Cross Breeds

Help!! Need helpful hints for long car travel with a cat!!?

The lady who promised to care for my mom's (and dad's) cat after she died can no longer care for her. I promised my mom to ensure the cat would always be taken care of. The cat is a 16 yo part manx tabby who was feral at birth and left by her mom too soon. She has limited social skills and often does not like being picked up or held, does not particulary like me or my brother, is not harness trained, and is not particulary friendly (she scratches & bites when upset). My brother and I are planning on road tripping the cat from ABQ, NM to Fort Worth, TX (where he lives) to SATX (me). 885 miles, 19 hrs driving time. How do we manage her potty breaks? It's not like we can tell her to pee; she barely listens when we tell her to not to bite or scratch. She has a travel cage (covered except for either zippered end so she can see out on either side of that but not in the middle), a comfy bed, a large kitty litter, and other kitty supplies. She mellows with catnip and likes Pounce cat treats. Need helpful hints quick! How do we make this comfortable for all of us? Should we get her seen by a vet before the trip? Do we drug her? Do we get her harness trained before the drive? How often should we stop? How do we get her to pee? And drink and eat? I am also worried about the heat. She is familiar with her kitty cage but it may get too hot for her, but she knows it and too much new stuff may freak her. All good hints are appreciated. Please do not suggest not taking her or dumping her. This is not an option since she is the only living thing from both my parents and I promised them before they died.

Public Comments

1. I suggest taking the cat to the vet or calling the vet to get his/her opinion. Good luck!
2. she's not a dog. you dont tel a cat to pee
3. I show cats - here's some tips. 1. Do NOT sedate the cat when traveling (even if a vet says ok). Cats usually have negative reactions to meds. 2. Keep her in the carrier at all time when the car is in motion. When you stop for lunch/supper and are more then 1/2 hour, then set out food, water dishes and litter pan in the car and let her out of the carrier while you are eating. Bring several bottles or gallons of water from home so there is no change in the taste of the water. 3. Keep paper towels, plastic bags, washcloth and extra towel or two for emergency clean up. I would put a cold ice pack under a towel or pee pad in the carrier to help keep her cool. Park in shade and open the windows no more then an inch when you are stopping.
4. If she's easily stressed you can ask your vet for a sedative so she'll be calmer. Have food and water in the carrier. She'll probably so to the bathroom in the carrier, so be prepared to clean it out. Have a harness and leash so when you stop she can walk around without running away. She wouldn't need a lot of stops (since she'll go to the bathroom in the carrier) When you do stop try to get her to eat and drink (she'll probably not want to do this in the car) If you don't have air conditioning in the car, heat will be a problem- have frozen or very cold water bottles to put under a blanket in the carrier.
5. Take the cat on short excursions so she can get used to car travel. She may protest at first but she will settle down the more familiar she becomes used to it. Keep her in the cage with comfy bedding and place her litterbox on the floor of the vehicle (if no room in her cage), I suggest using Arm and Hammer Cat Litter so the vehicle doesnt smell nasty! http://www.armandhammer.com/pet-care/cat-care/Products/arm-and-hammer-multi-cat-strength-clumping-litter-fresh-scent.aspx Pull over every once in awhile and let her out of her cage and keep the vehicle doors closed at all times or she will escape! If there is room in the cage, place some food and a low amount of water in a deep bowl to avoid spillage. You can always keep a bag of cat-food and water bottle in your vehicle so you can top off the water and food. Ensure the cat is secure in her cage when you need to open the vehicle door. Never leave the cat unattended in a hot car as it will lead to hyperthermia/heat-stroke eventually resulting in death and never drug a cat! If you plan on using a harness/lead do not trust it! Our cat knows how to Houdini his way out of a very snug 8 point and 6 point harness in a blink of an eye!!!! Here are some more helpful tips... http://cats.about.com/od/travelwithcats/tp/travelwithcat.htm http://www.1clickpethotels.com/
6. Cats who have car travel experience handle it better than cats who have none or very little travel experience.. I have moved quite a bit around the country myself and have always taken my cats. What has typically happened is that they howl a lot at first but eventually tire out and nap. Then they have been very quiet most of the rest of the trip. The fact that you have the kitty cage blacked out in the middle could be good or bad, depending on how kitty cat feels about it. It could help to calm her and make her feel safe, or it could have the opposite effect of making her feel trapped. If it causes her to become overheated, however, it is not good. Drive with your a.c. on if the interior of the car is hot. What you said in the middle paragraph sounds like you are well prepared, i.e. catnip, pounce, litter box, etc. As long as she has access to her litter box inside her cage, she will likely use it when she needs to "go". You must have be a large travel cage if you can fit all that inside it! Again, I don't believe you need to "get her to pee". She will do that on her own quite nicely as long as she knows where her litter box is. Cats are clean animals and if they see a litter box (if they are litter trained) they will use it. Use the same brand of litter that she is already used to. If possible, for the first round of litter, you may want to place some of her waste from her regular litter box inside the travel box so she picks up on her own scent. You can get rid of it when you clean the box out, which you may want to do more than once a day since you are all in an enclosed space together! About drugging her, I wouldn't, but given her age and the fact that the trip may be too stressful on her (especially if she is nervous, as most feral cats are), I would at the very least give the vet, preferably the one who normally cares for her, a call and tell her your situation. Present your concerns to her, no matter how trivial. It may be difficult to reassure kitty if she is not used to you caring for her or if she just doesn't care for human contact. Either way, talk to her in a soothing voice, don't yell at her or take a threatening posture. Even if you know she doesn't understand your words, she does understand when she feels threatened, and this will only make matters worse. Good luck.
7. I drove from Hinesville, GA to Denver, CO with my cat almost 1700 miles 27 hours total, all we did was make him a bed of towels went to the vet they gave us kitty tranculizers which after a half hour knocked him out and we were golden... just gotta give it to him/her every couple hours or whenever he/she starts getting active... the medicine was only 12$.....hope this helped and good luck
8. I just wanted to comment against one of the other answers... Please do not leave the cat in the car, even with the windows cracked, and go inside and sit down to eat. We are having a huge heat wave right now and the car wouldn't take long to get uncomfortably hot, even if parked in the shade. Please Don't make long stops like this that may put the cat in danger.