My cat absolutely hates being in my car....does anyone have any suggestions or know any tricks to make a car ride easier for my cat? My little sister always begs me to bring my cat home when I visit my parents house but I never can because he freaks out so bad when hes in my car. A car ride to my parents house takes 2 hours, and I have done it before, but its not a fun ride. Ive tried putting my cat in a pet carrier and tried covering the sides so he couldnt see out and see the outside stuff moving around. Either way, he just meows constantly and every once in a while starts to pant like a dog. Ive also let him just run around the car but that is also tough because he still does the panting and it's obviously kind of dangerous to have him jumping around while Im driving. So, first off....what does the panting mean? The only time he ever does it is in the car and it makes me worry. Secondly, if you know any tricks or anything to make it go smoother please let me know. Thanks a lot!
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My cat hates being in a car.....
- Thread starter 2nah
- Start Date
My parent's cat Miko tends to flip out in the car. She is calmer when she is in her carrier with the door open, and surprisingly doesn't try to run around.
I say maybe you can try letting your guy investigate and explore the car when it's not running. Loud noises and new smells can be scary. Put the two together and that's a good comination for kitty freak outs.
Also, try and think of the times you take your cat in the car. If it's only when they're hurt or sick, or only to get poked and prodded, then the cat may decide that being in the car only means those things.
Distractions for the kitty might be useful too. Toys in the carrier with him might be nice.
Oh, and if you have the chance maybe play with him for an hour before you take him in the car. It might just cause him to sleep all the way through the trip. Wouldn't that be a relief?
I say maybe you can try letting your guy investigate and explore the car when it's not running. Loud noises and new smells can be scary. Put the two together and that's a good comination for kitty freak outs.
Also, try and think of the times you take your cat in the car. If it's only when they're hurt or sick, or only to get poked and prodded, then the cat may decide that being in the car only means those things.
Distractions for the kitty might be useful too. Toys in the carrier with him might be nice.
Oh, and if you have the chance maybe play with him for an hour before you take him in the car. It might just cause him to sleep all the way through the trip. Wouldn't that be a relief?
The panting is a sign of stress!
My Tibby was a terrible traveller (very travel sick), so I began getting him used to the moving car by going on short varied trips - increasing over a long period of time!
He still became motion sick, so I started to not feed him for a couple of hours before the journey! I also give him a herbal Travel Ease tablet before the journey.
He now travels really well and sleeps for the majority of the trip!
Molly and Willow will meow a LOT, but this isn't too much of a problem! I play calming music for them and this seems to calm them down significantly!
You might also like to try the Feliway Travel spray - you spray it into the carrier and car, so that there is a familiar and relaxing scent for them!
My Tibby was a terrible traveller (very travel sick), so I began getting him used to the moving car by going on short varied trips - increasing over a long period of time!
He still became motion sick, so I started to not feed him for a couple of hours before the journey! I also give him a herbal Travel Ease tablet before the journey.
He now travels really well and sleeps for the majority of the trip!
Molly and Willow will meow a LOT, but this isn't too much of a problem! I play calming music for them and this seems to calm them down significantly!
You might also like to try the Feliway Travel spray - you spray it into the carrier and car, so that there is a familiar and relaxing scent for them!
I travel with my cats a lot. I take them to my parents house which is about 6 hours away. I feed them wet food early in the evening the night before and take away the dry food about an hour before I go to bed. When I wake up in the morning I take away the water about an hour before I leave. Then I put them in separate carriers and we begin. I usually leave at around 4 in the morning. This helps becasue they are tired and sleep most of the trip.
Sometimes they cry but they never pant, and have never had any accidents. I dont take a litterbox, I figure they sleep for 10 hours at a time, they can hold it for 6 hours, plus I have taken away the food so they dont have a lot in their stomachs. Leaving ealry really helds, you should try that.
Sometimes they cry but they never pant, and have never had any accidents. I dont take a litterbox, I figure they sleep for 10 hours at a time, they can hold it for 6 hours, plus I have taken away the food so they dont have a lot in their stomachs. Leaving ealry really helds, you should try that.
My first cat Mitten was terrified of riding in a car when we first found him (he must have been abused or something in the car).
Anyway, I started taking him for very short car rides - like a block or two till he got used to things. Then we expanded the ride to a mile or two. He finally got over his fear and enjoyed riding - I took him with me when I went to care for my horse and he'd sit in the back of the car and watch.
I eventually showed him in household pet classes.
Most times a cat only rides in a car to go to the vet (or something "painful") so its no wonder why most don't like riding in the car. You might also start taking him to Petsmart and riding in the cart (in a carrier) so he knows that not every car ride leads to a trip to the vet
Anyway, I started taking him for very short car rides - like a block or two till he got used to things. Then we expanded the ride to a mile or two. He finally got over his fear and enjoyed riding - I took him with me when I went to care for my horse and he'd sit in the back of the car and watch.
I eventually showed him in household pet classes.
Most times a cat only rides in a car to go to the vet (or something "painful") so its no wonder why most don't like riding in the car. You might also start taking him to Petsmart and riding in the cart (in a carrier) so he knows that not every car ride leads to a trip to the vet
