6 cats, 2000 miles, driving with them is not really an option

[kedrys]

I've been trying to find a reliable way to ship the hordes to Montreal ahead of our twin vehicle (moving truck and one car) expedition, and the best Continental can do is overnight them at Newark from Houston and get them to Montreal the following day.

I don't think that's acceptable, but unless Air Canada or American Airlines comes up with something better, I'm not sure what to do.

Here are the parameters of the equation:

1. We can't afford to fly (one person) with the kitties.
2. My sister will be there to pick them up and take them to her place.
3. We expect to take about 3 days to drive from Houston to Montreal, but that depends on the weather.
4. It would be a lot harder for us to find lodging on the way if we have the cats with us. One or two cats might be okay, but 6...well, probably not.
5. Leaving any of the cats here is not an option. We won't have the $ to come and get them anytime soon.
6. Getting them adopted before we leave is even less of an option.
7. All this has to happen in the next 3 weeks.

Any ideas?

[travelingtypist]

1. Cat carriers and a small u-haul.

They'd have their own little room to travel in. You'd just have
to stop and take frequent breaks and make sure everybody was okay
in there.

Just a thought. That's what my parents did with their cats comning
from Oklahoma to Oregon. It went well.

[kedrys]

2. One of our vehicles is a 26ft truck

The other is the Element. We're putting the Accord on a trailer.

Yours is a good idea, but I don't think it's feasible here. :( Thanks, though.

[China_cat]

3. Check with CUR

I know they mainly cater to moving dogs but I'll bet you could find helpers for cats. It might take a little longer for them to get there, to fill out all the legs of the trip, but they'd be well cared for during the move.

Here's a list of pet transport services:
http://www.chathamanimalrescue.org/pettransport.shtml

[kedrys]

4. I'll do that, thanks!

I looked at some commercial pet shipping services, but they charge so much there's no way we can afford them. :(

[japple]

5. What would Mitt Romney do? Sorry, that probably was

pretty lame. I remember hearing a similar situation being discussed on Car Talk sometime last year. The callers had large dogs they needed to transport from one coast to the other. Tom and Ray suggested that the callers rent an RV and tow their car. I don't know how you'd feel about driving an RV and towing your car, but you might be able to even use a 15 passenger van instead of an RV. But if you rented an RV, you wouldn't have to pay for a motel, and you could probably make reservations at an RV park on the internet. Anyway, I wish you a lot of luck and a good solution for you and the kitties. Let us know how this turns out.

[kedrys]

6. I looked into that, actually

Before we found out how much it would cost for movers to haul our stuff. That's when we decided that even though we have to pay out-of-control fuel prices, driving the truck ourselves would be about half the price. We're also going to put one of our cars on a trailer and drive the other one.

Too bad they don't take cats on the train - that would have been the most restful way to get everybody up there, and not terribly expensive either.

I'll post a precis when we get there. :D

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Good luck Keep us posted. I was going to suggest renting a big RV for the trip.

You could drive with the cats in the RV, and no need to rent hotel rooms but it seems you already have more vehicles than you can handle...

Hope the trip goes well..

[yellerpup]

9. We drove from Oklahoma to NYC with three cats in the cab of a U-Haul.

They sort of shut down on the road. Since you are towing the car, you could put your cat carriers in the car. (Switch them around at rest stops if you like) We stayed in pet friendly motels but we only confessed to having one cat and nobody came by to check. As long as you aren't a slob about it no one will say anything unless there is damage to the room in which case they'll just charge your credit card for it. With good weather you'll only be spending two (maybe three) nights in a motel. Good luck.

[travelingtypist]

10. Exactly right.

It's totally doable this way.

[kedrys]

11. I'm already, er, understating the number of cats

to potential landlords in Montreal. :D

I'm still entertaining the notion of taking them on the road - but realistically, we probably would only take the one who needs medicine.

There's enough space in the Element for all the kennels, if it comes to that.

[Longhorn]

13. Well, I have five dogs, not six cats,

but that's exactly what I would do. Put them in the kennels, maybe get some of that stuff that relaxes pets -- someone will bail me out with the name -- and hit the road. Many motels have no idea what you unpack into your room. You pay at the office and back up to the door of your room. Cats are even easier because you don't even have to take them outside to go to the bathroom and they don't bark. I'd probably stay at places that allows pets but I just wouldn't mention how many. Since you're saving so much money, you can treat them with some cat toys or something. :)

Good luck! :hi:

[yellerpup]

15. If the landlord finding out is the problem you could

stash some with your friends in Montreal and smuggle them in one at a time. We just adopted two rescues yesterday. The boy (named Jane!) had been in the shelter for over a year. The girl is named Charlie. They seem really happy this morning! Of course you can't leave your children behind! Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

[kedrys]

17. My sister's boyfriend has fearlessly volunteered his basement

for the kitties until we find a place; my sister is moving in with him temporarily and letting us park at her place so we don't go broke 15 minutes after getting there.

