Travelling With Cats

[gad33 47]

A week away from our move and it looks like we have a route. Our final destination is So. California but we will be staying with friends along the way with a night in a hotel here and there. We will have 2 cats in the car with us and any tips for making the trip less stressful/more pleasant for them, and therefore us, would be great.

Also, is it correct that we don't need any paperwork to take them into the US?

[Canadian in GA 34]

Its best to have a updated vet check up on them,just in case. I brought mine over, and they never asked, but I remember reading on a border site, that they need to be up to date on all their shots, and in good health. ask their vet to print something for you.

[Sweetcheeksss 91]

From the CDC website...(http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/cats.html)

"Bringing a Cat into the United States

A general certificate of health is not required by CDC for entry of pet cats into the United States, although some airlines or states may require them. However, pet cats are subject to inspection at ports of entry and may be denied entry into the United States if they have evidence of an infectious disease that can be transmitted to humans. If a cat appears to be ill, further examination by a licensed veterinarian at the owner's expense might be required at the port of entry.

Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination for importation into the United States. However, some states require vaccination of cats for rabies, so it is a good idea to check with state and local health authorities at your final destination.

All pet cats arriving in the state of Hawaii and the territory of Guam, even from the U.S. mainland, are subject to locally imposed quarantine requirements."

[canada_socks 97]

I had a check up for my cat before I left Canada and made sure she had her rabies shot. Make sure you check the laws for the state you will be living in, some require different shots and some quarantines I believe.

We had her rabies tag on her collar and kept the checkup report and rabies certificate with us up front to show the border patrol. However, they never asked to see them. Actually, we didn't have to show any of our belongings, but as we were leaving immigration/secondary inspection, a guard saw us looking at something in our car and just came to see what was up. He just asked to see what we had in the carrier. No biggie.

We put her in a carrier (I think it was a medium sized one from walmart, so not too big but not too small either). I put a fleece blanket in the bottom for her comfort. I also had a blanket over top so I could cover the front to make it a bit easier on her (make it dark for her and cozy and stuff, and so she didn't have to see all the cars go by). We had to put her in butt first as she does not like carrier at all! She also meowed most of the way and refused to eat any food or drink water.

We stopped for the night at a pet friendly hotel to let her walk around a bit. She ate and drank there. It wasn't too bad for her.

However, she did kinda freak out a couple weeks later. She was not happy in her new surroundings (I think I made a post her about that actually!). If you have an issue like that, try to confine her in a small dark space (we put her in a storage closet/laundry room in our apartment). We gave her food, water and her litter box. Took her 3 days to calm down! Now she is fine. Just give your kitty lots of cuddles when you get to the US!

Edited June 5, 2012 by sherrybaby

[hikergirl 277]

My cat does better if she's allowed to lay down where she wants in the car. Except bothering the driver or being near the driver's feet. She will wear her fur off of her nose if we leave her locked in her carrier too long.

I have a blanket for her to lie on that she loves and is used to and she has free access to her litter box. The litter box is important for her because she has a nervous travel tummy. She also will not eat or drink in the car so on long trips we will feed her & water her at rest stops and walk her on some grass if we see some.

Also, she has had her post since she was a kitten. This is the last thing on the truck and the first thing off the truck in all our moves. As soon as she sees her post she seems to settle.

[gad33 47]

I had checked the CDC website but wanted real life experiences as what is on a website and what the border guards do may not be the same.

I had a check up for my cat before I left Canada and made sure she had her rabies shot. Make sure you check the laws for the state you will be living in, some require different shots and some quarantines I believe.

We had her rabies tag on her collar and kept the checkup report and rabies certificate with us up front to show the border patrol. However, they never asked to see them. Actually, we didn't have to show any of our belongings, but as we were leaving immigration/secondary inspection, a guard saw us looking at something in our car and just came to see what was up. He just asked to see what we had in the carrier. No biggie.

We put her in a carrier (I think it was a medium sized one from walmart, so not too big but not too small either). I put a fleece blanket in the bottom for her comfort. I also had a blanket over top so I could cover the front to make it a bit easier on her (make it dark for her and cozy and stuff, and so she didn't have to see all the cars go by). We had to put her in butt first as she does not like carrier at all! She also meowed most of the way and refused to eat any food or drink water.

