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very soon we will be moving across the country 33 hours of a drive and we have 6 cats to take with us. They are my babies and I am so worried about them and how stressed out they will be. How can I make it the easiest on them? My husband plans on driving he moving truck and possibly having 2-3 in the front seat with him in a big carrier, one of those kennel things, I want to get the biggest one that will fit in seat. for me I will have the other 3 in my car, I am just a mess thinking about how they will be wondering what is happening and everything. Will they get sick from the stress? will they adjust right away when we get to the new place? how often should I stop to have them use litterbox? should I put one in the carrier with them? should I let them loose in my car then put them back when I make stops because I would never open door with one loose. Should we stop at hotel every 10 hours? I am more stressed out about worrying about them then I am about me driving this far.
any advice or tips would be great!
very soon we will be moving across the country 33 hours of a drive and we have 6 cats to take with us. They are my babies and I am so worried about them and how stressed out they will be. How can I make it the easiest on them? My husband plans on driving he moving truck and possibly having 2-3 in the front seat with him in a big carrier, one of those kennel things, I want to get the biggest one that will fit in seat. for me I will have the other 3 in my car, I am just a mess thinking about how they will be wondering what is happening and everything. Will they get sick from the stress? will they adjust right away when we get to the new place? how often should I stop to have them use litterbox? should I put one in the carrier with them? should I let them loose in my car then put them back when I make stops because I would never open door with one loose. Should we stop at hotel every 10 hours? I am more stressed out about worrying about them then I am about me driving this far.
any advice or tips would be great!
It really depends on the cat.
When I moved from Des Moines to Phoenix with my 2 cats, I put them in separate carriers in the back seat with my stuff. One of them gets SUPER stressed in the car, so I got some tranqs from the vet (tried them at home before hitting the road). This knocked him out just enough to get him in the carrier and made him very drowsy for 6 or 8 hours. My other cat just meowed a bit at first then got quiet, I assume just sleeping. First night in a hotel, cat that needed the meds hid under the bed, other cat roamed around and checked it all out. I had 2 chihuahuas, too, and they were fine, of course.
Next day on the road was the same as the first, not really a big deal for either of them. I took food and water way before bed so they wouldn't need to potty in the car. I also bought a litter box sized box with a lid for their bathroom. Worked VERY well. I could snap on the lid and throw it in the car. No spill. No smell.
Ended up with car trouble in Holbrook AZ and had to spend 5 DAYS in a hotel getting it fixed. By the end of that I think the cats were pros at hotel room living.
By the way, my cat that didn't need drugs is almost 19. She wasn't really stressed at all. The other one is almost 6 and is a big scardey cat
Motel 6 are always pet friendly with no extra fees. La Quinta allows pet, for an extra charge.
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Take a practice run. One cat howled so badly we had to go to the vet to get her drugged! But then our move was New Mexico to ....Alaska!
Our last move we had a large dog cage for just one cat, since we had only one at that point.
We never feed cats in the morning before traveling, or they vomit. We feed at night in the motel.
We have a plastic tupperware-type container that fits on the floor in the back of the car with litter. We take a scoop & lots of plastic bags to clean out. We let the cat out, with doors & windows closed & put in the kitty litter periodically. Then we put back in the cage.
We have a tiny ceramic bowl, about 1/8 cup size that we put in the cage. The ceramic is heavy & won't spill easily.
We usually stop after 8-10 hours for a motel. Motel 6 has renovated rooms nationwide, so we use them a lot since no pet charge. We get a bottom floor room to make it easy carrying in cages. I am totally neurotic about my babies, so triple check that the door to the cage is secure! Cats are escape artists under stress so keep those cages carefully secured.
It's scary opening up the door to the motel with a cat inside, so we get sandwiches at Subway & then lock ourselves in for the night, rather than go in & out.
