Cats in car for 3 days, tips?

A couple of years ago I drove across the country with three cats. It is
difficult, but they'll be just fine.

I was driving a rented passenger van (a Dodge Caravan, I think), which
I suspect made things go more smoothly than had I been driving a car.
The van provided more room for the cats to move about and more
locations for litter boxes, food and water.

Super 8 motels, while not great, are just about everywhere and they
will accept your cats for an additional $10 per cat.

My cats did soil themselves in the carriers until I started leaving the
doors to their carriers open all the time so that they could stay in
the carriers or walk about the van at their pleasure. If you're going
to be on the road for three days, you'll pretty much have to give your
cats the same freedom. You can't keep them confined to the carriers for
three days.

However, be sure you have some sort of 'barricade' set up around the
driver's seat and the driver's side of the front cab area, since you
don't want the cats to get down around your feet while you're driving.
Seriously, you must do this! Otherwise you could have an accident.

Furthermore, be absolutely sure that your cats ARE confined in the
carriers anytime you're getting into or out of the car. When you stop
for gas or a cup of coffee, don't tell yourself that you'll jump out
very quickly and then close the door behind you before any of your cats
get out. If one of them wants to get out, perhaps because they hate the
car, and they see an open door, they WILL get out. And believe me, you
don't want to lose one of your cats in the middle of nowhere. So always
confine them in their carriers before any door is opened anywhere in
the car.

Sorry to sound paranoid, but a little paranoia will sometimes spare you
a ton of grief.

Steve
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

I have to disagree with letting the cats roam free in the car while the car
is in motion. Imagine if there was some sort of car accident while that was
happening, the cat could be thrown against a window or through it. Just as
you would never let a child run around a vehicle, you shouldn't let the
cats.

There are sedatives for cats.. Talk to your vet. You may also want to
consider microchipping them. Its probably around $50 a cat, but so worth
the piece of mind. Do not forget to register the chip. No point in having
one if the company can't contact you. Collars with tags are also a good
idea. Not fool proof, hence the microchip recommendation.

Instead of newspaper, I would recommend puppy training pads. They are
absorbent, and disposable. They got the idea for puppy pads from
incontinence pads for people confined to bed. Nice thing is they absorb the
smell of the urine as well.

Another suggestion is rescue remedy. It is a natural stress reliever. Good
for humans, dogs and cats :)
then there is feliway, which mimics the welcome pheromone that cats secrete
when they rub up against things. I used it when I moved, and my cats took
the move beautifully. WAY better than I expected. You can use Feliway with
any meds the dr might recommend.. but id ask before mixing RR with meds

Good luck, and thank you for taking them with you. I do a lot of work with
the local shelter and am always amazed at people abandoning their pets
because of a move.

"Todd Copeland" <todd.DeleteThis@copelandhome.net> wrote in message
news:bFdlg.7491$lp.2479@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>I may be moving from Florida to Utah in the next couple of months, will
>need
> to drive and have two cats. It's a 3 days trip. Both cats dislike carriers
> and meow all the way to the vet when I take them. I'm figuring this will
> go
> on for a few hours and eventually they will get tired. One cat is _very_
> timid. When I had to take her to my parents house for 3 days, she stayed
> under the bed and only came out in the middle of the night in order to use
> the little box and eat/drink. So I know she will probably stay in the her
> carrier most of the time while in the hotels. I plan on putting both
> carriers off to the side of the room with the little box and food/water
> next
> to them. I'm not too worried about this part of the trip as I'm sure she
> will eat/drink when she needs to.
>
> What I need some tips on is while in their in the car. I'll be driving for
> 8
> hours/day and I won't be able to let them out during that time. I figure
> they will need to go to the bathroom in the carrier. I'm thinking about
> tearing up a lot of newspaper and using the strips in the carriers so I
> can
> throw them out at the end of the day. Any better way of doing this?
>
> I'm really not look forward to keeping them in the car and hotels for 3
> days. But know it's just something that needs to be done and that they
> will
> end up being just fine in the end. I know vets can give me valium but
> I_really_ don't want to give them anything. I think they will end up being
> calm in the car and get over being in strange places for a few days. I'm
> just a little worried about them "doing their stuff" in the car carriers
> along the way.
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

Oh pshaw, on Sun 18 Jun 2006 07:44:23a, Todd Copeland meant to say...

> I may be moving from Florida to Utah in the next couple of months, will
> need to drive and have two cats. It's a 3 days trip.

Well, here's an encouraging word, Todd...

In 2000 we moved from NE Ohio to Arizona in two cars with two cats. One of
cats, who historically was very resistant to change, led us to consult the
vet about the trip. He recommended a very mild sedative and assured us the
trip would be uneventful.

