Cross-country Drive with Cats

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m moving halfway across the country next month, from St. Louis to Salt Lake City. Even with all that a move entails one of the things I’ve been stressing about the most has been how to minimize the trauma to my cats, and therefore me. It’s a long drive, probably upwards of 26 hours. Does anyone have any advice for long distance driving with cats?

Obligatory pictures of the kitties in question.

Nube is the longhair dark kitty. She is almost two years old. Sol is the shorthair orange tabby, and he is almost one year old.

I will be asking my vet for advice, especially because a few people have recommended anti-anxiety drugs for Nube. I’m not entirely happy with either of the vets I’ve taken them to, though. They are both fine overall, but I’ve had some small issues. At my preferred vet’s office I’m not sure who I’ll end up talking to since I seem to end up with one of a number of associate vets depending on availability, so I haven’t been able to build up trust with any of them.

I think Sol will be fine. He’s an easy-going cat and hasn’t yet fought me when I put him in the carrier.

Nube is another story. She absolutely hates being put in the carrier. It’s now at least a half hour ordeal when I take her to the vet. She fights and hides like her life depends on it, and I always come away bloody. The last time I took her to the vet she seemed to be having a panic attack once we were there and I let her out. She just wanted to hide, and was panting heavily throughout the visit.

I initially planned on splitting the drive into two days with a hotel, but on second thought plan on doing it straight through. My worry is that if I let them out in a hotel room then trying to get them back into the carriers will be a terrible experience for all involved.

One data point worth mentioning is that they are pretty good on a leash. I smoke, but not inside, so we’ve come to an understanding that when I go out they come with me. They’ve had a lot of leash time. They do pull on the leash on a regular basis, and juggling two cats is often a challenge, but at least they will usually give in when I pull back.

A few things I’ve thought about to make the final trip easier:
[ul]
[li]Buy a soft carrier and see if Nube likes it better. I currently only have the one hard sided one she hates.[/li][li]Take them for several test drives before the real trip. Perhaps even taking them to a park to test getting them on a leash while in the car, and then see how they deal with getting out and back in.[/li][li]Drugging Nube, or both, to lessen their stress.[/li][li]Making a large carrier out of a semi-transparent storage bin, so it’s not as enclosed.[/li][/ul]
I could just leave them in the carriers for the whole 26 hour trip, but I’m not sure they can hold it that long, and I worry about dehydration.

I know there are a lot of cat lovers on the SDMB. Any advice would be appreciated.

2

I would seriously consider the drugs. Maybe not completely knocked out but dopey. There is no way IMO, you can reduce the stress w/o drugs. I would be really afraid to let them out of a carrier in a less than secured location. A hotel room would be ok, as long as the door is secure. One darting cat into an unknown area and it’s over. Good luck.

3

Don’t even think of trying a 26 hour drive !!!

There is a reason commercial drivers are limited to a max (depending on region of 12-13 hours per day)

Split it into 2 days.

I would hesitate on drugging them unless absolutely necessary. Do a trial run with them in their cages as well (which I think you have already)

Also leave them in their cages for a few hours at a time at home so they get used to it.

However, my experience is with dogs not cats so take it with a grain of salt.

4

I’ve done this several times now (Columbia MO to San Jose, CA was one such venture). I recommend a larger crate they can share, with room for water, food, a litter box, and shade. I used a wire dog crate that fit into the back seat. I found a small litter box and put it inside a cardboard box on the box of the crate (to contain mess and smell). I used shelves that came with the crate and improvised some kitty slings, so they could spread out. Make sure your seat is lined as well, so it’s protected. Other lessons: make sure the crate door opens where you can reach it. Make sure you’ve got an extra carabiner or latch in place that the cats cannot undo. Hunting your cat across a parking lot sucks.

Heat is the biggest problem I think. Shade, water, and temperature control are important. The cats usually adjust to the car ride. You can ask for the meds just to have in case of emergency, but you probably won’t need them.

