Moving 1600 miles with 2 older cats

[wt1964]

Greetings everyone.  I'm new here and am looking for some help and advice.  I am preparing to move from PA back to my home state of Texas.  I have been in PA for 17 years and my oldest cat (Lucy) I have had for just about that long, having rescued her when she was just a baby.  The younger (Katarina) came along a few years later and I believe she is now about 12-13 years of age.

As I said, I am in the planning stages of making the move back home, but my issue is that neither of my girls travel well.  I read up on some of the past threads here about moving cats, but those seemed to be primarily with much younger ones.

Obviously this is going to be a major upheaval and although I am barely in the planning stages, I am already in a panic because of the stress I know it is going to cause to my girls.  Overall, they are healthy, although I am currently dealing with a newly-discovered thyroid issue with Lucy.  She has always been a fairly svelte little thing, and even in spite of her size, age and thyroid problems, she is a very tough little girl.  One would never guess by looking at her and how she acts that she is as old as she is.  But again, she is by no means a young girl anymore and I am terribly worried about making this trip. 

I don't want to put off the move any longer, cause I have been wanting to get back home for several years and this is likely to be my only chance.  My options of travel are limited to driving.  She goes back to the vet in a couple of weeks for blood work for her thyroid, and I will have a thousand questions for the vet about the issue of this trip.  I am hoping that she will tell me that despite Lucy's advanced age, that she is indeed a tough little girl and should be able to withstand the trip.   But in the meantime I thought I would post something here to see if anyone can offer me any advice and/or reassurance about this undertaking. 

I wish I could have made this happen when she was younger, but obviously it's too late for that.

Thanks, all. 

 

[spinningshepher]

I'm writing this for my cousin who is about to drive her 2 older rescued cats from MA to NM. Same issues--wants to keep them safe and not let them overheat or escape. She's found a playpen with a zip-on top that she can keep them in, litter, water, food and beds, and just lift it in the motel with her at night so they won't be loose to crawl up in the springs under the bed... for example. Kitties are so creative about getting "lost" inside a house. Motel would be worse for the owner by far--kitties can find cracks to hide in, which the owner won't know about! 

I remember reading one of the "The Cat Who...." mysteries where the detective put an old turkey roasting pan in the back seat for the cat litter! I guess his cats didn't try to escape.

I'm requesting any suggestions you may have, and shall pass them on to my cousin, who begins the drive in only 2 weeks... She's never done this before, either, and has the same concerns. I'm listening!

 

[vball91]

This is a tough situation because some cats (mine included) are not good travelers. There are some things you can try to reduce the stress. Playing classical music is supposed to be calming, especially harp music. There's Bach's Rescue Remedy that you can tailor to meet your cats' specific issues. There's also a product called Happy Traveler that is supposed to have a mild sedative action and help reduce anxiety. I would also talk to your vet about using benadryl as a sedative, but you must test it because it makes some cats hyper instead! Good luck!

I know you're worried, but the trip must be made, and they will adjust to the new place once they get there. Some amount of stress for everyone is unavoidable I'm afraid. All we can do is our best to try to minimize the stress.

 

[wt1964]

There's also a product called Happy Traveler that is supposed to have a mild sedative action and help reduce anxiety. I would also talk to your vet about using benadryl as a sedative...

I don't think I'd be willing to use even a mild sedative on an elderly cat.  But I might try the classical music.

 

[vball91]

The Happy Traveler is an herbal Valerian based mix. It's supposedly much more gentle and safe than something like Benadryl. It's just something to ask your vet about. I agree that everything is a possible concern with an elderly cat.

 

[wt1964]

Greetings all!  It's been several months since I posted this thread about moving with my cats. Well,  we finally made the move at the end of November, and  I am so happy and relieved to say that my girls came through with flying colors!  No sort of sedation was ever needed and we made the trip with only one minor incident!!  We crossed 1500 miles in three days and two nights, and they did well every step of the way!  We made it from Pennsylvania to Texas, and their constitutions and appetites were unaffected!

 

[GoldyCat]

Thanks for the update. So glad to hear it went well.