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We took our cat with us during one open house and on an extend trip around the city after a vet trip. He meow's in the begining and then is really quite with a meow here and there. I bought him a harness and cat leash, he doesn't care to much for the leash! We will be taking our travel trailer and staying in campgrounds along the way. With the leash I can let him out of the crate but still temporarily tie him down so he can't make a mad dash for the door.
I was wondering how everyone was moving your pets across country. ...So for right now it looks like we are going to have to find new homes for them. Unless anyone has any ideas???
We just took our cats to the vet and put them to sleep. This way, we knew their fate and it was painless. I mean, it just would not be convenient to truck them across the country. They served their purpose. We got new cats on the other end that sort of looked like the originals (we even painted a spot on one our new cat's nose to look like one of the formers).
Come on, I'm not serious. But I seriously frown upon the thought of ANYONE not considering a lifelong commitment to their animals. We have two cats. We are leaving in two weeks for NC from CA. We are moving in our car some clothing, a computer, and our beloved family members, AKA our cats. My wife is transferring out there first, I'll fly back to CA and then follow with the rest of our furniture and household items a month later once I get my business affairs in order.
Nonetheless, we are still considering options:
Option 1. I've already placed in their bedroom their cat carrier that they will ride in the car. This way, they will grow accustomed to it. I've made it as comfortable as possible with their favorite toys and blankets. They are already sleeping in it. Do this for several weeks or as much as you can, so that they don't look at the carrier as a torture chamber.
Then, we will have a cat box with one of those self-contained water & food serving bottles (looks like one of those Sparklett's jugs) on the floor behind the driver's seat. On the first day, we'll take breaks for the cats and, with leash in hand; let them out with the cat box at stops. But we'll take the box (and it's not a bad idea to use the box at your home first to let them get accustomed to that as well) and place it in the vehicle.
The second day forward, we plan to leave the cage door open so they can roam if they want. We, too, wanted this to be a sightseeing trip, but then again, we don't want it to be inconvenient for the cats, and getting to NC to get settled is a far more important goal.
We will shoot for three days, but we'll allow for four. Either way, it's a rush with no time for real sightseeing. We'll have enough of that when we get there.
Option 2. We drive out so that I can get my wife out there in the same way. Without the cats. I fly back. Pack. Have the 'stuff' moved. Then fly out with the cats. Did you know that some airlines allow your cats to be carried aboard as carry on luggage? Each airline will have their criteria, and you will still need to pay for them, but it's worth it for the joy your animals bring. Check American Airlines. I haven't checked the rest. Although, Southwest does NOT allow pets as carry-on or checked in. I think AA is less expensive than the quotes I've seen.
Option 3. We have heard about relocation services. But haven't investigated it yet. It's an option, but we'll probably not go this route.
Option 4. Set them free with directions to our new home attached to their collar. Maybe they'll figure it out on their own how to find us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrick
The carrier has a water bowl that does not tip over so she is covered there.
She keeps the litter box in a garbage bag to prevent spillage and cleans it when the cat goes.
She also has a cat harness so she can let the cat walk around and stretch a few times a day.
The vet told her to make sure the cat had flea and tick protection so she was safe when walking outside.
They eat in the car so they don't leave the cat alone in a hot car and takes turns at pit stops.
I did not even think about the flea/tick protection. Thanks for the great tip! Our cats are flealess, and it never would have occurred to us until we were out on the road. Your other tips are dead on as well. Many thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassie
There are small portable litter boxes that fit inside cat carriers, and there are pet friendly motels.
Can you suggest where I can find the portable ones??? This sounds like a great option.
As for hotels, I've had people sneak their pets in even if they do not accept pets. Although, a barking dog will give you away, a cat, unless it whines and whines and whines, will be an easy one to smuggle.
Can you suggest where I can find the portable ones??? This sounds like a great option.>>>>>>
I bought mine at Safeway, a grocery store ( part of a chain) in northern VA. I've seen them in the Lowe's grocery store chain here, too. ( Not the home improvement Lowes, but the grocery store Lowe's Foods. ) If you can't find them in your local grocery store, I'd suggest trying Petco or Petsmart.