I'm only calling on ads that explicitly state that small animals are permitted; most landlords I've spoken to will take cats but not dogs. I don't feel compelled to explain that I have 80lbs of small animal. ;)

Good luck with your new kids!

[REP]

23. 2,078 miles with 6 cats in the cab of a 30' truck

There's a number of cat-friendly hotels between Kansas City and Silicon Valley, and they got tired of meowing after 30 minutes or so. It's doable!

[blondie58]

8. I don't have any suggestions

but kudos to you for taking your kids with you- that is a wonderful thing.

[kedrys]

12. Anything else is not an option

All the kitties are rescues. I had to explain to my mom that no, getting these guys adopted and getting new cats once we get there is SO not happening. Then I thanked her for not selling my sister and I into slavery when we were 3 and 6. She got the message. :P

[AZBlue]

14. There are OTC remedies to calm them as well as prescription.

I had a friend who just drove cross-country with two and she got the prescription. It didn't knock them out, just made them sleepier than usual, so they really just slept while they were driving and up only at night in the hotels. It worked really well for them and had no lingering side effects.

Good luck on your move!!

[kedrys]

16. I'll talk to my vet about it

She said that they'd be less freaked out by a flight, but I really don't want them out of my sight, especially if the airlines are going to take overnight to get them up there.

If they mostly slept through, I'd probably be able to deal with it. They don't travel well (a trip across town the last time we moved was pretty apocalyptic, sound-wise), and the thought of driving 2000 miles with that level of yowling is not pleasant.

If the airlines could guarantee me that the trip would take the usual 4-5 hours, I'd spend the $ in a heartbeat, but so far no dice. :(

[IndyOp]

18. If you looking for some assurance that they will sleep I can help there -

I drove from California to Indiana with two cats in my Dodge Colt. I mailed my personal belongings to Indiana and put only cats and suitcases in the car for the road trip. I made a point of putting the cats in the car and driving them around a couple of times during the weeks before we left CA. (On edit: The level of noise was pretty apocalyptic on those short trips - so I was worried about exactly what you are worried about now.)

I gave the cats pills the vet recommended on the first day of the move and they meowed for about 45-minutes on the road and then would meow for about 5-10 minutes each morning thereafter, but then they slept for the whole day. When we stopped I would put a bowl of water in each crate, but I don't remember them every taking a drink in the car. They would sleep during the day on the road and then at night, in the hotel, I would take them to the bathroom (which I set up with food, water, and litter box) and open their crate door and let them decide when they were ready to come out. I would leave them in the bathroom for a while after we arrived -- long enough for me to unpack and go get dinner while they made use of the litter box, got a drink, and ate. Then I would let them roam the room. They tended to find a safe spot behind a table and stay there except for trips back to the bathroom. They took care of the eating and drinking and litter box use during the night. I'd dose them with pills again in the morning and then we would be off again. It was stressful for them arriving at a new hotel with new smells every night -- but I swear they were getting sort of used to it by 3-4 nights into the trip. I was a lot more relaxed having them with me than I would have been without them.

Since then I've come to LOVE Rescue Remedy -- so I would suggest that you try using just that and see if that is enough, but if not then given them a pill from the vet. Have a supply of pills on hand, just in case. I swear I think I remember the vet recommending a low dosage over-the-counter allergy med that was more than enough to put the cats to sleep in the car -- I don't remember the brand or the dosage.



If you have room in one of your vehicles to set up crates and can be assured that they will have plenty of fresh air and a comfortable temperature then that would be the least expensive option for you and might be least stressful for them.

Good luck and let us know when you've arrived in Canada. :hi:

[AZBlue]

19. I have one cat and I'd need it to move with her.

I've considered moving to Tucson, which is only 120 miles from here, and even with just one there's no way we'd make it that far. Like you said, cross-town is miserable enough.

I just e-mailed her to see what she got from her vet - if she remembers the name, I'll pass it on!

[AZBlue]

22. I asked my friend what she used.

She actually lucked out - they fell asleep on their own. However, she'd gone to her vet before leaving and was armed with Benadryl - he'd told her she could give each of them 1/4 tablet of benedryl as needed to make them sleep. I'd check with your vet before giving them anything, but you might want to ask about that.

[haele]

20. If they do well together, put them in one large dog kennel; you can use those wire shelf units

at Costco (the ones like tinker-toys that make cubes)to make "levels" and still have room for a small litterbox in the back. A large dog kennel should fit in the passenger leg well of the moving truck, or if you have something that can be used to "level" it, will fit in your back seat. Do not put the kennel in the car you are towing or in the moving van itself; even the towed car will pick up noxious road fumes and CO2 (because you won't have the engine on to keep air circulating at their level) and could be dangerous to the kitties.
Perhaps you'll need two to give everyone enough room. But believe me, they'll enjoy having some room and the ability to snuggle with each other during the mild trauma of the trip.

I also suggest getting them used to wearing a harness, because it's much easier to control them during the trip with a harness, and perhaps a leash. It usually takes a cat two weeks to get used to a harness, especially if they can have treats like heading out to the pet store and getting pets, treats, and positive attention while showing off their "clothes".

