Need tips for long travel and what we need to bring : Moving from the central valley of California,

jandcrosewolf · Oct 18, 2014

Ok so my fiance and I are going to be moving to Washington State around Nov. - Dec. (not an exact date yet) by car. It will range from 17hrs - 2 days depending on if we make stops longer than 30 min.
We were looking up what we needed to bring the cats with us and we came across something where we need the paperwork from the vet to verify that they have all of their shots, and a health certificate, do we need anything else?(We will also be bringing our guinea pig does anyone know if she needs paperwork too?)

We are also going over a checklist of what we need for them for the trip, and any tips or "life hacks" to make things easier are welcome.

Also will it be ok to let them roam around the car while we are driving or do we need to keep them in their carriers? We have harnesses and leashes, and they will be wearing them at all times.
What can we use as a smaller litter box that wont spill when we are driving?
What food will be best for them to help with posible car sickness?
Stuff like that.

mani · Oct 22, 2014

JandCRosewolf said:
Ok so my fiance and I are going to be moving to Washington State around Nov. - Dec. (not an exact date yet) by car. It will range from 17hrs - 2 days depending on if we make stops longer than 30 min.
We were looking up what we needed to bring the cats with us and we came across something where we need the paperwork from the vet to verify that they have all of their shots, and a health certificate, do we need anything else?(We will also be bringing our guinea pig does anyone know if she needs paperwork too?)

We are also going over a checklist of what we need for them for the trip, and any tips or "life hacks" to make things easier are welcome.

Also will it be ok to let them roam around the car while we are driving or do we need to keep them in their carriers? We have harnesses and leashes, and they will be wearing them at all times.
What can we use as a smaller litter box that wont spill when we are driving?
What food will be best for them to help with posible car sickness?
Stuff like that.

I have no idea about the paperwork as I'm in Australia.. you will need someone local for that advice.

It's not a good idea to have them roaming around the car, or even on leads, just in case there's a sudden stop, or something spooks them and it affects the driver.. all those things. When I travel with my cats I just have the smallest enclosed litter box.

I can't really help you with the car sickness thing, although I think some Feliway wouldn't go amiss as stress would exacerbate it, and some people really recommend slippery elm for nausea, but I've never had a cat that suffered from car sickness.

itsnotpeanutbut · Oct 22, 2014

Over here (Belgium, somewhere in Europe), pets in the car need to be in an enclosure with no free access to the driver and passenger seats, because they may hinder or distract the driver, which in turn could cause accidents. But no idea if it's the same situation in the US.

The only tip I can think of is to cover the cat carrier with a towel or blanket (loosely), that usually helps with stress. When we picked up or youngest, we had to drive for about 2 hours. At first she was crying and scratching to get out, but the moment we put a coat over the carrier, she calmed down, only to get scratching again when we arrived home.

Regarding the litterbox: I would try to find a small but high (about 10 to 15" tall) cardboard box and line the inside with a plastic bag.

PS: kuddos on actually taking your pets with you rather than leaving them behind like so many others do!

jandcrosewolf · Oct 22, 2014

Thank you both for your replies

we're not sure about the laws for it but we will have them in their own separate carriers with their favorite toys to try and keep them comfortable and feel like they're at home. We couldn't stand the thought of leaving our poor kitties behind, which also brings us to another question.

Do you or anyone else know when it's safe to travel after getting your cat spayed? We can't leave until afterwards, but we don't know how soon we can leave. We want to go before the snow hits but that sadly may not be an option.

mani · Oct 23, 2014

How soon afterwards, their ages and are they boys or girls?

jandcrosewolf · Oct 23, 2014

Mani said:
How soon afterwards, their ages and are they boys or girls?

Atreyu is a boy and 6 months old and was fixed the day before we got him
Zelda is a girl and the vet puts her at one year and three months and she is the one getting spayed

We want to leave ASAP to beat the snow fall and we have jobs lined up for us but we don't know how long they will hold them for. We also want to get situated before it gets really cold.

jandcrosewolf · Oct 23, 2014

JandCRosewolf said:
We also want to get situated before it gets really cold.

I don't do very well in the cold >->

mani · Oct 23, 2014

JandCRosewolf said:
JandCRosewolf said:

We also want to get situated before it gets really cold.

Click to expand...

I don't do very well in the cold >->

You're not the only one.

Cats recover very quickly. You really just need to make sure there have been no consequences to the spay. I'd have a tendency to wait for the stitches to come out, but perhaps asking your vet is the way to go.

jandcrosewolf · Oct 23, 2014

Thank you for the advice Mani, we probably will consult our vet about it then. The advice is appreciated ^^

mnm · Oct 23, 2014

we brought our 2 from Ohio to Arizona...stopping overnight once. We did give them each a prescribed sedative...to calm them but not put them to sleep or anything. We also bought them a dog cage as we had an SUV and could put them in the back on a flat surface. Got a little disposable litter box.. food and water....they did great!

Need tips for long travel and what we need to bring : Moving from the central valley of California,

jandcrosewolf

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mani

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itsnotpeanutbut

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mani

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jandcrosewolf

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jandcrosewolf

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