Long trip with 5 cats! Help!

[samhainborn]

My husband will be home from deployment soon, and with the end of deployment comes Block leave (a month off from all duties) and all the obligatory traveling to see family he hasn't seen in a year.

Problem: We have 5 cats that will need to make the trip(s) with us. I cannot leave them here for a month, obviously, but we also have a small 2 door sports-type car as our only transportation, and I cannot see how this is going to work.

Here are the suggestions I have gotten so far:

1. Get a large wire kennel and put them all in it
Problem: even with the seats folded down, I'm not sure it will fit in the back of the car. Also, Prissy must be held while in a car. It's the only way she does not hurt herself.

2. Sedate them all
Problem. Prissy cannot be sedated. Even at double doses, she still fights it and gets very upset and disoriented, often hurting herself. Also, it's a bit expensive and I am afraid of losing a kitty when a door is opened.

3. Board them
Problem: There are few places here to board them for that amount of time. The few places that will board them will cost over a thousand dollars for all 5 of them for the month we will be gone.

4. Pet sitter
Problem: We'll be gone for a month. That is a long time to trust my cats to another person's care, especially one I do not know well, and one that will not be there all the time, monitoring their health.

5. Leave them with other family.
Problem: Our closest family is 5 hours away, and are not very good with pets. My parents have a farm, and my cats would just be tossed outside as barn cats. His parents breed German and American shepherds. They currently have 4 adults and 4 pups. I don't want my cats to be eaten.

So, if anyone has any happens to have any suggestions, I'm open to them. I think I'm leaning toward the kennel option, with 4 cats and the litter box in it, and then Prissy in her harness on my lap.

Anyone ever have to travel 5 or more hours with multiple cats? Looking for tips, warnings, suggestions, etc to prepare me for this trip.

 

[farleyv]

Wow. I don't know that I would do it. Like you, I would be mortified if one of them got out. Not just on the trip, but after arrival at your relatives. Someone could carelessly leave a door open. I think taking them will put them under a ton of stress. I would look for a certified pet sitter. Examine references, etc. In the end though, I would ask family to come to see us! Would they not understand your circumstances and be willing to travel to you? I know I would. Good luck.

 

[clowangel]

Do you have close friends you can have look after your cats for you in your absence? Other than that, I really can't think of anything else.

Good luck on finding a solution.

 

[samhainborn]

No, I have NO friends in this area. I've lived here near post for a little over a year, but I have not made any friends that I would trust to watch over my pets and my place. I have a few people that I know, but not well enough to call them friends.

And Hubby is really worked up over taking trips. He's been stuck on a FOB less than a mile square for the last year, getting shot at and taking Mortar fire, so he wants to get out and drive and see new people and things. Some of the family we are going to see can't come see us, for various reasons. Some are too ill for travel, and some don't have the funds.

I am thinking about getting a mesh barrier to put up behind the front seats, that way I can let down the back seats and they'll have the trunk and the back seat area to themselves. I just have to find something to fit my car...

 

[ruthyb]

Hi, could you not perhaps hire a bigger and more suitable car? it will be cheaper than kennels or pet sitting.x

 

[dusty's mom]

Originally Posted by Ruthyb

Hi, could you not perhaps hire a bigger and more suitable car? it will be cheaper than kennels or pet sitting.x

Rent a van or an RV and cage or kennel them before opening any doors.

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, when my dad was in the Navy and had block leave, we just had friends watch the cats. It's a worry, but everything always worked out just fine.

If you're taking them with you, I second the suggestion to rent a van or RV. It would be a lot more comfortable for you, too.

 

[jae]

Hi,
Renting a box truck or a van where the kitties can move about is the least stressful means. No matter if you take your car or rent one remember to talk to them and try to include them for your sake as much as theirs as the trip ill be stressful to all of you.
Happy trails to you and your charges,
Jae

 

[missymotus]

Originally Posted by SamhainBorn

Prissy cannot be sedated. Even at double doses, she still fights it and gets very upset and disoriented, often hurting herself.

That's the main reason my vet says never to sedate cats for travel.

I would put them in a cattery, they'd be under excellent care and the peace of mind is worth the expense to me. Or as suggested rent a larger vehicle.

 

[snickersmom]

Probably the best option is a catsitter that would come to your home. If you're going to be traveling a lot and moving from location to location, your cats will probably be pretty upset throughout the trip. With catsitters, you just would have to do your homework ahead of time to find a good one. (web sites like yelp.com may have reviews of sitters in your area). They often do interviews ahead of time where they come to your home and meet your pets, so that's a good way to gauge whether they are a good fit for you.

But if you are seriously adverse to that, I have successfully done a long distance drive with my cat. You definitely want to get a large kennel for your cats, such as the ones used for dogs. I found one at Petsmart that was actually made out of fabric, so it could be folded down for storage. I have a medium sized car, and it fit in the back seat. Just take the measurements of your back seat before you go to the store to buy the kennel. They have a lot of different size options, so you could even get two separate kennels for each half of the back seat, so your cats don't have to be packed into one kennel. My cat ended up just sleeping most of the time.

If you're staying at a hotel, you'll want to make sure there is a sign on your door alerting housekeeping that you have pets inside. You probably would just want to tell them not to clean your room and just get fresh towels etc. as you need them. If you're staying with family, then there's the question of whether your family is accustomed to cats and will take care that they don't escape etc.

Best of luck!

 

[samhainborn]

Wanted to update everyone! But please overlook spelling mistakes. my right index finger is broken and in a splint.

