Moving with a cat

[George Chong]

Give the Rescue Remedy a try. I used on my cats when we had a very short move and it seemed to work well.

[Iconographer]

Something my boyfriend insists on doing on long road trips is doing it in 2 hr shifts...it really does cut down on your fatigue at the end of the day.

[Tama]

Two excellent experiences--one takes a little time
1. going from Mississippi to PA with cat. I started prior and put him in the car with me just to sit-no turning on engine or moving. After a couple of times I then would turn the engine on and off. Did this s few times until he was comfortably just wondering around and ignoring the sound. Then I moved the car around the parking lot and stopped. Several times a couple of different days. Then around the block. Then a few miles. This cat slept, never meowed, curled up and enjoyed the ride-not in a carrier.

2. No time for above routine-from Mississippi to Atlanta--put cat in soft-sided carrier with mesh so she could see out. In back seat with radio on and us talking. She was quiet the whole way.

[Chris_Davis]

Originally Posted by Tama

Two excellent experiences--one takes a little time
1. going from Mississippi to PA with cat. I started prior and put him in the car with me just to sit-no turning on engine or moving. After a couple of times I then would turn the engine on and off. Did this s few times until he was comfortably just wondering around and ignoring the sound. Then I moved the car around the parking lot and stopped. Several times a couple of different days. Then around the block. Then a few miles. This cat slept, never meowed, curled up and enjoyed the ride-not in a carrier.

2. No time for above routine-from Mississippi to Atlanta--put cat in soft-sided carrier with mesh so she could see out. In back seat with radio on and us talking. She was quiet the whole way.

My parents did the former years ago with their cat and it worked great for a drive from Florida to Kentucky. Unfortunately living in Manhattan it's not very practicle or even possible (once you move your car it takes forever to find a new spot). Hopefully the latter works but when my wife moved from Atlanta to NYC 6 years ago, kitty was not very happy most of the way.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Something my boyfriend insists on doing on long road trips is doing it in 2 hr shifts...it really does cut down on your fatigue at the end of the day.

Sounds like a fine idea for those without difficult passengers.

When my daughter was a baby and toddler she HATED HATED HATED the confinement of a car seat and she would start screaming after about 15 minutes, and not stop unless she got so tired she fell asleep. When she was a few months old we took her to visit grandparents, a trip that involved a pretty-much-unavoidable 300 mile drive over a mountain pass. We headed out, and after a half hour or so, she fell asleep. So you can probably guess the rest - she kept sleeping and with grim determination, we kept driving for hours, although wishing for restroom breaks, coffee, etc. because we were just so afraid of her waking up if the car stopped.

[abbyt1980]

We moved with 3 cats (and two dogs) from Denver to ATl, which was quite a haul. If you can't use drugs, then make sure the kennel is totally blacked out (ie sheets/towels completely block out everything) and make sure tehy have something that smells like the old house. For some reason that works with mine when we take trips. You can also get anti-anxiety drugs at Petsmart which would not hurt a 12 year old, they are very light in dosage.

If someone already said this sorry, didn't read all posts.

[Chris_Davis]

The cat did amazingly great on the move! I left her carrier out in the living room for the last two weeks we were there and she got used to it... even started sleeping in it! Once in the car and we got moving she was fine. She's sit on our laps, look out the window, and seemed fairly content. There was very little of that, "I'm so freaked out!" meowing, just her normal, "Hi! Will you pet me cuz I'm so cute?" meowing.

After about two weeks in her new home she's doing very well... I'd say she's about 90% adjusted.

Thanks for all your advice!

[gotjenks]

Last month I moved from ATL to DC with not one but three cats in one car that do not like each other. We broke the trip into a 6/4 hour drive.
They did GREAT!!
I did not medicate them.
I did limit the amount of items in the car. Lowered the back seats flat. Provided a litter box, food and water (no one ate or drank but they did use the box once). I brought each of thier favorite blankets and also put a fleece blanket over the seats so that they could have something secure to cling on to.
One cat must sit in my lap, the other likes her carrier WITH the door open and the other one took to many different locations in the car.
Make sure that you have the air on higher than usual and that if you make pit stops that someone stays in the car with the air on.
Take care and have a safe trip.