My friend has a cat question

"Mishi" wrote

"Susan M"
wrote:

Do you know what type of van are they using - is it a moving van or
their own? If it is a moving van, can they rent an RV instead

RV rental is enormously costly but maybe would partly pay for itself by
saving on motels.

On 2006-07-14, Susan M penned:
If any of you have any ideas, she'd be most grateful. Here is her
e-mail to me:

DH and I drove from Virginia to Colorado in a Celica convertible. The
car was packed to the gills, including Oscar, who was in her carrier.

I left her in the carrier for two reasons: one, I have a friend who
literally lost a cat at a gas station near a noisy construction site;
he never found her. Two, I was concerned that she would hurt herself
trying to move around in the car with all the other stuff stacked up.

She meowed every few seconds of all two and a half days of the trip.

Oscar refused to eat, drink, or use the litterbox the entire time we
were on the road; the moment we arrived at DH's apartment in Boulder,
she apparently felt comfortable enough to do all of that, even though
she'd never been there before.

We chose hotels we could enter out of eyeshot of the lobby, and we
just brought Oscar into the rooms without asking. She behaved
herself, aside from pulling b*st*rd cat tricks like hiding inside a
bed so that we had to lift off the mattress to pull her out. No
messes, though.

I guess I don't really have advice to offer, other than to point out
that it would be heartbreaking to lose a cat because you were concerned
about her freedom of movement over the course of two or three days.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Susan M wrote:

If any of you have any ideas, she'd be most grateful. Here is her e-mail to
me:

1. Put them in cat carriers and take them with us.

IMO this is the best option - I once spent a week driving
cross country from California to Minnesota (and back again,
three months later, no need to go into the reasons). The
cats were no problem at all, really. During the drive, they
simply slept, with no interest in food, water or going
potty. When I stopped at night, I'd shut them in the
bathroom with a disposable litter box, food and water, while
I went to a restaurant for my own dinner. I gave them the
run of the room after I returned for the night (but first
put them both in harnesses, with leashes attached, so if
necessary I could drag them out from under the bed when I
was ready to leave the next morning).

Cons:
They could escape at some point (both are chipped, but ...).

Don't let them out of the carriers where there's any
posibilty of them getting away from you. They're more
likely to settle down and adjust to the trip if you simply
let them be until you're ready to let them out in a secure
place.

We might have problems finding hotels that accept pets: we've been
told "just put them both in the bathroom" but they are not fond of
each other and I'm not sure our kids would leave them in the bathroom.

Do you belong to the Auto Club? Their tour books not only
list hotels and motels, but include such info as whether a
particular place accepts pets. (It's been many years since
my trip, but I had little trouble finding motels that
accepted pets. (I'd suggest roadside motels en route,
rather than hotels, since they are more geared to families -
including the family pet - traveling by car.)

What would we do while eating lunch / dinner if we stopped at a
restaurant (can't leave pets in a car in the summer, they'll cook).

Take a cooler stocked with lunch supplies and plan on
picknicking in a "rest area" or park at lunch time - if your
cats are amenable to harnesses and leashes, you can even
give them a pottie break (although all mine wanted was to
huddle in their carriers). But at least, that way, you can
take the carriers out of the car and set them in the shade
while you eat.

One (the 2.5 yo) will meow incessantly for hours on end and we will go
nuts.

That's what I thought, too. However, I found that once the
cats realized that complaining wasn't going to have any
effect, they simply shut up and "escaped" into sleep until I
stopped for the night. (And it was only the first day that
they complained at all - after that they were resigned to
the situation.)


Pros:
See cons for other option.
Cheaper (but not nec. worth it to save that money)

2. Option 2: Put them in a cat kennel the day we move, and have a
friend drive them to the airport 1.5 hours from our house, and fly
them unattended to Iowa, pick them up at the airport, and then drive
them 1 1/2 hours to our house.

I'd choose Option 1, no doubt about it! Not only cheaper,
but more secure for the cats, and you aren't being forced to
rely on strangers who may or may not share your concerns
about your furry family members.

Pat wrote:

"Mishi" wrote

"Susan M"

wrote:

Do you know what type of van are they using - is it a moving van or
their own? If it is a moving van, can they rent an RV instead


RV rental is enormously costly but maybe would partly pay for itself by
saving on motels.

Except that an RV is not the same as a moving van! If
they're using a van to transport their furniture, I doubt
they could do the same with an RV (even assuming the rental
company would allow it).

Susan M wrote:

If any of you have any ideas, she'd be most grateful. Here is her e-mail to
me:

We are about to move to Iowa from north of Seattle, about 2000 miles
or minimum 3 1/2 days of driving. We are driving a car and a van and
towing a third car. We have 2 drivers and 2 kids and working A/C in
all cars.

