Can you take a cat on a long distance car trip?

Question

I am planning a Vacation and I would like to take my cat with me. It takes about 10 hours to get there, but he really doesn't like to ride in the car, he gets car sick. What can I do to make him get use to the car ride? He doesn't like to be home alone and I really want him to go with us.

Answer 1

That's great of you, well done for wanting to take your kitty with you! OK, this is gonna be a long one! There are some steps you really should take before starting off, to make your cat and yourself happy to do the journey.



Some say cats can't travel, but when boarding, your cat has to get used to a new environment anyway, so she will be happy you're with them at least!



Cats hate car trips because they are noisy and usually end at the vets! They soon associate the smell of the car to nasty experiences, so Cars are scary things to cats.





There are a few things to do in preparation of the trip:



First, let him explore the car every day for weeks.

Let him loose in the car, don't turn the engine on, and put a litter tray somewhere, and food and water (with appropriate cover sheets to protect the car). Also, don't forget to put some familiar objects around for her, like her fave toys, a pillow from your bed or her own bed. Something that smells like your home.



If you can put the car in a safe place he can access without risk (like a garage, or an enclosed yard) then leave the doors open, otherwise just close the doors and stay with him, reading, chatting or listening to music. Wait for him to settle and fall asleep. Remember to always leave the cat transporter you will use for the trip on the seat, or wherever you keep it usually, WITH THE DOOR OPEN, so that kitty can go in and out of it at leisure.



This will be useful because he needs to get used to the car as a home, a totally safe place where he can sleep and be comfortable with his favourite human/s. Once he knows it well, he won't be so panic stricken to enter it, also during a long journey you will need to stop every few hours to use the tray, so it will come in handy to get him used to the tray being in there.



Once he is comfortable with the car, put him in his transporter crate, that same one that was always in the car with the open door, and then while talking soothingly to her turn the engine on, and go for a ride. Do this as often as possible, and without going to the vet! Just a ride around a few blocks, so that the cat realizes that car does not equal vet, or unpleasant things always.



When you are away you can open the crate's door, but ONLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS OFF, as driving with a cat free in the car can be extrememly dangerous to both of you.



Keep doing these exercises and she might get less terrified, so that her being sick might get better as well, otherwise ask your vet for anti-sickness medicines for cats. Also, don't feed her on the morning of the journey, give her food once she gets there, and either the night before leaving or at least 5 hours before starting off. Leave only fresh water in her clip-on bowl inside her travel crate.



On the day of the trip your cat will enter the car as usual, she might even look forward to it by now, and you will put her in the crate, and stop every 1-2 hours to let her use the toilet, and stretch her 4 legs! The final touch, spray some Feliway travel around the car at the start of the trip, it will ease her mind. You can put 4 drops of Bach flowers Rescue Remedy in the water she'll be drinking, they are flower extracts, so harmless and work wonders in calming the cat down without sedating the poor thing stupid.



Be careful, because once your cat is used to cars she might well get in it whenever she has a chance!



The most IMPORTANT bit is the following:

cats are territorial. They get used to a place and take time to get used to another, usually 4 weeks minimum. This means that if you let your cat roam free in a new place he or she doesn't know, she will get lost. The last thing you want to do is to take your kitty on holiday only to loose her! So, unless you're staying more than 4 weeks on your holiday, or there is a totally escape proof garden, don't let your cat out EVER, without a harness. If she isn't used to a harness she will freak out at being put one on!



Enjoy your holidays with your best friend!



PS: if you think that all this preparations are too much for you, you better have the cat boarded, as 10 hours in a cage for a cat who isn't used to cars will be a nightmare.



PPS: In the trunk they will have not enough air to breathe, for 10 hours!

Answer 2

If he gets car sick, get him a pet carrier or crate. There isn't really much you can do about that. Just make sure that his carrier is comfortable, and it has something that you can toss in the washing machine, after he pukes on it. Make sure you get a harness and leash for the cat. They have them for cats, yes. Stop every couple hours, and take him out to go potty. Stop somewhere that will have sand, dirt or wood chips. Cats dont' really like going on grass or rocks.

Get him a special water container. Pretty much like what you'd get for a hampster or mouse. They can smell the water, so don't worry about him getting thirsty. He won't be feeling well, and will be a little scared, so don't worry about if he eats or drinks or not. He'll eat and drink once he's in a house, or at least out of the car.

Also, make sure that you have his carrier either in a seat belt, or tucked tight between suitcases/bags, or whatever. He'll feel a little better knowing that the box holding him in won't go anywhere!



