Did any of you move here with pets? (Phoenix, Tucson: how much, hotels)

[twojulybabies]

Just wondering how much my 3 year old cat will enjoy sitting in a car for 5 days?

Thoughts? Advice?

[Kory1979]

I recently made the trip from Detroit, Michigan to Tucson, AZ. In general, cats hate car rides....so we want to make the ride as smooth as possible for them so as to not stress them out too much and get them sick. First I would check with your vet to get a sedative to put them out, or at least make them really drowsy. Our three day trip was made alot easier because of this. My cats never got sick from the medication, and they are just fine here in Tucson!!! Giving them this sedative is REALLY scary, so be ready to see your kitty in a state of complete drowsiness. Also, make sure the car remains cool for them and always keep them in their carrier. I would recommend a soft carrier, since cats tend to chip their nails on metal/plastic cages. Also, always, always, always be sure that your cat is secure in the carrier before you open your door/windows. My cousin lost her hitty forever while driving from Florida to Michigan. What a tragic experience.

Also, periodically stop to give them food and water. Keep a small litter box in the car. Good luck. Also, I would try to limit your trip to 3 days or 4.

[Nanny Goat]

We drove from Florida to Phoenix with 3 cats, 1 dog and 2 lop-eared rabbits (they're family--they go wherever we go). This was 11 yrs. ago. We moved in May, too.
I put the cats in carriers (2 in 1 carrier and the "princess" in her own separate carrier). They were on the seat and floor. The dog in the back in her carrier near the rabbits (in their carrier).
We only drove about 9 hours/day because I didn't want to stress them out. We'd stop at 5 pm, put clothes over the carriers and bring them in the room. They were all exceptionally well-behaved animals thankfully. Then, we'd put the litter box in the room, water and food. I think it took us 5-6 days. It went well considering a move of this nature. For the rabbits, I put a water bottle in their carrier with cat litter on the bottom to absorb odors.
I would recommend frequent stops and not driving too long each day. My cats felt safe and happy in their carriers. I talked to them and put soothing music on (maybe more for myself!)They did better than I did.
Make sure carrier latch is secure and all of the screws in the carrier are secure. A/C on, too. Water, food and litter box in hotels. It was only really hot when we hit Arizona, as I recall. Texas wasn't too bad and neither were the other states.
Good luck.

[Subie]

I drove from upper NorCal to Tucson. 2 days, not 5, but I can suggest a few things:

-Get a big carrier they can move around in
-Put a nice towel/blanket inside for comfort. Carry extra in case they have an accident because they couldn't hold it.
-Get a towel to place over the front of the carrier. Cats DO get carsick if they look out the windows.
-point the AC vents at the carrier.
-Get a travel litter pan that they can use. If you have room, place it on the floorboard of the vehicle and while you're in a rest stop, let them out to use it.
-Keep kitty in the carrier while car is in motion
-Do not feed them the night before the trip. No water either. As long as you keep the car cool, they will be OK for 8-10 hours without food and water as long as you tend to them at the end of the night. If you can get them to use a litterpan at rest stops, you can probably give them water more often.

I also did not sedate my cat. I've read articles questioning the safety of a cat when it's sedated without a doctor's supervision and just won't chance it. They pretty much settle down after a while and sleep most of the way if you keep the car cool and the carrier covered with a towel.

[hays0023]

We are in the same boat...my wife + I are moving to Tucson in September with 5 spynxes...we are planning to drive from Rochester in a Mini (EEK!!!)....it will be quite the interesting adventure...

[Kory1979]

My cousin is a vet for the Michigan Humane Society and she would NEVER recommend something something that would be remotely dangerous for my kitties! So check with your vet, and get yourself some sedation pills. They worked fine for us.

[Subie]

FYI Kory, I wasn't suggesting that you were doing something wrong with sedation, I just personally will not do it.

[mdtoaz]

So, last July we moved with our 3 cats. My husband and FIL drove the moving truck and my sister and I drove our other car with the cats. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Our car's a little unique (it's a subaru baja, so there's a small truck bed in the back), but if you have a big enough vehicle, I would suggest trying our method.

- we took out the back seat and put pillows, cat beds, blankets and even a small cat tree to give them for comfort.

- we gave them access to the bed (which is covered) and had a litter pan secured for them to use along the way.

- we had a large water bottle that they could use while driving, and during stops offered them bowls of water.

- we had a net to keep them out of the front seat, and rigged a "gate" so we could open one of the back doors without them able to escape.

- we used a large dog crate to get them into the hotels each day. we put all 3 in together and covered it with a blanket while we brought them into the hotel.

- each morning, we gave them each a 1/2 of an acepromezine (a small fraction of the dose recommended by the vet) just to mellow them out. They were never completely knocked out.

So, pretty much that was it. They slept most of the time and they took turns sitting on the cat tree looking out the windows. They usually hate driving - I think mainly because we usually have them in the cat carriers. They seemed to get used to the routine very quickly.

A couple other tips:
- block access to certain things in the hotel rooms like under the bed, etc.
- when making pit stops, always try to stay in the shade or take turns so you can keep the car running w/the A/C on.
- try to be consistant where you put the litter pan/food/water each night in the hotel room.

Make sure you ask about the pet policy for your hotel stays. I found that Choice Hotels (Quality Inn, Comfort Inn, etc) allow pets, but each has their own policy. A great chain is Drury Inns - they allow pets for free and have a nice continental breakfast.

Sorry for the long post... I was nervous before our move, but we really had no problems and I think it was as low stress as possible for the cats this way. Good luck.

[milliebfit]

We are moving in 3 weeks with a our dog and cat..NJ To Tucson. I have some great information from all of you. Hopefully all goes well!

[Clnconcpts]

I brought my 3 dogs with me.Everyone seems happy