Travelling Kittens - What to do ?

Hello all,
Wasn't sure where to post this, feel free to kick me if it should be elsewhere.. I have two kittens, roughly 4.5 months old, got them from a rescue place when they were just six weeks old.. They havn't spent a day away from us since then.. Both healthy and bright and afraid of nothing..
At christmas, we're going to relatives for a few days, a 6-7 hour drive away and i'm stuck about what to do with the kitties.. I can't work out if a long drive would stress them out more than a stay in a cattery. Technically i can take them in a big pen/cage thing and walk them on a lead during pit stops.

Planning to ask the vet this week what he thinks but meantime i'd appreciate some views from you guys.

Ta..!

have they been in a car for any length of time? if not bring them out for a drive & see if they are ok - they may just settle down & snooze for the journey. If you start now taking them on drives they should be used to it by the time Christmas comes around

A lot does depend on the cats themselves and how well they travel and adjust to new surroundings. Are there any other animals at your destination? That should be taken into account as well.

I'll move this to Care & Grooming as that's where we cover travelling and such.

If you do take them, leave them in the carrier until you get to your destination. Taking them out even on a lead is risky at best. You would have to have a harness not a collar and because they are kittens, it is doubtful you could find a harness to fit them.

Line the bottom of the carrier with puppy pads and allow for them to poop and pee in there if they need to.

A better scenario would be to leave them at your home and hire a pet sitter to check up on them and give them water and food etc.

They've had two trips to the vet for their innoculations, around 40 mins each way.. They seemed to like it. That was both in a smallish carry cage..
I hear what you say about taking them out now.. I'll do that this week.. Good plan !

I agree with Hissy. If there are animals at the place you are visiting I would probably not take them with me. But if not, and they don't mind the car, I would probably ask ahead if there would be a room where I could keep them and their litter, etc. with a closable door so they can get used to the new smells, etc. and not freak out.

I think everyone has given you the advice I would have offered!

With the car journey trials, maybe you take them out a couple of times a week, building up gradually - theyn will get a lot more used to travelling this way!

I also wouldn't recommend that you take them out of the carrier on the way unless you are incredibly confident that they will not get loose from the harness or become scared by the super loud noises we get at the service stations!

I hope that it goes well for you and you let us know how it's going!

I think the best thing to do is leave them at home and have someone (a friend, neighbor, or hired petsitter) come in and check on them each day. A staff member at your vet's office may offer this service in his/her spare time to make a little extra income - I would recommend calling there first.

6-7 hours in a car is a long time for just a week long trip, but it's certainly a possibility if you can't make arrangements for them to stay at home. A cattery is not a situation I would recommend for them. It is stressful for the cats, and since it will probably be pretty much at capacity over the December holidays I would be concerned about contagious illness like upper respiratory infections.