When I travelled from MO, I got the vet to do the interstate travel docs. I’ve never bothered on any other trip and I’ve never been asked at any state crossing. Since you’re taking them to the vet anyway, it’s a simple form and you may as well get it.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

5

No offence intended however

Reading your original post, it seems like the cats (particularly Nube) thinks that he owns the roost and you seem give in to him a little too easy.

As much as I hate to say it, you might need to reinforce who is the master :smiley:

I know, easier said than done especially with cats :o

6

Sorry, I read your post again, Nube is a female. (which might explain the stubborness:D)

7

My son moved 3 cats from Colorado to Kentucky, a three-day drive, and I helped drive, so here’s how it worked.

Each cat in a cat crate. The crates had little wells for water and food. The crates were strapped down by some kind of strap that attached to the seat belt.

Each crate was the plastic airline-approved cat crate, big enough for them to stand up and turn around.

We drove approximately 6 hours a day, and spent the night in pet-friendly hotels, where we set out their food dishes and a litter box, and they all used it. Next morning, the cats went back in their crate.

They did cry a bit at first, but then they curled up and slept. No drugs involved. One of these cats was mellow. One of them was the opposite, and a real trouble-maker. Even the mellow one didn’t particularly like traveling this way, but she got along.

Do not expect them to love it, but they will survive. If we stopped to eat, we made sure the car temperature was okay. Do not expect them to spend 26 hours cooped up in a crate. They could probably go longer than 6 hours though. (We were also traveling with young children. The 6-hour thing was for them, also the long rest stops.)

To get a cat into a crate who doesn’t want to go, grab cat by the scruff of the neck and stuff him in. Accomplished more easily if you can sneak up on said cat when he’s sleepy. Trust me when I say none of these cats, even the mellow one, wanted to go in the crate in the morning, but they were all okay once they were in there and kind of resigned to it. And scruffing them doesn’t hurt them. They relax, and it’s quick.

8

Oh, here is a weird little data point. One of my cats really, really hated the crate, and as soon as we got it out of the closet she would disappear. So we learned to get it out at least a week before we needed it (obviously not possible for emergencies but fortunately there weren’t a lot of those).

Then, catch her napping, grab by scruff of neck, and into the crate.

Now the funny thing was that we would do this to take her to the vet, and before we learned the scruffing trick, there was blood, and before we learned to leave the crate out there were cancelled appointments, because she just vanished.

However. When the vet visit was over and it was time to get her back into the crate for the trip home, she just walked right in.

The vet said this almost always happened. Strange.

Anyway if you stop at pet-friendly motels, there won’t be a lot of hiding places for a cat. You can’t leave the door on the latch when you go get ice, though.

Also make sure the pet-friendly hotel takes cats. There is one in Hays, Kansas that says it’s pet friendly, but it is not friendly to cats. Luckily, more than one hotel in Hays that actually is pet-friendly.

9

This. I’ve never been a cat owner (has anyone?), but I have seen two cats react very differently in the same car. Neither had been in a moving vehicle before AFAIK and no carriers were used. The less playful cat seemed fine but the other one absolutely freaked out, I thought, at seeing the world move around him. As soon as the car started to move, he went into cat panic, digging in with his claws and looking around in all directions with that crazy cat look. As the car drove off, I saw him perched on the headrest of one of the front seats, digging in hard with his claws and using his fatter-than-I’d-ever-seen-it tail to keep his balance.

So maybe give your cats a little preview of their upcoming journey.

10

I’ve done this for two nights. We carried their litter box in the trunk. They yowled and such, but rode next to me on the seat of the truck so I could talk to them. Only once did we stop in the middle of the longer day at a rest stop, and let them out to pee. WAY BACK in a corner where there was a good fence. They didn’t try to act out at all.

11

Aww, that’s cute. You think humans are the masters.
Regards,
Grrr’s cat.

12

Doesn’t seem strange at all to me. How many humans do you know who are keen to get checked into hospital, but dawdle when it’s time to come home? :slight_smile:

ETA: apologies for the insensitive username/topic combo. I don’t normally post in cat threads. For the record, although not a cat lover, I wish them no ill - my handle is a play on being curious.

13

I moved from Nevada to PA with my cat.

