I’m moving at the end of the month, and this entails a six hour drive with my two cats. The older one, Ciaran, has traveled a lot with me and he does fine in the car but Kismet, who is a year old and has much less travel experience, gets pretty upset. Which then in turn upsets Ciaran. We’ve gone on some practice drives around the neighborhood and she’s better than she was, but six hours is a pretty big step up from 20min (I also haven’t had as much time to make these drives as regular as I would have liked. Besides giving her an anxiolytic (I think we’re going with gabapentin, but need to confirm with the vet) to take the edge off, any thoughts on what else I can do to make the trip as non-painful as possible for her?
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Car Comfort
- Thread starter canopener
- Start Date
If she is doing fairly well with short trips, chamomile tea might work as well as a heavier drug. And you have time to test it out to see. Get a box of plain chamomile tea bags at the store (coffee/tea aisle). Brew a cup, chill it in the fridge, and give her 1-3 teaspoonfuls, wait 30 minutes, and take a ride. It is gently calming rather than sedating, so she may or may not respond well enough, but it is a possible alternative.
Hi. I only once did a road trip - many years ago, and it was with only one cat. It was a two day trip (with overnight pet friendly hotel). But, that was so long ago, I don't recall even what I did.
Here is an older TCS article about road trips with cats, some I agree with, some not. But, maybe there are some tips in it that you would be interested in?
36 Awesome Tips For Road Tripping With Your Cat
Here is an older TCS article about road trips with cats, some I agree with, some not. But, maybe there are some tips in it that you would be interested in?
36 Awesome Tips For Road Tripping With Your Cat
I would use a large kennel for the cats with room for a water dish and their own blanket or cat bed. This is the best way to make sure no one goes hiding under the seats or slips out the door when someone gets out of the car. I would padlock or zip tie the kennel door so that it doesn’t accidentally open as well. More than likely after some initial howling they will settle down and nap until you arrive at your destination.
