Moving and my cat wont calm down in her crate

[faecat13]

Help! I am moving across the country and am driving. It will take 4 days. I have been taking my 5 month old kitten on 30 min drives but she wont calm down! I leave the crate out all the time and she plays in it so she is familiar with it. But she just squals and squals the entire time in the car. Ive called my vet for a setitive for when I go and she is pretty against it. 

I leave in a week and I dont know what to do.

 

[catspaw66]

How long of a drive have you taken with her?  All 3 that I have transported 200-300 miles settled down after about an hour.  I like to play soft Classical music, preferably cello music, on the CD player and they seem to like that.

 

[faecat13]

the longest is 30 min and i turn the radio down low. But she just squalls and does crazy stuff in her crate which scares me. I dont want to drive 36 hours with her doing that and stressing herself out! I will get a soft classical cd and see if that works too. 

 

[goldfish]

You should try to get her comfortable in cars while it isn't running, fill the car with things that smell like you; blankets and clothing. And let her run around without the crate and play with her. If you allow food in your car, bring treats.

 

[catspaw66]

the longest is 30 min and i turn the radio down low. But she just squalls and does crazy stuff in her crate which scares me. I dont want to drive 36 hours with her doing that and stressing herself out! I will get a soft classical cd and see if that works too. 

I will suggest what I use - YoYo Ma playing the unaccompanied Bach cello suites.  Or any Bach cello music.  The cello has frequencies that calm a cat down.  Heck, they make ME mellow.

 

[ashyfulz]

We have some cats who just love the car, but hate being caged in a car. Frosty and Rei both get super flirty and purry and talkative in the car, but hate the carrier (unless after a vet trip where they refuse to leave it!) but they're only allowed out of the carrier in the backseat and if somebody is in the car other than the driver (to prevent kitty caused accidents and to get them back in the carrier when needed) we had one kitty in the past who'd run to the door if you said car ride even he loved them that much!

Chippie and Thunder HATE car rides as I learned taking them to get fixed a half hour away. Chippie calmed down quickly since her cage door was blocked by a box and it was pretty dark in her carrier (try covering the carrier to make it darker/more calming) but Thunder's was in the passanger seat with her looking at me. I put my finger in the bars of the door and she instantly calmed down and started rubbing up against me and purring. She just needed my reassurance and to be able to get to me (don't recommend driving like this but she was still calm after I took my finger out for a bit)

They all act differently to car rides. Just try different things this week to see what way calms her down the best. If worst comes to worst, she will stop crying eventually and just "give up" and accept the ride.