So, I got a new job in Florida. I currently live in Arkansas, and I have to drive halfway across the country in a few weeks. I’m scared but thrilled. I’m concerned about money, but we should be OK.
There are two big problems that are looming. We have one good car that is fairly new and quite dependable. The other car, however, is a real piece of junk. It’s a 1989 VW diesel Jetta. It’s had its problems, and it has an oil leak somewhere. I can’t drive it for more than half-an-hour without the oil light coming on, and my commute to my job in Florida will more than likely be a half hour. The commute will be longer “in season,” and will involve stopping at a lot of stoplights and waiting around in traffic. I’d like to keep the car as long as I can, but with the intense heat and humidity (we will be about 100 miles south of Tampa) and all the idling and wear and tear, I don’t think this car (160,000 miles, engine already rebuilt about 60,000 miles back) has much left in it. Does anyone have any knowledge of these cars or how they might behave in this kind of atmosphere? By the way, we are towing that car down.
Second problem: My cat. She’s 15 and quite sensitive. She gets stressed out and rattled easily. The drive to our new place will take about 22 hours–needless to say we will be staying overnight. Anyone had to have their cat in the car for that long? It won’t work to put her in the cat carrier, because I can’t bear to hear her meowl in misery for 22 hours. I planned on putting her the passenger seat, maybe in a little box with some blankets. I plan on getting her doped up at the vet, but she fought that pretty viciously last time we moved.
Any help or advice on either of these matters would be appreciated. I would love to hear any stories, good or bad, that you may have.
That’s a great idea, but it’s probably not feasable to fly down there right now.
I suppose I could sell the car now and start over fresh when we get to Florida. But I guess I wanted to see how long it would last while there since I’d hate to go through the process of looking for a car immediately after we spent all this time looking for a place to live.
However, you interested in buying a crappy car, GMRyujin?
Back in '92 I moved from Dallas to Reading, PA with four cats in my cab-plus Mazda pickup. One of the cats was 15 and hated riding in the car; she meowed ( ok, she pretty much howled) for the first 60 miles then just gave in, figuring this was home now.
I guess I’ll just have to hope she’ll do the same (give in). I’ll be sure to get the vet to give her some pills before I leave. That second day, though, I’ll have to feed her the pills myself. That should be fun. I have these fears that somehow she’ll stress out so much that she’ll die along the way or something, but I suppose even a 15-year-old cat is stronger than you think.
Hmm, 15, eh? Old for a cat, but they can live longer still. My cat hates the car too. He’ll meow a little and cling like saran wrap until I put him in, then he’ll make a beeline for the back of the car and sit above the seats until we get where we’re going. One thing to keep in mind is poop/pee, he’ll probably need to go at least twice, maybe more being 15. He’ll also need to eat and drink but the ride may be too upsetting. The sleeping pills sound like your best bet since it will eliminate much of the stress. Good luck!
When I last moved house, it involved a 90 minute car ride with The Boods – she hates riding in the car for 90 seconds. Tried the kitty drugs, but she resisted. I thought I would go bloody mad, listening to her insane yowling, because it was a snowy, icy day on top of the ‘pack the van up day from hell’ (we had a family from hell in the old neighbourhood, and their kids were taking stuff back out of the van as fast as we could put it in! Finally had to get a neighbour to stand and guard the van) and I must have been a sight to on coming traffic, begging this cat to shut up – finally, my sanity snapped, and I started to meow back.
Best thing I could have done! Meow back, seriously! She was puzzled at first, but then started meowing in the same ‘tone of voice’ that I was, and got quieter and quieter and was quite happy. Bizarre, but true – she settled down literally within minutes of me meowing at her, and for the rest of the trip she would let out an occasional ‘Meow?’ and I would answer in a gentle tone back. Sounds mad, but it worked.
Why in the heck I didn’t try this technique at my dissertation defense, I’ll never know…
I’ve traveled long distances with cats a couple of times. I find they howl at first, then give up and resign themselves to their fate. I’ve also found they like the security of a cat carrier; I leave it open but they stay in it by choice.
Withhold food and water for a few hours before starting. I improvised litter boxes with throwaway aluminum baking pans, set in the rear footwell. Just throw the whole thing away when it needs changing.
When you check into the hotel/motel, leave the cat in the carrier in the car, till you get settled into the room. Then, before bringing in the cat, check the room and bathroom very carefully for any spaces they could get trapped in, holes into ducts or other rooms, etc. When in a new room, they tend to panic and find all those hiding places very quickly. You don’t want them to get lost in a hotel, crawl up under the eaves, get out the window, etc.
