Hello everyone! You may think I am crazy, but I am going to take my 1 year old kitty (about 8lbs) on a 16hour road trip, I am breaking it up into two days stopping at a hotel for a night. It will probably be hot, but if I need to run in to use a bathroom I am not worried because I have a remote start on my vehicle and the A/C can run while I am gone for 5 minutes (is it reasonable to think this should be ok?). It isn't really an option to leave her here since I am gone for over a month, once I get to my parents house I will be going on a few short trips. I I am looking for some suggestions, advice, stories of similar experiences, etc. Specifically the things listed below:
1. What type of crate is best. I have a 12" x 16" soft sided collapsible crate (see purple crate in photo) and a carrier that I used when flying with her over the holidays (see grey/black carrier in photo). I think the soft sided crate will be best, but it wont fit a litter box. Should I find a bigger crate that will fit a litter box? Food? Water?
2. She doesn't love car rides, but what kitty does? When I flew with her, she was pretty anxious and loud on the 40 minute drive to the airport. Seriously, DIA is practically in Nebraska when driving from Denver! Anyway, once we got to the airport she was fine. Before getting in the car I gave her HomeoPet Anxiety drops (I followed the directions, a few drops every 15 minutes 45 minutes prior to travel), clearly they didn't help for the car ride. My local Bentley's Pets & Stuff recommended Receptra CBD oil, I tried a tiny bit yesterday and she did ok, but only if I was petting her, as soon as I pulled my hand out of her crate, she would meow (she didn't try to escape as I zipped it up, so thats a win!). I also tried the thundershirt pheremones spray (without the thundershirt) and took her on a 5 minute ride to return a redbox, she was so loud and not happy. So, my question, should I stick with the CBD oil? Is this safe for cats? I will talk to the manufacturer and vet, but how often can I dose her on the trip? Back in December when I flew with her I asked the vet for the medication that was used for flying with pets, its a mild sedative. He was hesitant to give it to me, but I was more comfortable having it as an option. I did a test run with it before flying and did not like the reaction my cat had, so I haven't used it since. I really don't want to use this ever, so its not really something I will consider.
3. Any other advice? What should I plan for?
1. What type of crate is best. I have a 12" x 16" soft sided collapsible crate (see purple crate in photo) and a carrier that I used when flying with her over the holidays (see grey/black carrier in photo). I think the soft sided crate will be best, but it wont fit a litter box. Should I find a bigger crate that will fit a litter box? Food? Water?
2. She doesn't love car rides, but what kitty does? When I flew with her, she was pretty anxious and loud on the 40 minute drive to the airport. Seriously, DIA is practically in Nebraska when driving from Denver! Anyway, once we got to the airport she was fine. Before getting in the car I gave her HomeoPet Anxiety drops (I followed the directions, a few drops every 15 minutes 45 minutes prior to travel), clearly they didn't help for the car ride. My local Bentley's Pets & Stuff recommended Receptra CBD oil, I tried a tiny bit yesterday and she did ok, but only if I was petting her, as soon as I pulled my hand out of her crate, she would meow (she didn't try to escape as I zipped it up, so thats a win!). I also tried the thundershirt pheremones spray (without the thundershirt) and took her on a 5 minute ride to return a redbox, she was so loud and not happy. So, my question, should I stick with the CBD oil? Is this safe for cats? I will talk to the manufacturer and vet, but how often can I dose her on the trip? Back in December when I flew with her I asked the vet for the medication that was used for flying with pets, its a mild sedative. He was hesitant to give it to me, but I was more comfortable having it as an option. I did a test run with it before flying and did not like the reaction my cat had, so I haven't used it since. I really don't want to use this ever, so its not really something I will consider.
3. Any other advice? What should I plan for?