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Posted by Topic subject:   Traveling with cats?
KarleySimon
Member

Posts: 13
From:Irwin, PA US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 10-21-2003 05:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for KarleySimon     Edit/Delete Message
I'm wondering if any of you have traveled with your kitties? My husband has to to take a trip and he wants me to go with him. He is currently out of town and has been for the last 3 weeks. The time between when he comes home and when he has to leave again is 3 days. He misses our kitties already and hates he will have to leave so soon again. The trip is about 8 hours. Has anyone every took their kittis on a car trip that long? If so,how did you handle "eating" and "the bathroom"? Dogs are easy you just pull on the side of the road. I hope someone can help me here.

KarleySimon

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Cat
Member

Posts: 108
From:Nova Scotia, Canada
Registered: May 2003

posted 10-21-2003 06:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Cat     Edit/Delete Message
Hi!

I don't personally recommend travelling with cats unless you're movnig or taking them to the vet - but that is only my opinion. I have known other to take them on planes on vacation, etc. I just think its unnecessary stress for them unless your cat is used to travelling all the time - a lady here takes her kitty to the grocery store when she shops!?!

Anyways, I ahve travelled coast to coast twice in Canada with my two cats and it was easy. I had to sedate them for the first two days as they were nervous wrecks. After that they got used to the car and carrier. I ALWAYS kept them in a carrier in case of an accident. But as for food and water, don't feed them 8 hours or water them 4 hours before you travel in case they get car sick or nervous . If the trip is 8 hours, they shouldn't need a litter box. Mine travelled 10 hours a day without it. Just keep one available in case you suspect they might need it and leave one out up until you leave for your trip so they have an opportunity to go until you leave.

Good luck.

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Jamiya
Member

Posts: 501
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 10-21-2003 09:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
We took our cats on a 10 hour drive.....ONCE. We ended up sedating them.

To make a short story long, we were trying to accustom them to riding in the car for a couple weeks before the trip. We borrowed a wire crate from the vet thinking the cats would be less stressed if they could see out of the crate. One cat was so nervous she spent the whole ride crying and pawing at the bars. When we got home, we found out she had pawed at the bars so much she had rubbed her pads raw. The vet said she looked like she had walked across a hot stovetop. We had to get medicine and keep her feet banadaged. (Ever try to bandage a cat's feet and make it keep the bandages on...?)

So on the trip I ended up putting her in a harness (she hated it) so I could keep a good hold on her and she rode the whole way in my lap (since she was injured I didn't want her in a crate where she might hurt herself more). Do you know how cats shed a LOT when they are nervous? I looked like a cat hair snowman by the time we got there.

The other cat was sedated (with stuff the vet gave us) and we sedated them both on the way home and it went much more smoothly.


Jamiya

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fleafly
Member

Posts: 473
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 10-21-2003 09:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for fleafly     Edit/Delete Message
It depends on the cat, but most of them do not like trips. I used to take one of my cats 3 hours to see my mom all the time. He had no problem with the car. Another cat I had would sit under the seat and yowl the whole time.

When I travel with cats I put a litter pan in the car. The last time I went I bought a little one and sat it on the floor behind my seat. I carried my cat to and from the car in a carrier, but once we were in the car I let her out. She would curl and sleep somewhere then move then sleep some more. It was a 6 1/2 hour drive and she didn't mind it one bit. She hates being in the carrier though so if I tried to leave her in there she cried.

You might take your kitties on car rides around town just to see how they deal with the car. If you do take them, I would have a litter box. I have tried walking cats on harness before to get them to potty and it never works. Most likely they wont go on an 8 hour drive. If they are going to be loose in the car you can put down little food and water dishes, they probably wont touch the food but will drink some water.

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Gary619
Member

Posts: 11
From:AA
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-21-2003 09:41 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gary619     Edit/Delete Message
My cats are very comfortable with travelling. They are always calm, whether it is on a plane or my car. It really depends on the character of your cat. Some of them aren't meant to travel. I let my cats out when we are in my car. They usually sit on the floor and one of them likes to sit on my lap while I drive. Imagine having 13lbs on your lap for 4 hours of driving....hehe...not very good, but I like it because that's the only time I can have him stay with me for so long. I don't think 8 hours can be that bad though. Last time, I got stuck in the middle of nowhere because of snow storm, so I had to stay in a hotel for a night. But I didn't have any litter box for my cat, so he did not pee or poo for more than 12 hours. So, you know what the first thing he did when we got home the next day.
Give it a try, and find out if your kitty like it or not.

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Cat
Member

Posts: 108
From:Nova Scotia, Canada
Registered: May 2003

posted 10-21-2003 09:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Cat     Edit/Delete Message
I highly recomend sedatives!! Although my cat fought them for the first day for 8 hours! Who knew a cat could stay awake that long with sedatives! She did the same as your cat Jamiya; except she rubbed her nose against the front of the cage (which had bars) and she had a huge blister. Poor thing.

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Kayliface
Member

Posts: 80
From:
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-21-2003 05:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kayliface     Edit/Delete Message
My cat isn't too bad on our way to the vet (about 20 mins away) but I would be reluctant to take her anywhere far ..

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