We like Motel 6 since the ones we have been in that have been renovated have solid bed bottoms. We've had cats that have gotten up in bed springs of the mattress- very hard to pull them out. We also block the back of the bed with pillows so we can cage them easily in the am without dragging them out.
I would recommend copying & posting on the Cat Pets Forum- they are great & will remember things I have forgotten.
It really depends on your cats, their personalities and temperments. Some cats do well with being crated and some don't. Some do okay with long car rides and some don't. Some do well with change and some don't.
I had an indoor cat back in Chicago and he associated any car ride with going to the vet. He hated anything to do with being in the car to the point that he needed calming medications just to not go ballistic. My children ended up being allergic to him and we were able to rehome him with two elderly sisters in the neighborhood before we moved. I doubt he would have done well with the drive from Illinois to NC and I'm glad we found a workable solution for him. Rehoming does not sound like a viable option for your cats though.
I would suggest you visit their vet and discuss this trip and options available. That will be the best way to ensure that each one has his/her needs met to make the trip as stress-free as possible. Also, remember, they can pick up on our anxiety and stress so you have to model calmness and tranquility for them.
Are they micro-chipped? If not, consider having that done. Petsmart does it economically on their pet adoption Saturdays. If they escape, the chip may buy them a few days of life. Some "kill" shelters put down unchipped / uncollared cats almost immediately.
Take a good photo of each one individually and keep them where you can find them easily.
On the morning of the move, place collars on each one with a phone number where you can be reached. I put the number on bright paper and then clear packing tape around that.
Keep all the kitties locked in the bathroom or a bedroom with a sign on the door that they are there. Put them into the carriers with that room door closed. Place old towels or doggie pee pads in the bottom of the carriers. Don't feed them that morning, as mentioned.
I agree with getting sandwiches and then staying in for the night when you reach the motel. Leave the collars on. Don't give them extra food but do allow them to drink as much water as they want.
Rinse and repeat until you reach your new home. There, unload them into one room with a secure door. Leave them in there with water and litter boxes until you are unpacked and have checked the house for places they could disappear into or other hazards. Once the house is secure, let them explore the house.
If they are indoor/outdoor cats, don't allow them out for at least three days, and then let only several out at a time and stay with them. Let them rub against the bushes (scenting them) and explore the yard under supervision so that they learn it.
If there is any doubt about their safety outside, either build a run or keep them indoors.
My cat adjusted almost immediately. I put up her perch in my bedroom, and she climbed on it and snoozed while I unpacked. Later, I moved it to the living room. She did have some issues when she eventually confronted the water heater in the basement (It made hissing noises, so she hissed back at it) but that area is now enclosed, so she has the run of the house and is happy. I'm fixing the back porch screens so she can snooze out there this summer (and eat the cat greens I grow there for her), but my neighborhood is too dangerous for her to go outside.
I moved California to Oklahoma with two dogs and a cat.
We did a trial run and she was terrified so I got drugs from the vet. It was a four day trip and by the middle of it she wasn't that scared, but I still used them. But plan to get up early so you can get the pill in them before the cars are ready to leave. She got where she'd hide and refuse to make a sound.
What I did while in the motel is leave on the harness (and you want to get each a cat harness, and used to them, they are the difference between an escapee running and you can't catch them and you having control) and a lead. If you are missing a cat somewhere in the room, you can find the teltale leash. We were delayed leaving one day since she'd gone and hid. I found her under the bedside table via the leash. Check for drawers which get left open or spaces where a cat can hide.
Go out and get dinner. It helps you and helps the kitties to calm down. Bring them in in the carrier and leave them in the carrier any time you leave. That way there are no suprise escapes. You can also put them in the bathroom with food and water with the door shut while you go for dinner, but the first day, use the carrier. They'll come to see it as security.
