moving with kitty suggestions

[milkbun]

So me and the fiance are going to be moving soon. It was originally going to be a 2 day trip by car to move us there. I was thinking, even though our cat Darwin doesn't like the car, that she could handle being in it for 2 days (with a night running around in a hotel, maybe a leash for pit stops?)

It looks like now that we're actually going completely cross-country from east to west coast. That's 4-5 days or driving. I really don't think she'd like that, and I'd be stressed the whole time worrying about her.

There is no way I'm leaving her behind, she's part of the family. Are cats capable of going by plane? I've seen dogs do it, don't remember about cats. I know you're supposed to put them to sleep or they get freaked out by the noise in undercarriage. Any suggestions or experiences with this? She's gonna freak no matter what, she's a bit skittish about new things and going outside. I just want what's safer for her. I've even been contemplating renting a mobile home and attaching the car behind >_<

I think I have it covered for moving in though. I'll keep her locked in the bedroom for awhile with all her toys and items till she gets comfortable then she can explore. She likes to follow us around, so I'm sure I could convince her after a few days.  

[Anlina]

I've never travelled by plane with a cat, but it is possible. If you decide to go by plane, pick an airline that allows you to take her in the cabin with you rather than having her in with the luggage - it's much safer and less stressful for both of you, and you don't have to be concerned that she will get dehydrated, injured or get hypo/hyperthermia from extreme temperatures. (I know Westjet allows small animals in the cabin, not sure what other airlines do.) Avoid sedation unless absolutely necessary.

I have travelled in the car with both of my cats on 16 hour round trips. I took one trip with just Violet and myself, and another trip with Violet, Clover, my husband and myself.

Violet is a very well adapted car cat - I frequently take her on short drives and she enjoys riding in the car. Clover hasn't had as much experience with the car and still finds it a little stressful.

Neither cat does well with staying in the carrier, so they're allowed to sit in the backseat or passenger seat (I know it's not the safest choice, but they were both extremely stressed out in the carrier - non stop crying and tearing at the sides and I haven't been able to find a safety harness small enough, even if they would tolerate it.)

Violet will settle quite nicely in the back seat and make occasional visits to the front, or will sit in the lap of whoever is in the passenger side. Clover spent a good portion of the ride under the back seat but eventually came up to the front and sat in my lap with Violet and they spent about 3 hours napping and grooming each other while my husband was driving.

If your cat is reasonably tolerant of being in the car then you'll probably be fine driving her cross country. If she panics at the mere sight of the car, you might want to take her on some short, non-vet trips and see if she gets used to it. If that doesn't work, flying might be the better option since it will be a lot faster.  

[milkbun]

Thanks Anlina! That was helpful advice.

I think I will try to put her on a kitty leash and go out with her. She likes to run out and explore our stairwell but is too scared to go past a few feet. After we'll take her for a car ride, maybe go to a nice quiet park with the leash and see how she does. Everytime she's been in a car it's to the vet so she's scared of them, spends her time cowering under the passenger seat.

16 hours is a pretty long car ride, but I don't know about 4-5 days.
I'm mostly worried because when we took her for a general exam for spaying they refused because of a possible heart murmur. We never got it officially diagnosed because it was $200. So I'm worried about well everything, a long trip, a plane ride or putting her under XD

such a stressful time

Oh also, I have seen a passenger with a small dog in cabin. But if I did that with my cat she'd meow the whole flight I'm sure ><;;  

[Temily_Emily]

Yeah it's definitely worthwhile to plan several non-vet trips like Anlina said.
That way they don't associate the car with the stress of needles and being handled by strangers.

Kael and Odin need to be crated for the first part of any car trip.
I can let them out after about half an hour of driving, but I have to watch them because they like to go under the boyfriends feet...and he's the driver.

Cats like mine would benefit from something like a dog gate(Not sure if that's the right term for it.). Where they have room to roam but can absolutely not get into the front area of the car.  

[Capricornus_Equus]

It's a lot of paperwork I think, to take them on a plane. You have to get stuff from the vet showing they had their vaccinations. The airline will want proof, because it has too keep all it's passengers safe. And due to some allergies people have to cats, Some airlines will not allow animals in the cabins. Their first priority is to keep all the passengers happy.

