Driving 12 hours in the winter with a cat- ideas?

[imissmycats]

As the title says, I'm bringing Posh home from the shelter on wednesday. (she is introduced in the cat health forum)
We're doing a 12hour drive straight to Colorado.
I have a soft carrier (think average carry on luggage) with a fleece blanket folded in it for her.

I do not have and cannot get something big enough to fit a litter box in.
She will have eaten that morning. I'm worried about offering her food and water during the trip like I normally would, since she won't have a litter box.
My old cat would walk on a harness and do her business outside, but that's out of the question with Posh, and freezing temperatures.

Should I have a small litterbox loose in the car? Feed, don't feed? I think Posh will be too worried to use a box if we had one anyways. I'm not even sure if she'll be calm enough to drink/eat.

I am going to Petco to get some PetEase just to keep her calm and relaxed during the trip.

 

[goldenkitty45]

I would strongly suggest:

1. NO driving 12 hrs straight thru. You really should stop overnight because even show cats are not put under that kind of long distance traveling. You should make arrangement to spend one night in a hotel - for yourselves and especially for the cat.

2. You need a hard sided carrier (medium) for safety.

3. You cannot expect a cat to go more then 6 hrs without eating/using the liter pan.

You didn't say the age of the cat, but again, no way would I ever drive more then 6-7 hrs max without stopping. I've shown cats a lot and many of them were well seasoned riders in cars/planes. That is just too much stress on the cat. You can easily cause a possible UTI by the cat holding that long and not eating/drinking/peeing.

 

[imissmycats]

(I'm not being snarky, I promise!)
You are the first person I've talked to (I've mentioned it on other forums) that has said absolutely not. I'm not saying that's bad, just curious. Since you have experience, I trust your opinion.

Unfortunately, I may not be able to stop. I could stop after 6 hours and offer a litter box in the car. This being winter though, if the weather is chasing me, I need to get home.
I will have another driver. If we have to stop, we can. I just would not be ideal. I know it's selfish. :/ I'm at a loss.

This is a cat that I'm adopting from a shelter near my college, and taking home with me. (it's been a very long, thought out process)
She is a year old this month- I've introduced her in the health section. She has shut down over the past few weeks, so no matter what, this is not going to be the funnest trip in the world.
I feel awful, but how else am I supposed to get her home? I'm really torn up about this. She's hurting and distraught right now, I want to get her home and to a vet. I sound like an a**hat, I'm sure. She's going to get exposed to everything outside the shelter in a manner of weeks- we're both freaking out.

 

[imissmycats]

btw- I really am trying to learn, anything you'd have to offer I'm glad to soak up!

 

[imissmycats]

After talking with my mom and the second driver, we may go ahead and get a hotel at the midpoint.

I'm still not sure if I should offer her a litter box and food/water during the drive though? She will not be loose in the car unless we're stopped somewhere to eat with all the doors closed.

 

[goldenkitty45]

Sounds a little better. When we go to shows (most of our shows are about 4-6 hr drive time), we do stop for lunch/supper, etc. When we stop for eating (about 1/2 hour) we let Jack out of the carrier to roam in the car while we are eating. He's offered food, water, and litter pan at that time.

He's eaten and used the pan in the car that way. When we are done, we put him back in the carrier and hit the road. But keep in mind he is a show cat and used to it.

Hopefully your cat will do the same. I also would suggst you have a bag handy with paper towels, extra litter, and small plastic bags for any cleanup needed.

Good luck and hope things go well for your trip with the cat and you guys get home safely.

 

[happilyretired]

I agree with everything that Golden Kitty suggested.

I moved with my former cat about 15 years ago when she was 7. She was a stray who had adopted me, and she had never traveled. I had a large, hard-sided carrier for her, gave her a tranquillizer (from vet), and did not feed her (as advised) before we started. It was a 7 hour drive, which I did straight through.

She was too stressed to need a litter pan. However, I did not EVER let her out of her carrier. I stopped only once for gas, and I got some food from a drive in, so I did not leave the car. I needed to use a rest stop near the end of our voyage, and I brought her in with me in her carrier. I would never leave her alone in the car.

And you seem to suggest that if you stopped to eat, you'd let the cat out of the carrier in the locked car. If I read that correctly, please DON'T do that. First, the cat will escape when you return and open the door and/or the cat will hide under the seats, and you'll have difficulty with that situation.

Are you returning to college after the holidays? The reason I ask is if you are, I'd suggest leaving the cat until you return. You write about getting her to a vet, but if there are vets in your college town, I'd bring the cat there for a check up and board until your return. The reason I suggest this is because my cat had been with me for 6 years before our trip, and it was very stressful for her. For a 'new' and very young cat, the stress of such a trip may be overwhelming.

 

[goldenkitty45]

The trick with the cat loose while you are eating is simple - works well for us.

All we do is before anyone opens the door, is to draw the cat's attention to the back of the car. We first find out where he is and then one of us will tap on the window and call him to the back seat (we have a 4 door car).

Jack has been taught to "stay" when you tell him and it works well. If you are driving a long time, the cat really needs to "stretch" and its better to let them out then to be cramped in a carrier the entire trip. Think about it - YOU get to step out and walk, so why not the cat in the car?

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by imissmycats

After talking with my mom and the second driver, we may go ahead and get a hotel at the midpoint.

I'm still not sure if I should offer her a litter box and food/water during the drive though? She will not be loose in the car unless we're stopped somewhere to eat with all the doors closed.

Don't let her loose in the car at all. Ever. Only in the motel. And don't leave her alone in the motel room unless you put her in the carrier. Be sure she is wearing a tag, or get her chipped.

