Moving: 5 hour car ride

[melesine]

I'm going to be moving about 5 hours away by car in the next month or so. What is the best car set up for my 2 kitties?

I have a Petmate intermediate carrier that fits both kittens ( they are about 5 pounds each right now) with plenty of room to spare.

I also have a Midwest metal dog crate that is 24x36 that will fit in the back of my car. I also have a Midwest 30x48 metal crate but it's too high to fit in my car so if they go in that, they would have to ride in my dh SUV with the dogs. They are fine with the dogs but I think they would be happier riding with me and no doggies LOL.

The kittens will be about 6 months old when we move. Is 5 hours too long without a litter box? The Petmate carrier has a seatbelt restraint so I feel a little safer with that, but no way can I fit a litter box in there.

 

[millyanddaisy]

When I moved to my current house, it was a four hour drive and my cat was fine to wait for her litter tray until we got here. Unfortunately despite sedation she still howled for the whole four hours!

As far as which crate to use, I'd go for the bigger one initially - sorry, re-reading I mean the medium size one that will fit in your car. Can you rig up some sort of restraint for it? I use a piece of baling string as a seatbelt for my carry box as the seatbelt won't go round it. If I were you I'd take the smaller box also in case of mishaps. I'm thinking of the last time I had two cats in one cage - one was sick all over the other one and it was a right mess.

 

[melesine]

I'll have to check and see if there are tie downs on the back of my car. I have a station wagon. So the choices are back seat set up with the Petmate carrier using the seatbelt and no litter box or the metal dog crate in the back, hopefully tied down. I could get a second Petmate carrier but I kind of think these kittens will be happier riding together since they are BFFs.

 

[ducman69]

I have always been told that even for BFFs its better for them to have their own carriers, even if you put them right next to each other so they can still see each other and paw through the gaps. Wherever they are put, they should be secure so as not to shift in an emergency stop.

Heard some even used puppy wee pads in the carrier as well. I'd have a little kibble available to nibble on, some of their regular water bottled for them and kept cool, a couple toys and plenty of room to move and stretch, and just make sure they get enough ventilation wherever they are put.

Many vets can also prescribe a mild sedative pill which you can squish into a dab of butter or use a greenies pill pocket, so the trip isn't quite as stressful on them.

 

[melesine]

Good idea on the puppy pads, I have a bunch left over from our puppy anyway so I welcome a use for them lol.

If I have to separate them it would work better in the bigger metal crate that is 30x48 because it has a removable divider. So they could see and lay next to each other. I really don't think it will fit in my car though, I think it's too tall.

 

[kara_leigh]

We moved 7 hours (plus a delay in closing) back in March. We put Nora in her own carrier, but put Thomas and Water in a larger carrier together. Nora rode in the Uhaul with DH and the boys rode in the car with us. They are did wonderfully and slept most of the time, even without sedation. B/c of the delay in closing they were in the carriers a LOT longer than I wanted them to be, but they didn't have any accidents at all. The first thing we did when we got to our new house was set them up in the master bathroom with litter boxes. Everything was fine.

Good luck! I hope it all goes smoothly for you!

 

[cat person]

As sated each cat should be in its own cat carrier. This is a wise choice in my humble opinion. I would also recommend speaking to a licensed veterinarian about a sedative for the journey. It will be easier on you and your feline pets. Lastly a towel or puppy training pad is wise to soak up any urination in the carrier.

 

[melesine]

I was looking at my petmate carrier and I think that they would be a little cramped for such a long drive, even though they will only be about 6 months old and it is an intermediate size. I want them to have more room to move around during the drive.

 

[melesine]

ok well plans changed and now it's more like 8 hours. No way I'm making 6 month old kittens share that crate without a litter box for 8 hours. So I guess I'm using the metal crate. I'll talk to my vet but I don't like the idea of sedating them. They are very quiet cats in general anyway. Although they do meow when in the car going to the vet you can barely hear them.

 

[alleygirl]

I would not sedate them. They will likely sleep most of the time. Mine do when we travel

There also was only once where needing a litter box became an issue, so we made do with a small pan in the floorboard, let him use it, then locked him back up.

They also had no interest in food or water during the drive either.

 

[sassy&angel]

I have quite a bit of experience traveling with my cats in the past 2 years. I have worked as a travel nurse. The longest drive I have had has been 8 hours. The best thing for my 2 has been to travel in separate carriers in the front seat. Had to get an extender for the seat belt. They stay calmer if they can see me. They will not use a litter box while traveling, I keep things as quick as possible stopping only once for gas and BR break. I set them up immediately in the bathroom and then unload the car. By the time I have everything in the residence it is time for them to come out and explore while I unpack.HTH

 

[sassy&angel]

One other thing the one time that I put my cats in the back seat they howled all of the way. Did not make that mistake again.

 

[crumbandharvey]

I guess we're a bit different?

We put Crumb and Harvey in a carrier to carrier them to the car, but make sure they have their harnesses and leashes on. When we get to the car, we take the leashes and loop them to the backseat coat hanger hook behind the passenger seat. It gives them room to roam the car, sit in the passenger's lap, but makes it hard for them to reach the driver and impossible to reach the dashboard. We also put their covered clean litterbox cleaned in the backseat passenger side, so they have constant access. We also put food and water on a plastic tray in the floorboard behind the passenger seat. We leave the carrier open in the middle, and they usually climb into it or the driver floorboard to sleep most of the way. We've had successful 17 hour car rides between NYC and TN this way.

 

[melesine]

Awwwww aren't they adorable.

Well, I ended up using the big dog crate in the back of the car, but I won't do that again. I had it set up in the car and carried Cooper to it and he freaked out after I put him in and ran for the door. I tried to grab him and he slipped through my hands and I only caught his tail. I was afraid to let go and that he would run away scared so I held on, trying to grab his body with my other hand but he was so made he flipped around and bit me really badly on my thumb.

He did end up running into the house and we caught him, wrapped him in a towel and got him and Jax in the crate. But we carried it into the new house when we got there because I was paranoid of him getting out of the crate.

They were fine on the drive though, just random meows and looking around. I didn't sedate them.

Next time they are going in smaller crates I can load them easily in, inside the house and carry safely to the car.

They are adjusting well to the new house though. They think we made them a special jungle gym of boxes to play on.

 

[rafm]

How's your thumb feeling? Watch it carefully for infection and seek medical care immediately if you begin to experience pain or swelling.

Glad you got the kitties in there though!

 

[melesine]

It's been a couple days since he bit me and it's much better today. It throbbed the first 2 days but it's obviously healing and only hurts if I bump it now.

 

[speakhandsforme]

Ooh, you are so lucky!

I have to take 6 hour car trips several times a year with my kitties, and they howl the whoooooooooole time. I haven't tried sedation yet, but I'll be looking into it for Thanksgiving.