About to move cross country with two elderly cats -- Help!

[Samurai_Writer]

Hey all!

I got an awesome job in Boulder, CO, which happens to be near where my sister and brother-in-law and the two most adorable Chinese girls in the world live (my nieces)! I'm leaving end of this month, and am in the process of packing and getting ready to move. I need tips to help make the move easier on my cats.

Smoke is 14 and hyperthyroid, but on medication and doing well. He's very laid back and travels well.

Sterling is 10 years old and healthy, but a typical Persian. He hates change and has a very dominant personality. He's the one I will need to take extra care of during the FIVE DAY trip.

I'm driving a Toyota Tacoma Extra Cab and pulling a Uhaul trailer. I will have cat carriers and already have started to spray the bedding in them with Feliway.

I plan to stop every 2 hours for a break. I will allow one cat out of their carrier at a time (limited cab space), so they will have 2 hours in the carrier and 2 hours outside the carrier. I'll have a litterbox on the floor of the cab, and will feed and water them during rest stops.

Anything else I should do to make their trip more comfortable? I'll be staying in hotels on the way, so at night they will get to stretch out in a hotel room.

[IndyOp]

1. Are you going to become RadFemCo now?

;)


My suggestions:

Smell is very important - Make sure to let them use towels, or blankies, or a bed that will fit in their cat carrier well in advance of your trip so that they have snugglies that smell like home with them during their transition.

As for letting your cats out of their carriers during the trip - I thought my cats would appreciate it when I drove from California to Indiana. They didn't. When I let them out of their carrier to 'explore the car' they just hid between the luggage. I even spent hours every week in advance of the trip driving them around - didn't help. They wanted to burrow into a nice small, soft, safe place until it was over!

Probably MOST important: Don't forget the Rescue Remedy and check out the rest of the Bach's essences to see if there is one that will be particularly helpful for your cats (based on their unique personalities).

Flower Essences for Cats, Dogs, and Other Animals
<http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/bach/floweran.html>

[demnan]

2. Sounds like a great move for you!

I wish you well. As far as the kitties go, I've never traveled long distances with mine but I would make sure that there were some familiar smells for them, and laundry - mine love laundry.

[japple]

3. Don't forget the catnip

Put a couple of tablespoons of catnip in an old sock and tie a knot in it. My cats love this and they usually drool all over their socks and then use them as a pillow. I have to throw them away after a few days because they've gotten so stiff and nasty. Occasionally, my older cats bites through the sock and eats the catnip or spreads it all over the floor and rolls in it. Now that I'm growing my own catnip, they usually just like the fresh leaves.

Also, I discovered that the cushions I had in the bottom of my carriers slid around during transport, so I got a small rubber-backed rug and cut it to fit the bottom of the carriers. You could also use some of that foam-type padding that you use between a carpet and the floor or when you have a rug on top of carpet--anything that keeps the bedding from sliding around.

I brought my boys from NC to GA last fall--a 6 hour trip and I just kept the boys in their carriers the whole time. I'm always afraid that, if I let them loose in the car, they would escape and get lost if there was an accident.

Good luck on your trip and let us hear the details.

[superconnected]

4. actually it sounds like you have it under control.

Just talk to them a lot on the trip.

[Samurai_Writer]

5. I don't have a back seat

I'm driving in a pickup truck that has small jumpseats behind the bucket seats. I'm going to just have to put the litterbox on the floor of the truck, and the two carriers on the jumpseat bench. I'm also going to have to have a cooler and my laptop bag in there. So it's going to be a bit tight.

[superconnected]

6. Sorry, I had only read the first part of your post before.

I have an 18yo cat. Shes just now starting to act old sometimes.

[regnaD kciN]

7. I took three cats cross-country in '79...

I'm not sure if this will work for you, given your lack of a real backseat, but, instead of using individual carriers, we got a large foldable cage (like the kind you see at cat shows), put the food and litterbox in there, and let them keep each other company. There was a lot less stress for them when they could be together than each being stuck in their own carrier, isolated from the others.