Had a terrible time getting him into the crate and within 15 or 20 minutes his yowling drove me so nuts I felt I had no choice but to open it and let him out. He rode most of the way on the dash of the U-Haul with no further problems.

Kept a small litter box on the floor of the truck but don’t think he ever used it; he waited til we were in a room.

At night I held him in the crook of my arm, keeping the other hand tightly gripping the scruff of his neck to get him into the motel.

Other than those first few minutes of unbearable noisemaking, it was an uneventful trip.

14

Sounds like about everything is covered so far … just wanted to add that under no circumstances should you let the cats drive while you nap … you’ll awake southbound on I-25 …

I recently moved about an hour away and just let all five cats roam and find their own comfort place … just had to keep the one out from underneath the brake pedal …

15

Lots of good ideas and I hope you can use some the suggestions to make the journey less stressful for your cats. It will likely be hard on your more easily stressed cat, but do the best you can. I would try a large dog crate if you think having them together would be helpful, and you have the room in the vehicle, though you may find they feel safer tucked into their own carriers.

I don’t know if you’ve tried this, but to get a cat into a carrier more easily and with less feline resistance, stand the crate on it’s end so the open door is at the top. Hold cat around his chest (or by the scruff) so hind legs are dangling and lower him into the crate, close door quickly and then tip the crate back to it’s normal position. I found this much easier than trying to stuff them in head first.

16

I drove from Edmonton, AB to Ottawa, ON with a cat, terri-poo, mastiff puppy and a teenager in a two door Jeep Wrangler. We used a soft carrier for Hermione and she went at my daughter’s feet. We used Zylkene on canned food to help the cat be comfortable. It does not knock them out, but does relax them. It’s also (I think) a milk protein.

The trip took about five days, and we were in a hotel for a week until the house was ready. It went fine, if a bit crowded.

17

Ugh. Three years ago we drove from central Illinois to Seattle with the cat and the then 4-year-old. Three nights on the road. I dreaded it for months ahead of time.

When it happened, it wasn’t too bad. We bought a carrier for the cat that was big enough for her to have a small litterbox (like, one of those clear plastic storage boxes, bigger than a shoebox) in the back and a folded blanket in the front. The carrier came with a little food dish, which we put some food in, and we bought a hamster-style water bottle that leaked on her, so we took it off. She was fine; she ate and drank in the motels at night and slept during the day.

We had a cat leash, which she promptly figure out how to get out of.

At night, in the motels, we tried keeping her in the cage but she wouldn’t have it. Had to let her out. She always wanted to hide under the beds, which were on boxes, but the boxes were open against the wall. Stuff pillows in the gaps so she couldn’t get in there, and all was fine. By the third morning my husband just said “time to get in your cage, kitty,” and she went.

So that’s how we did it. YMMV based on your pets’ personalities. One thing to do ahead of time, if you’re spending a night on the road, is know which chains accept pets (Super 8 and La Quinta, for starters).

18

You’ve had a lot of good advice. I’d also add try backing your kitty into the carrier. Stuffing them in going forwards doesn’t work very well because they can put on the brakes so well.

We haven’t had to do long distance with the cats yet, but we live in an earthquake zone so I’m prepared. I have a large dog kennel for each with a small litterbox in the back and a blanket in the front.

I’m glad they’re both leash-trained, but are they microchipped, just in case? They’re both so cute, BTW. :slight_smile:

19

I moved with 2 cats from New Jersey to Missouri. Neither of them liked being in a carrier but one I knew would yowl the entire trip. He was also the active and inquisitive sort who wasn’t likely to curl up on a seat and refrain from lying under the brake pedal. So I asked my vet for a kitty sedative for him which worked reasonably well. I did stop for the night at a hotel and just kept the cats in the bathroom overnight. That way there wouldn’t be too many places to hide when it came time to crate them up for the 2nd day’s drive.

20

I have a cat like your Nube. Trips to the vet were so traumatic (for both of us) that I ended up finding a vet that makes house calls. No way in hell would either one of survive a 26 hour car trip. I vote for meds for a cat like that.