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I will be making a cross country move this July (NY to OR) with 2 cats who hate each other. We've looked into Royal Paws transport but haven't made any confirmations yet. Most of this advice seems implausible, because if I drove only 8 hours a day, it would take us almost a week to get there. I feel it would be better to just drive like crazy and get them there faster rather than subject them to the car agony for 6 days. I just don't know what to do about litter boxes. Like I said, 8 hours a day IS NOT going to be happen. I'm thinking 12-14 hours of driving a day just to get it over with, which is why I'm also considering using a pet transport service.
So then I ask, for those doing 2000+ mile drives with cats, how did it work and how many days did it take?
California to Oklahoma. We had two drivers who took turns, and a horse carrier with my stuff. We didn't try to over rush the trip. It was about four days. The dog and cat did fine, but my cat stayed in her crate. The dog had a crate but prefered laps.
We got to see some beautiful scenery and stayed at nicer motels. There are several very nice chains who allow pets, and a LOT of them along the major highways have parking area for trucks. It's worth it to stop for the night, animals and people unwind, and start out refreshed. If you prepare them for the trip, things like letting them get used to the crate, and some local rides, most animals settle down with their people with them. And its a long trip, but you get the chance for some nice sightseeing. Dogs need short walks too, and settle down much better with a good comfortable sleep.
As the cats don't like each other, make sure they each have their own crate. They should be fine if you stop for the night and they swap out having full run Confining them to the crate for all day trips, without the down time, will be more secure for them, and put the litter pan out and some water and food and let the one with the room out to exercise a bit and use the litter box.
You *can* put a small litter box in the crate, but a lot of cats won't use it until you stop and let them out. And cats in transit should never be let out to open ground or they well might run.
I really don't trust pet transport services. You know and care about your pets, but they have no such investment and the thought of cutting corners is too easy to get to.
This doesn't sound too encouraging. I've filled out the contact forms on several companies' websites, but I never hear back from any of them. Is this just because they are all booked through the summer and don't need the work? Unlike most planned moves that might revolve around a job change or some other situation requiring one to relocate on a specific date, we could conceivably wait until fall to move. But we are extremely anxious to get out of where we're now living.
There are many reasons for this move, but right now the one uppermost in my mind is the THREE PIT BULLS that bark all night long outside our windows. One of them lives downstairs from us in the same building, and the other two share a townhouse yard in the next building over.
What experiences can you share about long distance moving, including pets?
Have you tried simply calling them during business hours?
My daughters have both moved overseas and back with pets and their pets were fine. One was a dog and one was a cat. Both did great. So if you can't drive them yourself, just look for good reviews and call during regular business hours. But my first advice would be to try to drive them yourself as others have suggested.
We spoke to our vet about this when moving from Phoenix to Chicago. Our vet stated one of our cats is so little (approx 7lbs) and gets so anxious, she would have likely died on a plane, even with calming medication.
We drove and had them in hard plastic carriers behind each seat.
I travelled from Chicago area to Southern California with pets. > 2200 miles. Though the pets were birds. Lots of pet friendly motels/hotels along the way. Took 3 days. Most motels have maximum 1 or 2 pet policy. I had 6 birds and they usually did not seem to care how many pets you had. Just disclose you have pets. Motel 6 anywhere is always pet friendly. you can also find upscale motels/hotels also with friendly pet policies.
I don't know about cats, but the birds used to get restless/noisy towards evening since they want to take rest. Not being in anything that is moving.
I have moved part way across the country several times. I have 11 birds. They all come in the vehicle with me. If I stayed in a hotel, they came in and stayed in their cages.
I have moved dogs and ponies with transports before. Pony transports were fine. Pet movers are different.
Be wary of any transport that is doing "rescue" hauling. I used one and she picked up dogs that did not have vaccinations along the route and my dog was delivered sick even though she had her shots.
Moving long distance is going to be stressful for a pet any way you look at it. Sending them off with a stranger will make it even more stressful. Whether it is flying or going by vehicle, your pet will stress unless they are used to being handed off to a stranger. Flying is faster for a cross country trip.
I just moved to another state with my 11 birds and 4 rabbits. There were no stops along the way as the trip could be made in a day.
We brought them on the airplane as carry on bags. Tucked them under the seat in front of us (in a carrier). We moved a cat and three birds this way. My in-laws also carried a cat form California to Boston this way. Technically you are supposed to register them and pay more, but we never did, just brought the carrier as carry on. No one said anything. I got a bit nervous when my cockatoo started to scream at 3 a.m., but he only screamed once then shut up, so I sat up and looked around like everyone else as if wondering where that noise was coming from.
Ahhhhhh - I cannot stop myself - pet peeve. Advise is a verb. Advice is a noun. You can advise someone, you cannot advice them. Someone can give you advice or ask for advice, NOT advise. Advise is an action. It is like saying "I am going to give you some run," or "I have some swim for you." Makes no sense. (Rant over sorry).
Put them in a cage, like one of those dog cage things, do not let them run loose in the car.
Cover the cage except for one side where they can sort of see you, it will calm them more.
They most likely will not use the bathroom while driving, they may hardly eat. Get whatever favorite food they like, like human tuna in water, so they can eat and get hydrated.
If you get a size of a cage too impractical to carry into a hotel room, get a portable one also to put the cats in and transport them to/from the car to the room.
Must disagree on giving them 'human' tuna. Vets recommend no canned tuna for kitties at all. The amount of sodium (salt) in tuna and the broth is over the top. Especially kitties traveling because they don't have access to good cold water in a vehicle. Best to feed them inside the hotel room with owners in the room so they feel somewhat safe, and provide their own water bowls. Stainless steel water bowls keep the water colder, longer.
Must disagree on giving them 'human' tuna. Vets recommend no canned tuna for kitties at all. The amount of sodium (salt) in tuna and the broth is over the top. Especially kitties traveling because they don't have access to good cold water in a vehicle. Best to feed them inside the hotel room with owners in the room so they feel somewhat safe, and provide their own water bowls. Stainless steel water bowls keep the water colder, longer.
For cats that refuse to eat because traveling, the human tuna is great because it contains lots of water, and they most likely will eat it. It is not like you are feeding it to them every day for years, we are talking about ways to keep them hydrated for a very short time, in that human tuna is harmless in this aspect.
If the cat has no issues eating, then fine, but I have yet traveled with a cat that would ever eat or drink water while traveling.
I have found recently cat food that is pretty darn watery and the cats love it, so next time traveling I will give that to them. I have tried the watering down cat food, making my own broth, etc, and they refuse, but this new food seems promising (wellness core simply shreds).
We moved one cat three times across country and one cat once.
Even somewhat more complicated than normal as we moved the cats on a different schedule than the family.
What we did was locate a cattery in upstate NY who was really quite good. Guy could actually herd cats. Would walk around his place with dozen or so following him. Cats loved the guy. He was either the receptor or sender of the cats.
We simply packed them in classical hard cat carriers and shipped them by direct airline. We would have gotten our upstate guy to take them wherever but we did not want them to change planes. All cats were mildly sedated. And were always met on arrival. One cat actually ended up with close to 9000 air miles.
The key was a suitable cattery at one end and us at the other. I think you can find these virtually anywhere. Simply look for an operation that specifies boarding cats. No dogs. And been around for a year or more. That virtually guarantees they have shipped cats. Note that you always need current medical stuff to ship a cat. All cat vets know about this.
I think our cats preferred it to long car trips. Your mileage may vary.
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