Tips for Traveling with Cats

by Courtney Mroch | More from this Blogger

23 Nov 2007 09:14 AM

Cats don't generally travel as well as dogs do. I'm lucky because Mr. Meow is an exception. He does very well if we give him the freedom to decide between his carrier or roaming around the vehicle. (If we just keep him locked in his carrier he'll meow constantly like mad until we unlock him.)

And once he can be out and about, he quiets down and generally picks a spot and stays there. Sometimes it's my lap, sometimes it's on the seat beside me (if we're in Wayne's pickup), or it's next to his brother Murphy.

But we now know his traveling personality and what to expect from him and how to make the trip more comfortable for him.

If you have to travel with a cat and have never done it before or are looking for ways to make it a pleasant experience for you both, here's some tips that might help:

1. Use a cat carrier. That way if you get rolling and your cat is the kind to flip out, she will be in a confined area where she can't jeopardize her safety or yours.

2. Make him as comfortable as possible. If he has a favorite blanket or a snuggle bed that will fit in the carrier with him, put it in there.

3. Talk to you vet about tranquilizers, especially if your cat is the kind to flip out on even short trips to the vet. But follow dosing instructions very carefully. You don't want to put your cat to sleep forever!

4. Let her roam free IF you know she won't try to get under your feet and interfere with the pedals or in any other way impede your driving.

5. If you can let your cat roam free and have room to leave a litter box out, great. If not, pack the litter box in the trunk as the very last item. That way you can easily retrieve it when you make pit stops.

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Learn more about Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a wife, a proud pet parent, and a writer. She's been with her husband, high school sweetheart Wayne Pryor, over 20 years, married 11 of those. She's "mom" to Mr. Meow, a.k.

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mcmama (51978) 28 Nov 2007 11:23 PM

When I move, I have a carrier that fits a small dog, and am putting his favorite sleeping bag in there. The drive is about 20 hours, so we will stop overnight at a hotel (that takes pets).

Not looking forward to this with him. He will be medicated.

How often do you have to offer cats the litter box? If I open the car door with him uncontained, he will bolt - so he will have to use the box in the car.

Courtney Mroch (9169) 02 Dec 2007 08:04 AM

That is going to be one long drive for everyone involved. When we drove from Jax to Nash it took about 9-10 hours. We stopped twice and did what you're going to do, kept Kitty in the car with his box while we went and did our thing (be it potty ourselves or get food). On the 17 hour drive to Denver I noticed he used it 2-3 times en route.

I think it'd be safe to say that if you offer him the box when you stop, he'll be okay. Or watch him for signs if he starts yowling a lot of acting different that maybe he's trying to say, "I need to go."

Also, when I medicated mine I asked this same question to the vet. (What do I do about him going?) But the vet interpreted it to mean I was asking will he "go" just whenever and apparently under meds they can sometimes be so groggy they mess themselves in their carriers. So maybe having ready cleanup tools available might also help... (Luckily this did not happen and even under mild sedation Kitty had the sense to use his box! I hope the same holds for yours too!!! =)