We have 2 cats. One is about 2 1/2 years old and very active. The
other one is about 11 years old and not nearly so active. We do not
know what is the best way to move our kitties to Iowa. It looks like
there are three options:

1. Put them in cat carriers and take them with us.
Cons:
They could escape at some point (both are chipped, but ...).
We might have problems finding hotels that accept pets: we've been
told "just put them both in the bathroom" but they are not fond of
each other and I'm not sure our kids would leave them in the bathroom.
What would we do while eating lunch / dinner if we stopped at a
restaurant (can't leave pets in a car in the summer, they'll cook).
One (the 2.5 yo) will meow incessantly for hours on end and we will go
nuts.

Pros:
See cons for other option.
Cheaper (but not nec. worth it to save that money)

I would put each cat in its own carrier and put one carrier in each
driven vehicle. I'd also split up the kids as that makes fighting less
likely. Most motels we were at allowed pets, and if you plan out the
trip well enough, you can reserve a room at a motel, knowing in advance
that it will take the cats. The Red Roof Inn that we stayed at in
Clarksville Tennessee required a damage deposit, which was refunded to
us when we checked out. The other motels we stayed at were fantastic
about not only letting the cats stay there, but one of them asked if we
needed food, bottled water, litter boxes etc.

I suggest that each cat have a small litter box in its carrier, that
they take food packets and bottled water for each cat, and that each
kid, if they're old enough, be put in charge of taking care of a cat.
We also ate fast food (our cats loved Arby's) and planned out the trip
so that we never drove more than 8 hours a day and that the kids and
cats were under as little stress as possible.

Pam S. who's done that trip across country a few times.

Pam S.

Joy wrote:
I'd recommend getting harnesses and leashes for the rest stops and
taking them along. Even if they aren't mistreated on the flight,
cats can go astray just as well as other luggage, and they might not
reach their destination. Changing planes increases that risk. Also,
leaving them in a kennel and then shipping them on a plane with no
familiar people or smells around them would distress them mightily.

Meal stops would be a problem, but there are options. Buy fast food
or take out and eat at a park, or eat in shifts so somebody can
either walk them or drive them around with the AC going while others
are eating.

In motels, keep one in the bathroom and the other in a carrier in the
bedroom, altering so they both get some freedom. I'd make it an
absolute rule that the outside door is not to be opened after a
certain time (say, 9 PM, for instance) or before the parents make
sure the cats are safely confined in the morning. Then, I'd let the
cats have the run of the motel room at night.

In my travels over the last few years I have noticed most motels are
pet-friendly, in fact moreso to cats than dogs which may tend to keep other
guests awake with their barking. There is usually an additional charge of
$10-15 per pet. Much cheaper, however, than paying to fly the cats and risk
the chance of them getting lost like so much luggage.

Jill

wrote

It would be horrible if the cat managed to get underneath the brake
pedal. (OK, that would have to be a kitten.) You'd be stuck between
squishing the kitty or possibly having an accident by not using the
brake!

There's always the hand/emergency brake.... I've had them try to get under
the pedals but with persistence always managed to teach them to stay clear
of that area.

"Pat" wrote in message
...

wrote

It would be horrible if the cat managed to get underneath the brake
pedal. (OK, that would have to be a kitten.) You'd be stuck between
squishing the kitty or possibly having an accident by not using the
brake!

There's always the hand/emergency brake.... I've had them try to get under
the pedals but with persistence always managed to teach them to stay clear
of that area.



If another car has lost control and is headed right for you, you won't have
time to use an emergency brake or try to extract a cat or kitten from under
your feet. You need to be in full control.

MaryL

MaryL

Susan M wrote:
If any of you have any ideas, she'd be most grateful. Here is her e-mail to
me:

I moved from IN to NC, then from NC to CA and then from CA to OR - with
two dogs, two cats, three snakes and a turtle.

Put the cats in individual carriers, plan the trips carefully and stay
at Residence Inns - they accept multiple pets and have 2 BR suites that
can hold an entire family, leitter boxes, etc. Google this topic for
more detailed info - there is a ton of advice already posted.

-L.

Susan M wrote:
If any of you have any ideas, she'd be most grateful. Here is her e-mail to
me:

We are about to move to Iowa from north of Seattle, about 2000 miles
or minimum 3 1/2 days of driving. We are driving a car and a van and
towing a third car. We have 2 drivers and 2 kids and working A/C in
all cars.

We have 2 cats. One is about 2 1/2 years old and very active. The
other one is about 11 years old and not nearly so active. We do not
know what is the best way to move our kitties to Iowa. It looks like
there are three options:

1. Put them in cat carriers and take them with us.
Cons:
They could escape at some point (both are chipped, but ...).
We might have problems finding hotels that accept pets: we've been
told "just put them both in the bathroom" but they are not fond of
each other and I'm not sure our kids would leave them in the bathroom.
What would we do while eating lunch / dinner if we stopped at a
restaurant (can't leave pets in a car in the summer, they'll cook).
One (the 2.5 yo) will meow incessantly for hours on end and we will go
nuts.
snip
SM

When Soncek yowled for 3 consecutive nights because the sound snow-plows
made was upsetting him, the vet gave some tranquilizers for Soncek after
she (the vet) tested Soncek's blood to see if his liver is ok (it is).
Best wishes,
Polonca and Soncek