Traveling across country

[thatamandagirl]

Hello all,

Yay my second post, but don't judge to harshly lol. Ok. So I have to move across the country, again. When I did this before it was me my dad and Bo in my car. And he had a pretty nice set up. The vet gave him something to keep him drowsy which did exactly 0 and she did OK a kitty harness with a seat belt attachment so he could still move around (get water, food, use his liter box {which he did}) but was still secure to the seat. Now it is going to be me my dad Bo and Harley Quinn in a moving truck. My worry is that there is absolutely no room to keep them in the cab since it is your typical bench seat moving truck. Now it was suggested to me that they stay in the car in the harness(es) with food water box etc. Now my worry is that it's a car being towed so there won't be AC but frequent stops. But these are two outdoor cats from Arizona. They like to sit directly in the sun in temperatures of 100+ sometimes. I am just very torn as to what to do and any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[2bcat]

Is it possible for you to drive the car?  I get that it would be twice as much driving but just wondering as I think it would be the safest for the cats.  I also get that this may not be possible for various reasons.

Other than that it seems rather problematic though.  A closed car really concentrates the heat, even that much more than hot Arizona summers outside.  And an open car (if you left the windows open, say) is not that much better plus probably creates a hazard for towing it in terms of the wind drag.  Maybe not that big of one, but I sure wouldn't want to trust my kitties to that.  I really don't like the idea of them being stuck in the towed vehicle without being able to hear them or see them, etc. Heck I once drove a cat from one home to another, not even 20 miles, on a hot September day and she was panting in her carrier even in an air conditioned car!

The moving truck cab is usually pretty big.  You might want to consider if there's a way to strap in something for the cats in the cab, some kind of cage.  It really depends upon the type of truck I guess so you could consider trying to get a view into the cab of the likely model ahead of time and plan around that.

I just know for me I wouldn't settle for them being in the towed vehicle anymore than I would carry a person in there.  Perhaps I am being too strict with that though and others will chime in with their practical experience in this area.

 

[nansiludie]

Yes, I agree with 2bcat I wouldn't want to have a cat in an enclosed area like that especially with that kind of heat.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I am really not comfortable with the idea of putting the cats in the car you are towing.  I would think it would be safer for you to put harnesses on them and keep them in kennels in the cab with you.  Even if it means one goes below your feet (although you do need to see if the floor of the cab gets warm too!).