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My husband and I have decided on our next vacation we are going to take our cat instead of leaving her with my mother (she's not able to do it anymore). It's a 12 hour trip, what do I do about the litter box, food, water, how can I can make easier for the cat and us too??? She is used to being in the car for 2 1/2 hours and does just fine, but 12 hours, I'm concerned about.
Oh gee, I've done it. We have one cat we adopted who was used to longish car rides. We took her on a long trip in a minivan and she just found her spot and looked out the window. We had water, a litter box, food ...
When we moved over the summer to a city 9 hours away, we had to bring our other cat who was not used to the car. She did just fine. I had a huge pile of comforters in the back seat and she kind of "hid" happily in the pile. (The two cats do not get along, so they were in separate cars).
I did find some homeopathic drops at a pet store for "car anxiety" and these actually seemed to be quite effective.
All of that said, you could find a pet sitter who will come into your house while you are gone and take care of your cat. I've done this in two cities and in both cases it was $14/visit. With a cat you just need one visit a day. Plus they can bring in your mail and water your plants. Just a thought.
Get a wire cage. Your kitty will be able to see out & get plenty of air. Offer her water (which she most likely will refuse) when you stop. When you get where you are going put out the litter, food & water before you open the cage.
Don't take her out of the cage until you get where you are going. Nothing worse than chasing your cat at a busy rest area next to the interstate. Make sure your cat has collar with a tag, just in case.
Check with your vet before you go. He/she may give you some Acepromazine tablets that you can use if your kitty becomes overly distressed being in the car for an extended period.
I was 13 hours in the vehicle with 2 cats & a dog when we moved back to FL. Neither cat made a peep the whole way, the dog was another story.....
I have made several trips driving from Ohio to Florida with my cat. I never had a problem with him. I just put him in his carrier and he meows a few minutes at first and then he just sleeps the rest of the journey. He doesn't want any food or water and does not go the bathroom till we reach our destination. I have also taken him on an airplane about three times. No problems there either, no sedation, nothing. My cat is a kewl cat.
Get a wire cage. Your kitty will be able to see out & get plenty of air. Offer her water (which she most likely will refuse) when you stop. When you get where you are going put out the litter, food & water before you open the cage.
Don't take her out of the cage until you get where you are going. Nothing worse than chasing your cat at a busy rest area next to the interstate. Make sure your cat has collar with a tag, just in case.
Check with your vet before you go. He/she may give you some Acepromazine tablets that you can use if your kitty becomes overly distressed being in the car for an extended period.
I was 13 hours in the vehicle with 2 cats & a dog when we moved back to FL. Neither cat made a peep the whole way, the dog was another story.....
Yeah, the wire cage worked well for me when I moved from Boston to NC. I have a station wagon so I got a large cage--about $80. There was enough room in there for the two cats I had then plus their litter box and food and water dishes. The DH made a wooden shelf for the upper half of the cage so they could sit up there, that left the floor space for the litter box, etc.
They only howled until Hartford, they were pretty quiet the rest the way.
I traveled 3,000 miles with my cat and my dogs. The cat was great the whole time. During the day, he was in the crate (the wire crate is great, as other people mentioned). I also bought disposable litter boxes that I found online. I don't remember where I got them but I'm sure if you google it you'll find them.
We had 3 overnights during the trip. He did really well, and was much easier to travel with than the dogs (or my husband).
I think it depends on the cats. I had a group of cats that HATED the car, when I drove from Texas to Kansas they howled the whole time.
The cats I have now don't care either way.
I would have a litter box for them if they are going to be in the car that long and you have that option.
Years ago, I had a couple cats that enjoyed riding in the car. One time on a road trip from Colorado to Texas, they rode on the seat backs watching the world go by. They got ALOT of attention as people drove by.
I've traveled with my cat from CA to FL. Get your cat a roomy carrier with something comfortable for him/her to sleep on. Bring along a couple of trays of cat litter with liners and dispose of the liners in plastic bags. My cat did the usual crying in the beginning, but after a while she got tired of listening to herself. When it became time to stop overnight, I let her out in the cab of the U-Haul so she could use the cat tray (best to feed your cat dry food for a couple of days prior). There was no real mess to clean. It worked out very well. I suggest you keep the car or truck close to where you'll be sleeping and check on your animal every so often. One place I stayed actually allowed pets, but still, you'll want to keep them in the carrier...very important. To play it even safer...get a chip in your animal. I wish those were around when I had my cats.
I see alot of truck drivers that travel with their cat, all over the US. I saw one last week where the cat was asleep on the dash-lol. Of course big trucks have a bigger dash than a car.
My grandparents used to take their cat from Ar to MI all the time.
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