Traveling with stressed out cat

[dhammagirl]

My 12 year old ginger boy, Bilbo, has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.
We’re treating him with methimazole, and hopefully will get him treated with radio-isotopes soon.

He gets EXTREMELY stressed during car rides. Urinating, defecating, crying, drooling, both there and back, and it’s only about a 10 minute ride.
Even after giving him Gabapentin,this morning on the way home from getting blood drawn, he defecated then puked....poor guy.

It will be a three hour drive out of state to get him the RadioCat treatment, so we’re considering using our great big dog carrier, putting a small litterbox in it, maybe some water.

Has anyone tried this?
I don’t know if it’s better for him to be in a smaller carrier for feeling more secure, maybe being in a larger space with a little litterbox would be better, or it might stress him out more?

Any thoughts or experiences to share would be appreciated!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

Would there be anything here that he could tolerate with his meds/condition? Maybe music in addition, musicforcats . com or classical harp music?

Oh, and try covering the carrier or cage with a large towel or light weight blanket-my boy seems to be a little less stressed when he can't see out.

Only Natural Pet has a calming product called Just Relax Calming spray with essential oil (catnip oil).

There's this one, be sure and scroll all the way down the page;
Bach Flower Remedies - Rescue Remedy Pets Dogs Cats Horses Birds

Richard's Organics Pet Calm-this one is drops that you put on the tip of the tongue. Also, HomeoPet Anxiety Relief, Head to Tail Calming, Relaxivet Quiet Moments Cat treats, GNC Calming formula, and there is Calm-o-mile, Sentry calming collar, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy - UK (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-eze, Pet Organics No Stress, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has other calming products, Pet Naturals also has one I believe, and there are others.

Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course chewy, also there's Petwishpros, animaleo, 1-800-petmeds, Petco and PetSmart, and other pet stores.

There is also a product called a lickimat which could be helpful, as cats can be calmed by the process of licking. The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This post talks about some other products;
Calming Treats For A Very Picky Cat

 

[FeebysOwner]

HI. Echoing Furballsmom ! The good thing is you have time to test many of the options above and see what you think works best for him. Not all of these products work on all cats, so it is likely you will have to do some experimenting.

I am sure you don't want to stress him out with testing the larger carrier, and/or covering the carrier, but it might be your best bet in order to ensure you find something that will help him through a 3 hour drive.

 

[dhammagirl]

Hey, thanks for the ideas!
We do use some Feliway spray in the car, the carrier, and cover his carrier with a towel.

We can try some of the other calming things as well.
I hadn’t thought of using specific music, though I’ve seen YouTube videos for calming kitties.....we can give that a go, too.

Since he’ll be needing at least one more local vet visit before the big trip, we can do a short test run with the added stress reducers.

 

[Furballsmom]

Keeping our fingers crossed!! Let us know how things go