Driving from New Brunswick - with cat !!

[DisneyRookie2007]

Hi everyone. We're heading down to Florida (this time for 3 months).

Staying in Largo, FL but planning on multiple trips to WDW.

We're driving for the 1st time (with our cat )....and leaving Jan 29th.

Can anyone who has done this trip before (with or without pets) recommend any specific hotel chains that were pet (cat) friendly ?

Also, having some anxious thoughts about driving through the larger US cities.

We plan on 4 days driving and the 1st night we definately want to get past Hartford CT....I don't think we can manage to get as far as Scranton though given the distance and the uncertain road conditions at end of January.

Any other helpful hints on which are the preferred highways to use would also be appreciated (best to avoid traffic, best during winter weather, etc).

If other discussions exists on this same topic, please let me know.

 

[dawnelda]

I have done a lot of thinking about driving with cats as I'd like to bring mine the next time we drive to Florida. I'm in Ontario so I can't comment on your specific route, but I know that Drury hotels and Homewood Suites accept cats (additional charge applies).

I am lucky that my cats don't mind vehicle travel. I hope yours also doesn't mind, but if he/she does mind, then consider talking to your vet about medication. Also, I'm sure you already know that your cat's vaccinations need to be up to date - bring proof of vaccination as well.

Now for the nitty gritty of car travel with a cat. I'm sure you know that you can't leave your cat in the car, even for a short time, when it is warm and sunny out. That means drive-thru restaurants and taking turns at rest stops for bathroom breaks (for the humans). Alternately, get a cat stroller and bring the cat into the bathroom (large stall) with you - that's what I would need to do if it was just my young daughter and I travelling as I couldn't send her into the rest stop alone, nor leave her in the car alone. Mega bonus points if your cat will tolerate a harness as there is a risk the cat could jump out of your arms while transferring from car to stroller; a harness would prevent that. Sadly, my kitties won't tolerate a harness so that's a risk I would need to accept.

Ideally you ought to keep the cat in a carrier in the vehicle but that might not be realistic. If the cat is not in a carrier, and if you have a button to disable the rear window controls, then disable them. It would be nightmarishly scary to have kitty step on the "window-down" button in the back seat while you're driving down the highway. I won't continue with that train of thought but you can imagine where it might lead.

For myself, I have a large carrier (dog-sized) tied down with ratchet straps in the middle row of my SUV, seat folded down. I've taken the door off the carrier and put some soft bedding and a litter box inside so it can be accessed as needed. One of my cats has even used the litter box while the vehicle is in motion. Bring Ziploc bags and a litter scoop to clean the litter box.

I also have small bowls (camping pots actually) that I put food and water into and both of my cats are happy to eat while the car is in motion. My preference is to put some dry kibble into each bowl and pour in a bit of water for hydration; I give the cats 15 min or so to eat and then take it away so that bacteria doesn't grow. I don't give them canned food because the smell would be pretty overpowering in a vehicle. I would give canned food at the hotel though.

I also have two smaller carriers that I would use to bring the kitties into hotel rooms so that I don't have to lug the big one inside. You can get portable, zip-up litter boxes for use inside the hotel room or just use your normal one.

Driving is nice because you can bring the litter and food that your cat is already used to. Can't bring raw meat (frozen or freeze-dried) over the border though so cans and dry food only.

That's all I can think of. I bring my cats on regular road trips (1 hour trips weekly; 5 hour trips a few times a year) but I haven't brought them to Florida yet so some of what I've written is just theoretical for me at the moment.

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

I have done a lot of thinking about driving with cats as I'd like to bring mine the next time we drive to Florida. I'm in Ontario so I can't comment on your specific route, but I know that Drury hotels and Homewood Suites accept cats (additional charge applies).

I am lucky that my cats don't mind vehicle travel. I hope yours also doesn't mind, but if he/she does mind, then consider talking to your vet about medication. Also, I'm sure you already know that your cat's vaccinations need to be up to date - bring proof of vaccination as well.

Now for the nitty gritty of car travel with a cat. I'm sure you know that you can't leave your cat in the car, even for a short time, when it is warm and sunny out. That means drive-thru restaurants and taking turns at rest stops for bathroom breaks (for the humans). Alternately, get a cat stroller and bring the cat into the bathroom (large stall) with you - that's what I would need to do if it was just my young daughter and I travelling as I couldn't send her into the rest stop alone, nor leave her in the car alone. Mega bonus points if your cat will tolerate a harness as there is a risk the cat could jump out of your arms while transferring from car to stroller; a harness would prevent that. Sadly, my kitties won't tolerate a harness so that's a risk I would need to accept.

Ideally you ought to keep the cat in a carrier in the vehicle but that might not be realistic. If the cat is not in a carrier, and if you have a button to disable the rear window controls, then disable them. It would be nightmarishly scary to have kitty step on the "window-down" button in the back seat while you're driving down the highway. I won't continue with that train of thought but you can imagine where it might lead.

