I used soft cat carriers, not crates, and I put the cats in the front passenger seat. One trick to make the cats quiet down is to cover the top of their carrier with a towel so they can’t see out. They will stop yowling much sooner.
Periodically I would give the kitty a reassuring pat, sometimes unzipping the zipper slightly to stroke the kitty’s neck. Unfortunately this can lead to a cat escape and now they are loose in the car.
If this happens, pull over at the nearest gas station or rest stop, but do not open the door until they are securely fastened back in their carrier. Otherwise you may lose your kitty forever.
I did a 12 hour run this way. They were on towels but didn’t pee until after I stopped.
I’ve moved three cats around 2000 miles and taken cats on many shorter trips (250-500 miles). The best thing I’ve found, if possible, is to put the carrier in the passenger seat. True, in an airbag deployment it’s possible there’d be a similar problem as having a child seat up there, but buckle in the carrier to keep it from moving too much and hope that an impact would be taken by the carrier and miss the cat. Obviously safer if it’s a hard carrier. Cats who absolutely hated being in the back seat would eventually calm down if they were in the front. I’ve been able to drive without them being sedated in this way, but I won’t say that you shouldn’t try sedatives if you or the vet think it’s a good idea.
Reducing G-forces seems to help as well. In my experience, cats are much better cruising long distances on the highway. They grumble when you change speed, slow down/stop, make turns, etc.
We drove from Madison, Wisconsin to Payson Az in a pick up with two cats…in July. They started off in a huge dog carrier in the back. Had to move them into the cab with ac when it was 100 degrees outside, our Tom from Saudi Arabia didn’t handle it well. ( after that trip, he had been to…Nevada, Qatar, Italy, Australia and Nevada, he just passed 18 months ago)) the Other cat was fine. We took three days a stayed in pet friendly places. Heard the kitty chorus all the time.
Thanks everyone for the advice and experiences. I’m heartened by those who did a long trip that turned out not to be a big problem.
That’s my largest concern, so I will never let them out of the car unless they are already on the leash, and be extra vigilant about having a tight hold. Depending on how a test run to a park works I probably won’t even let them out of the crate unless we are in a closed room.
This is good advice, but I’ve made this same drive a dozen or so times over the years, about half of them straight through. The last few times I’ve sworn up and down that I would never make that drive again, especially without a hotel stop in the middle. Unfortunately I don’t have much choice this time since I have to get my car and the cats out there.
I do have another driver coming along to help, and I stressed to them that if we do it in one go that we will be stopping at a rest stop or parking lot for a nap wherever we are at 2 AM. Previous trips really were dangerous when we didn’t take a break and were nodding off, having to switch drivers every half hour or so.
Some of the hotel experiences people have shared in this thread are making me reconsider, though. Maybe the cats and I would be better off with a stop.
I’m now thinking about a larger shared crate to give more space for a litter box and food. My car is a small two-door, though, and I might not be able to fit something large enough. Also, my cats are friends, but not grooming friends, if you know what I mean. I worry that if one freaks out that they could hurt the other.
How did you handle water? I’m having a hard time thinking of a setup that doesn’t end up with all the water spilled everywhere.
Interstate travel docs? That didn’t even occur to me, so thanks for clueing me in. I’ve never experienced border inspection on this route, although I did on a trip to CA once. A quick google shows that Utah does require: “All dogs, cats and ferrets shall be accompanied by an official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (Health Certificate).” I’ll ask my vet for one. They are up to date on all vaccinations.
No offence taken, and I like Grrr!’s response. They do think they own the roost, and they would be right. At least they let me stick around as long as I give them treats.
I need to get better at the scruffing trick. I think I’ll practice before the trip. The only time I tried it was trying to give Nube oral drugs with syringes. It didn’t seem very effective, and resulted in a lot of blood, so I gave up.
On similar advice the crate I have has been out almost constantly for the two years I’ve had the cats. They still know something is up when I move it away from anything they can grab, but at least just seeing it doesn’t cue the hiding.
Nube doesn’t put up a fight getting in the carrier when at the vet either. I figured it was a combination of already not being in her comfort zone, and just wanting to get out of there. I’ve told the vet that no, really, she does fight like the dickens at home. I’m sure they hear that all the time. That gives me a little hope that she won’t fight while on the road, but I have to plan for the worst.
