So I’m moving in about 2 weeks to go to college. I currently live in New Jersey and will be moving to Florida. I’ve been trying to find a good home for my cats for the past few weeks, but every I’ve talked to only wants one or the other. They’re sisters and have been together since birth, so I would feel horrible splitting them up. I’ve talked to the landlord at the apartment and have worked the cats into the lease now, so they will be going with me.
My problem now is how I go about transporting them there. My dad and I will be driving down overnight. By his estimate, it should take us somewhere between 14-16 hours to get down there.
Should I just put them in a carrier and go? Do I need something bigger to keep them in so I can fit a litter box?
Anyone have any experience with sedatives? How expensive would it be to get enough for 2 cats for the ride?
I’ve moved cross-country with cats, and participated in transports with rescue cats. Safest is to provide a big enough crate for them plus a small litter box. If possible, get the crate now and start feeding them in there (door open) so they’re somewhat used to it when the time comes. Put catnip in there, if they’re catnip-loving cats.
Putting collars with ID tags on is a good idea, even if you don’t plan on letting them out during the trip. Just in case.
IIRC, there aren’t many sedatives that are safe for cats…that’s a question for your vet (or one of the board vets or vet techs.)
One cat I had used to hate car rides and my vet told me to give her a tiny syringe of Benedril before the trip. I did and it got her so worked up in panic that she instantly threw it back up and I still had to deal with her crying the entire car ride.
The major cost of the sedative is the vet visit to get it prescribed. IIRC the vet-recommended anti-anxiety medication (Acepromazine) was about $10. It lasts about 10-14 hours on a dose.
I drove my cat 10 hours cross country, twice. You can buy a disposable cat pan (litter included) which is handy. I kept it wrapped in a large garbage bag when not in use. About every three hours, I would pull over at a rest stop, lock all the doors of the vehicle, and let the cats stretch their legs inside the car. I would also offer food and water (always refused) and the cat box. After about 15 minutes, back on the road. One cat was conked out on 1/2 pill, the other had a full pill and still cried most of the time (but he had always been a very poor traveler, and he did sleep a bit, so I wouldn’t say it had a negative effect).
Make sure you line the carriers with towels or absorbent sheets. Cats won’t go to the bathroom inside their carrier normally, but if they just can’t hold it, they will. My one cat, after refusing the litter box all day, peed in his carrer about 15 minutes from our destination. Poor little guy, he was quite disgruntled about it. I’m glad there was something in there to absorb the liquid.
How are your cats when you bundle them into a carrier for a short car ride to the vet? (Assuming that’s how they get their vet care.) How they handle something like that should tell you a lot about how they’d handle a longer trip and what preparations you might need to make. I’ll second the disposable litter box suggestion - in fact, it might not hurt to get one now, while they’re still in their familiar home, so they can at least get used to that change.
If you’ve never driven them anywhere before and have the time before you leave, you might try a short test drive one evening to see how they react. Windows up, please.
Welcome to the Dope, have a safe drive, good luck at college, and we’d love to see picture of your kitties!