For myself, I have a large carrier (dog-sized) tied down with ratchet straps in the middle row of my SUV, seat folded down. I've taken the door off the carrier and put some soft bedding and a litter box inside so it can be accessed as needed. One of my cats has even used the litter box while the vehicle is in motion. Bring Ziploc bags and a litter scoop to clean the litter box.

I also have small bowls (camping pots actually) that I put food and water into and both of my cats are happy to eat while the car is in motion. My preference is to put some dry kibble into each bowl and pour in a bit of water for hydration; I give the cats 15 min or so to eat and then take it away so that bacteria doesn't grow. I don't give them canned food because the smell would be pretty overpowering in a vehicle. I would give canned food at the hotel though.

I also have two smaller carriers that I would use to bring the kitties into hotel rooms so that I don't have to lug the big one inside. You can get portable, zip-up litter boxes for use inside the hotel room or just use your normal one.

Driving is nice because you can bring the litter and food that your cat is already used to. Can't bring raw meat (frozen or freeze-dried) over the border though so cans and dry food only.

That's all I can think of. I bring my cats on regular road trips (1 hour trips weekly; 5 hour trips a few times a year) but I haven't brought them to Florida yet so some of what I've written is just theoretical for me at the moment.

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

He's not the best passenger - but not the worst either. No vomiting or howling, but he will meow every 5 seconds for a least an hour (at least on our prior trips to the cottage).

We have a large wire cage that sits in the back seat (behind the driver). We put his bed and a small litter box in it as prior experience has shown us that he'll go #1 and #2 within 30 minutes of driving. We do have medications on hand in the event he doesn't settle down, but right now, plan on using Feliway spray on his bedding and covering the cage with a blanket so he can't see us 100% of the time.

We have a small carrier to transport in hotel each night, but know from experience that he will not eat or drink when in the car so we only plan on that once in the hotel room. We're also transporting his regular litter box as he's a large boy and needs to have some normalcy to his routine and will give him wet food along with water once we stop for the night.

I was wondering if you used hotels or motels....motels having the room door exiting to the outside vs a corridor. We thought that might be better than transporting stuff through the lobby and if he becomes agitated at night it won't disturb as many people.

8-10 hours driving is likely the maximum we'll attempt, especially since we're driving with the cat and we can't be sure on the weather conditions at the end of January.

So I guess I'm looking for best highway routes to avoid the major cities as well as large truck traffic and if the weather is bad, a good alternative to use. On top of that, looking for others with experience in travelling with their cats too.

 

[KCMA]

We have no pets but we use holiday inn /holiday inn express chain of hotels when we drive from the Toronto are and i am 99% sure they are pet friendly

 

[White Cat]

I did once alone from Toronto to Fla with a cat. 3 nights. Used hotels that the door was in the building to the room. Cat proof the room before letting the cat out of the carrier. Lots of places to hide, check around the bed bottom. The cat is staying in Fla. the other cat we flew down in a carrier under the seat.

 

[Mikey15]

Also, having some anxious thoughts about driving through the larger US cities.

We plan on 4 days driving and the 1st night we definately want to get past Hartford CT....I don't think we can manage to get as far as Scranton though given the distance and the uncertain road conditions at end of January.

Any other helpful hints on which are the preferred highways to use would also be appreciated (best to avoid traffic, best during winter weather, etc).

Your Scranton comment got me, as I didn't think you'd meet up with the route from ON/QC that quickly, so I looked up NB->FL routes. I have heard that taking I-84 over from CT is good, so I see where you're coming from now. It's lower traffic, and the toll is much lower than the NYC-area bridges over the Hudson. You add a nominal 2 hours vs. going through NYC, but who knows with traffic if it would actually be two hours difference. You also save a pile of tolls vs. NJ Turnpike, and the expensive bridges coming back (IIRC they're free crossing west but not going east).

So once you make Scranton you're at the route I've done recently and a lot of others on here have done which is I-81 through PA, with a further choice of whether to go 81->77->26->95 or cut through Gettysburg PA & Frederick MD via 81->US-15->270->495->95. Last month, I did the one route going south, and the other coming back. I'd unequivocally say 81->77->26->95 is the less stressful, less big-city route.

Granted I did most of that late night and early morning, but once you get past Harrisburg PA, you're spared any more "city traffic" until Charlotte. Charlotte, if you go through at 6am on a Saturday like I did, no big deal. During the day it may be worth using the ring road, 485, to bypass downtown, before getting back on 77. The answer with a lot of these cities, unless you really want to see them, is to take the bypass! It's a similar story around Jacksonville (295), or on the other route, Richmond VA (also 295). I found the skyline & river valley of Richmond to be quite beautiful, driving through on a Monday night, but the roads & truckers were terrible!

I'm pretty sure I did save time coming back the I-95 way, but other than not wanting to listen to meowing a few more hours, it sounds like you have the time to take the easier route,