their familiar owners.

If you're going to be gone longer, as in two weeks or longer, it may be ok taking your cats for a three hour ride. Suggestions on what I'd do:

1. Get each cat a large carrier case of their own (hard plastic type would be my suggestion, for easier clean up)

2. Leave both carriers out in your living room or in their "cat area" several days or maybe a week before the actual planned trip, where they will become familiar with it and not fear it.

3. Place their bedding/blanket inside so they'll be more likely to investigate and even nap inside. Treats are great, too.

4. Day of trip: Place puppy pads on the bottom in case of accidents. Also add in your old worn tee shirt so they have something familiar in the carrier.

5. 30 minutes before the trip: Spray a calming spray inside the carrier or use calming treats/Rescue Remedy, Spirit Essences, etc.

6. Feed both cats as usual, then ensure they also use the litter box to prevent accidents

7. Place some treats in the carrier and allow them to walk inside to get their treats.

8. Playing some calm classical music for the car ride can help, also if you talk to them if they start to meow/sing a chorus of protest.

9. Once you reach your destination, allow them in a smaller room first, to let them decompress a bit and re-adjust so they aren't overwhelmed again by a foreign environment before letting them out to explore the rest of the "cottage". Make sure you place litter boxes in several areas, including their original "sanctuary"/smaller room you started with. 

Good luck, enjoy your trip.