Taking Cat on roadtrip
Discussion
Hi all
We’re driving our cat abroad in April - just wondered if anyone had any experience of long trips with cats/thoughts/hints? Other than it being slightly mad…
It will be 4 hours of uk driving, 2 hours on ferry, 6 hours driving, overnight stop, 10 hours of driving, 2 hours on ferry, then a final 10 min drive. We’ll be at the destination for a month, then a similar route back.
The plan is to get her in a decent sized dog crate in the boot, with room for a litter and food water.
Thanks in advance!
We’re driving our cat abroad in April - just wondered if anyone had any experience of long trips with cats/thoughts/hints? Other than it being slightly mad…
It will be 4 hours of uk driving, 2 hours on ferry, 6 hours driving, overnight stop, 10 hours of driving, 2 hours on ferry, then a final 10 min drive. We’ll be at the destination for a month, then a similar route back.
The plan is to get her in a decent sized dog crate in the boot, with room for a litter and food water.
Thanks in advance!
Our cat used to go with us when we went to stay at my grandmother's.
Most of the time it would be happy sitting on the rear shelf in my dad's Vauxhall Viva saloon, looking out of the back window. Every so often it would decide it was time to explore the car and jump down, climb under the driver's seat and go into the driver's footwell. When this occurred, Dad was always a bit worried he would hit brake and tail at the same time. On other occasions the cat would decide that the only lap it wanted to sit on was Dad's, whilst he was driving.
Unlike Sir Robert Mark talking in the adverts about the Goodyear Grand Prix 'S' tyre of the time, I'm not convinced our cat was a major contribution to road safety.
Most of the time it would be happy sitting on the rear shelf in my dad's Vauxhall Viva saloon, looking out of the back window. Every so often it would decide it was time to explore the car and jump down, climb under the driver's seat and go into the driver's footwell. When this occurred, Dad was always a bit worried he would hit brake and tail at the same time. On other occasions the cat would decide that the only lap it wanted to sit on was Dad's, whilst he was driving.
Unlike Sir Robert Mark talking in the adverts about the Goodyear Grand Prix 'S' tyre of the time, I'm not convinced our cat was a major contribution to road safety.
Edited by GliderRider on Sunday 18th February 15:02
So 24 hours travelling in a box in the boot (plus an overnight), twice. Would you fancy that? 
More constructively, the only thing that got mine OK with traveling in the car was having them in their own box on the back seat, with a light bedsheet over the top. But in all seriousness, it was best to leave them at home and have someone pop in to feed and keep an eye on them. YMMV.
More constructively, the only thing that got mine OK with traveling in the car was having them in their own box on the back seat, with a light bedsheet over the top. But in all seriousness, it was best to leave them at home and have someone pop in to feed and keep an eye on them. YMMV.
Has the cat any prior roadtrip experience in a car with you, other than trips to the Vee Ee Tee? I would suggest taking it for a gentle afternoon drive to see how they react. If they're chilled and settle down for a nap then I'd say go for it, otherwise both you and the cat are in for a miserable experience.
bigandclever said:
So 24 hours travelling in a box in the boot (plus an overnight), twice. Would you fancy that?
More constructively, the only thing that got mine OK with traveling in the car was having them in their own box on the back seat, with a light bedsheet over the top. But in all seriousness, it was best to leave them at home and have someone pop in to feed and keep an eye on them. YMMV.
Leaving at home for a month isn’t an option as can’t rely on friends to feed twice daily. And can’t get unknown house sitters for security reasons. More constructively, the only thing that got mine OK with traveling in the car was having them in their own box on the back seat, with a light bedsheet over the top. But in all seriousness, it was best to leave them at home and have someone pop in to feed and keep an eye on them. YMMV.
thegreenhell said:
Has the cat any prior roadtrip experience in a car with you, other than trips to the Vee Ee Tee? I would suggest taking it for a gentle afternoon drive to see how they react. If they're chilled and settle down for a nap then I'd say go for it, otherwise both you and the cat are in for a miserable experience.
Only going to the cattery, so no long trips. We’re planning on some more drives beforehand to get her more used to it. GliderRider said:
Our cat used to go with us when we went to stay at my grandmother's.
Most of the time it would be happy sitting on the rear shelf in my dad's Vauxhall Viva saloon, looking out of the back window. Every so often it would decide it was time to explore the car and jump down, climb under the driver's seat and go into the driver's footwell. When this occurred, Dad was always a bit worried he would hit brake and tail at the same time. On other occasions the cat would decide that the only lap it wanted to sit on was Dad's, whilst he was driving.
Unlike Sir Robert Mark talking in the adverts about the Goodyear Grand Prix 'S' tyre of the time, I'm not convinced our cat was a major contribution to road safety.
Last month I managed to get an injured stray cat into the car to take to the vet. Jumped from parcel shelf to dashboard and back, under the seats etc. was an interesting trip! Luckily only 5 minsMost of the time it would be happy sitting on the rear shelf in my dad's Vauxhall Viva saloon, looking out of the back window. Every so often it would decide it was time to explore the car and jump down, climb under the driver's seat and go into the driver's footwell. When this occurred, Dad was always a bit worried he would hit brake and tail at the same time. On other occasions the cat would decide that the only lap it wanted to sit on was Dad's, whilst he was driving.
Unlike Sir Robert Mark talking in the adverts about the Goodyear Grand Prix 'S' tyre of the time, I'm not convinced our cat was a major contribution to road safety.
