When we moved from Utah to Arkansas, I was worried about how my cats would do on the 21+ hour road trip. They had never ridden in a car for more than 30 minutes to go to the vet and that was unpleasant enough. We consulted our vet and made a game plan for the move.
The vet examined both cats to make sure that they were healthy enough to travel and they were. She also suggested we start taking them on kitty field trips to get used to being transported around. At the time, I was 8 months pregnant so this did not happen. She also prescribed a mild sedative for both cats. The dosage was tricky because each cat reacts differently to it and so we ended up not using the meds. Another downfall was that the meds came in pill form so we would've had to figure out a way to make the cats swallow a pill. Not my idea of a good time. The vet also suggested buying some kitty calming spray like they used in the office but it was $30 so we didn't purchase it.
We did buy some organic treats that claimed to have calming capabilities and some kitty calming drops to put on the cats tongue before traveling. Both of these seemed doable. I ended up dripping the calming drops onto their regular treats and squirting some in their mouths. They didn't mind it too much and both did great on the trip. I can't attribute their affinity for traveling solely to the drops but our trip did go well.
My tips for Road Tripping with Cats:
1. Make sure your animals are the last thing you pack up. We let our cats explore the place, boxes and roam around right up until we had to leave. It was early July and temps were 100+ so we wanted to keep them cool and calm for as long as possible.
2. Have a carrier for each cat so that you can easily put them in the car and carry them into the hotel. My cats do not wear collars or leashes so I wanted to be sure they were safe and not able to run away.
3. Unzip the carriers once you are on the road and let your cats decide if they want to get out and about.
4. Be prepared for some meowing, howling and other scary noises to come from your cats. Topher wanted to share his message loud and clear that he was not happy.
5. Day 2 in the car will most likely go much smoother because the cats know what to expect. Topher was curious and wanted to wander all around the car. Fine by us but we needed to get our car detailed because it was an orange mess by the time we arrived in Arkansas. It wasn't that difficult to get them back into their carriers at night either. Keep the doors closed and put them in one at a time.
6. We let the cats sleep wherever they wanted. Oliver preferred the sunny spots and Topher like the cool floorboards.
7. When you make a stop, only have one door open at a time. This will help you corral the cats and ensure that no one escapes. My cats aren't runners and they tended to hide when a door was opened. I was still very cautious because I knew they were scared and I didn't want to be the crazy woman running around a gas station trying to catch her cat!!
8. Find pet friendly hotels. Websites list this and companies will tell you over the phone if they allow pets. Most charge a small fee based on the type of pet but it was no problem finding places for us to stay.
9. Let your pets explore the room and try not to think of the crazy germy places they are going into. My cats walked all over the furniture, looked out the windows and seemed to enjoy their new environment. They initially meowed for 10 minutes or so when they were getting to know the place and then they settled down.
10. Bring their food and water bowls to put out each night. We did not feed/water them in the car but they did have access to food and water all night long.
11. Bring along a litter box and big trash bags. We put a litter box in the back of the car that was accessible to the boys while we were driving. They never used it but we did find Oliver sitting in it from time to time. We took it into the hotel rooms and always had a large trash bag under it. It helped contain the litter and made sure we didn't leave too big of a mess.
12. Pack the cats a small bag and include the following items: food, treats, wet wipes, paper towels, litter scooper, plastic bags, favorite cat toys and any calming remedies you want to bring. We used the paper towels to clean up a mess or two especially when Topher decided to get sick right as we were leaving our hotel room. My husband may or may not have threatened to leave him along the side of the highway in Wyoming. Thank heavens for cat moms :)
13. Use the treats and toys to lure the cats back into their carriers in the mornings. Mine would hide under the beds so the feather wand came in handy and Oliver will do anything for treats. Be prepared for some crazy hissing to take place during the loading up stage each morning.
14. We left our cats in the room and went to dinner several nights. It was far too hot in the car and they liked exploring. I will warn you to be VERY cautious when opening your hotel door upon returning because you might end up with a situation where one of your cats bolts down the hallway and you have to run like a crazy woman to catch said cat. I'm sure if La Quinta had cameras in the their hallway someone was dying laughing at me trying to corner Topher. I ended up having to run around, sit on him and then wrestle him back to the room. Cat hair was flying and I learned my lesson that any cat can turn into a runner.
15. By the third night, we had quite the pair of pampered felines! They loved the cushy beds and pillows.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well our trip went! The cats seemed to enjoy the ride and we were all relieved to make it to our new home after several long days on the road.