If you have any other questions, or concerns, you can always contact a vet, or pet store. They can give you some good info!



Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 3

Most cats really don't like to go on vacations; there's not only the car trip to consider but also odds are, when you get to your vacation home, he'll spent most of the time hiding under the bed or some place similar. That won't make him happy either! Also there's a risk if he gets out he'll try to walk home and get lost. If you still want to try it, try out how he acts in a strange place first; drive over to a friend's place nearby where you go for a few hour's visit and watch how he acts there... if he's fine in the strange house then maybe you can take him but if he's scared/stressed he's not gonna be happy coming along on a holiday either....

Answer 4

Yes, you can take him. Most cats have initial issues about car rides because of the frequent stops and turns of in-town driving (which is most likely all he's ever experienced, on trips to vets). They usually calm down once you hit the open road, though, as it is more stable a ride.



For safety, he should be kept in a carrier, though that may piss him off and keep him meowing the whole time to be let out. I'd recommend getting a soft-sided carrier and leaving it out for him to get accustomed to and to sleep in well before the trip (trust me, they love the soft surface and WILL sleep in it if you leave it out for him.



Then, when you go on the trip, he has a safe, familiar place to go if he's scared, which means he'll probably opt to go there anyway given the choice. Newspaper EVERY surface in your car. In layers.

Answer 5

Get your Vet to prescribe him some Dramamine/motion sickness medicine and give it as directed. Make sure he's 'comfy' and has a litter box he can use when he needs one. Keeping him in a 'cage' is a good idea, for BOTH of your safety, but let him 'out' (on a leash) to do some 'cat wandering' whenever you stop awhile. After ten hours in a car without stretching YOUR legs, you'd be miserable ... and so would the poor cat. If you CAN NOT take him with you, then DO NOT leave him 'alone' ... hire a 'pet sitter' you know will come in to 'interact with' him and feed him and clean his box, or take him to a 'kennel' or 'cattery' for boarding.

Answer 6

Place him in a carrier with several layers of newspaper. Call the vet and clear it that you can give him one 25 mg capsule of benadryl every 6 hours. They have liquid benadryl you can spike canned food with too. Start the meds, if the vet says ok, the day before the trip. I've done this with my one cat many times for long car trips and never had one puke! Good Luck

Answer 7

I rescued a cat on one of our trips to Georgia and brought her back to Connecticut with us. Mia was around a year old and had kittens 2 days after we got her home. We put her in a crate and took a harness and leash so when we stopped we could get her out for a few mins, she made the trip GREAT. I did cover the crate with a light blanket or sheet so she felt safe in her crate.

Answer 8

I tried to go out of town and leave my cat in a pet hotel. Once we got there, I put her in the condo and tried to leave. She cried, then I started crying....

Long story short, I had to take her with me. I just put her in a carrier and put some food and water in a dish. The trip was 5 hours long and she was okay as long as she could see out the window.

Some people recommend sedation, but I wouldn't do that. My vet discouraged it since you never know how you're pet will react and you probably aren't skilled in pet resuscitation.

Answer 9

If he gets car sick, it might be best to leave him home unless you're going to be gone for an extended period. If you DO decide to take him, they have herbal sedatives at most pet stores. These don't knock the pet OUT or anything... they just act as a calming agent. They also have anti-nausea meds for animals who get carsick. Not sure how much of it they have at the "chain" petstores... I get my stuff at a small specialty shop. It costs more, but the stuff is all natural and stuff.

Answer 10

I think your best bet is boarding him while you are away. You and he will both be miserable the whole trip. He will be frightened and wont understand what is happening. If you enjoy listening to a cat scream, claw and vomit in your car for 10 hours go for it! Or, try to find a friend to watch him for you.

Answer 11

My cats love to travel in the car. Ask the vet, they may be able to give you something for the cat to calm him down. We moved to Europe and back with our cat and that a 71/2 hour flight and they just gave him something to relax him and he slept for a good part of it.

with our cats in the car for longer trips we don't keep them in the carrier as long as there is someone in the backseat with them.



hopefully this helps.

Answer 12

Yes, absolutely.

When we moved, we took our cat on a trip from Orlando, FL to New Jersey.

Ours, at least, just hung out on my wife's lap most of the trip.

You need to take a disposable litter box, some food, and plenty of water. Maybe a favorite toy.

Answer 13

I've had plenty of experience riding cats in cars. Long story short... it's usually no picknick.



