Moving cross-country

[zoey602]

Hello, everyone

At the end of September I will be moving from NY to the Pacific Northwest. We are hiring movers, and then I am driving out there with my two cats - Zoey and Mishko. Thankfully, my mom will be accompanying us. We plan to drive during the day and stay in pet-friendly hotels at night.

If any of you have made such a move in the past, I would love to hear your stories and what you learned from the experience. Some of the more specific questions I have include the following:

1. How many hours would you recommend driving per day? We would like to do 9-10 hours to minimize the overnight stays (3 days of driving, 2 overnight hotel stays), but I would also like healthy and happy kitties

2. Any particular hotel chains to avoid? 

3. Any tips for helping them be comfortable in both the hotels and in the car during the day?

4. My cats are indoor and are not currently on flea prevention medication - should I consider it in case the hotels are not clean? 

Some background - Zoey is 3 years old and spayed. In the car she generally does well - it's a little bit of a fight to get her into the carrier, but once she's in there she relaxes. She is generally very friendly, playful and affectionate. Mishko is 2 years old and neutered. It's also a battle to get him into the carrier, but after he meows for a little while, he'll generally quiet down. He's a little skittish, but also playful and affectionate once he's comfortable. The two of them get along with each other very well. However I am a little afraid of the both of them hiding under the hotel room beds - who knows what's under there!

I usually board them at a place about an hour away, and they've always done well on the drives to and from there - no car sickness, and no constant meowing. Our first day of driving will be about 3 hours to my grandmother's, which I think will be a good test. After that, however, there will be at least three full days of driving and two overnight hotel stays. I've spoken to my vet and she told me that cats generally adjust very quickly to being in the car if they aren't the type to get sick - but if they don't, she did recommend a child's dosage of Benadryl to help them be sleepy. She did not recommend tranquilizers. Do you agree with this?

I have moved with Zoey before, however it was only about 15 minutes away. But, she adjusted very well and very quickly. I have not moved with Mishko since I adopted him.

Any advice/tips you can share would be amazing. I will be incredibly grateful!

Thank you for all of your help.

 

[catapault]

You'll be traveling approximately 3,000 miles. Poor weather, highway congestion, bathroom breaks, stop to switch drivers and stretch your legs . . .  will you eat lunch in the car? Even with ideal conditions if you can consistently average 60 mph (sometimes faster, sometimes slower, average out to 60 mph) that's 600 miles per day. I don't think 3 days will be enough.

 

[zoey602]

Thank you for your reply! 

We aren't going all the way to the coast. We're going from Western NYS to Idaho. My parents have made the drive several times and that's about how long it takes them, however they haven't made the drive that far into fall. Hopefully winter weather won't hit the plains that early but we are flexible. If it will take longer than the 3 day window, we'll make it work.

 

[GoldyCat]

I go to cat shows once or twice a month, and for anything over 2 hours away stay at a hotel. The longest drive I made with 6 cats in the car was 9 hours. Not intentionally. We hit rush hour traffic in L.A.!! Anyway, the kitties were fine. I think they were less grouchy than I was by the time we got checked in to the hotel.

If you can plan your trip pretty accurately it would be a good idea to make reservations ahead of time rather than take a chance on finding a good place when you're ready to quit driving for the day. Of the hotels that do not charge a pet fee, I like La Quinta the best. Unfortunately, there isn't always an LQ where I need it for the cat shows.

Quality Inn can be good, but individual ones may have a pet fee. Even in the ones that don't have a fee you have to request a "pets allowed" room. Apparently they limit pets to certain rooms, kind of like having smoking or non-smoking rooms.

Motel 6 doesn't have a pet fee, but I've found they're the worst for having broken springs or boards under the bed where kitties can injure themselves. I also ran into one where they told me as I was checking in that they allowed only one pet per room. This was a place where I had stayed at least twice before with multiple cats. I guess it depends on the manager, or maybe just whoever happens to be on the desk. :dk:

If you stay at a place that charges a fee, look for one that has a per stay fee rather than per pet per night.