I am so sorry to assume this board was for advice and help. I posted because I did not know what options there are!! Do I WANT to get rid of my cats???? NO!!!!! If I did not care I would not have posted for help!! Thank you to the few of you who ACTUALLY had advice!!! Did I even know there were small portable litter boxes....NO! I also thought the VET had to give the tranq's via shot and then how long would that last???
A few of you just jumped all over me, making out that I think animals are disposable!! I DO NOT think that!! Both my cats are VERY important to me and came to me a two very difficult times in my life! IF and I mean IF I did have to find them new homes WHICH I DO NOT WANT TO DO!!! It would be with a family friend. I know all about the cat problem (BOTH cats came from the humane society) But is that my fault that OTHER people do get their cats fixed?? (both my cats are fixed and indoor cats!!!) I am worried about taking them...what if it is too hot, what if they get out and run away or are hurt, what if....! I would think most of you would understand that I do NOT want anything bad to happen to them!!! If I didn't care I would NOT have asked for help!!
My dad was in the military and we moved ALOT but I have never driven as far as we will for this trip. Also, I did not have any pets growing up until I was 16 and I got a hamster. We moved from CA to OR (12 hour drive) and I carried that hamster cage on my lap the whole way and did everything I could think of to keep it cool and made my dad stop alot and do you know what happened....IT DIED!!! Do I want that to happen to my kitties...NO and I do not want my children to see that if it happens! I have NEVER driven further than 12 hours anywhere!! And I did not have kids or dog or cats with me!
I am hoping that the people on this board that just jumped down my throat instead of offering help understand that maybe THEY are the problem....people are too scared to ask for advice and help!!!
To the few that offered adivce....THANK YOU! I didn't know about the cats being a carry-on. That would be a great thing!! Then I don't have to worry about them being in the cargo area. I have heard horror stories about animals dying in the cargo hold. Also, are the tranq's pills??? Did they give you some to give the cats later??
I am not giving up my cats to sightsee!! We are only adding on two days of our trip and we are already staying in Pet friendly lodging. We are only planning on driving 5ish hours a day. (Lots of breaks for the dog and kids). I wish that I could train our cats on the leash...one totally FREAKS and the other goes completely limp!!
Any airlines you could recommend that allow carryon cats or a web page for more info would be great. Thanks.
I am so sorry to assume this board was for advice and help. I posted because I did not know what options there are!! Do I WANT to get rid of my cats???? NO!!!!! If I did not care I would not have posted for help!! Thank you to the few of you who ACTUALLY had advice!!! Did I even know there were small portable litter boxes....NO! I also thought the VET had to give the tranq's via shot and then how long would that last???
A few of you just jumped all over me, making out that I think animals are disposable!! I DO NOT think that!! Both my cats are VERY important to me and came to me a two very difficult times in my life! IF and I mean IF I did have to find them new homes WHICH I DO NOT WANT TO DO!!! It would be with a family friend. I know all about the cat problem (BOTH cats came from the humane society) But is that my fault that OTHER people do get their cats fixed?? (both my cats are fixed and indoor cats!!!) I am worried about taking them...what if it is too hot, what if they get out and run away or are hurt, what if....! I would think most of you would understand that I do NOT want anything bad to happen to them!!! If I didn't care I would NOT have asked for help!!
My dad was in the military and we moved ALOT but I have never driven as far as we will for this trip. Also, I did not have any pets growing up until I was 16 and I got a hamster. We moved from CA to OR (12 hour drive) and I carried that hamster cage on my lap the whole way and did everything I could think of to keep it cool and made my dad stop alot and do you know what happened....IT DIED!!! Do I want that to happen to my kitties...NO and I do not want my children to see that if it happens! I have NEVER driven further than 12 hours anywhere!! And I did not have kids or dog or cats with me!
I am hoping that the people on this board that just jumped down my throat instead of offering help understand that maybe THEY are the problem....people are too scared to ask for advice and help!!!
To the few that offered adivce....THANK YOU! I didn't know about the cats being a carry-on. That would be a great thing!! Then I don't have to worry about them being in the cargo area. I have heard horror stories about animals dying in the cargo hold. Also, are the tranq's pills??? Did they give you some to give the cats later??
