Hi,
So I’ve found someone to take my two female cats. I inherited them so to speak after a relationship ended. Four years later and I realize that they need a home with someone who is actually there more than a week a month. So a nice family with a seven year old has decided to adopt them. Issue is, they live 6 hours away and they are wondering how to best transport them.
Any doper out there have any suggestions? It’ll be by car.
Thank you!
Tranquilizers. Take them to the vet for the prescription. Vet’ll probably tell you this, but if he/she doesn’t, give them the pills about a half hour before you stuff them in the carriers. It seems that if you get them freaked out before giving them the pills, it’s harder to calm them down.
Also, I was surprised to learn that they won’t need bathroom breaks. I took my kitties on a 10-hour move and they did just fine. They’re not totally knocked out, and will respond if you pet them or talk to them. It’s just sleepy-time if you leave them alone.
Pet carrier box. Put a blanket that they like to sleep on inside so they have a familiar scent in the box. If possible, leave the box in their spaces in your house for a few days so they are accustomed to it and you won’t have as much trouble coaxing/pushing them in. Trying to get a cat (much less 2) into somewhere they don’t want to go is like trying to put an octopus in a string bag.
Don’t feed them prior to the trip (last food the night before). Try to encourage them to use the litter before the trip (just put them in the litter box and hope that they’ll use it). They’ll be fine for the day.
Our cats have always been a little freaked by the experience, so put a cloth over the carrier when in the car.
We had to do a similar thing and I told my sister-in-law not to feed them before we left. 10 minutes on the road and the tell-tale mrowr and he threw up in the carrier. Out goes the blanket and 10 minutes of travel time to stop and clean it up. She thought he looked sad so she fed him :rolleyes:.
In my experience, a 6-hour trip by car shouldn’t be a problem unless they are particularly stressed out kitties (in which case, Gesturing Mildly’s suggestion would be best). My 2 cats spent about 8 hours in their carrier in our car (with my nephew and 4 dogs for company) while we completed closing on 2 houses in 2 different cities for our last move and were none the worse for wear. They really do need to be in a decent pet carrier with something soft to lie on, though, not loose or in one of those cardboard carriers they give you sometimes at shelters.
I had one cat who would yowl quite vehemently anytime she had to ride in the car, but it did her no harm, and I got used to it after the first 100 miles.
Thank you for this. I have a good relationship with their vet so I think I’ll take them there to get checked out and then have them mildly sedated.
Have you tried herding… oh, never mind.
I use the Garfield compensators. Its the only way to be sure.
When I relocated here from NYC, I drove my two cats . . . each in its own carrier, one atop the other, on the front passenger seat. The seat belt fit around the carriers nicely. No tranquilizers, no food or water, no potty breaks. I just talked and sang to them a lot, and they were much better behaved than I had anticipated.
Just coming in to stress separate carriers for the kitties. Even if they love each other, the stress of travel can make them attack each other in a small space. A little sedation can be good, you might not need very much. If they’re good in the car for you on trips to the vet already, they should be fine for a longer trip. Your vet may be able to recommend just some Benadryl or Dramamine that may be plenty and most vets will tell you the recommended doses over the phone.
When I moved in with my girlfriend I had to take my two cats on a 12 hour drive. A little sedation from the vet before going, catnip if they like that, separate carriers with something soft to lay on that smells comforting (old shirts of the favorite human or some pillow where they bed down often), cover them with blankets so they can’t see too much, and they should be fine.
When they get stressed they don’t need food and can be just fine for a day if need be, so you don’t need to worry about food or water for a six hour trip.
You should take steps to get them acclimated to the new place before just letting them out of the carriers.
Mostly unrelated story:
When I was moving with my three cats, I had the big black one in a carrier (with a wire top) in the front seat with me. I’d stopped at a gas station, and as I was filling up, a guy comes up to the car, looks in the carrier and asks, “Is that a pit bull?” “Uh, no. It’s a cat.” “Oh, do you want to sell him?”
I shudder to think about what the guy wanted with my poor kitty!