As you indicated as part of your plans, we eventually left the cage door open during later stages of the trip. The cats had the option of leaving the enclosure, at which point they would generally go to sleep on the back floor mats or even under the front seats, and only go back to the cage when they needed it. I don't know if this would work for everyone, since some cats go wild in a car and could interfere with driving. But, since then, I've found that it's often easier to let calmer cats settle themselves where they want in the car rather than keeping them enclosed.

[SW FL Dem]

8. I moved from CA to FL with my 11 yr old cat in 1999

I drove in my Volvo wagon with my son and Jamie. She had a crate on top of all the sh*t in the back of the wagon, when she got restless, she curled up with my son in the back seat. I bought a bunch of disposable litter pans for the hotels at night. During the day, we put her on a leash and put a pan outside the car. I was freaked that she would panic and run so I put a small harness on her whenever we stopped and let her out. We had tons of her favorite treats and Jamie learned that if she howled enough she not only got treats, she got out of the crate and lovings. I also wrote my cell phone number on her belly with a sharpie in case she escaped. When we arrived in FL, Jamie was so happy to be out of the car, she immediately adjusted to the new house. She has always been an indoor cat, so once she found some of the familiar things, she was fine. Jamie is now 17 1/2 and hanging on. She's been through 5 moves with us.

Good luck on your move and your new job!

[radfringe]

9. secure the litter box

You aid you are going to put it on the floor of the cab -- I would secure it some how.

Sudden stops, steep down/up hill grades may cause it to slide, flip or otherwise spill the litter (and other "goodies")

get some velcro with the adhesive on it -- put a few strips on the bottom of the litter box and on the floor of the cab -- should hold it in place pretty good

You also mentioned spraying the pillows etc with Feliway - might also want to check with your vet for some "emergency kitty-downers" -- travel is stressful - better to be prepared in the event of a feline freakout - especially since you will be letting them out of the crate while driving. You don't need a hissing, spitting cat sitting on your head in the middle of traffic.

[Samurai_Writer]

10. Believe me, that litter box isn't going anywhere!

I'm going to move the passenger seat up to lock the box into the space. I did that my last long-distance trip (1100 miles, Houston to Florida), and it worked fine.

I will get kitty tranks for my persian, but getting them down him is another story altogether. My other cat won't need them, he is completely mellow when it comes to travelling. He did fine the last long-distance move.

[Lorien]

11. I evacuated to Ohio last year with all three

from Orlando. Stopping every two hours seems excessive, IMHO. Driving for six hours straight is actually more relaxing for them (stopping stressed them out, I found. Especially for my 16 year old Miro, who perpetually thought that we were FINALLY at the vet's office)! Instead, why not get one or two larger crates with room for a litter box, or one of these: http://www.sturdiproducts.com/new/showproducts/showproducts.htm

My cats were much happier traveling together. Puck and Oberon stayed together in a large dog carrier, and Miro rode in a large cat carrier, facing the so they could touch paws. I think the would have been happiest if all three could have been in one crate! I don't know how cozy Sterling and Smoke are, but they might appreciate a similar setup.


Good luck!

[Samurai_Writer]

12. I don't have room for a larger crate

I'm driving in a Toyota Tacome extra cab (2 door, not the 4 door type). I can barely fit the two small carriers I have in there, plus the other items I"m going to have ot have in the cab (laptop, ice chest, printer, and purse).

Actually I do have to stop more often than every 6 hours myself because I have a bad back and have to stretch it out.

I took Sterling and Smoke to the vet yesterday to get microchipped, and it was the first time they actually interacted together closely. Whenever Sterling meowed, Smoke would start, and when the vet was examining Smoke, Sterling hissed at her. Guess they were looking out for each other. They don't really hang out much together at home... they might sleep on the same piece of furniture, but don't cuddle up or anything.