When I traveled with two, I used a heavy duty medium dog carrier and fit a "litterbox" out of a shoebox for them during the travel. Of course, it was only seven hours or so and they never used it, but they had enough room to stand up, move around, or cuddle as they wanted to, and still had some room for themselves.

A vet I knew recommended Catnip in the bottom of the carrier to help them stay calm; I've used it with my boys when traveling and it worked pretty durn well.

Good luck -
Haele

[tencats]

21. Shouldn't be a problem.

I have been involved transporting cats short and long distances fore several years. Longest transports have been two full days. All the cats I have transported have been rescues and its common that they are not in the best health and condition, some have had recent injuries like wounds. Most all have been screened by a Vet and are updated vacs as required for the States that they are passing through. All the cats come through the big move seemingly very well. Just recently had one cat from Houston go up to Chicago with only short rest breaks. There was a dog crated riding on top of his carrier and the dog vomited all over on top of him some where around St. Louis, MO. Poor cat was just dry toweled off and had endured the remaining miles stinking dirty. He was so happy to arrive at my shop and immediately get a good soaking bath. I will dot do a dog ever again with the cats. Only problem I ever had was with a 4 mo old that starting panting like he was over heated. He only was going 320 mi and I made many rest stops with him. Later when I took him to the Vet it was found that he had a heart murmur. Only recommendations I can suggest is box them singly to a well ventilated crate, have something adsorbent like towels lining the carriers. Do the distance as quickly as possible but keep safe. I make reasonable rest stops and offer water which they will at times will take well but not always. I never offer food during transport unless I'm making an overnight stop. They will urinate in the carriers but they seem to try to hold back a long as they can. On long distances they will defecate also and I take plenty of extra clean towels to change out those that get soiled. Some cats keep quiet, some cry off and on but I just push on to the end as fast as possible. Very important to the cats is to have everything ready to receive them and make them comfortable at the end of the ordeal of the move. I check them all frequently especially the older cats I will sometimes let them out of the carrier briefly. Really, healthy cats should do that distance better that humans. Until 3 yrs ago I drove the cats in a mid sized car, now we travel very comfy in a minivan.

Here's a pic of the small car packed with cats.

Last rest stop after riding since early morning.
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I think this was ten cats going 900 miles.
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Didn't like the looks of this cardboard box from the start and I got an escape in progress.
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Not happy and we are only half done.
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This was a long one and we are giving them clean towels and a drink of water.
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[hippywife]

24. I moved my two

from OH to OK 11 years ago this coming July. We also had a huge moving van we drove ourselves with the car on a full trailer on the back of it. We put the cats in carriers in the front seat of the car facing each other so they had some company, even tho the older one never really warmed up to the younger one...ever! LOL We also made sure to put a reflector sun shield in the front windshield to keep them from getting too hot. It took two full days and we stayed in motel at the half way point in St. Louis and didn't worry about finding a pet friendly one...just carried the carriers in with the luggage.

They really did hate the whole trip and the sedative I got from the vet really didn't work well.

I would probably do it the same way again, if I ever had to. It's just easier and cheaper that way, especially in your case! I think six cats in carriers in the Element and/or the car would work fine. Maybe give them a little catnip at rest stops.

I hope it all works out for you. :hi:

[Lorien]

25. Actually, La Quinta Inns will take any number of pets

I had to evacuate from Florida to Ohio with my three when we were hit with four hurricanes in 2004. I googled "Pet friendly hotels" and found many options. La Quinta inns were the best deal because there was no extra charge for pets, and no limit on the number of pets. Their maids were great in helping me to capture Puck when she got loose in the morning, too.

Pair up cats in oversized carriers can make the trip easier. It took me three days to drive to Ohio too because the highways were packed with other who were also evacuating. Many stayed in the same hotels I did with their pets for the same reasons. Other than the meowing and one case of Oberon wetting himself the trip was uneventful.

Shipping is risky. Pets can and do die during shipment via the airlines for a number of reasons .Sometimes they are placed in the wrong hold, suffocated, their carriers break and they get loose, or they are shipped to the wrong place and never recovered. One of my kittens was shipped via Delta and the stress caused his corona virus to mutate into FIP, which killed him. I don't think I would ever ship a kitty again unless I could take them into the cabin with me.

[Jamastiene]

26. Buy cat carriers, rent a van, and drive them there.

Make sure the van is from a rental place that is located in both cities, so you can just return the van to the rental place in your arrival destination city when you arrive. Take the cats out every 6 hours or so and make sure you have food, water, and a litter box. If need be, vacuum the van before you return it.

Cats get used to traveling after about 20 miles or so and usually sleep the rest of the way there. As long as they stay all lined up side by side in their cat carriers, one cat per carrier, they should be fine. At least, that's how I moved. Of course, I didn't move over 2000 miles away. Still, it seems like it would be feasible solution and cheap enough to work. That's certainly how I would do it again if I ever moved from here. :shrug: