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you read stories all the time about pets traveling thousands of miles to find their way home .. just run off and leave them .. if they want they will come to you eventually ... ( just kidding )
They should be in crates. It would be very easy for a cat to slip out an open door (or window) if not crated.
Buy the crates well in advance and get the cats used to being in them before setting out a trip. Make sure you have copies of their rabies vaccines with you as well.
I second the idea to have a harness with a leash. Get something in bright, glow-in-the-dark colors. It would help to locate the cat if she hides. Also, if she does manage to bolt, well, you have something to grab onto. We all know you can't chase and catch a running cat!
Keep the AC on recirc, not intake. Cats are extremely sensitive to smells. If the smell the ever-changing outside air, it could make them uncomfortable. Take kitty for test-spins, in the crate, with harness attached, about 10-15 minutes at a time, so she can get used to it.
Last advice, take along plenty of old towels, wipes, spray cleaner, etc. We moved a cat about a 2-hour drive, he howled and peeded the whole way!
I have moved cross country twice with two cats. One time we drove with them and the second time I flew them separately with Delta as cargo. Both options suck. Both are very hard on the cats and the driving option is very hard on people too. Here's the list of negatives from my experience:
Driving:
A lot of cats will not go to the bathroom in car.
It's not advised to drive longer then 8 hours at a time with the cats because many will hold their bladders until in a comfortable place.
You can't really stop on the side of the road to let them go to the bathroom like a dog and every time you open the car doors you're at risk of cat bolting off in the middle of Nebraska or someplace where you'll never see them again.
Finding hotels/motels that will officially allow you to have cats in the room is very hard. When you get toward the middle of the country and rural areas it's harder to find pet friendly hotels and even in bigger cities most "pet friendly" hotels means dogs only. There is a big bias against cats because as I was told by several hotels all cats would spray and scratch up the rooms if they allowed them in there. So you are left sleeping in your car or sneaking them into a cheap motel.
My two cats screamed for the entire 8 hours in the car every single day which is very stressful when you're driving.
Flying:
You have to hand your cats off to strangers who treat them like cargo.
You need to have each cat separately in a large enclosure with locking door.
There were no direct flight options when I did it so D.C. to San Diego was basically 18 hours of door to door travel for the cats in crates. It was very stressful on them and they arrived covered in their own filth because nobody takes them out for breaks during the trip.
Flight options are very limited in summer months. Airlines can't or won't book animals as cargo on flights with stop overs in southern states due to heat. The animals can be sitting on the ground in cargo hold for 2 hours between flights and it's too dangerous to their health so they will only book them on northern routes to prevent them from dying en route.
Honestly the best option is to fly with your cats in cabin. You can place them under the seat in an approved pet carrier. Of course you need three seats but if you fly them separately as cargo it will probably be around $500 per cat anyway so the prices even out and you can get a direct flight which will be the fastest and most stress free for everyone (except the other people on the plane if your cats are yowling the entire flight)
Please drive your kitty cats across........ They will love you for it. My cat actually liked the hotels/motels we stayed in, as we drove across the U.S.
We moved many times with many pets, cross country a couple of times as well.
Crate your cats and put them in the back seat. You may want to talk to your vet about a tranquilizer just in case. We never had any problems.
When you get to your new home, put butter on your cats' paws before you let them out, they will lick it off and supposedly learn the scent/location of their new home. It worked every time we tried it.
I would also drive the pets myself. I've moved several times with animals and that has always been the only way I would be comfortable. That included a three day move from Boston to Jensen Beach, FL with two cats. I put them in a single crate (a BIG one - two Maine Coons at ~ 35 lbs total). I would have lost my mind with worry entrusting them to someone else. It was really not nearly as problematic as I would have thought. I stayed in La Quintas along the way - they are known for being pet friendly.
I've moved across country with a dog and cat... just move.
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.... They will love you for it. My cat actually liked the hotels/motels we stayed in, as we drove across the U.S.