We stopped for the night at a pet friendly hotel to let her walk around a bit. She ate and drank there. It wasn't too bad for her.

However, she did kinda freak out a couple weeks later. She was not happy in her new surroundings (I think I made a post her about that actually!). If you have an issue like that, try to confine her in a small dark space (we put her in a storage closet/laundry room in our apartment). We gave her food, water and her litter box. Took her 3 days to calm down! Now she is fine. Just give your kitty lots of cuddles when you get to the US!

How did you (the humans) cope with the meowing? We've bought a new carrier that will take both the cats hoping that the cat that doesn't "mind" being in the car will calm the other one. Although we are taking another carrier just in case they fight instead.

My cat does better if she's allowed to lay down where she wants in the car. Except bothering the driver or being near the driver's feet. She will wear her fur off of her nose if we leave her locked in her carrier too long.

I have a blanket for her to lie on that she loves and is used to and she has free access to her litter box. The litter box is important for her because she has a nervous travel tummy. She also will not eat or drink in the car so on long trips we will feed her & water her at rest stops and walk her on some grass if we see some.

Mu husband had suggested this but I am too nervous to let them out.

[Flames9_RN 358]

From the readings on VJ, most POE officials pay little attentionto pets! When I drove to Sask From DC with my dog, neither the cdn or USA officials asked to see anything.

A few yrs back we drove from DC to Florida with our cat! We got a sedative from our vet to help calm her--which it did,lol She was very mellow for the whole 15 hr trip!!

We had a cage and put a small tray of cat litter in it--and yes did use it!! But she was sooo mellow (out of it,lol) that we took her out of the cage and she just laid on my wifes lap!!

if ur crossing the border--may not want to give them a sedative as it may appear they are not healthy,lol

Edited June 5, 2012 by Flames9_RN

[Golden Gate 530]

I used to travel back and forth from Michigan to North Carolina with cats. We let them just roam freely in the car with a litter box and a bowl of water. It is important that they stay cool. They generally just hung out between the driver's seat and passenger seat or in the back window. One thing is that one of my cats scratches the carpet by the back window. We stayed at Motel 6 every time, as they allow cats.

[ashenflowers 5]

I drove with my cat from Ontario to So. Cal. The experience depends on the cat, and on what you're comfortable with. We were in the car for 4 and a 1/2 days, and stayed at hotels along the way. The first day I was really concerned and she was meowing a lot, so a couple of times I held her on my lap to calm her down for an hour or so (when I wasn't driving). I kept her in a carrier with a towel/blanket mostly, and eventually she got used to what was going on and slept. She did tell us when it was getting time to stop for the day though. She is generally NOT a fan of the carrier anyways and whines and meows like I'm killing her, so I had already been kinda used to her meowing in the car. lol I would usually just stick my fingers through the opening and scratch her ears and she'd calm down. I really suggest keeping them in a carrier rather than letting them loose in the car.

Bring their favourite toys or posts or blankets or whatever you can with you. Your cats will probably be irritated the first few days at their new place as they get used to their surroundings. I don't know if you have indoor/outdoor cats or just keep them indoors (I keep mine indoors), but if you let them outside, I'd wait a week before doing so. My cat also found a hidden nook in our kitchen cupboards the first day and I couldn't find her for 3 hours. Almost had a heart attack cause I thought she'd gotten out during the move. lol Jerk.

[EvilSquee 7]

I made the 3.5 day trip from WI to WA when I relocated to work, and then 2.5 yrs later the same trip in reverse. The first time I had 3 cats, the second I had my mom fly home with 1 ahead of me so I only had 2. If you have a visit to the US before POE and one cat doesn't travel well might be worth it to pay extra to bring them here ahead of you on the flight. For the cat that flew we got a sedative from the vet, cut the dose in half and it worked just fine though the TSA searched his kitty diaper and he almost got loose in the Seattle airport.

