Hi, I just moved from New Hampshire to Iowa (1200 miles) with my 2 cats,
and I must say it went REALLY smoothly! Prior to that I had one cat
that rode well in the car, and another that howled and got himself
worked up to the point of vomiting (great, huh?).

Prior to the trip I took them on a few short drives, 15 minutes or so
and then home. Beck still got himself all worked up so I just gave up
on that idea. Packing was the hardest, they were trying to help with
every box, and I really had to watch them with the door being open so
much going in and out. Cats were packed last, their cat carriers
stacked on front seat along with cooler and such. I got a cheap
rubbermaid storage container with a lid and used that as a temporary
litter box, food, water, and bowls were in a bag next to them on the
seat. Every 2-3 hours I pulled over, offered them a tablespoon of dry
food then water, then litterbox. Except for one howling session going
through PA, they just rode along fine. By the end of the trip Id let
them out and they clambered over the luggage and went to sleep (Both
cats are on the large side and were pretty cramped in their cages and
previously always rode loose to the vets and such).

The worst part of teh whole trip was at the motel. I brought everything
I needed in, locked door, checked room from top to bottom, let cats out.
5 minutes later Bobby had found a crack in the bed frame and was stuck
under a king size bed. I never knew I had the strength to lift a
kingsize bed up with one hand while fending off the other cat and
dragging him out. After that, they spent the night locked in the
bathroom with a blanket in the bathtub as their bed.

Otherwise they handled it great, I had to stay at a friends for a week
while I worked out new place, and cats seemed happy and carefree at all
times. They stayed at 4 places in a week and a half and never really
seemed stressed except for that one spot in pennsylvania where they both
howled nonstop for a half hour.

There was a $10 pet deposit at the hotel, but I asked the clerk if they
had any offers going, and ended up getting a $10 discount, so it all
evened out.

Good luck with your move! With the current ice & snow, moving out of
Iowa sounds grand ;-)
Char

wrote:
I will be moving to Oregon next week from Iowa, and I'm bringing my 2
cats with me. I am planning to drive as much as I can before stopping
for the night (12-14 hours). I'm worried about how the cats will fare
for such a long trip. One of my cats hates the car, and I do have a
sedative from the vet, but I'd like to avoid using it if possible. I'm
mostly concerned about how the cats will eat, drink, and use the litter
box. I will be driving alone so I must keep them confined to a carrier
(large enough for both cats), and they won't have access to a litter
box. I will stop every few hours and let them use one if they are
willing - is this reasonable?. Has anyone had experience driving
long-distance with cats? Any tips?

Thanks!
Liz