A friend of mine regularly does a five-hour drive with two cats not in carriers. I told him he’s crazy, because eventually one will end up under the pedals. I’m very convinced at this point that we need a few test drives to find out how they handle whatever setup I come up with.
Well said. Cats are smart enough to want to GTFO, no matter what it takes. And I wouldn’t have made the connection with the username and curiosity, but I think it’s clever.
I’m worried that one of them will freak out in a crate, but even then and with a second person, I don’t think I can gamble with expecting them not cause an accident if free. This is a good argument for the drugging option. Glad you arrived safely though.
The crate I have has a door on the top, which I thought would help. What I found is that cat rear legs easily spread much wider than the opening. Maybe the scruff is the key.
The only way I’ve been able to get her in is to use the top door and use the towel, cat burrito method. I wrap her tightly in a towel, which is no small feat in itself, then somehow throw her in and slam the door before she can escape. Neither of us likes this process, but I tell her it’s for her own good.
I hadn’t heard of Zylkene. Did you find it effective? I’ll ask the vet about it. It sounds like it might be something helpful even after the drive, to help them relax and get used to their new home. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
On a related note, does anyone have experience with the cat pheromone products? Do they help with general cat anxiety with things like new surroundings?
The hamster water bottle sounds like a good idea, but I can see the technical problems with it. I wonder if there’s any setup that isn’t a hanging bottle, but something that sits flat but keeps water contained.
Thanks for the tip of checking beds to see if they are on a box and closing any gaps. My expectation of a hotel stay would be of trying to get a cat out from under a bed. If most are on boxes that sounds much more workable.
Utah isn’t exactly an earthquake zone, but the locals think it is. I haven’t put much thought into a quick evacuation with the cats, but I really should.
Both cats are chipped. I made sure to do that when they were spayed / neutered. So if they do escape there’s a least a slim hope we will be reunited.
Thanks for saying they’re cute. I think they are very cute kitties. I told them the internet thought so too, and now they are insufferable. But they were already full of themselves so it’s not much of a change.
Do you happen to remember what medication they gave him? How long did it last, and how did your kitty react?
Home visits would be great. I might look for a vet that does them, because it really sucks seeing her so panicked.
I’m not sure how I’m going to replenish their food or any other in-crate maintenance, with an escaped kitty a likely result. I agree that opening the car door is an unacceptable risk. In my small car it’s going to be very comical (to somebody) trying to deal with this if it happens.
Up until this trip they’ve always ridden in the passenger seat. Since I have someone coming with me they will need to be in the back seat for this trip. That’s yet another thing to test on a few trial runs.
Your point about speed changes is a good one since one route I was considering takes some state highways. I think I’ll decide against that route and stick to the interstates.
Quite the world traveler kitty! I’m sorry to hear he passed. I tell my kitties they better live a long time, and if they agree then I’ll try to do the same.
My Mom’s cat has survived moving from Utah to Illinois, then to Belgium, then back to Illinois, then back to Utah. It escaped on one of the international flights. Hilarity ensued as they recruited half the cabin trying to get her secured again. I’m keeping that in mind about how not to transport cats.
Does anyone have experience with “family” bathrooms at rest stops on I-80 or I-70? Some websites say they exist, but I haven’t had a reason to pay attention to them until now. It occurred to me that if I can stop at a rest stop that has a bathroom that is private I could let the cats out for a bit to do their business, but keep them contained.
I’ve never had to take the cats longer than a trip to the vet but I sympathize with you. It sounds like your cat has mastered the art of what I like to call “starfish kitty” to avoid the carrier. Boris is an expert at this. I had to get a double-sized carrier to fit him in and make sure his sister is in first because he will escape if I open the door to put her in. So, I put her in the carrier, go get him*, open the lid and drop him on top of her then quickly latch the door while they are sorting themselves out.
*Getting hold of him is not easy. I live in a townhouse and one time I literally had to run up and down the 2 flights of stairs ten times before I concerned him in one of the bedrooms. Unfortunately, when I went to grab him, he bolted for the door, and managed to hook his paw under it and pull it open (apparently I hadn’t made sure it was completely latched). The good news is that he makes an excellent personal trainer. The bad news is that I had to call the vet and tell them there was no way I was going to catch him that day.
No, that’s a really, really bad idea. You’re not as young as you were then, nor as foolish, I’m sure, and it sounds like you’ve already pressed your luck. If you don’t want to book a room, you should at least start looking now at maps to determine a broad area that will likely contain the halfway point of your trip, and take note of hotels in that area. Stop and stretch every couple of hours.
