My 8 hour car trip with my cats.....

My daughter and I went down to San Diego from the SF Bay Area for the holidays and as we were going to be gone for ten days and our normal cat sitter was unavailable, we decided to take our two cats with us... in the car.. for an eight hour trip.... OMG!

We had boxes for them with comfy towels, Pet Rescue, water, their favorite pillow, etc...

Wilhemina did great.. prowled around the car for a bit and then curled up on my coat and slept. Covington on the other hand... wow.. poor thing scared himself to pieces. He howled for two hours till he was horse and then huddled on my or Sarah's lap for the rest of the trip, yowling at every bump and hyperventilating til I thought he was going to give himself a heart attack. I gave them Pet Rescue before we left, but it obviously did nothing.

They loved my sister's house with her stairs, hardwood floors and nice slidy throw rugs. I thought (like an idiot) that the trip back would be easier as they had already experienced the trip once. Again Willie did great, curled up and slept the whole trip. Covey freaked out again. 2 1/2 hours of howling followed by huddling and looking totally miserable.

They, and we, were so happy to get out of the car! I'm not sure if I have damaged him re: car trips, but the next time I have to take him anywhere on a long car trip, it is sedative time.

I was absolutely amazed that even as scared as he was, he never once scratched us. He seemed to back to normal within an hour of being home so I think he has forgiven us. Willie just took it all in stride.

Alli

My sister used to travel with her cat every now and again. Not for that long, usually just
from Maine to NY. She almost ALWAYS had cat poo to clean. That was the cats big "Thanks"
for taking her for the ride LOL!

That cat was mean though. Glad your cats aren't!

I just cannot imagine traveling with cats in the car! That's harder than little kids! Our Golden Retriever is so well behaved in the car (minivan) and 'holds it' from So.Calif. to Northern Calif. and despite all the stops we make. She won't drink either. It's like she knows what she's doing. Funny.

I'm roflmao picturing an eight hour car ride with cats!!!!!

It was an experience! Every time Covey looked out the window, he howled. Do ya think he'd stop? Noooooo.... he just HAD to keep looking. It was so sad.
Alli

I've done a three day trip with our family cat in 1974 when we moved. Never forget it.

Willihmena. That was supposed to be my lineage name according to family tradition. Thanks mom for saying NO to tradition!

Almostwillie

For some reason I've read you traveled with 8 cats :/

I chuckled when I read your report, even if I felt so sorry for Covley. poor kitty, how traumatized he must have been during the trip!
maybe for the next time, put him in a blanket covered crate, and give him something stronger for sleep, from a vet?

I had a cat Igor who was quite well behaved in a car, then Einstein who wouldn't just lie down or sit for a second - no, he would crawl all over the car for as long as it moved! driving everybody crazy, not to mention how dangerous it was for the driver.
Because of that I could never drive him alone, there always had to be someone to hold him (rather forcefully) unless he was zipped in a bag (with holes for breathing) or transported in a crate.

But Igor, we could take him camping overnite, he would always keep close, never get lost or run away.
During daytime he usually stayed in the tent or car, or close by, then at dusk started prowling until dawn.
I saw him once eating a mouse like vermin by a moonlight. only the tail was left over

Risa

This very much reminds me of the difference between our two dogs and traveling.

Dolly (my cocker spaniel) LOVES to go for a ride in the vehicle, whether its in town errands, a Sunday drive, or a long-distance trip. She sits on the middle console erect and attentive to all the surroundings and acts as a very competent co-pilot. If she smells something strange coming from the air vents or sees a suspicious vehicle when we pass it, she'll growl and bark as if she is defending her turf.

Mindy (our old mutt), on the other hand, is just the opposite. She hates to go in any vehicle. My experiences of taking the dogs 2 miles to our local vet is that Mindy whined, panted, cried, tried to climb on top of Dolly and me, and generally suffered a panic attack. Hair starts flying like she's molting. It's not a pleasant experience.

I suppose cats and dogs are much like people--there are those that like to travel and those who are home bodies.

Becky

You are a very, brave woman, Alli. Cats in a car. Isn't that like snakes on a plane? I still have a scar on my lip from a little cross town trip with my former roommate's Siamese and that was many years ago.

Me, "Are you sure that you shouldn't put the cat in a carrier and perhaps sedate her?"

Roommate, "Oh no, she'll be fine." I'll just put her in the back seat. You drive."

Hah! The explosion happened faster than I could react but didn't happen right at first or I would not have gone along with this plan. I think the cat purposely waited until we got on the freeway to have her fit. The cat was on my head, digging into my face with all claws. It's amazing that we didn't have a wreck. I vowed to never do that again. Transporting felines calls for a carefully constructed contingency plan, at least in my book.

Chris

Wow, I can only imagine how stessful that must have been. Thank goodness you didn't get a migraine from that experience. Im sure its something you and your daughter will always remember. You will probrably be able to laugh about it someday, if not already, Lol.

When we moved to Florida, we drove my cat from Rochester, NY. I had her on a sedative but she was howling anyway. The vet told me there is nothing he could give me to knock her out. It would be too potent and dangerous for the cat without having a vet around in case something happened.

My suggestion is for you to find a back up sitter for you cat(s) or board them. Our cat sitter is wonderful and her voice is exactly the same as Mianna's! LOL

Snakes on a plane! LOL I kind of felt like that. We had boxes for the cats and had Covey in one to begin with but he was shaking so hard that holding him calmed him down better. As I said before.. no scratching happened, which just amazed me! Even though our cats have never scratched us other than when playing, I was sure the claws would come out. But, he kept them in and just howled to let us know how very upset he was.

My one fear was a cat explosion, but Willie is too calm , and Covey is too nice, if a big baby. Next time, it is definitely a cat sitter or boarding.
Alli

There you go again Leslie......calling me your Cat Lady!!!! I am not a cat appreciater! I am teasing you!

Leslie has told me for a couple years I think that I sound JUST LIKE her cat sitter. For some reason it just doesnt' sound like a positive conotation!

One day I SO need to call this lady and see if she is my long lost 'vocal twin'.

Loving Leslie!