Driving Miss Kitty - advice for travelling with cats in cars

poconnor16

Hello posters!

This is my first xmas as the owner of kittens. I thought November was plenty of notice to book the little ones into a good cattery but little did I know.....all booked solid! Lesson learned for next year.

So here's the dilema. We plan on going to Waterford for 4 days to visit relatives so I would need to bring the cats (5 month and 4 month old) with me. Relatives house is no issue at all - its the car and the journey. Its about 2.5 hours to get there (from Cork and including a stop). They HATE the. Now they dont get motion sickness but do get very very stressed. My experience is vet visits which would 30 mins each way.

Is there anything I can do to ease their stress? Or is 2.5 hours far too much for them?

If this is going to upset them, I'm staying home for xmas with them and will let my other half do the visiting. I guess I'm hoping for an 'all together' xmas instead.

Any ideas? I've read up on Google about sedation but that sounds a little bit extreme?

Myyra

You can get travel eaze tablets from vets or pet stores, some say they work like charm, havent tried them myself
You might try to get your kitties used to being in the car little by little with treats?;) works with dogs, then slowly increase the time the cats are in the car? I know nothing about training cats tho, always assumed they train you more than the other way round:D

Sundew

Our 1 year old kitty has been brought several times on weekend trips from Dublin to the West of Ireland (2.5 hr trip). I have a leash for him and sit in the back of the car with him. He does not like his cat carrier so I allow him to sit on my lap and also on the back window ( he loves looking out the window). At all times I keep hold of the leash so he is restrained to a certain degree. Never had any major problems but it may be more difficult travelling with 2!

The Sweeper

Sundew, that works with your cat because you know him and he knows you, but I would never recommend a cat be unrestrained or only leash restrained in a car. They're smaller and more agile than a dog, and if they take fright and take off they could end up under the pedals in the driver's footwell - or on the driver's head!

The best way to transport the two cats is in a large cat carrier. Place the carrier in the back seat - it doesn't matter which way it faces because they'll turn around inside until they're comfortable. It can help to block the view of the window sometimes, but you can just use a blanked for that. If your two cats get along they'll be fine in the same carrier.

It's not unusual for the cats to end up urinating or defecating in the crate if they're afraid on the trip. It's pretty pointless trying to fit a kitty litter into the crate until the cat is used to travelling (because otherwise they've as much chance of soiling their bedding and then lying in the litter tray for the journey as they have of using the tray properly).

I've found that putting a single towel in the crate is good, but that single towel can slide around when you're cornering and so on and make the cat quite uncomfortable. because it's even more unsteady. Something absorbent like vet bed can be better, but it'll still slide - buy some stick-back velcro and put two strips on the bottom of the crate and two strips on the underside of the vet bed and velcro it in place. It stays on the bottom of the crate and provides more stability to the cat.

If you can't get vet bed, try piling in a few towels. That's worked well for me - if the cat is upset and urinates, there's enough material for them to scratch the fabric over their mess so they don't particularly have to lie in it.

Finally as you set off on the trip, don't just put them in the crate, put the crate in the car and set off. Try crating them, putting them in the car, and waiting a couple of minutes for them to get used to the car - then turn on the engine. I can sit in the car sometimes up to 10 minutes before starting to drive - just to let the extreme panic ease off.

It's not unusual for a cat to yowl for the duration of the trip either, and it can be a really mournful yowling. The best way to avoid that is to make the crate as comfortable as possible, and I find lots of bedding and towels helps best with that.

Any road trip you're going to be taking in Ireland, your cat does not need food or water on the trip and providing it can be quite pointless - it just spills, or gets stepped or rolled in, and no animal will eat when stressed.

Also ensure the crate is closed properly, and you can run the seatbelt around the crate and through the handle on top to keep it in place if, God forbid, you have to emergency brake or have an accident.

poconnor16

Thanks guys, great advice.

Good news is that I got a really good cattery in Bandon! But I still have to make the smaller trip down there so your advice is very much welcomed.

I will defo try sitting in the car a little while before we set off. I have a large cat carrier for them. They never seem to pee or poop, just cry lots. I might pop into the vet later and see what they think as well.

blondie7

poconnor16 wrote: »

Thanks guys, great advice.