I took a preliminary a trip. I took a two week trip to stay with some friends, ad the distance was quite similar to the distance my hubby and I will be traveling. I bought a large wire kennel, and though it is labeled as "medium", it is actually quite large. It's listed for beagles and similar size dogs but I've never seen a beagle that large. Lol. At any rate, the kennel fits very snuggly in the back seat, and has room for 4 kitties and a blanket, toys and water. (i don't feed because Loudmouth gets carsick). Prissy of course sat in my lap for te whole drive, And all the other kitties other than Loudmouth slept the whole way. Loudmouth has some cage anxiety. I think that just a little bit of sedation will make the next trip much more acceptable.

The friends I went to stay with have a huge basement that lets out into a fenced backyard. It's designed as a game room, with a pool table, etc, but it never gets used, so they let me put the kitties there, and I slept in the bedroom downstairs near them. It worked out wonderfully. My friends loved the kitties, and often snuck downstairs to play with them and spoil them when i was out. Sincethese friends only live 15 minutes from my husband's family, they have agreed to board the kitties while my husband and I visit. I think that everything is going to work out fine, even tho my husband is not as patient as i am.

Thanks ALL very much for your suggestions. you gave me some great ideas on how to cope with this trip!

 

[carolina]

Wow, that is awesome!! Amazing! Are you sure you really need sedation? Sounds to me they did just fine!
That sounds like a great arrangement! Are you going to be able to visit them often while they are boarded at your friend's house?

 

[farleyv]

That sounds good. But I wonder about the fenced yard. Unless its cat fencing, I would be concerned about that. Especially if they can get a running start. I've seen my cats jump six feet to climb up a screen.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by farleyv

That sounds good. But I wonder about the fenced yard. Unless its cat fencing, I would be concerned about that. Especially if they can get a running start. I've seen my cats jump six feet to climb up a screen.

Oh, I think the cats are all staying inside only, right? If not, I am with Farleyv - do not let them in the yard at all...

 

[jae]

Good job. Glad you figured it out.
Jae

 

[samhainborn]

Oh, sorry, yet again I wasn't clear. I was mainly saying that it opened up into the yard so that I could say that it wasn't an enclosed, airless basement. It's really nice, actually. Besides, my friends have 2 dogs who roam the yard, so my kitties rarely even get close to the door.

To answer another question, yes, I will be able to visit them often. I plan on spending about a third of our nights there, so that I can get a break from my in-laws!

But now I've got to figure out how to fit ANOTHER carrier into the car. Just found a 7 week old kitten this morning at 4 am. (see "she calls me Habibe" in SOS section)

It never ends.

 

[farleyv]

Oh my goodness, a new baby. Glad it will all work out. Have a safe trip!

 

[catguru]

Originally Posted by SamhainBorn

My husband will be home from deployment soon, and with the end of deployment comes Block leave (a month off from all duties) and all the obligatory traveling to see family he hasn't seen in a year.

Problem: We have 5 cats that will need to make the trip(s) with us. I cannot leave them here for a month, obviously, but we also have a small 2 door sports-type car as our only transportation, and I cannot see how this is going to work.

Here are the suggestions I have gotten so far:

1. Get a large wire kennel and put them all in it
Problem: even with the seats folded down, I'm not sure it will fit in the back of the car. Also, Prissy must be held while in a car. It's the only way she does not hurt herself.

2. Sedate them all
Problem. Prissy cannot be sedated. Even at double doses, she still fights it and gets very upset and disoriented, often hurting herself. Also, it's a bit expensive and I am afraid of losing a kitty when a door is opened.

3. Board them
Problem: There are few places here to board them for that amount of time. The few places that will board them will cost over a thousand dollars for all 5 of them for the month we will be gone.

4. Pet sitter
Problem: We'll be gone for a month. That is a long time to trust my cats to another person's care, especially one I do not know well, and one that will not be there all the time, monitoring their health.

5. Leave them with other family.
Problem: Our closest family is 5 hours away, and are not very good with pets. My parents have a farm, and my cats would just be tossed outside as barn cats. His parents breed German and American shepherds. They currently have 4 adults and 4 pups. I don't want my cats to be eaten.

So, if anyone has any happens to have any suggestions, I'm open to them. I think I'm leaning toward the kennel option, with 4 cats and the litter box in it, and then Prissy in her harness on my lap.

Anyone ever have to travel 5 or more hours with multiple cats? Looking for tips, warnings, suggestions, etc to prepare me for this trip.

I know this is kind old thread, but for the record 5 hours isn't too bad at all.

We usually put them in their little kitty carriers and they're fine. They enjoy soft music and (so we discovered) trance music!

We've never gone more than 5 hours but they didn't misbehave. A few meeeows here and there for the first hour but thats about it.

We live in Texas so that kind of trip is quote common.

We even once took my little 2 month old on a 5 hour trip. She was too little to leave by herself for a few days and we needed to visit family.

Poor little thing was sick at about 4 hours, I think from motion sickness, bless her.

Then, when she arrived she ran around the new house making miaoowing sounds. We wondered if she'd gone crazy for a minute then realized she was looking for somewhere to go to toilet. Bless her little heart. She held it on and didn't want to be rude.

 

[samhainborn]

I used to do a LOT of traveling, so I'm actually pretty familiar with how HUGE Texas is and how far apart everything there usually is. I'm glad you don't have mush of an issue with your pets! I think that they are getting more used to the trip the more they go on it. We just got back from my husband's leave. Loudmouth (mamakitty) MUST be sedated, otherwise she reaches through the kennel and claws the backs of our heads and necks, But otherwise, everyone else takes it fine.

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions.