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.
In 11 or 12 day we will be heading out - a 26' Pensky, a tow dolly with a car on it, 3 Pugs, 1 Pomeranian, 1 cat (who hates to ride in a vehicle and yowls constantly), and 2 adults. I know we're nuts and I'll admit - at this late date (which is NOT helpful) - that I have no idea how we're going to pull this off.
We'd given thought to crating the cat and all but one dog at a time (which would ride for a segment of each day's trip) and sticking the crates in the car we're going to tow. Pensky says no pets, no personal belongings, and no people in the towed vehicle. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this because the towed vehicle will be on a dolly - and weight is an issue? Would a car trailer be ok?????
We can't and won't put them on a plane. It's a 2 1/2 day drive - they'd beat us there. I don't think heat will be a problem - we can open the windows and will be traveling through Idaho and Montana for a lot of the trip. We don't have anyone who's willing to drive along with us. Unless?????
These are our babies - the Pugs and the cat are all middle aged, the Pom is not even 3 yet. Any thoughts and ideas would be appreciated!
The vet can give you something that will help the cat remain calm.
You might want to consider some Valium for yourself. I sure would.
The tow dolly is a separate entity from the truck and there is probably an insurance consideration for Pensky if there are living creatures in the car being towed on their dolly.
Think of this as an excellent adventure. You'll be driving through some beautiful country and moving on to the next episode in your life.
A friend of mine did this 2 weeks ago. She drove from Dallas to Seattle with two cats (that's how I know about the stuff the vet can supply). Her son was driving a Pensky behind her. So, she had room for the cats in her very small, new Prius.
She also had a 13 year old cat named Stella who now lives with me in DFW. She was afraid that Stella would be too traumatized on the trip. Since one of my cats died 3 weeks ago it certainly worked out that I now have two cats again. But, that is off topic.
You will do fine on this but I'm not sure where you will put 4 dogs/cat.
Think about your options. You will figure out a way to pull this off.
In 11 or 12 day we will be heading out - a 26' Pensky, a tow dolly with a car on it, 3 Pugs, 1 Pomeranian, 1 cat (who hates to ride in a vehicle and yowls constantly), and 2 adults. I know we're nuts and I'll admit - at this late date (which is NOT helpful) - that I have no idea how we're going to pull this off.
We'd given thought to crating the cat and all but one dog at a time (which would ride for a segment of each day's trip) and sticking the crates in the car we're going to tow. Pensky says no pets, no personal belongings, and no people in the towed vehicle. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this because the towed vehicle will be on a dolly - and weight is an issue? Would a car trailer be ok?????
We can't and won't put them on a plane. It's a 2 1/2 day drive - they'd beat us there. I don't think heat will be a problem - we can open the windows and will be traveling through Idaho and Montana for a lot of the trip. We don't have anyone who's willing to drive along with us. Unless?????
These are our babies - the Pugs and the cat are all middle aged, the Pom is not even 3 yet. Any thoughts and ideas would be appreciated!
Best advice I can give is to NOT dolly the other vehicle and have one of the adults driving the animals in the vehicle while the other is driving the truck. Switch off at every fuel stop and don't try to drive 12 hours a day. DH & I also bought a pair of those 2-way short wave radios to use for communication between the vehicles while driving. We have moved all over the place with numerous animals and found that this works the best for us. Good luck & let us know how it goes.
Va-cat the big issue here is that I don't drive due to depth perception issues and I just don't feel like a 1600 mile trip is the best place for me to experiment with driving for the first time in 17 years.
We've got the little walkie/talkies from when we had our boat and needed to communicate from the helm to the aft deck when leaving the dock or coming in.
...And to the pets. I know they can get scared or even car sick and miserable.
The dogs all love to go for rides in the car - they've been exposed to travel before and they love, Love, LOVE boat rides so I'm not worried about car sick. Cat - on the other hand hates anything that moves.
the cat MUST be in a car with a human. Opening the windows is NOT enough - cats can overheat and die VERY easily. FWIW, I drove 3000 miles with two cats - after a few days they just yowled for about the first hour, then settled down. :P Don't feed the cat just before you go unless you like cleaning up barf!
I work at a Vet's office. There is a pill (called "ace" in our area) that vets can prescribe for the cat to take the edge off the car ride. HOWEVER, our doctors recommend giving the cat a trial-run on the pill before traveling, so you can watch the cat for reactions. It does help some cats, but you need to know how your cat is going to react. Please get to your vet now, so you can do this for your cat.
Also, if you could find the room in the vehicle you are driving - no pets in the towed vehicle for safety - the best would be to have a larger crate for the cat that you could actually put a litter box in it! I know that is asking a lot, based on the scenario you describe... Is there anyone you know (family, friends) that would be willing to help you drive to your new destination, and then you could fly them back home? We are planning to do that in our upcoming cross-country move with 4 cats!, but I have college boys that are more than willing to do a road trip!
Va-cat the big issue here is that I don't drive due to depth perception issues and I just don't feel like a 1600 mile trip is the best place for me to experiment with driving for the first time in 17 years.
We've got the little walkie/talkies from when we had our boat and needed to communicate from the helm to the aft deck when leaving the dock or coming in.
Is there someone that can go on the trip with you and drive the vehicle? Have to admit DH & I draft our son for trips where needed. Also, Its dangerous and I think illegal in some states to have anything living (people or pets) in a trailered vehicle. If you could get someone to go with you and drive the car, I think it would be your best option. I know you would have to purchase a one way ticket for whoever goes with you to get them back to their jumping off point but it might be something you might want to explore.
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.
helpful) - that I have no idea how we're going to pull this off.
Cat - on the other hand hates anything that moves. 