Good news is that I got a really good cattery in Bandon! But I still have to make the smaller trip down there so your advice is very much welcomed.

I will defo try sitting in the car a little while before we set off. I have a large cat carrier for them. They never seem to pee or poop, just cry lots. I might pop into the vet later and see what they think as well.

If you could get a large dog crate and sit it on the back seat and put the two in that they should be fine. Cos they have plenty of room. Also if you do make the 2.5 hour drive then buy a harness and walk them once or twice on the journey so they can do there business and its less stressful on them.

Oh and sweeper two of my cats are never restrained in the car they just curl up on the back window and sleep giving a sharp meow if i go to fast though:D Each cat is different i suppose

The Sweeper

blondie7 wrote: »

Oh and sweeper two of my cats are never restrained in the car they just curl up on the back window and sleep giving a sharp meow if i go to fast though:D Each cat is different i suppose

It doesn't matter how calm your pet is, if it's unrestrained in the car it still turns into a projectile in the case of a crash or an emergency braking situation.

October this year, I believe Mayo County Council have launched a pilot scheme introducing fines for motorists with unrestrained pets in the car.

The AAA (American Automobile Association) have calculated that a 10lb dog exerts 500lbs of pressure in a 50mph crash - so that's the size of a toy dog, or a cat. So if you crash at 50mph with your cats on the back parcel shelf, if you're lucky they'll pass your head and go through your windscreen with over 226kgs of force, each.

If you're not lucky, they'll hit you with that force.

An 80lb dog, a labrador for instance, in a 30mph crash, turns into a 2,400lb projectile - literally a ton weight.

Chances are you'll survive a 30mph crash relatively unscathed - imagine having to deal with your dog after it's gone through the windscreen because you left it unrestrained in the back seat. It would be unspeakably traumatic - not only for the dog, but for you, for other people on the scene, and for the emergency services. Same goes for all unrestrained pets.

Carrying your pet on your lap with the lead in your hand simply means you'll crush them in the case of an accident as your seatbelted body flies forwards and sandwiches them between your lap and your torso.

It's so unnecessary too - especially when you can use either harnesses or crates, specifically designed to keep your pets safe in the car. You can even buy harnesses with the attachments that specifically clip into the seatbelt clips.

Belt yourself, your kids and your pets up when you're in the car!

Toulouse

Also please make sure your cats have collars with their tags on and are chipped as well just in case if you're going to a new place with them.

Freaked out kitties can move pretty fast.

morgana

And if using cheap crates (like the Argos ones), think about some extra securing the doors. They look fairly secure but are not. One of mine is a little feline Houdini, she can open the crate doors in no time at all (if only to show she can ). I use bungee cords to make sure the door stays shut
They may not like it but usually they settle down after a while, although they will make you think you are the worst ever person :D

Whispered

OP my dog hates tht car too, the vet suggested I try calm aid. It's a natural anti anxiety that you put into their food. It doesn't change him at all but takes the edge off. He's still nervous, but doesn't shake and whimper.

I'd suggest getting it in advance and giving them half amounts for a few days before your trip, then a full amount morning of your trip (about an hour before you leave).

blondie7

The Sweeper wrote: »

It doesn't matter how calm your pet is, if it's unrestrained in the car it still turns into a projectile in the case of a crash or an emergency braking situation.

October this year, I believe Mayo County Council have launched a pilot scheme introducing fines for motorists with unrestrained pets in the car.

The AAA (American Automobile Association) have calculated that a 10lb dog exerts 500lbs of pressure in a 50mph crash - so that's the size of a toy dog, or a cat. So if you crash at 50mph with your cats on the back parcel shelf, if you're lucky they'll pass your head and go through your windscreen with over 226kgs of force, each.

If you're not lucky, they'll hit you with that force.

An 80lb dog, a labrador for instance, in a 30mph crash, turns into a 2,400lb projectile - literally a ton weight.

Chances are you'll survive a 30mph crash relatively unscathed - imagine having to deal with your dog after it's gone through the windscreen because you left it unrestrained in the back seat. It would be unspeakably traumatic - not only for the dog, but for you, for other people on the scene, and for the emergency services. Same goes for all unrestrained pets.

Carrying your pet on your lap with the lead in your hand simply means you'll crush them in the case of an accident as your seatbelted body flies forwards and sandwiches them between your lap and your torso.

It's so unnecessary too - especially when you can use either harnesses or crates, specifically designed to keep your pets safe in the car. You can even buy harnesses with the attachments that specifically clip into the seatbelt clips.

Belt yourself, your kids and your pets up when you're in the car!

Mayo County Council or any other County Council have no authority to fine any motorists over a animal not being restrained. Only a member of the Gardai have the power to pull you over. Secondly there is no law in this country about having your pets restrained in the car. Feel free to prove me wrong with evidence though!

It maybe safer to restrain them, but it is also safer to stick to the speed limit, dont use your mobile phones when driving, dont smoke or drink anything while driving. However people dont always so these things. If i want to leave my cat in the back window while driving i will! if it means the cat isnt stressed out in some stupid pet carrier where he has no movement and im distracted listening to him crying. Get off the moral high groung for once!

The Sweeper

blondie7 wrote: »

Mayo County Council or any other County Council have no authority to fine any motorists over a animal not being restrained. Only a member of the Gardai have the power to pull you over. Secondly there is no law in this country about having your pets restrained in the car. Feel free to prove me wrong with evidence though!

I never said there was a law.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fines-on-the-way-for-drivers-who-dont-belt-up-their-pets-2363475.html

blondie7 wrote: »

It maybe safer to restrain them, but it is also safer to stick to the speed limit, dont use your mobile phones when driving, dont smoke or drink anything while driving. However people dont always so these things. If i want to leave my cat in the back window while driving i will! if it means the cat isnt stressed out in some stupid pet carrier where he has no movement and im distracted listening to him crying. Get off the moral high groung for once!

So even though it's safer to restrain the pets, you're going to do whatever you like - and you reckon I'm the one who needs off my high horse yeah?

cython

The Sweeper wrote: »

I never said there was a law.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fines-on-the-way-for-drivers-who-dont-belt-up-their-pets-2363475.html

That article doesn't say anything about Mayo CC piloting fines, just that it has been done in California, and that it may come to pass (but equally likely won't) eventually in Ireland, and in the meantime pet restraints are just being made more affordable in Mayo.

That aside, I would still agree that unrestrained animals in a car are not a good idea.

The Sweeper

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10970:mayo-drivers-urged-to-belt-up-their-pets&catid=23:news&Itemid=46

Ah, I had read the above and specifically this quote:

The new law introduced in the US state will make it an offence to have pets unrestrained while driving and drivers could be slapped with a $35 fine. Now Mayo is expected to follow by launching a pilot scheme aimed at getting motorists to belt up their animals.

and assumed the pilot scheme was for fines, not specials on restraints - which is outlined in the following paragraph.

poconnor16

Whispered wrote: »

OP my dog hates tht car too, the vet suggested I try calm aid. It's a natural anti anxiety that you put into their food. It doesn't change him at all but takes the edge off. He's still nervous, but doesn't shake and whimper.

I'd suggest getting it in advance and giving them half amounts for a few days before your trip, then a full amount morning of your trip (about an hour before you leave).

I just asked a local vet (not my own, one near work) about some sort of sedative for the kittens and she said there is nothing I can give them. And that so long as they are just crying ( not frothing at mount or getting sick etc) that they will be fine.
She did show empathy to the fact that they hate it butt hat was it. Maybe I should get a second opinion.

lorebringer

Whispered wrote: »

OP my dog hates tht car too, the vet suggested I try calm aid. It's a natural anti anxiety that you put into their food. It doesn't change him at all but takes the edge off. He's still nervous, but doesn't shake and whimper.

I'd suggest getting it in advance and giving them half amounts for a few days before your trip, then a full amount morning of your trip (about an hour before you leave).

We use this and it flowed right through the dog. Same situation with "Anxiety" drops. About an hour and a half to two hours after he was given them his stomach was making mad noises and later on he was in and out to the garden with very severe diarrhoea. We tried them at home before anything happened to make sure he was ok so it wasn't stress related.

Just saying, definitely worth trying them at home before you put them in the car for a long journey :eek: