Anyone here ever move long distance with a cat?

[Morticia]

My FI and I are moving on Tuesday, May 30th from NYC to Houston, TX. I have a plane ticket for my cat and I BUT I''m not liking the idea of him driving there by himself. I''m debating if I should ride with him. I was just wondering if any of you have ever done something like this and what your experience was. Cats are pretty easy going until it comes to something like this. I know she''ll be a little brat on the plane too.....

Any of you ever drive 25 + hours with a cat?

Thanks!

 

[Starset]

Your cat has a drivers license?

j/k - you may look into temporary relaxers

 

[FireGoddess]

Ummmmm, yes I have. I went from Houston, TX to the Bay Area, so it''s an equidistant kinda thing.

My mom and I rented a 15 foot truck and had my car towed on the back of it. We were in the cab of the truck with the cat in a small carrier between us. I had bought a big carrier and thought of putting it in the car so she''d have more room, but I didn''t like the thought of the cat in the car being towed off the back. So she ended up in the small carrier, up with us in the truck.

She scream-meowed for the first 500 miles, I kid you not. On and off after that. We probably should have gotten her some kitty valium in retrospect, would not have been a bad idea. Whoever wasn''t driving would put a hand in there with her to comfort her. We would stay at hotels (it took us 2.5 days to drive) and bring her in with us in the big carrier so she could stretch out, do her business in a small litterbox, eat comfortably, etc. She rubbed her nose raw over the course of the trip though, rubbing it against the door of her small carrier. She is somewhat neurotic though.

None of this sounds pleasant, but would I do it again? Yes. It wasn''t as traumatic as it sounds and she accepted things for the most part after the first half day. However, I would definitely do it with some kitty tranqs next time.

 

[cinnabar]

I emigrated from England to west coast USA and my cat came with me on the plane.

I used a firm that specialise in shipping animals; they do dogs, cats, horses, everything. You pay just a bit more than a human flight ticket, and they provide a crate and book the animal onto the flight. They can''t guarantee the exact flight, because the airlines only take a certain number of animals per plane and won''t take certain combinations or above a certain number. It was OK for us, we got the cat on the same flight we took, so we were able to drop him at the cargo terminal before we checked in ourselves, and then collected him at the other end.

I asked my vet about sedation, and he said it was something you really shouldn''t do because the animal is more likely to vomit and choke.

My cat is very clingy and highly-strung and I was extremely worried about how he''d react to crossing the Atlantic (and most of a continent as well) in a wooden box, but he was fine. He was singing and dancing for the cargo terminal employees when we picked him up, performing to the crowd for attention.

We drove 200 miles from my home to Heathrow Airport with the cat in a small carrier, and he howled the whole way. I don''t know if he howled all through the flight, because he was in cargo and not with me in the passenger cabin. As he didn''t seem overly stressed when we collected him, and I was very stressed during the drive with him, I''d definitely choose flying over driving long distance with a pet - unless the pet was a dog that actually likes cars.

 

[cinnabar]

Just to make it clear on the subject of tranquilisers, the advice I got was for flying, not driving. Animals don''t have human supervision on planes, so if they start choking, no one can attend to them. If you sedate a cat you can see the whole time in a car, that''s completely different.

 

[FireGoddess]

I wanted to mention that a coworker of mine drove from the Bay Area to Dallas, TX for her new job and took her 2 cats with her in the car. She prepped them by having them take short car rides with her for a few weeks first and she said she had absolutely no problem with them in the car. So that might be something to try. But I think it is totally dependent on the cat's personality....mine is just neurotic so I don't know that this method would have helped.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

not 25+ but We had to transport our cat from WI to NC. She freaks out in the car and it really stresses her out so the vet gave us sleeping pills for her. He said it was more healthy than her stressing and crying for 14 hours. Good luck....and he will probably pee himself but the good thing is it is SOOO easy to give a cat a bath when he is drugged

 

[jorman]

I haven''t done it with a cat, but we moved from Lubbock, Texas to the Bay Area with a 70 pound pooch in the car. He did great. When we would stop for gas, we would make sure to get him water, a potty break and praise him with lots of ear rubs and back scratches. He did so so so well! I was very proud of my "son".

I don''t know what you would do with cats unless they are leash trained- you can''t really take the cat for a walk...I would suggest making a snuggly spot in the car for the cat to feel comfy and love on he/she at gas stops for reassurance.