We called ahead and made reservations at motels that accepted pets. Many
do.

We bought disposable litter trays pre-filled with litter (6 in all, 1 a
piece for each day of the trip) and placed them on the floor of the front
passenger seat. Each cat rode in a carrier placed on the front passenger
seat. During the first 15 minutes or so of the trip, there was the usual
meowing and fussing, but they both settled down for most of the driving
day. After about the first hour or hour and a half, we opened the carrier
doors, but both cats usually remained in their carriers and slept. Once or
twice they hopped out and used the litter tray, then either lay down on the
floor or seat, or returned to their carrier.

Early each morning they were fed and allowed enough time in the motel room
to use their litter tray before we started out on the road. At night their
litter trays, carriers, food and water were taken into the room where there
were immediately fed. Once they ate, we headed out to have some dinner.

It was a great trip and the cats were no worse for wear. I think the mild
sedative was very effective, and helped keep them from being bored, and
allowed them to sleep for much of the trip.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

As the last reply said...PLEASE be careful in not letting the Cats get
loose. It can happen so easily and they will be scared if in unknown
territory,perhaps even too scared to come to you. I would suggest
putting extra documentation with their Tags......perhaps an additional
tag with phone numbers at your destination,relatives,etc...this way
should the worse come to worse,you can be contacted and make
arrangements to regain your Cat(s)....




On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 14:44:23 GMT, "Todd Copeland"

<todd.DeleteThis@copelandhome.net> wrote:

>I may be moving from Florida to Utah in the next couple of months, will need
>to drive and have two cats. It's a 3 days trip. Both cats dislike carriers
>and meow all the way to the vet when I take them. I'm figuring this will go
>on for a few hours and eventually they will get tired. One cat is _very_
>timid. When I had to take her to my parents house for 3 days, she stayed
>under the bed and only came out in the middle of the night in order to use
>the little box and eat/drink. So I know she will probably stay in the her
>carrier most of the time while in the hotels. I plan on putting both
>carriers off to the side of the room with the little box and food/water next
>to them. I'm not too worried about this part of the trip as I'm sure she
>will eat/drink when she needs to.
>
>What I need some tips on is while in their in the car. I'll be driving for 8
>hours/day and I won't be able to let them out during that time. I figure
>they will need to go to the bathroom in the carrier. I'm thinking about
>tearing up a lot of newspaper and using the strips in the carriers so I can
>throw them out at the end of the day. Any better way of doing this?
>
>I'm really not look forward to keeping them in the car and hotels for 3
>days. But know it's just something that needs to be done and that they will
>end up being just fine in the end. I know vets can give me valium but
>I_really_ don't want to give them anything. I think they will end up being
>calm in the car and get over being in strange places for a few days. I'm
>just a little worried about them "doing their stuff" in the car carriers
>along the way.
>

I don't "Suffer" from Insanity..I rather enjoy it!

CATTS
http://members.tripod.com/~thewebster/catts.html

WHY SO BLUE,PANDA BEAR?
http://www.serindaswan.com
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

Hi there,

You've already gotten great advice, I'll add one thing. Make sure they
have on collars with tags that contain working phone numbers. We drove 4
days, 10 hrs/day and my biggest fear was that one would slip out of the
car in a different state. We didn't have a cell phone, so we put my
parents' phone number on the tags and told them not to hang up if
someone called about a cat!

Luckily, no one had to use it.

Good luck,

Rhonda

Todd Copeland wrote:

> I may be moving from Florida to Utah in the next couple of months
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

Spoiler space just in case you're eating.
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On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 21:37:36 -0400, "~*Connie*~" <no RemoveThis @spam.com> wrote:

>I have to disagree with letting the cats roam free in the car while the car
>is in motion. Imagine if there was some sort of car accident while that was
>happening, the cat could be thrown against a window or through it. Just as
>you would never let a child run around a vehicle, you shouldn't let the
>cats.
Or even worse imagine the kitten is running loose in the car, you have
slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a two year old kid and you find
that the kitten was on the brake peddle.

Around here the dogs/cats have to be in a carrier and the
carrier secured in the car.



>There are sedatives for cats.. Talk to your vet. You may also want to
>consider microchipping them. Its probably around $50 a cat, but so worth
>the piece of mind. Do not forget to register the chip. No point in having
>one if the company can't contact you. Collars with tags are also a good
>idea. Not fool proof, hence the microchip recommendation.
I just had a kitten microchipped, it was $69.00


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 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

Todd,

May I suggest an alternative, one I've used, which will be in the long run
much easier on you and much easier and safer for the cats.

