Traveling long distance with cat; your advice?

[Ginevive]

I am posting in the hopes of gleaning some wisdom about travelling cross-country with my cat. My husband and I are driving cross-country to move to California. This entails binging our 12 y/o domoestic shorthair, Inky.

Our plan is to use a cat carrier that can fit into the backseat of our pickup truck (we will be in the two front seats, and we are towing a 12-foot u-haul behind with our posessions.) I have already placed the carrier in our kitchen, and over the past few months, I have been feeding Inky treats and yummy moist food in there. He has realyy taken to it! He even sleeps in there now.. and if something frightens him, he runs into the carrier, instead of under the bed!

So.. I am wondering abou tips/tactics for the road and beyond. I did get some tranquilizer pills from the vet, as well as an assurance that Inky has a clean bill of health. He had fleas, but we used Advantage, and he seems to have stopped scratching; although the house has some residual fleas. But my worries are:

-Do you think that he will use his litter box? We can't fit his normal one in the carrier; I am thinking of buying a smaller sized one, like kitten-sized?

-Water? I don't see a water dish as lasting very long in a carrier without spilling. Maybe in the next month, I can train him to use a rabbit-sized water bottle?

-Stress. I was told to only give him the pills if he exhibits drastic signs of being stressed; yodeling, drooling/foaming. Inky has only been in a car about 4 times since we got him.. he usually yodels and walks all over, but I want to keep him contained.. having him loose seems dangerous for alot of reasons.

Your thoughts? We are staying in hotels on the trip.. I plan on seeking out pet-friendly ones.. although if push comes to shove, I hope that we don't have to be sneaky about having him with us. I saw that some hotels like Holiday Inn Express, have a pet deposit policy. We plan on going cheap though; motor motels it might be.. but our friends are driving out ahead of us (this week) and are also bringing their cat.. so they can tell us about places along the way that they stayed at.

[wolfy-hound]

Keep him in the carrier in the vehicle, you're right it's safer, and it's also less stressfull.

I used to have a client who transported her cats in the car in pillowcases. No kidding. She decided once to get them all carriers, and the cats were misrable, howled and clawed and peed in the carriers.. horrible. She went back to bagging them. But this was only from house to our shop.. not long distance.

With a large carrier, you could offer a small litter pan, but I'll bet he'll want to hold it until he's not moving. It'll be there should he want to use it, but offer him a litter pan when you stop for the night. The main thing I'd worry over is the vehicle getting hot if you get out to get food, potty, etc. As long as you don't leave him alone, you should be fine.

Try catnip before you try the drugs. Some cats on the drugs act really horrible and wild, they start tripping and see things, and panic. Catnip normally is a lot easier on them.

[BuddhaLuv]

A great remedy for cats and dogs is called Rescue Remedy. It is a Bach Flower Essence that you can find at most health food stores. You can always google it to find a location near you. A friend/co-worker of mine uses it all of the time on her cats. She travels quite a bit with them to different shows and she puts about 2 drops a day or so in their water 2 weeks before she knows she is traveling! I use it on one of my dogs that was diagnosed with OCD and it really helps her a lot!

Also as long as it does not get hot in your truck, you can cover the cat carrier with a light blanket. Sometimes that helps if they are feeling anxious at all.

You are doing an excellent job with getting him used to the carrier so far in advance

[JLC]

We drove from Sacramento, CA to Tucson, AZ with two cats in the car. Not as far as you're going, but definitely long enough trip to give some good experience. They were in separate carriers, and each one was small enough to let the cats turn around and lay down comfortably, but not large enough for anything like a litter box. We didn't find that necessary at all.

We only had one overnight stay at a friend's house in the L.A. area and we brought the litter box in with us. And then few nights in a hotel in Tucson before we found an apt to live in. The cats didn't much like all the new places, but they used their litter box just fine.

For the long days of driving, we would stop every 2-3 hours and let the cats out of the carriers and offer a bowl of water to drink from. They weren't really interested in drinking much and they didn't have to pee so much because they weren't drinking constantly.

Of course, you have to plan to eat your meals in the car during the day...save the long stops for the nighttime after the sun goes down. You can't ever leave the cat unattended in the car in the daytime for even a few minutes.

LaQuinta's are very affordable hotels, usually easy to find, and pet friendly.