I am not giving up my cats to sightsee!! We are only adding on two days of our trip and we are already staying in Pet friendly lodging. We are only planning on driving 5ish hours a day. (Lots of breaks for the dog and kids). I wish that I could train our cats on the leash...one totally FREAKS and the other goes completely limp!!
Any airlines you could recommend that allow carryon cats or a web page for more info would be great. Thanks.
I am so sorry that people jumped all over you, I for have had that happen also. You can take them with you it will just be a little more work on your part. Get one carrier instead of two, make sure it is a good sized one. Buy some of thoses disposable litter boxes, when you get to where you are going everyday get your hotel first and let them run around. I cant tell you how many times I snuck them in but most are pretty cool with it. I had 4 kids a dog and two cats, so I know. If you can you can drive a little longer during the day, they can take it. Cats sleep like 12-14 hours a day or more, it wont be to hot if you have the ac on. The vet will give you pills for them, just put them in a little tuna. My cats did fine and we drove 10 hours a day at least. the roamed the room at night and back in the box they went!
I made the (almost) exact opposite trip, from Raleigh, NC to Seattle, all driving. Did it in 5 days (not much sight-seeing).
I have a cat, spitfire and hellian that he is, and he did quite well. We hitched our car to the U-Haul and let our cat roam in the hitched car, but he seemed to just say in the holder that we placed him in. When we stopped, we tried to encourage him to use the bathroom. However, he seemed just fine with waiting until we got to the hotel to use his litter box.
If your cat does not travel as well, I HIGHLY recommend the tranquilizer pills. Just go to your local vet and let them know that you will be moving and you're concerned about your cat's nervousness with the big move. I got my hands on them that way, but never had to use them.
If you are planning to go via plane, Seattle has direct flights to Charlotte, NC and also Atlanta, GA (which is only an hour out of the way by plane). I don't know if PDX has that but you might want to check. Both RDU and PDX have Southwest hubs, so you might want to check their fares for good deals as well.
Best of luck to you and your feline (and canine) companions.
I made the (almost) exact opposite trip, from Raleigh, NC to Seattle, all driving. Did it in 5 days (not much sight-seeing).
I have a cat, spitfire and hellian that he is, and he did quite well. We hitched our car to the U-Haul and let our cat roam in the hitched car, but he seemed to just say in the holder that we placed him in. When we stopped, we tried to encourage him to use the bathroom. However, he seemed just fine with waiting until we got to the hotel to use his litter box.
If your cat does not travel as well, I HIGHLY recommend the tranquilizer pills. Just go to your local vet and let them know that you will be moving and you're concerned about your cat's nervousness with the big move. I got my hands on them that way, but never had to use them.
If you are planning to go via plane, Seattle has direct flights to Charlotte, NC and also Atlanta, GA (which is only an hour out of the way by plane). I don't know if PDX has that but you might want to check. Both RDU and PDX have Southwest hubs, so you might want to check their fares for good deals as well.
Best of luck to you and your feline (and canine) companions.
How do you like Seattle? I am from Portland and always liked Seattle better. I am in NC moving back west.
How do you like Seattle? I am from Portland and always liked Seattle better. I am in NC moving back west.
I love Seattle so much! It's the most beautiful place that I've ever seen. I've been here 5 years (I was born and raised in NC) and even though I travel back to NC pretty frequently, Seattle is my new home. There's nothing like waking up in the morning and seeing Mt. Rainier towering in the distance or watching the sparkling waters of Lake Washington.
With that having been said, home prices here are through the roof. A lot of longtime Seattlites are moving to Eastern Washington because Western Washington is no longer affordable housing-wise. You might be able to afford a smaller condo here, but I'd recommend renting until the prices come back in touch with reality.
Business-wise, there's nothing like working in a port city and as my business involves the ports, I couldn't imagine working at a better port than this one. Seattle's business climate puts the emphasis on innovation and that's something that is very important to me.
Portland is a wonderful city, too. Are you thinking of moving back there?
Thank you both! I called and made an appt. with the vet to see about the tranq's...at least for the high strung one. I am going to go to the pet store and check out the kennels for Large dogs. I am thinking if I can find one of those small litter box things that might work. I wish we could drive longer....we will see. Our Pug needs to get out alot and our 3yr old does NOT like the car....do they have tranq's for kids...JOKE!!!!! Actually....maybe I can get tranq's for ME and I will sleep the whole way and make my hubby deal with it...
