We have to go to Boston from VA in 2 weeks for a couple days. I have never travel more than 10 miles with Angel. And when she goes in her carrier she cries. Any suggestions on a 900 mile trip?
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Traveling with kitty...
- Thread starter usanavywife2004
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I would suggest that you keep the kitty in her home space and hire a pet sitter or a friend to look after her. Less stress, and less stress means a healthier cat.
They really do not like change-
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
There is just no way, I don't have anyone I trust enough, and the boarding at the vet is too much. I dont have a choice, I have to take her.
Leave when she's sleepy, take food, water and litter with you. I ususally stop at a rest stop so they can get out and walk around. I let Limerick out of the carrier when we drive. He runs around inthe back seat and sleeps or cruls up in my lap. I do that when I get onto the highway, and traffic's light.
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That's unfortunate- that you don't have anyone you can trust with her. That is a long trip. Here are some tips-
Clean out the carrier with hot soap and water, and let it air dry
Spray it with Feliway spray douse it good
Put in soft bedding, and on top of the bedding put a puppy pad or disposable diapers
Take a pipe cleaner and insert it into the slits on the side of the carrier, so the ends are inside. Twist the ends together firmly to hold the pipe cleaner in place put a toy on the other end, a lightweight toy that the kitty can bat at when she is stressed.
Put down padding in your car where the carrier is to be place (to cut down the vibration) Make sure the carrier will not be in full sun. Spray the padding with feliway spray.
Put the carrier on the padding and cover the carrier with a dark cloth
Play classical music softly on your radio during the drive
Don't let your cat out for any reason, just keep driving. If she has an accident she will just let loose on the puppy pads (wee wee pads) or the disposable diapers. She will be to nervous to eat or drink.
Talk to her ONLY when she is silent. if she meows, just ignore her.
Good luck!
Clean out the carrier with hot soap and water, and let it air dry
Spray it with Feliway spray douse it good
Put in soft bedding, and on top of the bedding put a puppy pad or disposable diapers
Take a pipe cleaner and insert it into the slits on the side of the carrier, so the ends are inside. Twist the ends together firmly to hold the pipe cleaner in place put a toy on the other end, a lightweight toy that the kitty can bat at when she is stressed.
Put down padding in your car where the carrier is to be place (to cut down the vibration) Make sure the carrier will not be in full sun. Spray the padding with feliway spray.
Put the carrier on the padding and cover the carrier with a dark cloth
Play classical music softly on your radio during the drive
Don't let your cat out for any reason, just keep driving. If she has an accident she will just let loose on the puppy pads (wee wee pads) or the disposable diapers. She will be to nervous to eat or drink.
Talk to her ONLY when she is silent. if she meows, just ignore her.
Good luck!
You might want to give her either Rescue Remedy or cocculine which are both herbs and thus safe for cats. Prescription medications like diazepam can make a kitty too sleepy and she can smother in her blanket or pillow in her carrier. Talk to her all as Hissy says - when she is calm and tranquille -try to make it as normal as possible and do not sound stressed yourself!
I travel with my Siamese often and she has adjusted to it since she was a baby (well 12 weeks). I do not give her cocculine any more and she thinks her carrier is sort of a little place to rest now and then. If you have not had your cat in the carrier before, place her inside and go for short drives before the long journey (that is if you have not travelled before with it, like to the vet?)
As Hissy suggests, NEVER let her out. If your carrier is large enough, place a small litter box in it. If not, do not feed her much before leaving - and feed her when you stop at night. (This is not a one way no stop trip is it?) I have a friend who did not place her cat in a carrier - the kitty was a rescue and not a people cat at all, she was not a cuddler and loved on her own terms (of course that part if pretty typical of any feline,lol). Alas, she had an accident - nothing major - but it spooked the cat enough that she bolted. This was near her parents' home (maybe an hour away - 50 miles) but C (my friend) lived four hrs away). She printed flyers and placed them everywhere near where the accident occured and investigated - as did her parents -. C is a reporter and so her work fortunately brought her past the place of the incident often. NOTHING happened for over six months.
Finally, one day she received a call from someone who said she'd been at a local store where one of the flyers was and she "pretty sure" one of her neighbours was feeding a stray cat that resembled C's cat. As she wrote in an article about the incident, it could not be hers "After all, I had last seen my cat more than a year ago". However, fate smiled on her and it WAS.
My point is and I am sorry to go on at length that please keep her in the carrier at all times. Even the best behaved and sweet cat will bolt when scared and freaked.
Good luck! Cats hate change and they are often best left in their own usual surroundings but if you absolutely have no choice, following Hissy's and these idea hopefully will make the trip better for both of you. Good luck!
I travel with my Siamese often and she has adjusted to it since she was a baby (well 12 weeks). I do not give her cocculine any more and she thinks her carrier is sort of a little place to rest now and then. If you have not had your cat in the carrier before, place her inside and go for short drives before the long journey (that is if you have not travelled before with it, like to the vet?)
As Hissy suggests, NEVER let her out. If your carrier is large enough, place a small litter box in it. If not, do not feed her much before leaving - and feed her when you stop at night. (This is not a one way no stop trip is it?) I have a friend who did not place her cat in a carrier - the kitty was a rescue and not a people cat at all, she was not a cuddler and loved on her own terms (of course that part if pretty typical of any feline,lol). Alas, she had an accident - nothing major - but it spooked the cat enough that she bolted. This was near her parents' home (maybe an hour away - 50 miles) but C (my friend) lived four hrs away). She printed flyers and placed them everywhere near where the accident occured and investigated - as did her parents -. C is a reporter and so her work fortunately brought her past the place of the incident often. NOTHING happened for over six months.
Finally, one day she received a call from someone who said she'd been at a local store where one of the flyers was and she "pretty sure" one of her neighbours was feeding a stray cat that resembled C's cat. As she wrote in an article about the incident, it could not be hers "After all, I had last seen my cat more than a year ago". However, fate smiled on her and it WAS.
My point is and I am sorry to go on at length that please keep her in the carrier at all times. Even the best behaved and sweet cat will bolt when scared and freaked.
Good luck! Cats hate change and they are often best left in their own usual surroundings but if you absolutely have no choice, following Hissy's and these idea hopefully will make the trip better for both of you. Good luck!
