Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Rescue Remedy!!!!!!!!! Yellow box. Whole Foods Market. Go get some! It was out holy grail of cat calming when we drove from Los Angeles to Boston in a Penske with our three kitties.
We tried to keep the drives short (though there was one 13 hour day). We would let them out at night in the hotel room but there was a routine. Take them out in the bathroom with the litter box and the food and water in there. That way they'll know for sure where it is. When you are sure they have gone (if you see pee clumps) then you can let them roam the room. Make sure you give yourself enough time in the morning to round the kitty up. Having some wet food on-hand is a good trick to get them to come out. Unfortunately you can't actually give it to them before you start the day because it might upset their stomach.
For the Rescue Remedy, I would put two drops on each paw when they first got in the crate. There was minimal meowing (only the last day for a few hours. I think one of them was honestly just sick of being in the crate. Poor baby!). A big thing I noticed that was helpful was to keep the AC on as much as possible. I know that it will eat your gas, but cats get warm pretty fast and a stuffy car is sure to make the meowing start full throttle. Good luck with your move. Cheers!
oh and ps, if you cat is a male, make sure that he gets a lot of water at night in the hotel. put water in a bowl. water in his dry food, water on his wet food. our male got blocked (he formed crystals in his bladder/urethra) because he refused to drink water. We didn't think about adding it to his food. D'oh!
Hey there. Just moved to Tucson, AZ myself a month ago with my cat. I moved here from Denver & it was about a 19 hour trip overall. It was just me, my boyfriend & cat in the front of a U-Haul. My cat did ok. I don't know about the covering up the carrier suggestion. I think NOT seeing you would made the cat more afraid--at least that'd be the case with my cat. He has to know I'm here & be able to see or hear me--and then he was ok. I didn't end up tranquilizing my cat this time, either. This is our 2nd cross-country move & my cat didn't use the litter box at all the whole time--they can get weird like that. They get very scared & it's a very traumatic experience for them, but they should do fine! Just don't let them out of your sight. Good luck to you.
I'm moving from CA to OK in a month or so and the trip is about the same length. We might have three or two and will be renting a smaller truck.
My cat is terrified of outside and strangers. I'll probably use a tranqualizer
Where did you put the carrier? I'll also have my dog.
I'm glad you didn't send them ahead w/o you though. It would've been wasted time... none of the airlines will fly animals in the baggage area in July, and flying with pets anyway takes paperwork - it would've been a whole other nightmare. You would've had to leave him behind anyway!
Wow Freddy... what a tale!
Glad your wife's feeling better!
My wife has been one handed for a month now. It's been quite an ordeal which has included two days in the hospital to treat the infection, two more days back in the hospital because of an drug reaction or allergy to one of the antibiotics, and three days in a larger hospital 70 miles away for surgery to repair tendons that may have been cut by the cat, or maybe during the initial emergency treatment. The hand is currently in a splint and when the surgery heals, she will start therapy to regain use of the hand.
A week in the hospital, two surgeries, and extensive physical therapy is a big price to pay for not taking the time to properly treat a cat scratch.
But, all the cats are doing great. They didn't seem very stressed by the trip itself. They were more distressed at the old house during the move. During the drive, they just stayed in the camper I had made for them and slept most of the time. I didn't give them any medication or anything for the trip, but I did spray Feliway around in their space before we put them in the truck. When we got here and pulled into the garage, they didn't want to come out of the truck.
They finally came out, explored the garage, then the house, and the next three weeks gradually adjusted to their new home. They spent most of their time in the bedroom sleeping on the bed and the furniture which was familiar to them, and looking out of the windows.
A couple of days ago, we let them go outside for the first time. They love exploring the new area and spend several hours out in the morning then come back in for a nap and go back out in the afternoon. Even old Fluffy, who was never much of an outside cat, begs to go out. Only one of the six, Florie, our most timid and shy ex-feral, hasn't shown any interest in going out, but she never went out at the old house either since she first came in almost a year ago.
We don't let them out too early and make sure they are back inside in the afternoon because there are coyotes around, although we haven't seen them yet, but they don't usually come around during daylight hours.
That's about the end of out moving adventure. Even though things are still chaotic and haven't fully unpacked and gotten things organized yet, our kitties are all well adjusted and seem to really like their new home.
We are moving from NJ to Tucson AZ in 8 days. I was told to cover the carrier and place her on the floor in the van. I was told if she does not see me she will not cry as much. Is this true?? Has any one traveled across country with there cat?? I am worried sick about her.
Don't worry! Your cat will do fine! Just get her ready for it.
I just moved from Newport, RI to Charleston, SC with my cat and he was GREAT! I never heard a peep out of him. I stopped every four hours and let him out of his carrier into his regular litter box but he never wanted to use it.
The plan was to try to do the whole trip in one day but I ended up leaving late and got tired. So we stopped at a Courtyard Marriott after driving about 5 hours. I brought his litter into the bathroom and he peed right away. Then I couldn't find his cat food that I'd packed so I ordered a chicken dinner from room service and split it with him. After peeing, he hid under the bed until I put the food down for him. They say not to feed your cat before getting in the car for a long days ride and to instead feed him a bigger meal at night so neither he nor I had any breakfast.
The next day he was great again during the whole 12 hour drive. I again stopped every four hours to see if he wanted to use his litter or have some water and each time he didn't. My car was so full of stuff I just took him in his carrier out along with his litter box and opened the carrier to let him walk into the litter on the hood of my car but he'd just stay in the carrier. When we got to the new house I rushed in to set up his litter in the bathroom which he used and fed him some food and let him explore the new place. I did have Rescue Remedy on hand for stress if he needed it but he never did.
I will say one thing, I had conditioned him to going on lots of shorter rides in his carrier since when my old house was on the market, everytime someone came to see the house, we'd leave and I'd bring him with me.We'd drive around for about an hour before returning.
If you bring your cat on short rides, before hand and on the day of the trip explain to her the reason for the trip, and ask her to cooperate, you'll do fine and so will she.
You might not have to do a tranquilizer---trust me, I thought I did too, but you might end up surprised. Is anyone else going to be with you? I think that's what helped in my situation. My boyfriend ended up driving most of the way. My cat cried a lot at first, but then just a little bit here & there for most of the way. I put the carrier in the middle of us on the seat. I would probably use a standard carrier. I don't know about a mesh carrier as he might want to be antsy & move around a lot if he/she is uncomfortable. Best of luck to you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by nightbird47
I'm moving from CA to OK in a month or so and the trip is about the same length. We might have three or two and will be renting a smaller truck.
My cat is terrified of outside and strangers. I'll probably use a tranqualizer
Where did you put the carrier? I'll also have my dog.
If you're moving cross-country with a cat in the summer, you should be very conscious of the potential for your cat overheating in the vehicle. Even if you have an air-conditioned car, there's not much air that gets into one of those carriers, and it's really easy for Kitty to get overheated. When you add in the fact that, as many posters have noted, most cats won't drink during the trip, you've got the potential for a real problem.
One thing we did when we moved two cats from Michigan to Texas in August in an un-air-conditioned car many years ago was to put a bag of ice in the carrier with the cats. They both figured out very quickly that the best strategy was to stretch out on top of the ice, and they both spent much of the trip draped over a succession of bags of ice. It was actually kind of funny; they got to where they recognized the bag when we got a fresh one to put in the carrier, and they'd jostle each other trying to get the best spot on the ice.
Keep your kitties cool, and you and they will have an easier trip.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