Also, I am checking into the carry on kitties.
How did your kids make the drive 10hrs a day???? The 11yr old won't be too bad but boy our 3 yr old can last about 2 hours and then she starts screaming to get out of her seat. We even bought a new seat to see if that helped but no luck. Boy my oldest was a great traveler...fell right asleep.
If we travel out and then have hubby fly back we will have our cats stay in this GREAT Cat condo place they have here in town. We have used it a couple of times and they are WONDERFUL. No dogs and our cats have a room (6by6) to themselves with a window screen door that leads to a common area and a huge climbing structure in each room. And they are let out to the common area to play with the people or other kitties (if they get along and we ok it).
I am so sorry to assume this board was for advice and help. I posted because I did not know what options there are!! Do I WANT to get rid of my cats???? NO!!!!! If I did not care I would not have posted for help!! Thank you to the few of you who ACTUALLY had advice!!! Did I even know there were small portable litter boxes....NO! I also thought the VET had to give the tranq's via shot and then how long would that last???
A few of you just jumped all over me, making out that I think animals are disposable!! I DO NOT think that!! Both my cats are VERY important to me and came to me a two very difficult times in my life! IF and I mean IF I did have to find them new homes WHICH I DO NOT WANT TO DO!!! It would be with a family friend. I know all about the cat problem (BOTH cats came from the humane society) But is that my fault that OTHER people do get their cats fixed?? (both my cats are fixed and indoor cats!!!) I am worried about taking them...what if it is too hot, what if they get out and run away or are hurt, what if....! I would think most of you would understand that I do NOT want anything bad to happen to them!!! If I didn't care I would NOT have asked for help!!
My dad was in the military and we moved ALOT but I have never driven as far as we will for this trip. Also, I did not have any pets growing up until I was 16 and I got a hamster. We moved from CA to OR (12 hour drive) and I carried that hamster cage on my lap the whole way and did everything I could think of to keep it cool and made my dad stop alot and do you know what happened....IT DIED!!! Do I want that to happen to my kitties...NO and I do not want my children to see that if it happens! I have NEVER driven further than 12 hours anywhere!! And I did not have kids or dog or cats with me!
I am hoping that the people on this board that just jumped down my throat instead of offering help understand that maybe THEY are the problem....people are too scared to ask for advice and help!!!
To the few that offered adivce....THANK YOU! I didn't know about the cats being a carry-on. That would be a great thing!! Then I don't have to worry about them being in the cargo area. I have heard horror stories about animals dying in the cargo hold. Also, are the tranq's pills??? Did they give you some to give the cats later??
I am not giving up my cats to sightsee!! We are only adding on two days of our trip and we are already staying in Pet friendly lodging. We are only planning on driving 5ish hours a day. (Lots of breaks for the dog and kids). I wish that I could train our cats on the leash...one totally FREAKS and the other goes completely limp!!
Any airlines you could recommend that allow carryon cats or a web page for more info would be great. Thanks.
I can only echo what gregsbabe1 said about being sorry for the way you have been treated. We all came on this site for help and advice. Please know that the vast majority of the people are kind and helpful. A few are not as gregsbabe1 can attest to. Just ignore them.
I can also empathize with you on how you feel about your pets. My daughter has had her cat for five years and loves her to death. But her soon to be finance (I hope ) has a serious allergy to pet dander, especially cat's. Even before she became to serious with him, she asked my husband and I if we would take Katie if they would end up being together. We have cat-sat for her many times and love Katie so we said yes. She said she could only give her up to us. Her friends made fun of her for even thinking that her cat was more important than her boy friend. But it was tough for her. Anyway, it is never easy and I know you are doing your best to make it all work out.
Can't be any help with the airlines but I know that for our dog when we travel, the vet gives us tranquilizers in the pill form. And the cat can't even stand to have a collar on so she is a riot when you put a leash or harness on her. If looks could kill............... And maybe check with your vet about options and what the cat's can tolerate.
Again, best of luck with your move. We hope to be joining you in NC in the near future.
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We will be taking our travel trailer and staying in campgrounds along the way. With the leash I can let him out of the crate but still temporarily tie him down so he can't make a mad dash for the door.
