How long can a cat stay in a carrier on a road trip?

[dthlo]

I have a 3yr old house cat which I've taken on a handful of 1.5 hour road trips without any problems. She'll whine a little, but overall seems to do well. No motion sickness yet. I would like to do a 6 hr road trip next month, and wanted to know if you had any specific tips to make the trip as comfortable as possible for my kitty.

In addition, when she arrives her new location, we've noticed that she is less interested in foods and play time and can skip pooping for 2-3 days. Was wondering if this is normal.

 

[ArtNJ]

The biggest issue you might have is dealing with it if the cat poops. Plan for it.

She is probably a bit nervous/unsettled wherever your staying. Cats don't generally travel well, although they do better if you start early and do it regularly, and of course some do better than others for random reasons.

 

[vince]

I've never taken mine in the car for anything more than an hour, but when I was young, we'd take the cats on vacation along with the litter box and would stop every so often to put them in the box right in the car. It seemed to work all right and I don't remember any accidents happening along the route. When we'd get to the cabin, we'd put the litter box in the closet and leave the door open. Never was a problem.

The cats would cry for perhaps a half hour, but finally would go to sleep, usually down between the door and the seat (most folks did not use pet carriers in those days).

We'd let them drink at the rest stops, but wouldn't feed them within a couple hours of leaving, nor would we feed them during the trip except possibly a treat or two.