The best option is to feed them early before leaving, put them in a pet carrier (airline crate), stop frequently and provide them with water (they won't eat - don't bother). If you're lucky, all you'll have to deal with is alot of meowing (and I mean ALOT). Worst case - the cat will go apeshit. Guess you'll have to figure that one out for yourself.



If you do it enough - your cat may never get used to it - but he will find ways of dealing with it. Personally, I used to just throw my 2 cats in the car and split (not recommended). They learned to find hidey-holes under the seats, and eventually, they quited down. I don't think they ever 'liked' riding, but they learned, over time, to deal with it. What they did enjoy were the destinations, so it wasn't all torture.



I still remember a road trip I took, my two cats along in tow. We'd camp out in the middle of nowhere every night, and each night, I'd let them go free. They'd usually stick pretty close to camp, having a blast playing, and then settle down with us in our tent when it came time to crash. In the morning, I'd let 'em back out, then round them up when it came time to leave. One time - after camping near an outcropping of rocks the cats just LOVED, my big male cat (Hobo) refused to come back (yes, they usually came when called). After an hour of trying to get him in the truck, I told my former wife "watch this" as I loaded up everything, jumped in the truck with our other cat, and took off down the road. I looked back to see Hobo HAULING *** down the road behind us! (lol).



Cats are so individual - there aren't any rules. I've seen cats in cars kicking it comfortably on the rear deck taking in the scenery... truly enjoying the ride. The most you can do is try to make your trips as comfy as possible for them, see how they react individually, make at least some of it fun for them, and, if it looks like there's hope, try to get them used to riding by doing it often.

Answer 14

your vet can give you something to keep him calm during the trip. I don't know if a cat that doesn't like car rides will ever get used to them.



Do you have a harness or something so he can go outside & get fresh air?

Answer 15

ok... first of all do not put your cat in a crate when you take him on the trip.... when i took a trip from Cali to RI that was long.... we layed down the back seat and put the litter box in the trunk.... this left my cats lots of room to walk around and get comfortable.... they hate the car too but if you want to take them along you have to let them have room and be comfortable.... this really does work....

Answer 16

If you want him to come along, the vet can give you medication to sedate him.



If you arne't going to be gone for long though, maybe find a kitty sitter, as the trip will stress out they kitty more then having a sitter.

Answer 17

When my ex-girlfriend and I moved from Colorado to Virginia several years ago, we brought along her stupid fat male tabby cat. It rode on the front seat of the moving truck that I was driving, in a cat crate. It went fine for the first couple of days of the trip, but at about the 3rd day or so the cat began having what appeared to be a tantrum in the crate. He began meowing, screeching, and biting the cage. It was totally annoying. Then what we got to the hotel, we had to sneak him into the room because they didn't allow pets. Then he started meowing in the hotel room, and I lost it and started kicking the crate because he was drawing attention to us. He kept meowing. My girlfriend and I got into an argument over it. Somewhere in West Virginia, the cat escaped, but in spite of my hopes and wishes, she was able to catch him. After we got to our destination, he ran away and never came back. So the story had a happy ending after all.



Incidentally, the vet can prescribe tranquilizers to calm your cat during the trip. It comes in a pill form, however - so good luck. Wear heavy gloves and a jacket when administering it.

Answer 18

yes, but you need fresh water, and lots of little stops and may need to sedate her - try short trips in the car with her in her crate first to see how she goes - some cats are fine, some go crazy

Answer 19

Sounds like you can't go - the cat is dictating who's in charge. If you do want to go, there are sedatives you can give the cat if needed.

Answer 20

Be kind and leave your kitty with a friend/relative. Your cat will NOT enjoy your vacation. Why would you want to put her through that?

Answer 21

i think if you really want him to go with you, then you should do that, its your cat not those peoples telling you to leave it with a relative. your not mean for wanting your cat to come along. i think you should stop as frequently as possible to give your cat a break, and you should ask the vet about it as well.

Answer 22

put him in a crate. It will help make your cat feel secure. If you put toys/blankets that smell like "home" it will also calm him down. you can ask your vet for an oil that you put on his ears that goes into his blood stream... making him more calm

Answer 23

Put your cat in a cat carrier. Or ask pet land what to do.

Answer 24

Ask the Vet. if there is some Cat Dramamine

Answer 25

Don't be selfish!!! Board the cat

Answer 26

I would take him to the petmart hotel. It's a hotel for pets.

Answer 27

I brought a pig from L.A to new york

Answer 28

that would be mean and cruel...meanie