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Almost 30 years ago, when we moved from California to Washington state, we put our cats in carriers, on the back seat. Even with medicine from the vet, the howling began. When in an isolated area off the highway, about an hour later? saw a convenient store, picnic table out in front. Stopped, put the crates with cats on the table.
When we returned to the car, not a peep/howl out of them the rest of the trip.! Knew they weren't going to the vet, didn't know what ! Was also surprised, when I called in advance, the motels we were possibly staying, explained we had 2 cats, 1 small dog. No problem.
Three hours is very manageable. Even more time in the crate if needed when preparing. I moved across the country with two cats. I broke the days into 8 hour increments. After a few minutes in the car, they stopped crying and just slept. (Just think of them as little astronauts going for a ride.) I decided against medication, the vet said it could make them loose bladder control. When unloading the van, put the cat in the bathroom with some towels for resting, food and water, and be sure to close the toilet lid.
Kitty must be contained at all times. You don't want her jumping out of the car when you stopped to get gas. Try to think long term, not your short term needs. Kitty must have basic needs met (litter, water and food).
I have not moved with a cat since 1987. I won't even move due to my senior cats. They really hate moving and they love this place. So, I would question your decision to move in the first place.
Meow.
What a strange thing to say (the bolded part). You question someone's "decision" - which might not even be a real choice - to move, just because they have a cat? People move with pets all the time, and I applaud them for not dumping the cat like so many unfortunately do. I've moved like 20+ times in my adult life, and never once lost or dumped a cat/dog over it. Entirely doable, and the cat will be over it in a week. They'll be fine.
Have you not moved at ALL since 1987; or just haven't moved with a cat in that long? If the former, you're extremely rare in that. Most people move at least once per decade, I would imagine. Usually way more.
What a strange thing to say (the bolded part). You question someone's "decision" - which might not even be a real choice - to move, just because they have a cat? People move with pets all the time, and I applaud them for not dumping the cat like so many unfortunately do. I've moved like 20+ times in my adult life, and never once lost or dumped a cat/dog over it. Entirely doable, and the cat will be over it in a week. They'll be fine.
Have you not moved at ALL since 1987; or just haven't moved with a cat in that long? If the former, you're extremely rare in that. Most people move at least once per decade, I would imagine. Usually way more.
Well, people got to make a living or that cat will have neither food, nor shelter, and vets aren't free.
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Okay, so now it looks like I might get possession of the house on July 31. I have to work on August 1.
So what If I pack my cat and my cooler and and air mattress and some clothes until the car is full, then drive to my new house and settle in with the cat on the 31st. Go to work on the 1st. Then Go back to my old home on August 2 leaving the cat in the new house. SHe'll be out of the way while I pack and load the old house. Then when I go to unload at the new house on the 3rd, I can put her in the carrier for a couple of hours. DOes that make sense?
She'd be alone during the day on the 1st, and overnight on the 2nd. Is that too much?
This is exactly what we have done with local moves. We have moved 3 times locally and always get the kitties to the new place first, in a designated room with all of their necessities. They have been just fine each time. When we moved to NC from MD it was supposed to be about a 5 1/2 hour drive. HA, it took like 8 1/2 hours because of the VA traffic. We let them out in the back of the SUV, had a cup with water in the cupholder another with dry cat food and a litter box back there. They were all very chill and just along for the ride. I think we were crankier than they were
Update on move with Kitty:
We survived! Kitty was locked in the bathroom while we loaded the truck. I swear she was surprised when she came out and all the furniture and boxes were gone. SHe was bummed that the end tables that served as her window perches were missing and she could only look out the french doors for a couple of days.
The 3 hour car trip was quite the fiasco. I had a car top carrier and a bike rack with two bikes on the back. I had everything loaded up and put Kitty in the carrier to take her to the car. She settled down fairly quickly once I let her out of the carrier. I spilled her water almost immediately. The bike rack was rattling and shifting precariously. THe car top carrier made the car shimmy and I could barely drive the speed limit on the highway. I had planned to drive the 3 hours straight with no stopping but I couldn't have an unsafe load. So I stopped and got out and adjusted the bike rack. Kitty showed no sign whatsoever of being interested in getting out of the car. It was a non isssue. I had to stop 3 more times to check the bike rack. The drive took closer to 4 hours. Funny thing, when I pulled into the driveway at the new house she immediately climbed onto the floor of the back seat between a cooler and a totebag and wouldn't come out. I had to unload the cooler and several other things before I could get to her to drag her out of the car. Once again, no risk of her running away which is what had me so worried. Once in the house she made a dash for the stairs, into the bathroom and hid under the toilet. She didn't do that when I brought her home for the first time, so I thought it was odd. But the house does smell of dog so maybe that is what she is reacting to. TOok about 12 hours for her to come down the stairs with me to find her chow and litter box. Then she continued to haunt the top of the stairs for the first two days. But she did sleep with me on my air mattress and come down to eat and do her business. She just likes the top of the stairs.
I finally opened the front window so she can lounge on the windowsill and watch the neighborhood. Now she seems back to her normal self. Our truck was delivered today and will be unloaded tomorrow so she will go back into the bathroom. Can't wait to see her reaction when all the boxes and furniture reappear!
I'm moving this summer and jumpy as a....well...a cat...about moving with the cat. What do I do with her while we are loading the van? Will she tolerate a 3 hour car ride? What do I do with her while we are unloading the van? How have people managed this?
When I have moved from place to place in town, I have moved my cat(s) first. When it was one and Mom was alive and well, it was up to her place for a few days.
When it was 3, I packed them up and moved them to the new house before the movers, kept them in an isolated room there.
A thing or two or three. First, having movers around will probably be very scary to the cat and they may try to escape. I don't know if that was the case with the dog whose humans were moving in, he escaped, found me but it might have been (noted in this forum, cat didn't get the memo).
Secondly, probably the most terrifying thing is finding that the cat managed to get itself packed in box. A warning of long ago, a fear in my mind, and took measures of no possibility.
So one way (ie, across town) or another (across the country), have a place to put the pets on moving day away from all the action.
Finally, having moved where I had two places over days or weeks, what makes a place a home is......home is where the cats are.
When we moved from Florida to Tennessee it was a 14 hour drive with our two cats and it went like clockwork. We had their regular food and water and litter out for them in the morning then put them in their carriers and were on our way by noon.
We put sheets over the carriers to keep them calm. My wife had the one in her vehicle that we thought would be yowling the whole way. She had one meow within the first mile and then not a peep for the rest of the time. The one I had was quiet as could be until about fifty miles from the destination. We hit a patch of really rough road and she had enough and complained for the rest of the drive.
The litter boxes were all ready set up at the new house so I put out some food and water and opened the carrier doors. Within a few minutes they were out, exploring and everything was fine.
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