traveling success

I'm home for the summer, and spending quality time for my cat. My
mother saved Kitty's yearly check-up until I could take her myself.
Kitty has a very difficult time traveling. She meows incessantly (and
she pretty much never meows in daily life), she throws up in her
carrier...she just hates traveling. Well, yesterday I took out her
carrier only to find some old dried up vomit in it. Apparently, she
threw up the last time she was in the carrier, but my mother didn't
realize it so she didn't clean it up. I was running late and had no
time to scrape/wash the stuff out. I grabbed the largest thing I could
find in which I could transport her--a soft-sided cooler (the kind you
put food in to keep it cold). I put some newspapers in it, an old
towel, and then Kitty. I didn't zip it up all the way so she could
still see me, and so she could have some air.

It was a huge success! She didn't meow once! Nor did she throw up!
She just curled up and took a nap on the way there. On the way back,
she was a little more pensive, but still no meowing or vomiting. I'm
going to look into finding a good soft-sided carrier for her. I think
soft-sided carriers allow her to feel more enveloped, and therefore
more secure.

So, for all those whose cats have trouble traveling, try a different
carrier. It may not help, but it may be the thing they need!

Rona Y wrote:

I'm home for the summer, and spending quality time for my cat. My
mother saved Kitty's yearly check-up until I could take her myself.
Kitty has a very difficult time traveling. She meows incessantly (and
she pretty much never meows in daily life), she throws up in her
carrier...she just hates traveling. Well, yesterday I took out her
carrier only to find some old dried up vomit in it. Apparently, she
threw up the last time she was in the carrier, but my mother didn't
realize it so she didn't clean it up. I was running late and had no
time to scrape/wash the stuff out. I grabbed the largest thing I could
find in which I could transport her--a soft-sided cooler (the kind you
put food in to keep it cold). I put some newspapers in it, an old
towel, and then Kitty. I didn't zip it up all the way so she could
still see me, and so she could have some air.

It was a huge success! She didn't meow once! Nor did she throw up!
She just curled up and took a nap on the way there. On the way back,
she was a little more pensive, but still no meowing or vomiting. I'm
going to look into finding a good soft-sided carrier for her. I think
soft-sided carriers allow her to feel more enveloped, and therefore
more secure.

So, for all those whose cats have trouble traveling, try a different
carrier. It may not help, but it may be the thing they need!

Hye, Rona! You have escaped from steamy Japan for a while!
Nice timing! How much longer will you be there (once you go
back)?

As for the cooler, envisioning mine, if you leave it open
enough so the cat can see out, can't it also escape from it?

--
Jean B.

I have at least until March 2007, maybe 2008 if I renew another year
(right now I'm tempted, but when it comes time for me to actually make
the decision, I may not be!). So you have plenty of time if you decide
to make the trip over! (I need plenty of notice, though, because my
apartment is always a mess, and needs a lot of cleaning).

She defnitely could have escaped from it. That's why I had my mother
drive, and I stayed in the back seat with her. She stuck her head out
a few times, and once or twice she almost squeezed out. But all I had
to do was put a little pressure on her chest (like pushing her in, but
not really pushing) and she went back in. I'm lucky, though, as I have
a very obedient cat! I know that sounds like a contradiction in terms,
but it's true! :-)

I was looking into the Sherpa carriers. I think, however, that the
high sides of the cooler were important to her feeling of comfort.
Sherpa carriers also have mesh sides, and I think she liked not being
able to see out. I think she gets a little freaked out when she can
see but not really see. If a Sherpa doesn't work out, and I can't find
any other soft-sided carrier, I think I'll just alter the cooler to
make it better for traveling--put some airholes in the top so I can
keep the zippers tight. It will just be used for taking her to the vet
or to her vacation home, so she should be OK in it.