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And the encouragement. I like the idea of renting a SUV, or even a small RV. The four cats will be one thing, but the cockatoo and lovebird will be a real challenge. The Cockatoo can screech pretty loudly.......
My wife and I have four cats, a Cockatoo and a love bird. Yes, it is a mini zoo. We plan to relocate from Florida to Idaho. A huge move. How the heck do we do this with all these animals? Rent a big truck, put them in the back separated and then drive non-stop????
Any suggestions would be great appreciated.
Howard
Buy a cat carrier for each cat, and use a small bird cage for the birds. I've never moved birds but I've driven hundreds of miles moving two cats from one house to another... they might meow a lot, but no harm will come to them if they're safely in cat carriers. For a drive that is that long, I would suggest that you make sure the cat carriers are large enough to accommodate a small bowl of food and water... and a small litter pan. (Something the size of a cake pan will do, believe it or not. That worked for me.) If your cats are the nervous type, they may pee or poo in the carriers while in transit... so make sure there is newspaper or a towel on the floor of the carriers. Don't allow the temperature of wherever they are to get too high... cats wear fur coats, remember. If your cat starts panting, get the temperature down NOW. (What worked for me when I was carrying my cat around for a few days in a New Jersey July using a vehicle with no air conditioning was buying a cold bottle of water every now and then at a convenience store and putting it into the carrier with the cat. Also, if you can get a cigarette-lighter powered fan to blow air onto the cats, you'll be better off.)
As far as the birds are concerned... I don't imagine they'll have much trouble. Give 'em seed and water, and make sure the cage floor is lined with newspaper. You'd have to clean their cage whether you were transporting them or not.
Renting the Minivan was great for us (I shipped my Jeep wrangler) because it had rear A/C so we could crank it up (and down, when it was cold) for the cats. It also had heavily tinted windows. As stated above, ours did BETTER when we let them roam free in the car but that is of course unsafe and probably illegal. We had the carriers and put them in whenever we'd be stopping for gas and what not, or if they woke up and started to be brats. The last day (CA to NY) we drove for 15 hours and they spent the ENTIRE day sleeping on boxes - I was actually concerned, but when we got them here they were back to normal (other than looking at me with a 'where the heck is this?' look.
It's taken a month for my shy cat to stop hiding in the closet, but now he's back to normal.
We only have 1 cat so we took him on the plane with us when we moved cross-country. Our friends recently moved from Florida to Pennsylvania and they rented an RV to drive their cats.
We have only one cat, as well. We will be going from New York to Seattle. Could you share some of your experience with us? Did you keep the cat with you in a carry on? Ours is a talkative Siamese who meows a lot during car trips unless he is cuddled in a blanket. He does not like the soft sided cat carrier. I would really hate it if they asked me to put him in the pet area, but I will not allow him to disturb fellow passengers.
We would really appreciate hearing more of your flying experience.
Cats do better when you let them roam free in the car. Then they find their own spot to settle down and cuddle up in. When they find a safe spot, they are less likely to bolt when you open the door or roll down the window, but do be careful.
Cats do better when you let them roam free in the car. Then they find their own spot to settle down and cuddle up in. When they find a safe spot, they are less likely to bolt when you open the door or roll down the window, but do be careful.
With all due respect, NO!!!!!!
I've heard two stories recently of cats who did fit into those comfortable spots and settled in ... under the brake pedal! If you are traveling with a cat, the best spot for YOU and the cat is a good safe cat carrier - the larger the better. Put a favorite blanket and toy in there and talk to the cat frequently. When he hears your voice, that will eventually help calm kitty down. Do NOT let him roam free. The results could be disasterous for you all.
I ditto CMTAD... we've moved several times (twice cross country, plus 2 additional moves requiring 3+ hours in the car).
Before the first big move, the cats were fine in the car... we always let them roam free. We had made the 3+ hour trip with them in the car previously and they were always fine. On moving day, I was alone with the cats in the car. About 1/2 way there, one of them suddenly "flipped out". She began running around the ledges of my Escort, mewling and screaming alternately, peeing everywhere as she went. (I had a litter box set up on the floor in the back, as usual, so that wasn't it) She then jumped on me and began clawing me like a wild animal.
As it was in the days before we had cells (10 years ago), my dh and fil in the truck didn't notice me pull over. I had to stop for about a half hour and calm her down. The rest of the trip, she and the other one began mewling and growling, but at least they were calm.
I still have a couple scars from that day. They HATE the cat carriers, but we're all a bit safer that way.
I've heard two stories recently of cats who did fit into those comfortable spots and settled in ... under the brake pedal! If you are traveling with a cat, the best spot for YOU and the cat is a good safe cat carrier - the larger the better. Put a favorite blanket and toy in there and talk to the cat frequently. When he hears your voice, that will eventually help calm kitty down. Do NOT let him roam free. The results could be disasterous for you all.
Charley
Our cat is an Oriental Shorthair, sounds like the genetically similar Siamese. He will not travel in a carry case, crying constantly when we try it. Fortunately there are two of us. The cat roams freely when we stop the car. He has a harness and the line from the H-type harness is tied to the inside of the car. When we start up he is on my partners lap, often wrapped in a soft fabric being spoken to softly.
He feels insecure and ostracized, as though he is being punished, in the carrier. Well, we have always treated him like a little person, so he tends to behave that way, usually a very good thing, but at times like this not so good.
I know there are new schools of animal behaviour, but I have had pretty much only one pet at a time and I have always thought if you treat children like animals that is how they act. If you treat animals like people, to the best of their ability that is what they try to be. With both children and animals, spending lots of time interacting with them and talking with them is probably the key. I don't believe in 'quality time'.
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The last day (CA to NY) we drove for 15 hours and they spent the ENTIRE day sleeping on boxes - I was actually concerned, but when we got them here they were back to normal (other than looking at me with a 'where the heck is this?' look.
Thanks!
