What is the best way to take a LONG road trip with cats?

[prettykitties]

Hi all!

I have two kitties, Wolfpack and Jelly Bean who are my whole wide world.

I currently live in Florida and in about 10 months, I'm moving back to my home state of California.

I know I'm planning waaaaay in advanced, BUT I like to be prepared 

So here's the dilemma: I can't decide the best way to travel with my furry children.

Wolfpack is very skittish and the only time he calms down during car rides is if he is sitting right in my lap. Otherwise, he will sit somewhere and do a deep belly meow like he's terrified over and over and over. Jelly Bean normally just makes her way to the floor of the passenger seat and chills there for the duration of the drive. But every drive I've done with them has been 25 minutes or less and have only been trips to the vet or trips from one apartment to the next when I've moved over the past 3 years that I've had them.

I absolutely refuse to fly the cats to the new place. I've heard way too many horror stories about animals suffering from heat stroke, not getting any water or food, not getting their crates cleaned, or being left on the hot tarmac at the airport. And since we'll be traveling in June, it'll be plenty hot outside. 

I am dead set on making this cross-country trip in my car with my babies so they are never alone.

NOW...

My plan was that I would make this trip into an extra long road trip. I was thinking I could drive for about 4-5 hours a day, find a pet-friendly hotel, and set the kitties up with their crate and bed, food, water, litter box, scratch post, toys, etc. I would hang out with them and play with them until they seemed comfortable in the hotel room and then go explore the city I stopped in for a few hours. Then we'd leave in the morning and go on to the next place. The trip would take probably about 10 days or so, but I figured it would be less stressful for the cats if they're only driving a short amount at a time. 

I told my roommate this plan and he didn't like it at all. He claims that I should make the entire trip as short as possible and drive as much as I can each day. He said it would stress them out less if the trip only took 2-3 days of a long time driving rather than drawing the trip out over a week and a half or two weeks. To me, that sounds like it would be torture to the cats to be constantly stressed for such a long period of time for a few days. I felt like my plan would be safer because it would give them a chance to calm down and relax in the hotel room. And I figured after the first few days, they might calm down in the car when they realize they're not going to the vet for any more shots or anything like that. 

I plan on talking to my vet, of course, and seeing if he suggests giving my cats any sedatives or anything, though I'd rather not use them. I've heard that they make it even more difficult for the cat to relax.

I have heard about the Bach flower essence rescue remedy and figured I could give them a few drops of that before the trip to calm their nerves. 

I have a very large crate that they both fit into. I keep it at the foot of my bed with their favorite blanket inside of it and I catch them sleeping in it all the time. Since they are obviously familiar with and feel safe in that crate, I planned on strapping that in to the back seat of my car. (I drive a Ford Fusion if that helps you to imagine this situation a little better). I thought I could keep the door of it open, that way they can either stay in the safe place or come up to the front seat with their mama. My best friend will also be accompanying me on this trip and they're familiar with him as well. I have a small litter box I could keep on the floor of the backseat for them. I plan on covering the entire backseat in blankets and towels, partly so they all smell familiar and safe, and partly so they don't ruin the leather seats with their claws (it's a brand new car lol). I'll have their favorite small scratch post and toys in the trunk too to bring out for them in the hotel rooms. And plenty of treats.

Both of them are microchipped, but I plan on getting harnesses, leashes, and ID tags for them too just to be absolutely safe, though I think both of them are too skittish to bolt off away from me. 

So, what do you think? Will the shorter car rides with multiple stops over a period of less than 2 weeks be more or less stressful for them than just a straight 3,000mi cross-country trip in 2-3 days? 

Which one should I do?
And do you have any additional advice for making the trip easier on them and me?

 

[sivyaleah]

Personally, I'd be thinking of my cats comfort and make the trip as short as possible.  Every night you add will increase their stress and anxiety. The majority of cats do not do well being put into new spaces every day. It's not just a hotel, you're talking about many different hotels, with different smells, sounds and shapes.It's a lot to expect them to acclimate to and each time they start to (hopefully) get comfortable they are being ripped up again. And again. And again.

Also NEVER allow cats to be free to roam inside a car. It's not only dangerous for them, but for you as well.  If they get upset, they could easily wind up under the legs of the person driving.  Controlling panicked cats in a car is NOT an easy task and an accident could occur.

Make the trip short. Keep them in the crate in the car. Make sure a litter box and fresh water is available. Try not to feed them heavily while on the road - cats are known to suffer from car sickness.  Be ready to have to listen to hours of constant complaining from them also. When I moved from Florida back to New Jersey, my cat literally screamed the entire time.  She was NOT happy at all.

I also wouldn't leave my cats alone in a strange hotel.  Maids or other personnel might come in even if you request them not to, and the chance of them escaping is high.

This is all my opinion based on my own experiences and from the knowledge I've gained through the years about cat behavior.  

 

[GoldyCat]

It is possible to fly with your cats in the cabin, not cargo. I've flown many times with my cats and had no issues. As far as I know all airlines that accept in-cabin pets allow only one carrier per passenger, but you can put two pets of the same species in one carrier. If you have two people flying you can each take one carrier. The carrier has to be small enough to fit under the seat in front of you and it counts as your carryon luggage. There is also a pet fee in addition to your own air fare, but that's going to be less than paying for hotels all across the country. You would need to check on the pet policy for each airline before you book your flight because there are some differences in their requirements.

 

[angels mommy]

I haven't had any experience with this, but both suggestions above sound best to me. If driving, I think the least amount of time, & less new places for them is better for all the reasons sivyaleah suggested. The less stress for them, the better. I also strongly agree about it not being safe at all for them to roam free in the car at any time. God forbid an accident happen, but if it did, they would be much safer in the protection of a carrier.   

I also would not feel comfortable leaving them in the hotel alone. They will already be stressed from being in a strange place. 

Here is a great video that I've posted before, for someone who was also moving.

It's from the Cole & Marmalade channel on YouTube. It's one I subscribe to. You can't help but fall in love with those kitties, especially that Marmalade! 

  

They showed how they traveled across country with the boys. It's really a great video & is a great way to do it. I really hoe it helps!