How do you travel with 5 cats for 12 hours in a car?

Question

We are planning to relocate from NJ to SC. It will be a 12 hour ride. I have 5 cats, 2 of which are very old (14 & 16 - those are the two I am most concerned about). They'll have the stress of moving, seeing their home upside down, etc, and then have to be in a car for so many hours. Does anyone have ANY suggestions on how to make it easier, for them and for me, without the use of tranquilizers from the vet? (I am afraid the older one's wouldn't survive a tranquilizer). Twelve hours is a LONG time to hear them howling!

Answer 1

Tranquilizing can be dangerous for older cats and is generally not recommended for stress due to a move. While 12 hours of howling may be very stressful for you, they'll be fine. I have travelled with more cats than this for longer periods. Just make sure cats have a disposable liner in their carriers in case of accidents. It makes clean up easier. Also make sure they are in individual carriers are not stationed in the sun, and you offer them water frequently( every few hours or so). You can buy those absorbent bed liners at walmart or your local store to line carriers. They'll be fine. It can be dangerous to let ANY of them roam free in your car. If they spook they could cause an accident, injuring you or them in the process.

Answer 2

I would try crating them, then checking them frequently to see how they are doing. Usually they start off all upset, but settle down w/in a half hour or so. For anyone unduly stressed, I would recommend giving them something natural to calm them down. Check with you vet for the best product.

You should pull over every few hours and see if they'll use a litter box placed on your back floor. Preferably, buy some food and water bowls you can hang on their cages.

Also - I've found that sometimes two cats are happier in the same crate because they have comfort from the other & company.

I do NOT recommend letting them loose in the car, as one person suggested. Many many years ago, we had a kitten escape and were never able to find her. What a haunting experience. You can only pray she found someone who cared.

Although it may lengthen the trip a bit to take these steps it will probably help your kitties during their travels. Just be very careful one doesn't get out (a harness for each would solve this).

Addendum: Practice before you leave. Take a few short trips to familiarize them (and you) beforehand.

Answer 3

I drove from Connecticut to South Florida (and back, a year later) with my cat, Sadie, when she was three or so years old. It's about an 18-20 hour trip, plus Sadie HATES the car. To be honest, I did give her some kitty tranquilizers that I got from the vet. The drugs definitely kept her from freaking out. I put some dry food and one of those water bottle thingees that hamsters use in her carrier, which I kept in the front seat so she could be near me, and I sang and talked to her whenever she cried....which she did, a little, but not as much as I expected. Overall, it was fine. She didn't get sick at all or seem completely traumatized afterwards. Honestly, I probably would have driven straight through if it was just me, but both times I got a motel room along the way, mainly so that she could be out of the carrier for a while, and also so she could poop (which she didn't, either time, but what can you do?) I definitely suggest if you're driving that many hours with your cats, and they're not big fans of the car, you talk to your vet about giving them sedatives (if you're comfortable with that) and other things you can do to make it easier on them. That being said, chances are they won't be scarred for life from a little road trip.

Answer 4

Long trips are not only bad for cats but for people and cars as well, especially with over heating (that applies to cHars and people). Most long driving trips, there are usually rest stops, take them and use them, they average about 2 hours aparts. Make sure all the kittys have a collar and a leash. Then stop at every rest stop and let them out for 10 minutes of so in the open. Play with them vigorously adn then head back on the road. This will results most likely in long rest periods and then short intense play periods. Hope that helps.

Also have plenty of water for the trip adn the rest periouds are good to let the kittens use the bathrooms as well. Be careful of fleas and mites in the open though.

Answer 5

I moved 2 cats for 10 hours 6 years ago, it went OK. Jerry the older cat has a weakness for catnip and for once I gave him all he wanted knowing that it usually puts him to sleep. The younger, Jameson settled down after about an hour and went to sleep for the rest on his own. (he does a mean imitation of Elvis so it was a LONG hour). As they usually sleep together I had them both in the same large carrier for these guys I think that was the key. The air conditioning was on high and they had plenty of water.

On a short trip once from the vet I had my first husbands cat Snert. Snert was a law unto himself and there was no getting him into a carrier. Usually one of us held him on our laps, this trip Sam let him loose when I was driving. When approaching a toll gate for a bridge I had to stop, the little bugger crawled under the break pedal! I did what I had to do to avoid a collision, Snert recovered his dignity and from then on if he went to the vet it was restrained.

Moral of the story, don't let the kitty roam the passenger cabin freely, you never know where they like to crawl.

Answer 6

When we moved from Santa Fe, NM to Missouri, we had 5 cats. The day before the move, we took them to the vet, had their shots caught up, had them checked over and frontlined, etc. Then we left them at the vets overnight while we packed up the car, Travel Trailer, etc. The next morning, I called the vet to tell them to go ahead with the pre-arranged anesthesia... then we stopped by the vets, picked up the sleeping cats and headed out of town. They were asleep for all but about the last 150 miles of the trip... and it worked like a charm.

Your older cats may be a problem, though... but your vet will know what can be done to knock them out.

Answer 7

I don't know how big your car is but I road down from NJ to GA with my two cats by myself years ago. What made it less stressful for them was not putting them in cages and letting them sit on my lap. Now, I'll admit it was rather uncomfortable and I looked like a fur ball by the time I hit Virgina, but that cats felt safe. Since you have 5 cats this may not be the most practical solution, but it may work for the two older ones.

Answer 8

We have problems when we take our cat in the car for a trip lasting 3 hours, it doesn't like it one little bit and it is now 14 years old. It throws up and messes. We've tried soothing music, continuously talking to it. Because you have several cats travelling together it may be some comfort for them.

Answer 9

If you plan on driving with cats, it's important to stop often to ensure they have a chance to eat and drink, and to reassure them. It would also probably help to make sure that, in the hot summer months, they are inside the car, with some kind of air conditioning, but I wouldn't put them right under the AC, either, if it's chilly, at all.

Answer 10

I traveled from NY to Texas with my cat and bird. I DID NOT sedate her. I simply used a pet carrier. She laid down and went to sleep for most of the trip. However, she would not use her kittie litter during the day so we had to get a hotel room at night for her to eat and rest and use the restroom. I gave her kittie treats during the day, but sometimes she wouldnt eat them. I would avoid feeding them during the day to prevent them getting sick. I hope you have a large enough car for this idea, or else you will have to put two to a pet carrier. FYI, they have little small ones at petco and Walmart. I hope everything works out for you. Good Luck!