How big is your car? For extra long trips I use a wire dog crate, something like this, and put two or three cats in together. If your two are happy in their carriers, they should be fine that way, too. When they were little, two of mine would yowl all the way unless they were in the same carrier.

 

[thevegancuddler]

I moved from Ohio to Canada, and had in the car two cats and six dogs (four of them were dogs my roommate was adopting, and I was picking up).

It was technically a twenty-five hour trip (of driving, not including stops), but there were multiple mishaps that greatly lengthened my trip. Anything can happen. I ran out of gas once, couldn't find a place to fuel up late at night another time, etc.

Some regions have hotels that are very picky about animals. In places in Canada, it was nearly impossible to get a room that allowed even one animal (I realize I had an exceptionally excessive case, but that's besides the point).
 

I did leave the litter box perched on a seat and allowed the two cats to free roam some of the time, but this was probably not the smartest plan, as the things in my car could have shifted and hurt them at any given time. But if your car is empty and there's a second person to supervise, might not be a bad idea.

I also had one cat who cried and cried, and I thought it was just because she was upset about the carrier... nope, she peed herself. Poor thing. She had to go but was stuck in there. I felt so bad. Had to dunk her little butt in the bath when we got there.

I'll also be perfectly honest; I've hidden cats in hotels when I wasn't supposed to. I've claimed my dog, and then hauled in cats in carriers very quickly and quietly like they were luggage. Got away with it a lot. But then, I've gone through some very, very poor periods of my life, so you do what you gotta do. Didn't have gas money to float around looking for different hotels.

It sounds like you're not pressured by extreme financial concerns or a tight timeline, so I don't see anything going horrifically wrong here. You'll probably have to eat meals in the car at times (one person going in to order while the other watches the cats, or going through drive-thrus), but other than that, sounds like you have the luxury of time and money for accommodations, so... I don't see a problem!

I'd say just make sure to set up your kitties' litter box, food, and water, FIRST THING when you get to the room. And keep their meals light. Don't starve them, but don't give them too much. It'll ease their bellies for travel.

Good luck! What an exciting adventure!

 

[GoldyCat]

 
I did leave the litter box perched on a seat and allowed the two cats to free roam some of the time, but this was probably not the smartest plan, as the things in my car could have shifted and hurt them at any given time. But if your car is empty and there's a second person to supervise, might not be a bad idea.

It's never a good idea to have a cat loose in the car. Even if they don't get under the brake pedal and nothing shifts around to hurt them, there are dangers. If you slam on the brakes suddenly you can have a flying furball hitting the windshield.

If you feel you need to let them out at some point during the trip, make sure you have enough room to do everything without opening the car doors. (Hope you're flexible enough to crawl over the seat backs )

 

[wcalvertfc]

I've made eight 7-hour trips with my cat, Fox, over the past few years.  Here are some of my tips for staying sane:

1. Don't let them move about the car.  First, it's incredibly dangerous when you're driving (this is coming from someone who let my cat sit in my lap while driving for years).  Second, if your cats aren't used to being in the car or going for long road trips, it scares them!  The carrier feels more safe to them - keep them enclosed.  

2. Don't put food or water in the carrier with your cats.  They will likely be too stressed to consider eating or drinking AND it gets very messy.  If you want to take pit stops, keep the cats in the carrier and give them food or water at your own risk.  Like another poster said, they are more likely to wet the carrier with full bladders and bellies. 

3. Don't pay much attention to the yowling.  I spent years sticking my hand in the backseat, talking to my cat trying to chill him out - it won't make him stop yowling.  If you comfort them with your voice a few times and then stop reacting to them, they'll stop. 

4. Do consider giving your kitties sedatives.  Vets commonly give out sedatives for long drives and they really help to keep stress levels down - for everyone.  

5. Do put in a cat nip toy for your kitties.  And, if they have a special blanket or bed, put that in there too.  Not sure if it makes a substantial difference, but it makes me feel better. 

Fox has only had one accident, but he was very sad about it.  As soon as you smell something, pull over.  Clean out the carrier and put in new bedding (or a shirt or something).  You can give the little dude a bath when you get to your destination (with baby shampoo or cat shampoo, whichever you have on hand).   

Good luck!  And don't stress too much!