Never let your cats roam free in the car. They can distract the driver, but most of all they can move very very fast if the door is opened. And if its other than winter, do not leave them in the car without the ac running. The car will heat very fast and they can die easily from that. Drive thru's work for lunch or somewhere you can sit outside if you have small carriers you can bring with you. My cat after the first day enjoyed sitting with us during lunch.
Make sure all vaccinations are current and carry the paperwork with you.
When you are traveling provide water but don't be surprised if they don't drink any. And they may not pee. When you get to the motel, first set up the bathroom for them with food, litter box, and water. Then open the carrier inside. Keep them inside for a while so they can acclimate. Cats often will not drink while on the drive so they'll usually head to water first.
Also, when you get to your new location, take a room which is empty, and put food water and litter and a favorite blanket and toy. Then bring in the cats and keep the door shut while activity and open doors are going on. When its quiet, go and sit with them and introduce them to their new place gradually. Cats don't much appreciate the rush and disorder of moving so let them ease into it.
Hope this has helped and remember that you also need rest and food. Make it a journey instead of a chore. It will help your kitties if they see you relaxed too.
In past moves I did all of that, but in my last move I didn't. It was just too hard for me to do so as I was moving with 2 people, 2 dogs, and 2 cats in a VW Beetle. 1400 miles.
I didn't have space, obviously, for a litter box in the car, so they didn't get bathroom breaks. We drove about 12 hours the first day, and my older cat did pee in the carrier, but not much. Younger cat did not. I fed them as soon as we got into the room, and gave them water. Took food away before bed, water away a few hours before we left (got up in the middle of the night) They were fine in the car, actually seemed to get more worked up if I taked to them. I imagine they felt safe in their dark little boxes
I was worried about them darting out of the motel room, but they honestly were not interested in going outside. But, that would depend on the cat, too.
Cats packed in tight. Carriers were stacked with a bungee cord holding them together. Car was so tight they didn't shift at all
In the first Motel 6 (other cat was hiding under the bed at first)
Exploring the room
He came around for snuggles
Stuck in Holbrook while car was fixed
Everyone is fine with the hotel now
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I got in my car in San Antonio, TX about 6 a.m. with 4 cats in the back seat. They were in two carriers-2 in each one. I drove all day-only stopping for bathroom breaks and to eat. Every time I stopped, I would give them some food. I think I had some water in the bins but don't remember. I hated leaving them in the car but had no other choice. I rushed to eat-and brought them a little food. I never really thought about bathroom breaks for them.
I pulled into my sister's drive-way in Tulsa about 5. Unfortunately, it wasn't the sister that I was going to be staying with so I had to keep the cats in the bins. I think it was finally around 6 or 7 when I could finally let them out. It was in my sister's garage (she had a dog who would eat the cats for lunch). As I was setting up the catbox, one found some sawdust in a corner that she thought looked close enough to a catbox and went. I felt so bad because I'm sure she was holding it for a while.
They were in the garage for about 2 or 3 days when we all got back in the car and went to the airport. (They all had to be in their own bin then.) We flew from Tulsa to DFW where we changed planes. From DFW to Omaha to Syracuse to Albany. From Albany, my mother & step-father picked us up and then it was another 2 hour drive to my mother's house. You wouldn't be the looks I got in the airport with 4 cats. I know one cat got sick probably on the take-off.
We move across the country a few times with the cats, I usually kept the days to 10 hours or less, since they never use the litter box in the car. We would check into a hotel and the first thing in was them, the litter box and water directly into the bathroom and the door got closed so we could unload the rest of the car with out worrying about them.
I recommend a few trial runs around town to get them more comfortable in the car, feliway may be useful also. I always book the hotel ahead of time, you won't want to disclose that you have 6 cats, 2 is enough for them to know about. I also download the menu of a near by restaurant so I can call in a togo order and bring along some beer/wine/hard alcohol to have something to take the edge off after a long drive.
The thing people do with pets amazes me. Although I always avoid hotels/motels that allow pets because I'm not a fan of other peoples pet hairs etc.
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