20+ hour Car ride

We are going up north to visit family next week. It's a 20+ hour drive.

Last time we left without Marla and felt so bad when we got back. This time she's coming with.


We have carrying case for her.. but I'm not sure how she will do in it for 20+ hours?

What's the best way to do this? As far as a litter box? food & water?

Just want to be safe.. we looked into some pills to make her sleepy but they vet said something like they might not be a good idea.. and maybe just try to put something over the carrying case to make it dark..



Any information will help.

Thank you,
Nick

If Marla is anything like my kitties.. she probably HATES car rides.. lol. What I do when I travel with them, is I will fill a shoe box (or a small box) with litter... and put a dish of food in there.. leave the carrier out before you go anywhere.. she'll likely adventure in a couple times on her own, and get familiar with it.. and know that she's in for a trip.. I actually put a little blankie in there too, and put treats on it.. so she actually does go in, and adventure..

She doesn't need drugs!!! lol. we usually stop every couple hrs, and take the kitites out and give them lovins... let them know it's not a scary experience. sometimes in the car i'll cover it over witha blanket too.. just so she forgets the car part and gives her a dark area to sleep!

hope this helps!

let them roam around the vehicle just like at home

When Dexter goes in the car he runs on the dash and checks out the view, he has no problem with it. They'll get used to it, it'll be more scary if you cover the cage up and they don't see you at all.

Just a thought, what's the worst that can happen?

One time my friend did that, going to the vet, and the cat crawled under the brake and got in an accident.. that's one thing that could happen!

Sorry.. i had to mention it.. :-(

I've transported my cats from Chicago to Houston, then Houston to Kansas City. Fortunately we had a van so had room for a large dog size carrier. We used a small rubbermaid bin for the litter box (cardboard boxes can soak thru and mess up the carrier) got food bowls with rubber bottoms so they didn't slip, and only put a little bit of water in the bowl. A pillow and lots of towels in the carrier for cushion. I made sure the opening faced forward so that when they looked out, they could see outside and weren't riding backwards (causes car sickness).

I took the cats out of the carrier a number of times and held them in my lap for a while to give them a change of scenery. I think they were more bored than anything else. I didn't cover them up with a blanket, but did have one available in case they freaked. I personally think that if they are going to get car sick, they would do it if they feel the movement but can't see what is going on around them.

We didn't pill them - none of them were too terribly scared by car rides and after the first hour, they settled down nicely.

Thanks for the tips. That's not a bad idea.. we will set something like that up and let her get use to it .

Well in the old car that was okay.. she could hang out with us. But the deal is it's a new car (2003) with leather seats.. and as much as we love her the seats cost too much money.


We are really trying to stay away from the drug idea.. haha..

Originally posted by grass
Well in the old car that was okay.. she could hang out with us. But the deal is it's a new car (2003) with leather seats.. and as much as we love her the seats cost too much money.

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Get a rubber backed throw rug and put it over the seats. We transported our dogs in our cars (with leather seats) this way without damaging the leather. We also tucked a blanket up under the headrests of the seats to protect the backs of them.

Originally posted by Aiko
One time my friend did that, going to the vet, and the cat crawled under the brake and got in an accident.. that's one thing that could happen!

Sorry.. i had to mention it.. :-(

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That also happened to a friend of mine.

I wish we had that kind of room in the back of the Jetta.

We are going from Houston to Iowa. About the same distance as your trip I think.

That's not a bad idea.. with the rug.

Someone will be in the back seat at all times with her.. to keep an eye on her.. so maybe we can setup rugs and let her out when everything looks good.

I wouldn't advise letting her out, unless you are at a rest stop and all the windows are closed and doors secure. You can bring a litter pan, but she won't use it, she will be to stressed (usually) Spray the inside of the carrier before you put her in with Feliway Spray. Get some pipe cleaners and feed them inside up high, twist them around the slats and then attach small lightweight toys up over her head on the other end of the pipe cleaners. Line the bottom of the carrier with disposable diapers, place bedding over the top of that, make it nice and fluffy to minimize the vibrations of the car. Make sure she has a water dish that attaches to the carrier, but don't fill it full of water, give her just a little at a time. Don't drug her and don't feed her a lot of food to compensate for what you think she is going through. She could start vomiting.

If you do stop you can let her out inside the car, but don't let her out as you travel. Unless she is used to a vehicle. We had one cat once that loved to go. She would hop in the car, the UPS truck you name it she went. We got her when she was 3 days old, and we were traveling then and had no choice but to take her with so I could bottle feed her. She grew up loving cars and trucks.

Originally posted by Aiko
One time my friend did that, going to the vet, and the cat crawled under the brake and got in an accident.. that's one thing that could happen!

Sorry.. i had to mention it.. :-(

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Sorry to hear about your friend.

Thanks for the information hissy.

Lots of good ideas.. I think the ride will be a little better now.

I would recommend a harness and leash on her when she is out of the carrier. This way, she can't get far!

Hi I have been up to ten hours driving with my kitties(I have show cats!) and a small carrier is fine no need for a big one they are likely just to lie down or either scratch at the bedding, a small waterbowl CLIPPED onto the front of the cage is a great idea, put a sponge in there it's really good and if you go around a curve it means all the water doesn't go out. Food is not really a good idea, cats are only going to eat in the car if they feel sooooooooo comfortable!! and no please don't let your cat have free range in the car, it's very dangerous what if she jumped on your head? or if you didn't shut the window, out the window? Also don't take your cat out lots of times, especially if it's outside , a car could fly past and you could loose her, if you really have to take her out, make sure it's inside the car. I hope that helps

Originally posted by Slipstream
Just a thought, what's the worst that can happen?

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My friend had two cats that he travelled with. He would let them walk around in the car and then he had a really bad accident. The cats were thrown around in the car and had to be put to sleep because of injuries. It was so sad. Not that severe accidents are always going to happen, but it's a precaution to take.
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We take Nakita in the car up to the cottage a lot in the summer/fall. We have her carrier attached with a seatbelt so it cannot move in case of an accident. If it's a longer trip, we have her on her harness/leash, which is also secured to the seatbelt. She can walk around a bit on the backseat, and in and out of her carrier but that's it. We also bring a smaller litterbox that we put on the floor of the backseat just in case.

If your going for such a long trip, I would just have more rest breaks. Then, when the car is stopped, you can safely let your cat out of the cage and she can use the litter and walk around a bit in the car if she needs to. Or, if she is used to a harness/leash you can do what I mentioned above. Make sure she has water, since she'll probably be more thirsty because of the stress and different environment.

You may also want to bring some papertowels or extra bedding for the carrier in case she has an accident in the carrier.

We have a van so theres lots of room, but we borrowed my friends Taurus and took Graycie for a trip, he sat on my mom's shoulder the whole 2 hours looking out the window, but was attached to a seatbelt with his harness and leash. Thats the best way I think. Or you can enclose you back seat with chicken wire or something. Not very attractive but it keeps them from the front and drivers.