If you firmly grab the loose skin on the back of their neck a cat goes limp, just like a kitten being carried by its mother. It’s a reflex. Once you get the hang of it (no, don’t let them hang … support their body with the other arm) it makes cats much easier to handle.
I offered my cat a drink and a little dry food from a little plastic dish whenever we stopped the truck. I only put a little bit in the dish because he rarely drank or ate any until we got to a room for the night.
I’ve done the cross country move with cats. Four of them, twice.
What worked for me was this, full body harness for each cat, with leash, two hard carriers in the back with the doors removed (after being safely put into the car with doors shut and windows up) so they could go in and out as they pleased, small dish of water and food on one side of the floor disposable aluminum roasting pan with kitty litter on the other. After the first fiasco where Mouse broke his harness and nearly escaped at a rest stop, rest stops were so my wife and I could pee, not walk the cats. Figure out what hotel motel you will stay at each night and call ahead to make sure they allow cats specifically. Went from Savannah Georgia to Kansas with one in my lap as I drove, one in the back window, one on the dashboard and one in the back seat, rinse and repeat for the move from Kansas to Idaho. The cats did just fine after the first few minutes once they realized we weren’t going to the vet.
ETA what **Turble **said is the exact advice my vet gave me for getting my BOC Bitty Brat into his carrier without bloodshed (mine mostly, he was HUGE)
That sounds smart. I’ve also had good luck upending the cat carrier so that the entrance is on top, and gently dropping the cat in. Cats are good at fighting lots of things, but they can’t fight gravity.
A shared carrier seems like the best way to let them comfort each other, but there’s also the chance that one will be so freaked out that it blames the other for their predicament. This is the problem some friends of mine had when they moved, and it was a terrible situation - one cat attacking the other mercilessly, then attacking the owners when he was let out. Suddenly they had a monster on their hands, and a behavioral expert had to be brought in.
Oopses happen. I would strongly suggest that if your cats are loose, have a harness or collar, attached to a leash, before attempting this. I nearly lost a cat that way: she bolted and disappeared into the woods nearby. I could not catch her.
Luckily, when I went back an hout ot so later, she’d gotten scared and came when I called her.
I never again took her in the car without s leash to attach before i opened the door.
IME, it can take a half hour or more for a cat deprived of a pan for 10 hours to decide to use the pan right in front of them in a strange room. Plus, what if an employee unlocks the bathroom to see why you’ve been in there so long and the cats get out?
In 3 cross-country trips (to and from and then to Utah from Georgia!) w/ 4, and then 3 cats, we’d haul ass for up to 11 hours a day, two cats in one large dog carrier. Then we’d get a room, bring them & release them after putting pan, food and water down. The next morning we’d turn the carriers on their ends w/ the door open, use a towel to swaddle-catch and transport the cats to the bottom of the carrier and repeat for another 10-11 hour drive.
Please, for your sanity, split your trip and do not drug the cats. If they’ve never had this drug before they may vomit all the way to Utah, there’s no telling how they’ll tolerate it.
This time of year I’d take 70, it’s less of a snow-covered and slippery hellscape than 80. Just today some friends were driving from STL to Moab and ran into lots of snow in CO.
Do not let the cats run around loose in the car while it’s moving. It’s not just the possibility of them blocking the brake pedal–we had a cat escape from a makeshift carrier once and start running around on the dashboard while we were doing 70mph down the highway, obscuring the driver’s vision. It’s too dangerous. Plus if you have an accident they become projectiles.
I moved cross-country a few years ago with a cat (LA to DC) and ended up driving my car with my dad while my mom flew there with the cat in-cabin. We were driving I-40 in the middle of July and it was so hot that we wouldn’t have been able to leave the cat unattended in the car without the A/C running full blast for even 3 minutes. The logistics were just too complicated and stressful. But my cousin did it with THREE cats, NY to San Diego, when it wasn’t very hot, so I know it’s possible.
Cats sometimes surprise you–mine hates the carrier and normally howls up a storm, but when she flew, I think she was so shocked that she just sat there, and it was a good 12-13 hours. I know she didn’t enjoy it and I wouldn’t do it to her again if I didn’t absolutely have to, but sometimes needs must. They’ll be OK.
They do think they own the roost, and they would be right. At least they let me stick around as long as I give them treats.