Any Ideas About Moving A Cat 3,000 (hotels, new home, living)

[JANA MANIA]

HI MAINERS, IS RAINED AND RAINED LAST NIGHT.THE POWER WENT OUT.Still raininmg. We get about 80 inches per year.Hey, any of you ever take a cat on a long trip. My cat is a 6-year-old usually outside guy,who would like to go across country with me and my girl chihuahua.I dont think he would behave in motels.Could he be left in the truck at night?Ive tried to find him a new home. Ive had him since he was a baby and 15 others also. But last Xmas time i took most of them to the no kill shelter. Raccoons were multiplying and living on the property. they were eating cat food that i left outside because some of the cats were afraid to come in. The raccons were bonded to me! The only way i could stop the raccons was to stop the outside food,which meant bye bye Kitties. they were all born(cats & raccons in my yard).All the cats were altered.by the way,I'm a dog person and have tolerated the cat situation because around here people dont fix their cats and they run wild and reproduce like rabbits.

[hi_its_ryan]

I'm going to attempt to move 3 cats from here in CA to ME. I'm let you know how it goes.....

[treeluvr]

Originally Posted by JANA MANIA

.Hey, any of you ever take a cat on a long trip. My cat is a 6-year-old usually outside guy,who would like to go across country with me and my girl chihuahua.I dont think he would behave in motels.

I had a cat that I just adored--died a few years ago at the age of 18 . I moved him long distances several times--He hated it. The best was in an airplane (CA to OK) with him on tranqs in a carrier under my seat.

The worst was same cat in the carrier on the seat (OK (hated it) to CA) next to me in my car. He cried the whole way! Three days of Rush Limbaugh on the radio and my poor kitty yowling at the top of his lungs.

Years ago (70's) I had a cat that would jump into the car--stand with its hind legs on the back seat and front legs on the back of my drivers' seat--loved to go for drives in the car.

In short all cats are different, if yours has never traveled, he probably won't even need a litter pan--too nervous, and when you get to a motel he'll head straight for under the covers--won't care a thing about food. Your task will be to find him and get him back into his carrier.

Make sure you have a well-fitting harness and leash if you plan to let him outside in a strange place. He'll need a visit to the vet and a certificate saying he is up on all shots. You might ask your vet about tranquilizers.

[starwalker]

I have 4 cats (fixed, indoor only because of where I live) and one that is feral (also fixed through the TNR program here!) that comes by to eat now and then; when she comes and asks, I put out food.

If you have room in a crate for a litter box for him and room for him to lay down, and can figure some way to attach containers for food and water to the sides of the crate you can probably leave him in the vehicle overnight.

When I have moved with cats, it's the litter box and spilling food/water that are the issues. I do not leave the litter in all the time either, but put it in when I stop for a major break... ditto water. I feed at night only (dogs and cats traveling)

If he is not used to being contained he WILL complain. and I do not think cats GET hoarse... if you are lucky by the first night he will have decided that yowling with "no one" to hear is a waste of time.

the first cat I really moved with was a natural "traveling cat" who loved to sit on my dashboard and look out; I leashed/harnessed him when traveling.. we camped... no hassle. He is gone now, though...

You might want, as a "sanity net" to talk to your vet about a tranquilizer (for the cat). I'd suggest valium for you, but if you're driving, not a good idea <g>. If he doesn't settle, at least you could calm him with drugs and save your eardrums and sanity.

[midwestmom]

We did a few 2,000 mile moves with our cat, always in the car. She is an indoor only cat so it probably made it easier. Our first long trip she was very freaked but I think a lot of it was because she didn't have a way to look outside and me not having things organized as well. In the car she was always in her kennel - she loved being high enough to look our the front of her carrier - we had a special spot and held the kennel in place on top of some things with a bungee cord from the seat belt thing near the roof around the kennel and over to the back of the passenger seat headrest. Kept a fleece blanket inside and she would just go to sleep when she wanted.

We did have one or two fun moments when her carrier fell over onto our sleeping dog.. both survived. Just make sure the cord/rope goes under the ledge part of the carrier and that its sitting on a non-slip surface. We found we had to wedge something on the back part of carrier because our backseat slopes back on an angle. This all sounds much more complicated than it is when you do it.

We had one of those travel liter pans but I think a smaller plastic one would work better. Put newspapers over the top of it for traveling and scooped after she went - when we stopped we'd let her loose in the car to stretch her legs. Very carefully got one of us back in the car to catch the cat and put her back in her carrier before the rest of us got in, to prevent escapes.
I put a tag on with our cell phone number.

In hotels she did fine..though it was harder if she could get under the bed.
We always put her in her kennel before we did any packing in the am so she didn't realize it was time to go and have a chance to go out of arms reach under the bed.

I'd suggest taking your kitty on short trips to get used to the carrier and the car so she/he learns its not something to worry over.

[JANA MANIA]

THANKS FOR THE GOOD IDEAS.RYAN,DID YOU ONCE LIVE IN ABERDEEN? IF SO, I FOLLOWED YOUR WRITINGS AND pLIGHT.WHEN I WENT BACK EAST LAST MONTH,A LADY AT THE DAYS INN SAID THEY WOULD NOT ALLOW CATS ANYMORE AT THEIR HOTEL BECAUSE THEY SPRAYED AND MANY HAD RUINED THE CARPETS,so that could be an issue, just letting a cat in the door.Soon, it may be too cold to stay overnight in the truck.

[Maineorbust!]

You can also go to your vet and ask for a sedative. They will usually prescribe something along the lines of a Benadryl because of its sedative effects or a low dose Valium, neither typically has a negative effect on the cat and it cuts down on their need to use the litter box and eat along the way. If you do feed them just watch out for them getting sick, the stress of the ride and movement of the car sometimes makes a poor combination on a cat's full stomach. Good luck.

[Millipooh]

thats what I did, and it worked great.

[JANA MANIA]

all good information ..thank you

[Parrotpaul]

Don't give your cat the least amount of a chance to get outside the car or the motel without a leash...if the cat gets outdoors, it may decide to run, and that could cause all kinds of problems.