I took a 2 day ride with my kitty in the car. It really isn't so bad. First Off, you can't keep them in a carrier all that time, but we found out very quickly That they will crawl under the back seats right up to the front and the driver might step on them when they try to brake or floor the gas. That part is dangerous. So we took pieces of wood and covered that part up, we also put cat litter on the floor in the back seat in a slightly lower and smaller type of litter pan so that it would fit nicely and evenly. But they still persisted. They would crawl in between the doors and the seats. So we stuffed pillows in between. Once your in than it's fine but the pillows fall out as soon as you open the doors. The cats eventually get used to it and chill out on the back seats or crawl onto the back windows to lay in the sun. If you do it that way, you will have to be extra careful when driving. Next time I'm renting a van.  

[milkbun]

Thanks cardi~

That was helpful advice. The plane seems more dangerous but quick to get over. I'd just feel horrible with myself that kitty is suffering crying . And I was worried that she'd meow the whole flight. I really hate being a bother for people... especially on an 8 hour flight. So she has to be squished in a lying down pose the whole flight? I remember the room under seats being small.. though I guess I can pull it out a bit after/before take off.

I think we'll really have to think about this one. It's stressing me out... xd  

[milkbun]

Well we bought a harness and leash. I was worried it would be hard for her to adjust since she's 2 and has never worn a collar. Surprisingly she is okay at us putting the harness on and wearing it + the leash. We're trying to get her used to being outside... starting with our stairwell. I was trying to get her up a flight to the roof so she can be "outside" but we only made it like 5 steps XD. She's such a scaredy cat.  

[Anlina]

Well, my mum adopted two new cats from the shelter while she was visiting me. She met them at the shelter a few times before picking them up and then had a 12 hour drive home with them (it's usually 8-10 hours, but she stopped more often with the cats.)

They cried a little bit but slept most of the way. My mum made five or six stops with them, where she took one out on the leash for a walk while she let the other out of the carrier in the car so they could have some water and use the litterbox.

Overall the trip went extremely smoothly and there were no issues. Everyone was behaved and not overly stressed out.  

[milkbun]

Yeah I'm feeling more and more that a car ride (even though it's long) will be safer. I think she will adjust to it, cause really there is no other choice. I just want to get her used to be outside and around noises/people on a leash so she can stretch her legs out on the trip xp  

[milkbun]

UPDATE:
So we are moving in just a few days @__@!! So much stuff to do.

We didn't really have much to choose from in terms of moving requirements. We're renting at 16 foot truck and hitching our car behind it. It's not one of those huge cabs, but it's a 3 seater. It's not as much room as I was hoping for her, but she can be on the floor and between us. I will bring the cat carrier in the cab... maybe a small litter box on the floor, though I doubt she will eat/drink or go potty in transit.

My friend just finished her move. She was in a car with 3 cats!! xd
They drove for 5-6 days, 12 hours a day. Their cats didn't want to go potty/eat/drink in the car either. She sedated them with pills the first time she moved, but didn't this time, and didn't notice a difference. She kept them mostly in the cat carriers because they tended to go under the driver's feet. It went as well as it could in a crowded car with 3 cats.

So I'm feeling hopeful ours will survive n__n


Thanks for the advice everyone... I wrote so much... but I figure all you cat people will be curious how a long drive with cats goes smile  

[Anlina]

Good luck with the move - I hope it goes well. Keep us updated. smile  

[Lyca_Watyre]

We moved from California to north Carolina by car a few years ago and we had two cats and two dogs in the same car. What I did for about a week before hand was take the cats on small trips with me in their carriers and leashes (I always leash my cats when we venture out into the great unknown) and they got used to it. It took us two weeks to travel and they did great, without sedatives. During the long stretches of road, I let the kitties sit on my lap in a blanket and they were pretty calm. They didn't use the box in the car either and held it till we got to the hotels at night. What troopers. They did drink out of a waterbottle cap in the car occasionally though. Good luck! Let us know how it went!