Car travel with my cat?

Question

I sometimes have to go away for the weekend and as I have no one to look after my cat I take her with me. Unfortunately the travelling upsets her, she is not car sick but cries and sticks her paws through the travelling box. She really likes the places I go and enjoys it once she is there so its not as if she has had bad experiences while away. Should I get a different carrier box so she can't see out or something else. I am only travelling for about an hour.

Answer 1

We had a similar problem with our two, in that they hated to travel, and would mew piteously all the way. They'd wind each other up, and usually end up throwing up. A great way to start off their holiday in the cattery!
Anyway, the people in the cattery gave us some very, very good advice, which works with our two. Make sure that they are *completely* in the dark in their carriers. This means putting a couple of towels over the top, and making sure no light gets in. They then settle down, and go to sleep. Surprisingly, this works very well!

Answer 2

We also travel with our cat.. We have found the best solution is to put him in a large carrier cage. The one we have has a wire front door, and rest of the carrier is made of a hard plastic with hundreds of holes in it, so there is plenty of ventilation but the cat has the impression no one can see him. We place the cage facing the front window of the car, so he can see out and not get the feeling of motion. We use a large carrier cage, because we can put all the cats favorite things in it.. ie, a small cat bed, small litter box, food and water.. In a sense his cage becomes like a den for him. He has traveled thousands of miles this way with no problems.. Also, the cage that we have folds down for storage. Our cat likes his cage so much that we find that if we leave it set up in the house with his cat bed and the door open, he will spend hours sleeping in it. I guess he thinks it is his home, which might also be why he is eager to get into his cage when we take him in the car. .You might try this with your cat and his existing cage since you said your travel time is so short.. Leave your cage set up in your home in an area where he likes to go, and let him make it his den, then when you put it in the car with him in it, he might be a little less nervous.. For long journeys though, I would highly recommend a big cage.. We also leave the cat at home sometimes.. When he is left at home he always has lots of food, water, multiple litter boxes, and a toy that has our recorded voices on it. ..hope this helps..

Answer 3

My cat does the same thing but it seems to help if she can see out of a window. I think its the motion and not being able to see where she is going that freaks her out. If I were put in a dark box and didn't know were i was going, I'd probably freak out too. Just prop up the carrier on something like some books or something.

Hope this help!

Answer 4

My now ex husband and I used to have cats and they used to be happy with car travel, one would curl up on my sholders ( i wasnt driving) and the other would look out the back window. I do understand that not all cats are comfertable with this, and if you do do it, you need someone there who is not the driver to make sure that they dont get under the pedals or something.
Now I just leave my cat if I am going away for a weekend. I make sure he has lots of dry food and that there are several bowls of water in different rooms in case the door shuts or they knocked over. I also leave him with a clean litter tray and a light on and the radio for company, and he is just fine.
Make sure though that there is no potential danger and dont leave them for any more than 3 nights.
If she dosent mind traveling, i would get a grid that you can put in the back of your car so that she can roam around without coming up front to disturb you...

Answer 5

Please don't ever consider not putting her in some kind of carrier. I know someone who was in a head on collision because the woman traveling the other way had a cat loose in the car. It took the paramedics 2 and 1/2 hours to cut her free, but she lived.
Have you thought of getting one of those soft cushy traveling boxes with a screen fabric on one side you can pet her through frequently?

Answer 6

I leave my two cats at home if I go away for the weekend. I leave them enough food and water for a few nights and they have an automatic cat box so their litter is always clean. I think they much prefer that than being taken somewhere in the car. That said, when Hurricane Rita was coming in last year and we thought we had to evacuate, I refused to leave because my mother in law didn't want the cats at her house. I would NEVER leave them if there was any danger.

Answer 7

What ever you do, do not let your cat roam free in the car, if it panics it could try and hide under your feet and that would be a exceedingly dangerous thing to happen. You could ask your vet for a something to sedate your cat, but it may well get used to it in the end, have you tried putting the carrier on the seat next to you, seeing you may help to comforted her. but make sure you first secure the carrier with seat belts

Answer 8

I guess that would depend on who is driving. Cats need blocks on the peddles and they are very discourteous drives. They flip other drivers off and hiss at other cats and dogs. Plus, because of the lack of oppossible thumbs, they are all over the road, and they NEVER use their turn signals. Always be the driver. Do not let them talk you into letting them drive!
Seriously, leave them enough food for however much time you are gone and lots of water, too. If you have a cat door so they can go in and out, that even makes them happier. Cats are very territorial and like to hang around in their own little piece of the world.

Answer 9

I know when I travel with my cat, he stays in his travel case in the city and then when I get out on the open road he somehow knows and he squeezes out of his carrier and lays down on the passenger seat next to me and doesn't cry. If he is left in his box he cries and cries, I even tried giving him childrens benadryl (sp?) like the vet said, and it didn't help. But you could talk to your vet about what to give your kitty.

Answer 10

My cat used to do that too but now I put a leash and collar on her and she sits on my lap while I drive or lays in the seat. I think being in the carrier was what freaked her out.