My boyfriend and I are moving from Savannah, GA to Portland, OR (about 3,000 miles or 5 days in the car). We're both drivng our own cars and taking our own cats.
His cat, Casey, is horrible in a carrier, and so he just lets her crawl around in the car (seriously, she claws at the sides until her paws bleed and thrashes around violently.)
My cat, Bailey, has never been on a car trip longer than 20 minutes to the vet and back. She's great in a carrier and seems to just fall asleep. I have a very small car and don't feel comfortable letting her ride not in a carrier with me (she's only 1 year old and still moves around excitedly like a kitten. I'd be terrified of driving with a loose cat to distract me).
What I need to know is how to handle her on the road. How often should I stop and set out a litter box for her? How should i feed/water her on the road (she's used to free feeding/water here at home). Does she need like a leash/harness thing? What should I avoid? I'm trying to drive 15-hour days to beat the moving truck to Oregon so I can find us an apartment, is this too much for her?
I know i'll have more questions when I get to Oregon (where to put the food, litterboxes, etc.) but right now, i'm just worried about getting all four of us there safely and happily.
Anybody made moves like this with their cats?
His cat, Casey, is horrible in a carrier, and so he just lets her crawl around in the car (seriously, she claws at the sides until her paws bleed and thrashes around violently.)
My cat, Bailey, has never been on a car trip longer than 20 minutes to the vet and back. She's great in a carrier and seems to just fall asleep. I have a very small car and don't feel comfortable letting her ride not in a carrier with me (she's only 1 year old and still moves around excitedly like a kitten. I'd be terrified of driving with a loose cat to distract me).
What I need to know is how to handle her on the road. How often should I stop and set out a litter box for her? How should i feed/water her on the road (she's used to free feeding/water here at home). Does she need like a leash/harness thing? What should I avoid? I'm trying to drive 15-hour days to beat the moving truck to Oregon so I can find us an apartment, is this too much for her?
I know i'll have more questions when I get to Oregon (where to put the food, litterboxes, etc.) but right now, i'm just worried about getting all four of us there safely and happily.
Anybody made moves like this with their cats?