Long drive with pets

[dakcp2001]

Have you made a long drive with cats in their carrier? I need to make an 18 hour drive with my 2 cats and I am not sure how to go about this? Do I get something from the vet to help them sleep? Do I need to get a giant dog carrier for each of them or is their normal carrier ok? How to they, you know, do their business? I have a super nervous cat and he would freak out in an airport or on a plane I think driving would be better.

Any advice would really be appreciated!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I've driven from LA to MA and back again with our cats and dogs.

It's not so bad, honestly. We put everyone in their normal carriers and put them as far back in the car as possible (we have a small SUV). We tried opening the carriers for potty and water breaks on the first trip, but the cats didn't make use of it.

When we got to our hotel room at night, we walked the dogs and let the cats out. Then the dogs went into their carriers (I bought pop-up carriers, the kind made out of the thin vinyl material.) and the cats had free run of the hotel room. In the morning, the cats, after an initial period of howling, would sleep most of the day. (The dogs rode in their seatbelts in the back seat, and got potty breaks every couple of hours.)

 

[MichelleVW]

I've driven from North Carolina to North Dakota and then 2 years later from North Dakota to Texas with cats and dogs. I personally wouldn't let the cats roam the hotel room, mine were really freaked out by the move and would hide. So we just left them in the dog's giant crate with their litter box and they were fine. You would think there aren't too many places to hide in a hotel room, but you would be surprised. When we moved into the current house we didn't really see much of them for 3 days because they were so freaked out they hid. We didn't even have any furniture for 3 days except one couch and one bed, and we STILL couldn't find them!!

While we were in the car, they were just in a regular cat crate (well, it was a medium sized crate since the two of them were in their together). They hollered some, but soon calmed down. But like I said before, I really don't advise letting him out to roam especially if he is super nervous like you say.

 

[cirquelovers]

I've always asked the vet for something to calm them down. It makes the trip much more bearable for everyone.

Of course when you reach your destination make sure to keep them inside for awhile, so they get used to their new surroundings. That is if they are indoor/outdoor cats

 

[pooh98378]

We use a medium size dog crate (the wired ones). We have a little bed-type thing (kind of like this http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3099841 ) for each cat. We also get an old shoe box and fill it up with litter and put it at the back for them. (So, there are two beds and the litter box all together in the one crate.)

It works pretty well. I have read to not let your cats roam around in the car because they can easily jump out if you stop at a rest stop, roll down your window at a drive-thru, etc.

 

[acmmommymouse]

We helped move my daughter's cat cross-country. We did get a mild sedative from her vet. We tried the sedative one day before leaving to make sure of how it would work and that she was OK. We got a medium size soft sided crate that fit on the back seat of the car. She was a VERY HIGH STRUNG cat and we thought this would be the worst part of the trip. She was no problem at all. She rested most of the time very quietly. We kept a bottle of water in the car and just gave her little sips now and then. We researched which places would take cats for our one night stay on the road. We allowed her to roam in the hotel room and she was active, but pretty quiet. We kept a disposable litter box in the car, not in the cage but convenient if we thought she would need it. She did use it in the hotel room, but never in the car. She nibbled a little in the hotel room, but didn't eat much. We were two long traveling days and one night out and she was no problem at all to our surprise. Gave her the mild sedative in the morning on both days.

 

[golfgal]

Most people I know with cats end up getting meds from the vet for long trips.

Our dog LOVES to go for car rides. For longer rides we will put her dog bed between the front seats and she will sit in that and watch the road as we go. We can't even say the word "RIDE" in our house or she goes nuts .

 

[Luvchefmic]

When we moved from NY to FL I had the truck with 4 dogs. DH had a car with 4 dogs and our indoor cat. The car he was driving was a small SUV. Two dogs in crates in the back. Two dogs in crates in the middle seats. The cat (the king!) was in a small dog crate buckled into the front seat. He used the litter box, had his toys, etc. DH would cover him during the day with a lightweight baby blanket but partially so he had a patch of sunlight to nap in.The cat would have been sleeping most of the day anyway. At night he uncovered the cat and covered the dogs crates. If we made it I have no doubt you will have no trouble.

Walking the dogs was not fun for either of us but we laugh about it now. When we got to our new home, the cat was put in a bedroom with that same crate and the crate door open. Little by little he took over the house as we opened more doors for him. He never appeared to be stressed.

 

[FergieTCat]

Most people I know with cats end up getting meds from the vet for long trips.

For the driver or the cats?

My cat carries on during the 10 minute drive to the vet. I cannot imagine a long distance road trip with her.

 

[Luvchefmic]

For the driver or the cats?

My cat carries on during the 10 minute drive to the vet. I cannot imagine a long distance road trip with her.

for the driver ...seriously take your cat for the occasional "non" vet car ride & little by little the cat will get used to it, that's what we did with Tazzie (the cat I mentioned above on the NY to FL trip) and had no problem at all..same thing with dogs animals know when the only time they get in the carrier & the vehicle is a trip to the big bad vet with the sharp things