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Driving Cross Country
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 |
#2
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wrote in message
oups.com... 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. [snip] I've taken cats on long drives (moving) and had no problems other than they tend to cry a lot. Mine would eat a little but not as much as usual and hence didn't need the litter as often. I'm not sure stopping frequently is the best idea since it might tend to suggest to them that you've arrived at your destination. Maybe take some extra towels along in the car and if either cat has an accident in their carrier, you can replace the towel with a clean one. When you stop (for food & restroom), should be sufficient to let them have access to the litter box, as well as some food & water. Good luck! Gail |
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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 |
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Thanks for the responses. It's reassuring to know other people have
done this before without serious trouble! I'll bring along some extra towels and hope for the best. And, yes, I'm very glad to be leaving Iowa. I only hope I can dig out of the snow in time to move! Liz |
#5
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wrote in message ups.com... Thanks for the responses. It's reassuring to know other people have done this before without serious trouble! I'll bring along some extra towels and hope for the best. And, yes, I'm very glad to be leaving Iowa. I only hope I can dig out of the snow in time to move! Liz Liz: I did it too. My 2-year-old cat was very unhappy and yelled the whole way-- (Dallas, Texas to Richmond, VA) but was absolutely fine just as soon as she got out of the truck. I split the 20+ hours into two and stayed at a hotel. I had not thought ahead and found a pet-friendly hotel but I just snuck her in. She did not eat or eliminate the entire way, but was just fine when we got to VA. She did drink a bit. Best of luck. (I had her in a hard-sided carrier, and I had a cat box full and ready in the back of the truck in case she needed it, and I had a harness on her, too.) |
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I forgot to say, I also had harnesses on the cats at all times, and when
I stopped for snacks/litterbox, I attached a lead to each of them incase they tried to take off. They never did, but I figured a loose cat with lead and harnes would attract more attention than a loose, possible stray. Harnesses and leads were in dayglo colors for easy visibility. Of course they both had tags on with my cell number and my sisters home number just in case. Also I found driving with the car a little chilly encouraged them to curl up and go to sleep, even moderate heat got the fat cat panting and then he'd work himself up from there. Powers on and off here, I wouldn't even step outside if I didn't have horses/sheep/goat to feed. I've got drifts thigh high and a sheet of ice under it, good luck getting out! Charlotte wrote: Thanks for the responses. It's reassuring to know other people have done this before without serious trouble! I'll bring along some extra towels and hope for the best. And, yes, I'm very glad to be leaving Iowa. I only hope I can dig out of the snow in time to move! Liz |
#8
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wrote in message oups.com... 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 I have made numerous long trips with cats, and I have not had any problems. None of my cats even wanted to eat or drink or use the litter box while we were in the car, but they headed directly for food or the litter box as soon as we settled in for the night. I would suggest -- both for your sake and the cats' -- that you reduce the length of time you plan to spend on the road each day. A 12-14 hour day is much too long; it would be preferable to add an additional day of traveling, even though that means one more night in a motel (and shifting everything from car to motel and back again). Do be sure to *check in advance* for motels where you can take your cats inside; offer to pay a security deposit, if necessary. I always kept a small litter box behind the driver's seat for "emergencies," but it was never used. In your case, I suggest that you simply keep the carrier closed at all times when the cats are in the car. There are now some disposable litter boxes available (complete with a small supply of litter). That could probably be placed into the carrier once or twice during the day if you are concerned, but you will probably find that it will not be used. You already know that one cat hates the car. Therefore, I suggest that you get a spray can of Feliway and spray some in the carrier about 30 minutes before you place the cats in it in the morning. (Do *not* spray it while the cats are actually in the carrier!) A sedative really should not be necessary, and I would avoid it if at all possible. Your cats may cry for 30-45 minutes, but then will probably be quiet for most of the day. Be *extremely* careful when opening the door in a motel room. Cats can become frightened in unfamiliar surroundsing, and one could panic and run out an open door faster than I can describe it. Good luck with your move. I actually enjoyed traveling with my cats -- the companionship was really pleasant. MaryL |
#9
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I second the feliway, forgot that I doused carriers, blankets, and front
seat they were on both mornings before leaving. I dont know if it helped, but it was the only car trip where fat cat relaxed and slept without his normal howling. Charlotte MaryL wrote: You already know that one cat hates the car. Therefore, I suggest that you get a spray can of Feliway and spray some in the carrier about 30 minutes before you place the cats in it in the morning. (Do *not* spray it while the cats are actually in the carrier!) |
#10
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On 2005-01-05, MaryL penned:
I would suggest -- both for your sake and the cats' -- that you reduce the length of time you plan to spend on the road each day. A 12-14 hour day is much too long; it would be preferable to add an additional day of traveling, even though that means one more night in a motel (and shifting everything from car to motel and back again). I think this depends on the cat. Oscar hated the car ride from VA to CO and mewled the whole way. As far as I could tell, she didn't touch her food or use the litter box (or any other facility) for the entire trip. I couldn't really tell if she'd had water. She wouldn't even eat in the motel rooms, but for some reason, once we got to the apartment in Colorado, she was willing to eat, use the litterbox, etc. Anyway, for Oscar, the best thing to do was to get the trip over as quickly as possible, like pulling off a bandaid. On the other hand, driving alone for 12-14 hours is pretty scary. Some people can do it just fine, but others will have trouble staying alert. To the original poster: please keep tabs on your own mental state, and if you're tired or find your mind wandering, please pull over and take a break! Believe me, I fell asleep at the wheel once, and the split-second where I thought I'd killed someone ... I'll never drive tired again. -- monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!* |
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