question about my 7month old kitten?

Question

i have a 7month old kitten,she is very nervous when i take her in the car to the vet,i have to make a 3 and a half hour drive at christmas and want to take her with me,is there anything i can give her to make her less stressed whilst travelling,is there a sleeping tablet for animals or would that not be advisable,any help will be great,serious answers only..thanks

Answer 1

At least your taking her with you, I had to do this with my cats when they were young, put her on the front seat facing you,(with seat belt round box), that way she can see and hear your voice as you travel. A small littler tray in case of emergencys so when you stop for a cuppa she can spend a penny and have a drink of water, seems a lot to do but its worth it, after a few trips they get use to being with you in the car, good on you for taking her with you at xmas wish a lot more people did the same, Good Journey, Tessa

Answer 2

Hello I would strongly recommend not drugging the cat for this could make it far worse.If the cat cannot remember anything about the trip it might make it worse.I would recommend taking the cat out to the car at least once a day up until the trip and let it stay in the car with you running and let it get use to the sound.Also try making it feel more like home take a blanket and maybe a favorite toy and put in the seat with it,and take some treats and let her know she is doing good when she is calm.

Answer 3

I don't think any vet would advise giving them anything. The thing I would do is take her out in the car between now and Christmas so she gets more used to it, even just a drive of 5 minutes will help. She is only 7 weeks so it's reasonable for her to be nervous of such things but also you are of an advantage as she is so young she will get used to it if you take her out in the car often. The best thing for her and you is let her get used to it, take her favourite sleeping blanket or whatever in the car with her so she feels more secure. She will get used to it with time.

Answer 4

Go to the vet and they will give you some tablets that will make she drowsy but not asleep.
I had to take my cat and 7 month old kitten on a 7 hour journey when i moved back to scotland.
The adult had a whole one and the kitten half of one, once they had settled they were fine. If you do get the tablets their eyes go a bit funny but other than that they are fine and they don't notice the journey. They take time to come round completely too so don't worry your kitten will be fine.

Answer 5

Wellness is a good food. Have you tried blue buffalo grain free? Its actually one step up from wellness. Basically the best quality food you can buy, It could be stress. What i would do for now is keep her in one room with her own kitty box for a while. Cats sometimes need their own spot and sometimes it may take a few months for them to adjust. Do not feed her wet food either. Just dry kibble until she gets her poops under control. Also what I am thinking is worms? Its mostly unlikely she has them but sometimes shelters and vets only test for hook and round worms not tapeworms. That is something you have to request. Keep a eye on her poop for this whole week and check it to see if you see any white rice looking things in it. I don't trust shelter fully. They seem to be in more of a rush to adopt out pets and unfortunately because they are over whelmed with what they have for pets some health issues go unnoticed. It happens a lot more than people think.

Answer 6

I fould my kitten was very nervous when I kept her in the cage but she was fine when I let her free. She would sit in the back window or on one of the seats and got used to it and eventually she loved the car. On long journeys I left a litter tray on the floor in the back of the car and she used it. It's probably not legal to have an unrestrained cat in the car though and she'd be more likely to be injured in an accident if she wasnt in her cage though. Try to introduce travelling to her over the next few days before you make the long journey.

Good luck !

Answer 7

you should take her for rides other then too the vet. sometimes they think that that's only place they go when they have to get in the scary moving box. i take used to take my cat town every once in a while when he was a baby and now he loves to go out of town. He's only had to go to the vet twice and to the groomer once a month and he never gets nervous. And he does great when we take him out of town because he like to be in the car and a new "house" every once in a while. The longest ride i ever had to take him on was 3 hours and he did fine.

Answer 8

Its advisable not to move cats about too much as they are territorial and don't like to be moved. Thats why it is such a nightmare when you move house and you have cats!!
But if you have really got to take her, you need to get some advice from the vets and also make sure that she is safe and comfortable. But I would advise you don't take the cat as it may distress it.

Answer 9

There is a cat pheromone spray called Feliway that helps calm them down. If your local pet shop doesn't sell it, many pet websites do. It also helps to give her something to sit on that smells of you, like an old jumper, as this is also a comfort, and to keep the cat basket covered over.

Answer 10

Please speak to your vet about this - take serious advice before giving anything to her. A 3.5 hour journey isn't nice for humans so imagine what it's like for animals sat in their cages for the journey. Hope you manage to find a good solution.