How to travel with your animals? HELP!!!?
Question by Sandy: How to travel with your animals? HELP!!!?
Okay I am moving from Wisconsin to Arizona in September and I am trying to get everything planned!! I am going to be taking my two cats and my dog (chihuahua) down there. Its going to be a over a 25 hr drive. So how do I travel with cats? If I put a litter box in the car that would mean they would have to be loose, which with my cats isn’t a very safe idea. They will have to be in kennels and they are not going to go to the bathroom outside on a leash like a dog. And I don’t know where we are going to stay because I can’t imagine a hotel renting a room to a person with 3 animals. So do you think I should ship them down there? Or how would you attempt to travel with your cats? I am guessing its going to take 2 1/2 days to get there and me and my bf are going to be in different vehicles so we can’t swich on and off and drive straight through!
Best answer:
Answer by Jessica L
first, i would want to know what kind of vehicle you are driving. if it had any kind of storage area in the back like a mini van or SUV does, i would say that you could put up one of those car dog guards and leave your cats back there with the litter box in a secure place, and that way they could be loose without driving you insane, and be able to go potty during the trip as well. something else you could try is seeing how soon your kitties have to go to the bathroom after taking a drink. once you have things like that timed out, you could keep them in their crates and take little water and potty breaks during the trip.
As far as the hotel thing goes, i would say don’t worry about it. If your cats are really good at using their litter box, you could just leave them loose in the car overnight if it isn’t too cold or hot at night. Many hotels will make accomodations for dog people if it is a small breed and doesn’t shed and is potty trained, so as far as that goes you should be fine!
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
put the cats in a dog carrier that s big and put the little box in it bc it will be plenty big. Or you could ship them down on a plane but that is pretty expensive.
Go to your vet and get meds that will keep the dog calm and quiet.
I got them for flying with my lab. Okay, it was hysterical..it was like he was drunk! But it also helped the dog. He was calm and quiet. Laid down and rested, slept a lot but when awake a lot was totally fine.
If you break the trip into 2 days the cats should be able to hold their buisness until you get to a hotel for the night. Bring some extra towels to put in the carriers so they can be clean if the cats have an accident. Also you could put a litter box on the floor in the backseat of your car but you would have to only let them out when you stop and I am sure they won’t want to go back into the carriers. I think they would be alot less stressed out if they could travel with you instead of being shipped.
I haven’t traveled that long with my cats but I have done 7 hour car rides. I ended up putting a small litter box behind the front seat and I let the cats out of their carriers. For the first 30 minutes they meowed and crawled all over the car but then they just laid down and went to sleep. And they used the litter box when they needed to.
If your cats are hyper and hard to control I might suggest calling your vet to see if they could recommend any medicine. That length of travel could be straining on their health and may cause them to get sick.
Great job on planning ahead for your move!
For your animals’ safety (and yours), it’s a good idea to crate everyone securely for the trip… and make sure all your pets are wearing ID collars. You won’t want to take a chance that your pets will accidentally escape from the vehicle or be injured in an accident. Expect the unexpected—and avoid tragedy. For the cats, use a larger than cat-size carrier or dog size cage—big enough for bedding and a small shallow (throw-away) container of cat litter… those little cutoff boxes that canned cat food sits in at the store? It would be great if you have bedding or a favorite small soft toy that has their familiar smells on it. If you have room for a small water dish, great. If not, you’ll need to stop periodically and give your pets water. (Maybe have a gallon of bottled water and extra roll of paper towels handy.) Animals can be fed lightly in the morning before you’re on the road and when you stop for the night. Also make sure that all of your pets receive adequate air flow/cooling in your vehicle and are protected against direct, hot sunlight. They will be stressed and you’ll want to make sure they’re comfortable. Never leave them alone in the vehicle.
Here are a couple of links for pet-friendly hotels:
http://www.dogfriendly.com/
http://www.petswelcome.com/
There are also good tips at these websites for traveling with your pets.
Some cats travel better than others. Talk with your vet about appropriate anti-anxiety meds; even if you don’t anticipate needing them, you might want to have a few ready, just in case. Be prepared for some cat distress and crying, especially when you first start out. At night in your hotel, expect your cats to be disoriented and nervous. Try and give them attention or play, however, they probably will be more interested in checking out the hotel room. Moving house can be traumatic for cats, but everything will settle down before long.
I’ve driven coast to coast several times over the years with my personal animals, 7-10 day trips, and I also transport animals for rescue organizations. With a little planning (and patience) you’ll arrive with your sanity and animals no worse for wear.
Have a safe trip!
P.S.: Just FYI: Be sure get a copy of each pet’s health records and vaccinations from your current vet before you move and have it handy.
A year ago I moved 1200+ mi w/ my 2 boys. A saving grace for me was catnip. For my boys, it relaxes them. If it makes your cats hyper, obviously you don’t want to use it. The other product that was wonderful is a homeopathic relaxer called Rescue Remedy by Bach’s. You can use that for the dog or the cats.
Yes, you can go tot the vet and get tranquilizers. However, I was told that I would have to give each of them a pill every 2 hrs during the trip. THAT was not an option for me.
My cats would go crazy if they were kept in a kennel or carrier so I put their harnesses and leashes on and buckled the leash handle into the backseat to give them limited mobility in the car.
I tried the litter box on the floor board thing. They didn’t use it. They just waited until we got to our new home. They also didn’t eat or drink much during the trip.
I did let them out several times when I stopped to roam around for a few minutes. Not too much though because it seemed to stress them more.
The best advise is to know your pet and their likes/dislikes. There is no one best way to travel with a pet.