Good luck!

If you decide to drive, take loads of entertainment- books on cd, favorite musicals and cds because it gets SO BORING. My fiance and I drove in seperate cars, but we had walky talkies so we could talk the whole time. That was such a lifesaver! We drove all 1400 miles in 1.5 days!!!

Your booty will be killing you!

I am from Houston though- I hope you love it!

 

[firebirdgold]

I''ve traveled alot with both my current cat and my past cat. I only have him in a carrier when we go to the boarding kennel. I let him sit in my lap when we drive. Although it did take a couple times for him to stop sitting on my head or trying to drive.

I moved from LA to Seattle with my current cat and I''ve driven many times a 14 hr drive with him and a dog. I always have a kitty litter behind the passenger seat but he''s never used it. He crys for about an hour but turning up the air condintioning and playing classical music helps. I think he may get a little car sick so more fresh air helps. The only escape problems we''ve had was at Mcdonalds. He always trys to climb through the crive-thru window.
My old cat did the 14 hr drive with my parents and their dog about 8 or 10 times a year with no trouble as well. And my sister has driven with her cat to visit our Nana without too many problems. I''ve also flown with him once which wasn''t too bad.

I''ve never had to drug my cat, but my sister and I tried to drug her cat for a flight once. Anyone who tells you cats can''t spit is lying.

If you want to keep your kitty calmer during the trip I''d suggest Rescue Remedy from an herbal store. It works wonders on nervous dogs, and I bet it''ll work for cats. Although you might want to check if it''s ok for them.

 

[moremoremore]

Oh boy! What "fun" LOL...Can't believe you guys are moving from the big apple! Good for you. I'm sure you'll love it!
This is a tough call....He actually has a ticket to sit next to you or go in cargo? If next to you I'd still slip him something to calm him down. If he's OK in the car, I'd stick a leash on him and let him roam in the car but be super careful when opening the door....make sure he's in the carrier...

I guess it really depends on the cat. My dear Scotty gets EXTREMELY ill in the carrier.He has thrown up and peed before. Not to mention that last time he was in the carrier, (granted, he has very significant health and heart problems)....he actually went into heart failulre and used up 8 lives. If your baby is healthy, I'd sedate him and fly ... Again, tough call

Best of luck with the move!!!!

 

[firebirdgold]

You know cats count as carry-on. You can fly and just put him under the seat if front of you.

 

[Morticia]

Hey, thanks for your stories and tips.

I should have mentioned that the flight I''m booked on, has Meadow riding onboard with me, under my seat.

I''m worried about FI driving that distance by himself so I am just going back and forth on what to do. I would prefer to ride with him but I also don''t really want to stress out Meadow. Ben (my FI) is encouraging me to fly but still. I''m worried about him.

 

[San Diego Bride]

i''ve moved my cat from new england to florida back to new england then california. now i''m planning a move to the midwest. she doesn''t do well in a car so i''ve always flown with her. when we flew coast to coast i bought medication for the cat at the vet''s office. i''m sure you already know that the cat will need a health form from the vet within ~7 days of the flight and that, even though the cat is "carry-on luggage" you still have to pay an additional fee ($75 i think). i didn''t end up using the medication. my cat did very well since she could see me the entire time. i took a bag with some cat litter in it and let her use it during out layover. she''s pretty scared of strangers and crowds (she''s an indoor cat) so that works in my favor when traveling since she doesn''t try to run away.

in case you haven''t done this before i should warn you about airport security. you have to take the cat out of the carrier, put the carrier on the belt to go through the xray and then walk with the cat through security. this makes for some extremely comical moments... the cat crying and trying to stay in the carrier, me pulling on her, long white hair flying everywhere (i''m sure you know they shed a lot when they''re acutely stressed), a long line of passengers. it''s the most frustrating part for me.

in the end whether flying or driving is best would depend on your cat''s personality. i am in the same boat with FI driving a long distance alone, but it will just work out better. i''ll probably call him every hour or so while he''s on the road to check in and help the time pass by. he''ll also catch up on phone calls with old friends. that may not be the smartest thing in the world, but he has a hands-free thing for the phone. if you fly and get there first you can start getting the house/apartment ready for him and maybe have a nice meal planned for when he gets there.

good luck either way.