Edited by GliderRider on Sunday 18th February 15:02
elise2000 said:
thegreenhell said:
Has the cat any prior roadtrip experience in a car with you, other than trips to the Vee Ee Tee? I would suggest taking it for a gentle afternoon drive to see how they react. If they're chilled and settle down for a nap then I'd say go for it, otherwise both you and the cat are in for a miserable experience.
Only going to the cattery, so no long trips. We’re planning on some more drives beforehand to get her more used to it. If you have good neighbours who can feed it and check on it each day then I would leave it at home. Second best option is a cattery. Stuffing it in a noisy vibrating box for 24 hours or whatever, twice, is a non-starter in my book, sorry.
And if you get it to the destination, how will you stop it escaping, never to be seen again? You'll need to keep it in, have a litter tray... it makes no sense whatsoever. The cat certainly won't be having a holiday; why are you even considering it?
Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 19th February 16:29
Castrol for a knave said:
Cats suffer from motion sickness, so like people with seasickness, it is best if they take the wheel.
You can get a mild sedative form the vet -I think they prescribe Gabapentin.
I think if you let the cat drive, you will need the mild sedative for any passengers.You can get a mild sedative form the vet -I think they prescribe Gabapentin.
boyse7en said:
Castrol for a knave said:
Cats suffer from motion sickness, so like people with seasickness, it is best if they take the wheel.
You can get a mild sedative form the vet -I think they prescribe Gabapentin.
I think if you let the cat drive, you will need the mild sedative for any passengers.You can get a mild sedative form the vet -I think they prescribe Gabapentin.
I think part of the idea of cats generally not liking going in cars comes from them associating it with going somewhere they don't like, ie to the vet or the cattery. If you were brought up only ever going cars to be taken to the dentist or for a two week 'holiday' in a prison then you wouldn't be keen on going in cars either.
If you can break that association then you might find they are genuinely ok with it - we've had family cats over the years who have been fine with car journeys, but others less so. This is why you need to do some journeys with them in advance, start short and then build up a bit of duration, so they can get used to it and see that not all car journeys end with you leaving them in the hands of strangers.
If you can break that association then you might find they are genuinely ok with it - we've had family cats over the years who have been fine with car journeys, but others less so. This is why you need to do some journeys with them in advance, start short and then build up a bit of duration, so they can get used to it and see that not all car journeys end with you leaving them in the hands of strangers.
Simpo Two said:
elise2000 said:
thegreenhell said:
Has the cat any prior roadtrip experience in a car with you, other than trips to the Vee Ee Tee? I would suggest taking it for a gentle afternoon drive to see how they react. If they're chilled and settle down for a nap then I'd say go for it, otherwise both you and the cat are in for a miserable experience.
Only going to the cattery, so no long trips. We’re planning on some more drives beforehand to get her more used to it. If you have good neighbours who can feed it and check on it each day then I would leave it at home. Second best option is a cattery. Stuffing it in a noisy vibrating box for 24 hours or whatever, twice, is a non-starter in my book, sorry.
And if you get it to the destination, how will you stop it escaping, never to be seen again? You'll need to keep it in, have a litter tray... it makes no sense whatsoever. The cat certainly won't be having a holiday; why are you even considering it?
Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 19th February 16:29
She has been in a Cattery for three weeks before and was not happy, so a few days of travel in exchange for a month of normality with us seems a good option.
She’s a house cat, so escaping when we’re there won’t be an issue. It’s our home we’re staying in, so she’ll have the run of the place.
Simpo Two said:
Cats generally hate going in cars. The idea of taking one on a 'road trip' seems more like a YouTube gimmick to me. They don't 'get used' to it and are often terrified. They're not dogs.
If you have good neighbours who can feed it and check on it each day then I would leave it at home. Second best option is a cattery. Stuffing it in a noisy vibrating box for 24 hours or whatever, twice, is a non-starter in my book, sorry.
And if you get it to the destination, how will you stop it escaping, never to be seen again? You'll need to keep it in, have a litter tray... it makes no sense whatsoever. The cat certainly won't be having a holiday; why are you even considering it?
What he said. If you have good neighbours who can feed it and check on it each day then I would leave it at home. Second best option is a cattery. Stuffing it in a noisy vibrating box for 24 hours or whatever, twice, is a non-starter in my book, sorry.
And if you get it to the destination, how will you stop it escaping, never to be seen again? You'll need to keep it in, have a litter tray... it makes no sense whatsoever. The cat certainly won't be having a holiday; why are you even considering it?
Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 19th February 16:29
You might get the odd cat who is different but in general they hate cars. I’m lucky if I can get mine to the vet without it soiling itself and frothing at the mouth from stress.
Once you arrive you’ll have to keep it inside for the duration to prevent it going awol. It won’t have a clue about its new surroundings, adding more stress.
Unless it’s something like a fairly well trained bengal I wouldn’t bother, get a sitter.
thegreenhell said:
I think part of the idea of cats generally not liking going in cars comes from them associating it with going somewhere they don't like, ie to the vet or the cattery. If you were brought up only ever going cars to be taken to the dentist or for a two week 'holiday' in a prison then you wouldn't be keen on going in cars either.
If you can break that association then you might find they are genuinely ok with it - we've had family cats over the years who have been fine with car journeys, but others less so. This is why you need to do some journeys with them in advance, start short and then build up a bit of duration, so they can get used to it and see that not all car journeys end with you leaving them in the hands of strangers.
Yep, we’ll do some trips out to try and make it a more positive experience If you can break that association then you might find they are genuinely ok with it - we've had family cats over the years who have been fine with car journeys, but others less so. This is why you need to do some journeys with them in advance, start short and then build up a bit of duration, so they can get used to it and see that not all car journeys end with you leaving them in the hands of strangers.
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