Place the cats in a boarding kennel and have them shipped by air to you
after you have arrived and have settled. By doing this you are subjecting the
cats to a few hours distress instead of several days.

Jim

--
James Leo Ryan ..... Austin, Texas ..... taliesinsoft.RemoveThis@mac.com
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

>I have to disagree with letting the cats roam free in the car while the car
>is in motion. Imagine if there was some sort of car accident while that was
>happening, the cat could be thrown against a window or through it. Just as
>you would never let a child run around a vehicle, you shouldn't let the
>cats.
>

Plus what if they manage to escape the car during one of the stops you
are bound to make on the way to where you are going?!?!

If it is the timid one that hides are you going to be able to find it
if it does get out of the car??

COMMON SENSE is the keyword here.
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

TaliesinSoft wrote:
> Todd,
>
> May I suggest an alternative, one I've used, which will be in the
> long run much easier on you and much easier and safer for the cats.
>
> Place the cats in a boarding kennel and have them shipped by air to
> you after you have arrived and have settled. By doing this you are
> subjecting the cats to a few hours distress instead of several days.
>
> Jim

Please be careful when 'shipping' pets - most airlines don't report animal
deaths as they are considered "cargo". There are horror stories about in
regards to animals being shipped via air.
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 12:10:13 -0500, Magic Mood Jeep© wrote
(in article <S_mdnakAt8TaRwvZnZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d.RemoveThis@insightbb.com>):

> Please be careful when 'shipping' pets - most airlines don't report animal
> deaths as they are considered "cargo". There are horror stories about in
> regards to animals being shipped via air.

For some 30 years I was actively involved in breeding and showing dogs and
frequently shipped dogs via air and never once had any real problems. Some of
the times the dogs were baggage and sometimes they were shipped as freight.
I've also on a few occasions had my pet cats flown, either as baggage or as
freight, and again never had a negative experience in doing so.

As an aside, I was once flying from Glasgow, Scotland to Philadelphia,
accompanied by two three month old pups in baggage. We had a one hour
stopover in London. While waiting for the flight to again depart my name was
paged and I was informed that my pups "were in distress." It turns out that
one or both had pooped in the cage and that they were taken to the airport
animal shelter to be cleaned up. British Air informed me that if they
couldn't be cleaned in time for the departure that they would pay my expenses
for staying overnight so I could catch the same flight a day later. As it
turned out they held up the flight I was on for an additional two hours.
Considering all of the grumpings from other passengers on the flight the last
thing I wanted to say was that it was because of the pups.

--
James Leo Ryan ..... Austin, Texas ..... taliesinsoft.RemoveThis@mac.com
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:10:13 -0400, "Magic Mood Jeep©"
<nobody.DeleteThis@nowhere.net> wrote:
>Please be careful when 'shipping' pets - most airlines don't report animal
>deaths as they are considered "cargo". There are horror stories about in
>regards to animals being shipped via air.
>
Around here they stopped shipping dogs by air after some dogs got out
of their carriers in the cargo holds of planes and chewed through some
wires.

Also in the cargo hold the ainimal is without air and subjected to
freezing temperatures.

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 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

I second Jim's suggestion. It would be a lot easier on the cats to fly
them.

"TaliesinSoft" <taliesinsoft RemoveThis @mac.com> wrote in message
news:0001HW.C0BC2EFA0026D17EF0284500@news.supernews.com...
> Todd,
>
> May I suggest an alternative, one I've used, which will be in the long run
> much easier on you and much easier and safer for the cats.
>
> Place the cats in a boarding kennel and have them shipped by air to you
> after you have arrived and have settled. By doing this you are subjecting
> the
> cats to a few hours distress instead of several days.
>
> Jim
>
> --
> James Leo Ryan ..... Austin, Texas ..... taliesinsoft RemoveThis @mac.com
>
 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips? 

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:20:51 -0500, TaliesinSoft
<taliesinsoft DeleteThis @mac.com> wrote:
>For some 30 years I was actively involved in breeding and showing dogs and
>frequently shipped dogs via air and never once had any real problems. Some of
>the times the dogs were baggage and sometimes they were shipped as freight.
>I've also on a few occasions had my pet cats flown, either as baggage or as
>freight, and again never had a negative experience in doing so.
Take a lesson from the Westminster Dog Show this past year.
Seems that the dog that won was going through the airport
in New York when it got out of it's container. Last I heard
it was spotted in a number of locations but thad not been
caught. This was several months after the show and they still
didn't know how it got out of the container.


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 >> Stay informed about: Cats in car for 3 days, tips?