Moving to Colorado Springs and need advice driving the kitties

[Sunny]

Hello everyone,

I am hoping for advice from those with first hand experience on driving long distances. I'm moving from Southern California to Colorado Springs (no hybrid laws blocking me) permanently early April.

I plan to make the trip in one day. I had planned to make this trip in a few years but layoffs at work forced my move timeline up.

I had a thought of putting my alpha male tabby and my SV girl in one carrier to keep each other company. These are large Petmate Kennel Cabs with inside dimensions of 23x12x13.

These two are always napping, grooming, eating in close proximity and love playing together. Would it be less or more stressful if they were in the same carrier?

My alpha male hates the car and gets stressed and vocal, so my thought was being with his best friend would calm his nerves (and mine!).

I don't want to entertain them being free in the car, but seat belted in and tucked in their carriers.

Thanks in advance!
Sunny

 

[Patti]

I would do a few trial runs of putting both cats in the same carrier and taking a few drives with them for an hour or so to see how they tolerate it. If your boy gets really stressed out you can always talk to your vet about giving him a mild sedative for the trip as well. I did this when I drove the 14 hours to move to Phoenix years ago and it was a very peaceful and quiet trip - the kitties slept the entire way there except for a potty break about half-way through the trip.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Agreed with Patti, a trial run would make sense.

I do often do longer drives (6-9 hours generally) with cats and have them together but in a Sturdicage that is 36" in ... http://sturdiproducts.com/collectio...ar-go-double-pop-up-shelter?variant=301259291 That gives them a little more space to move around so that they are not on top of each other when you have a litterbox in there as well as a pet bed.

 

[admin]

Sunny, I think that carrier is too small for two cats...not sure how far it is from Cali to Colorado, but I drove from NJ to Michigan and used a sturdi show shelter, but also had a large carrier on hand - this way I could put a litterbox in and they used it.

 

[DocMac01]

I use a large dog carrier and gave a litter in and hammock inside. It's fits in the back of my car with the rear seats folded down. What kind of car?


....where the wild things are.

 

[Sunny]

Separate carriers and sedatives sound like the best way to go. I don't want to purchase another carrier that would cause fitment issues so two can cuddle together. It's a sedan and rear seats don't fold down. There's enough room to line up all three carriers side by side facing the front.

 

[Sunny]

Thanks all for the advice.

Speaking with my vet regarding a sedative, I was instead recommended Feliway spray on the inside of the carrier and on a towel with my scent to keep each comfortable. The reason being is that the odd behavior and disorientation on a sedative when they are awake could actually make matters worse and potentially cause stomach issues and more mewing. Also, if there's an adverse reaction or issue, I'm far away from available vet care.

They also recommended that a snack during the journey would be better than fasting as long as it's not a full blown meal they will be less required to evacuate. A majority of this activity happens in the late hours of the evening, between midnight and 5am so I can monitor with a home security system who's not actually done their business and target them with a litterbox. In fact, my entire departure time relies on their schedule being regular in this regard so it's a non-issue during the trip!

 

[Patti]

Sounds like you have a good plan in place. I understand where your vet is coming from - I would never give a sedative for the first time to a cat when setting out on a journey, I have always given them a test dose ahead of time so that I know how they will react while in a controlled environment (as opposed to while on the road in the middle of nowhere).