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First, since you have issues with the cats trying to escape when you take the dog out, I would put a harness on them if you are not going to crate or carrier them. You have GOT to keep them secure. Cats loose along a highway is not going to be a good thing. Plus, the cat will try to return to your original home.
We are making a huge move also - from NYC to TN in exactly 12 months and we are already planning to put harnesses on the cats. We will be crating them as well. There are really huge crates you can get to keep either all of your pets if they would travel better that way or just the cats. At any rate, please do not let your cats simply have free reign in the car. If you should need to stop short for any reason, your pets could be injured and they could become a missile injuring you as well.
My son and DIL moved six times with the military with two cats. She always drove alone, with the cats, as they had two cars. Each night she would stop at a motel, take in the litter box and the cats were fine. One of the cats was sedated the first time and he is now 13 and still going strong.
says the woman who came cross country (TWICE!) with six cats, three dogs and four horses- on top of bringing the household stuff.
We used the large wire dog crates for our cats- three to a crate, with a blanket/towel to lie on and even though they didn't eat or drink enroute we made sure to give them canned food (a TREAT!) and water when we stopped for the night.
First, since you have issues with the cats trying to escape when you take the dog out, I would put a harness on them if you are not going to crate or carrier them. You have GOT to keep them secure. Cats loose along a highway is not going to be a good thing. Plus, the cat will try to return to your original home.
We are making a huge move also - from NYC to TN in exactly 12 months and we are already planning to put harnesses on the cats. We will be crating them as well. There are really huge crates you can get to keep either all of your pets if they would travel better that way or just the cats. At any rate, please do not let your cats simply have free reign in the car. If you should need to stop short for any reason, your pets could be injured and they could become a missile injuring you as well.
Agreed- and SO many pets are lost this way, either by getting out when the door/window is cracked or when there is an accident.
Hello, so my fiance was just transferred to San Diego, CA from St. Louis, MO. He is flying there on Sept. 1st because that is when he starts the new job. I however can't leave until Sept. 20 because I'm committed to a wedding on Sept. 18. We have a dog and 2 cats, they are all small enough to fly in the cabin but being by myself I can't do 3 animals. All solutions point to driving, but that sounds completely nuts. I'm open to suggestions and any tips on traveling by car with 2 cats will come greatly appreciated because I'm totally stressing!
Just traveled from Colorado to Maryland with one dog, three cats and 25 birds all in the back of my SUV. The trip was actually much better than anticipated. After a few hours the cats settled in their own cages, the dog was great and the birds were as well ( in two cages). We made reservations in advance at Residence Inns because they accept pets. We knew how far we could travel and made the reservations accordingly. We brought all the animals in at night. Kept the cats in the bathroom. They did fine.
We were thinking this would be the trip from hell, and it wasn't even close.
Just traveled from Colorado to Maryland with one dog, three cats and 25 birds all in the back of my SUV. The trip was actually much better than anticipated. After a few hours the cats settled in their own cages, the dog was great and the birds were as well ( in two cages). We made reservations in advance at Residence Inns because they accept pets. We knew how far we could travel and made the reservations accordingly. We brought all the animals in at night. Kept the cats in the bathroom. They did fine.
We were thinking this would be the trip from hell, and it wasn't even close.
That's good to hear. We are most likely doing this in June. I am not terribly worried about the dog. We do long trips camping and he will just sleep on his bed on the floor of the van but the cat talks a lot. I am sure for a long trip, he will most likely cry himself to sleep.
Well, the consensus right now is for my fiance to take the dog on Sept 1st, they will be flying nonstop. I'm going to fly with the 2 cats and pay for my friend to come with me on Sept. 20, we will each have a cat as carry on. Southwest seems to be the way to go, they fly nonstop, allow pets in cabin and the cost for each pet is $75. This seems like the best thing for all of us, I would rather have them be miserable for 3 hours and 40 minutes instead of 3 days in a car with stops. I'm going to look into some natural calming remedies, will keep you guys posted
Well, the consensus right now is for my fiance to take the dog on Sept 1st, they will be flying nonstop. I'm going to fly with the 2 cats and pay for my friend to come with me on Sept. 20, we will each have a cat as carry on. Southwest seems to be the way to go, they fly nonstop, allow pets in cabin and the cost for each pet is $75. This seems like the best thing for all of us, I would rather have them be miserable for 3 hours and 40 minutes instead of 3 days in a car with stops. I'm going to look into some natural calming remedies, will keep you guys posted
Sounds like a good plan. I wish you luck in your travels.
Driving across country w/your pets can totally be done. If your dog was too large to fly in the passenger area, I'd highly recommend driving over flying. (No matter how many family members say "it's only 4-5 hours out of his life" or "just give him doggie-valium". There are serious consequences that can result by flying your animal in cargo, and I'm not willing to risk my dog that way. She's worth about a zillion times more money than would be saved by flying vs driving.)
Best wishes to you and yours - look online for advice on conditioning your pets for their impending travels - especially the cats. Get the carriers out early, let them just be around as a normal part of their every day world. (Be sure the ones you have meet the airlines requirements) Make them safe and happy places before the animals ever HAVE to be in them. Schedule your vet visits - most airlines will require a health cert issued w/in a certain # of days of your flight.
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