Traveling 3000 Miles With Cat

jade14

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
134
Purraise
73
Location
Utah
My husband and I are planning on moving with our cat and dog next year, I know it's not for awhile but I am already worried about traveling that far with our cat. We are planning on hooking a uhaul trailer on our truck and we will be staying in hotels on the way. My main concern is what to use as a travel carrier on the way. I will need something bigger than his normal travel carrier but will need to fit on the bench of the backseat of the truck, I was thinking just a bigger hard dog carrier but I do want him to be able to easily see us. When we moved only an hour away he tried to break out of his sherpa carrier. Do I need to have room for a litter box? I really doubt he would use it on the way. I work at a vet clinic and the few times I have had to bring him to work for the day he has refused to use the litter box all day. But maybe he should have the option? We will be driving about 10 hours a day. Also, should I train him to wear a harness? I will absolutely not let him out of the truck with just a harness but I want him to have an ID tag and something I could easily grab if he were to escape, maybe just a collar is sufficient but I have never had luck putting a tag on a collar with him. I would plan on moving him from his car carrier to his small travel carrier from the truck to hotel. I was planning on getting some feliway as I know he will not enjoy the travel, but is there anything else that I should consider to help make him comfortable?
Any advise from anyone who has had to do this is greatly appreciated!
 

Tobermory

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.”
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Dec 13, 2017
Messages
9,137
Purraise
25,933
Location
Pacific NW
Here are a couple of other threads about traveling with cats in addition to the good articles mentioned above. Lots of great advice and things to think about!

Summer Road Trip!!!
Moving Terrified Cats

I’ve moved back and forth across the country with three cats (including to Utah in 1997!), and I feel as if I’ve perfected my technique. :)

I didn’t want the cats in their regular smallish cat carriers for several 10-hour days, so I bought a larger (dog) crate for the sisters, which wouldn’t fit on your back seat, but I put the third cat in what I’m pretty sure is a guinea pig or rabbit crate which should fit. (Picture below.) I bought small, disposable litter pans for each, but they never did use them until evenings in the hotel room so I bagged that idea after the first day. I carried water in the car and gave them a chance to drink each time we stopped.

I covered the crates with a sheet so they couldn’t see the scenery passing (I have one who gets car sick), but I left an opening so they got some air and could see us. I kept the car a bit cool.

The stops we made during the day were quick in and out, and one of us always stayed with the car to make sure the cats weren’t too hot or cold, depending on the time of year. (One trip was in early March and started in a blizzard that closed I-80 in Wyoming. It was -4°.) I packed food in a cooler so we didn’t have to stop at restaurants.

I plotted our course and reserved hotel rooms along the way that were pet friendly. We used the hotel luggage cart to bring the crates, still covered, into the room. One of us went out for food while the other stayed with the cats.

A word of warning about hotel beds. Many of them are blocked with wooden supports now, but it’s still possible for cats to squeeze around the ends and get underneath. I have disassembled hotel beds to do cat extractions and it’s no fun! I always check before releasing the cats and if necessary, stuff pillows or blankets around the ends where they can get through.

Here is the photo of the crate we used for the one cat. I didn’t trust that it wouldn’t separate so I bungeed it closed around the middle. It measures 32”L x 19.5”W x 16”H.

Hope this info helps!
6152EC29-9340-4C09-A83C-15A8B4555703.jpeg
 

jen

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 27, 2001
Messages
8,501
Purraise
3,009
Location
Hudson, OH
Gabapentin worked WONDERFULLY for my high stress cat who hates the world. She purred and slept the whole way and even sat next to my other cat without caring lol.
 
Top