[Ginevive]

Thanks for the advice We have a carrier to use that will fit in the cab of the pickup with us, behind my seat.
I will definately be sure not to leave Inky in the truck alone. I'll look into the La Quints hotels; H. Inn Express is a tad pricy I have found.
I am planning on getting a harness so that I can let him out every few hours in the truck. I am not crazy about walking him outside, since he gets very frightened; then again, we do have a few more weeks; I could start getting him more used-to the outdoors.
Thanks again for yorur replies!

[Ginevive]

Try catnip before you try the drugs. Some cats on the drugs act really horrible and wild, they start tripping and see things, and panic. Catnip normally is a lot easier on them.

Thanks for this advice,as well. I am always leary about using meds to get through things; I don't want him to have a bad reaction. Inky loves catnip; he usually eats some and then passes out. I will stock up on it before leaving.

[rabernet]

Thanks for the advice We have a carrier to use that will fit in the cab of the pickup with us, behind my seat.
I will definately be sure not to leave Inky in the truck alone. I'll look into the La Quints hotels; H. Inn Express is a tad pricy I have found.
I am planning on getting a harness so that I can let him out every few hours in the truck. I am not crazy about walking him outside, since he gets very frightened; then again, we do have a few more weeks; I could start getting him more used-to the outdoors.
Thanks again for yorur replies!

LaQuinta doesn't require a pet deposit either. It's my pet friendly hotel/motel of choice. Been using them for the past 10 years with Diamond.

[starfire]

Hope this is helpful....

Two sites that list national pet-friendly lodging by state:

http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/?page=find_listings

http://www.petswelcome.com/milkbone/catmap.html

As the others recommended, for your animal's safety (and yours), it's a good idea to crate securely for the trip... and make sure your cat is wearing an ID collar with current contact information. You won't want to take a chance that your cat will accidentally escape from the vehicle or be injured in an accident. We make it a habit when traveling with our pets that before anyone opens a car door at a rest stop, we first check to make sure the cats are secured in locked cages or wearing a harness and leash attached to my arm. Expect the unexpected---and avoid tragedy.

A jug of your cat's brand cat litter and those small cutoff boxes that canned cat food sits in at the store make great temp litter boxes. It would be great if you have bedding or a favorite soft toy that has your cat's familiar smells on it. If you have room for a small water dish, great. If not, you'll want to stop periodically and offer your pet water. (Maybe have a gallon of bottled water and extra roll of paper towels handy.)

Your cat can be fed lightly in the morning several hours before you're on the road and again when you stop for the night.

At night in your hotel, expect your cat to be disoriented and nervous. (Um, be prepared for some noise....) Try and give him attention or play, however, he probably will be more interested in checking out the hotel room. I know you'll be patient with Inky... seniors need that extra TLC.

I've driven coast to coast many times over the years on 7-10 day trips with my personal animals, and I also transport animals for rescue organizations. With a little planning (and patience) you'll arrive with your sanity and Inky will be no worse for wear.

Have a safe trip, and best wishes!

Star

[Montessa Python]

Every one here has given great info!!.
I have seen folks go coast to coast with their pets.
I would ad, if you can get a larger pet carrier to do so, so that he can use the litter box. I would be VERY VERY careful about letting him out. Make sure you have a "system" in place.
Such as Do Not have a door Open OR window, or wing window open when taking him OUT of the carrier. YOu could have him vanish or worse.
Have a harness ON him, and a collar with your cell phone and a relatives address and phone number on a tag, as well as his age if you can.
IF you feel you can make him happier, I have seen folks do it.. let him out when you are driving and let him hide under some pillows or blankets in/around the back seat of the truck. But ensure he is in the carrier or you have a leash on his harness before opening any window or door.
Cover the cage sides or front with a towel or pillow cases to keep him from overheating.
If its hot you can wet them down.
Keep a frozen bottle of water in a cooler you can put that in the kennel to help keep him cool.
IF IF you can see if you can get him to lick from a water bottle. Dogs, and birds do it..
You can try with him, try to get him to do it before you move.
IF you get a motel/hotel room that has a door facing outside. Put him in the bathroom.
He could skeddadle out the door and be lost.
Have a checklist and ask the vet what you should watch for, for sickness, stress, over heating OR other things that could cause issues majorly.. health wise.

Also get names of vets or pet clinics on your route so you know where they are if you need them.
Bring a gallon or two of your old tap water OR switch him over to bottled water so you won't have him getting picky and not want to drink on the trip.
I have horses and dogs and sometimes they do that...

And BLESS!!YOU!!! for taking him, so many people give them up when moving long distance. we moved from CA to WI, and brought two dogs and two parakeets.

Hope this helps
Carol