Cats go 12 or more hours without food before a surgery. It's not ideal, but it happens. However I agree that a stop in between is best.

But she should never ever be out of the carrier except when you are in the motel room with her. If the motel door is going to be opened, (for instance if one of you is going out and the other staying in) at least shut her in the bathroom any time the door will be opened, but I really stress, do not leave her alone in the room without putting her in the carrier, ever.

All paws crossed it goes without a hitch. Now I'm off to read the story of how it all came about.

 

[happilyretired]

Golden Kitty- Don't you think your situation is a little different because you have a cat who is used to traveling? I'd never let a cat who has not been a traveler loose alone in the car. (
A friend of mine had a show cat who had traveled from the time he was a kitten, and as an adult, he actually sat in the front passenger seat, no carrier, and when he got tired of watching the landscape go by, he'd curl up and sleep.) But my experience with typical cats is that they are totally freaked out by car travel, and precautions need to be made for their safety.)

If OP isn't stopping for the night (and thus allowing the cat to use a litter box and stretch, etc.), then here's how I'd do it--even if I were driving alone.

I'd have a small litter box on the floor in the back of the car (my cat's carrier is always on the back seat for safety). I'd stop the car and get in the back. I'd then let the cat out of the carrier and place him/her in the litter box.

Then I'd try to get the cat to climb on me for a while to stretch (my cat loves to climb all over me), to keep the cat from hiding in the car under the seats, etc. After a few minutes, I'd return the cat to the carrier and proceed on the journey.

However, I also want to emphasize that for any trip longer than 8 hours, I'd break the travel at a motel/hotel for a night.

 

[goldenkitty45]

That sounds reasonable too - have one person in the car and sit and let them out for awhile, then go in and eat after the cat is put back in the carrier. Good suggestion.

 

[imissmycats]

Originally Posted by HappilyRetired

I agree with everything that Golden Kitty suggested.



And you seem to suggest that if you stopped to eat, you'd let the cat out of the carrier in the locked car. If I read that correctly, please DON'T do that. First, the cat will escape when you return and open the door and/or the cat will hide under the seats, and you'll have difficulty with that situation.

Are you returning to college after the holidays? The reason I ask is if you are, I'd suggest leaving the cat until you return. You write about getting her to a vet, but if there are vets in your college town, I'd bring the cat there for a check up and board until your return. The reason I suggest this is because my cat had been with me for 6 years before our trip, and it was very stressful for her. For a 'new' and very young cat, the stress of such a trip may be overwhelming.

She will be staying home after this, the only reason for the drive is because I found her at a shelter near my college, not a shelter near home. Once she gets home, she stays. No more big awful drives unless I move across the country in future years.

If we let her out in the car, one of us would be in the car, and she'd be on a leash/harness. But perhaps that won't happen now that I see everyone's advice. :/

 

[imissmycats]

Originally Posted by HappilyRetired

However, I also want to emphasize that for any trip longer than 8 hours, I'd break the travel at a motel/hotel for a night.

It's looking more and more like we'll be getting a hotel after 6 hours. I'll be talking to the vet later today when I take her in.


Have any of you ever used PetEase or Feliway during trips?

 

[goldenkitty45]

I guess it would depend more on how often you would plan trips and want to take her. Our HHP doesn't like shows, so she really only goes to the vet - the car is not a happy place for her.

Personally I'd rather condition them to traveling at least a few times so its not so tramatic if the need arises.

 

[imissmycats]

This will hopefully be the only time she has to endure a drive like this. Once she gets home, she stays there- and I come back to college.

 

[happilyretired]

I have a Feliway spray that I used in the car one time for a trip to the vet. It didn't seem to help at all, but our trip is very, very brief.

When I made my 7-hour trip with my previous cat, I got a tranquilizer from the vet, but he warned me to try it before our trip because some cats have the opposite reaction. It worked with her but didn't help much. It may have taken the 'edge' off her stress, but she still cried for 7 hours.

I'm taking my current cat to my sister's for Christmas, and I'll try the Feliway spray again (can't hurt), but I also bought Rescue Remedy, a homeopathic stress reducer for pets. I've given it to him once (to see if he'd take it), and he will eat the food, so I hope this helps.

If I were you, I'd ask your vet's advice about what to give the cat for the trip.

 

[otto]

I strongly recommend against tranquilizers.

Cats react funny to things like that, and it can cause more stress, because kitty feels "funny" which makes her feel vulnerable.

In addition, I once used tranquilizers to fly with a cat. It changed his personality completely and permanently. This may have been a rare occurrence, but in my opinion it is not worth the risk.

(In another instance, granted not a personal experience, a cat was prescribed ACE, there was some mix up with the dosage and the cat had an over dose and died, a terrible death.)

Rescue Remedy can help with stress, but the bottom line is, once it's over, she'll be in her forever home, and will be fine.

(you might want to get some ear plugs, in case she's a crier is all.

)

 

[goldenkitty45]

I do agree with you Otto - NEVER use sedatives when flying/car riding with cats. I never recommend it under any circumstances. I know of a case where the cat tried to throw up when flying and wound up dead because they were sedated.

 

[imissmycats]

No, we won't be using sedatives.

I just got back from the vet, and she has exposed pulp in the broken tooth. It will be extracted as soon as our vet back home deems right.

I will look into rescue remedy, the vet I just talked to spoke highly of Feliway.

 

[otto]

I am a big fan of the feliway plug in diffuser, but have no experience with the spray, so wasn't able to recommend it. It certainly can't hurt!

If you can, try to find the Rescue Remedy specifically for pets, as it contains no alcohol.

Is she in much pain from that tooth?