cats and car rides!

i have been taking my 3 month old kitten with us on car rides every other day or so, thinking it will get her used to it, is this a good idea? so far she seems to handle it pretty well.

Yeah, I think its a good idea, shows her that every trip doesn't end up at the vet

It's a great idea.
All of mine are so accustomed to rides it makes vet trips easier on them.
One even looks forward to going places and has been camping a few times.

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

Yeah, I think its a good idea, shows her that every trip doesn't end up at the vet

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I totally agree! We take Nakita to the cottage every summer weekend. But in the fall/winter the only car ride was to the vet.

Just make sure she is secure in the car, not allowed to walk around. You can only imagine that if you were in an accident how devastating that would be.

Yes, most cats only ride in the cars to the vet, and therefore, don't like car riding. If you can condition them that not all car rides are to the vet - so much the better.

My show rex is a vetern - he'll travel in car, plane, etc. with no problems. Ling on the other hand, has only been in the car to the vets (not a good thing) and the trip for moving to our new house. She will go to a cat show in a few weeks. I know she will think its to the vets...

As a lot of the "old-timers" here know, Bijou and Mika have been subjected to car rides since they were babies. They have gone shopping, to the library, the hardware store, etc. with us and have no problems with being in the car. Last month we took them to a cottage for a week with us (4.5 hour trip each way). Apparently Bijou really enjoyed it since now whenever the car door is opened he hops in, settles down in the backseat, has a bath and goes to sleep. Mika is equally as comfortable with car rides.

So, to answer your question from my perspective, yes, get them used to the car for other rides besides going to the vet.

Another thing you can do, which I don't think anyone mentioned but I just skimmed through, is to leave the cat carrier out all the time. Put a blanket or toys in it so your cat cvan explore it and get used to it. Sometimes the cat will even sleep in it. then they will be all ready when they need to ride in it.