For the car trip I had each cat alone in a mid-sized carrier with a towel or blanket in the bottom. All carriers were buckled into the backseat. I had a cardboard box lined with a garbage bag and then one of those tiny little plastic litterboxes in the bottom of it and had that on the floor wedged between the back of the driver's seat and the bottom of the backseats. I didn't feed or water the cats during the driving time, and saved that for each night when I let them run loose in the hotel (I feed my cats once at night and leave it out all day so this was fairly normal for them). Everytime I stopped for food, water, or gas I let each cat out for a few minutes, one at a time, to give them the chance to use the litterbox. They were very good about getting out of the carrier, doing their business, and hopping right back in. I also pulled over if it sounded like one of them needed to use it. One of my cats loves to travel but the others don't. Still overall they settled in pretty well and it was quite decent for such a long trip with so many cats.

[Gypsyangel 11]

I had my cat with me when I moved from Toronto to New Jersey and POEd at the Peace Bridge. As Flames said, they didn't really care that I had a cat on board; didn't ask for any proof of vaccinations or any papers -- didn't care at all. However, I was by myself (My now-Husband and I were travelling together, but in separate cars. At the border they wouldn't let him stop and wait for me.) and it was mid-July and they wouldn't let me bring the cat into the building with me when I went to activate my visa.

I was worried about leaving my cat in the car because of the heat. It would have been a real problem if it had been mid-day, but it was evening so it had cooled off, so I left him in his crate and opened all the windows. I don't know what people do if they have a dog or cat in the car, in the summer, and they're alone. So, if it's going to be hot, either have someone along to stay with your cat or time it so that you're not stopping mid-day at the border.

For the ride, he was ok. Not great, but ok. Expect to stop more often than you might otherwise. Putting a blanket or towel over top of the crate to make it dark made a huge difference -- he was much happier. We stayed in a pet-friendly hotel the first night, which was fine. The second night was an unexpected stop because Hub's car broke down. All the pet-friendly hotels were sold out so we had to sneak him into another hotel. That wasn't much fun because the cat who never meows, started to meow like crazy in the middle of the night. I ended up getting up at 4:00 a.m. and continuing the journey without my husband.

You can ask your vet for sedatives, but if they're older sedatives can be dangerous. Bach Flowers, a natural remedy (kinda like Rescue Remedy) is a good way to calm them. You rub it into their ears (not into the cavity).

When you get to your destination, I've heard a good idea is to start them off in a small space (like a bedroom) for a few days until they get comfortable. Once they feel safe, you can gradually let their world get bigger. Change is very stressful for cats, so give 'em lots of TLC during the transition. It will pay off in the end.

Happy moving!

[EvilSquee 7]

Oh another tip, if it's hot use the AC don't roll down the windows. All that breeziness in the back seat pisses them off. My cats also liked having some music.

[gad33 47]

One of my cats is a returning USC. When we moved up here, we flew, she meowed in the car to the airport, not a peep on the plane, started to meow as soon as we put her in the car to drive from the airport. She loved exploring the new place so I don't think it will be a problem moving her somewhere new. I didn't want to use sedatives on her as she is an older cat. I will ask the vet about the Bach flowers as I had heard about it for pets (never worked with me) and I am getting a letter from the vet about my other cat's medication just in case.

[dukeandduchess 141]

I made sure my cat had all of her vaccinations and a vaccination record before I drove to SoCal from Vancouver. They did not look at any of her paperwork when we crossed. I offered it and they said not to worry about it. California requires you to get a rabies vaccine though, so definitely get that. (I can't remember where I read that but I'm sure I did!)

As for the travel part: it really depends on the cat! My cat is very calm and is really dependent on me for happiness (so as long as I was there she was okay). Honestly, she's a lot like a dog. We just set her in the car and drove. When we started out each day she'd meow a bit but once we got going she just sat there. She was fine just being carried to the hotel without a carrier (but I don't recommend that if you're not sure how your cat will react!) Didn't need a carrier at all (except to keep her confined during the inspection at the border).

My family has had other cats that HATE traveling. They would literally panic - panting/throwing up/diarrhea... Eventually they just accept it. It's really hard to watch though because all you want to do is comfort them

Best suggestion would be to get your cat and go for a car ride and see what s/he does. I believe you can get sedatives from a vet (although my Aunt, who is a vet, says never use them when you take a cat on a plane because it prevents them from regulating their body temperature correctly).

[Flames9_RN 358]

I made sure my cat had all of her vaccinations and a vaccination record before I drove to SoCal from Vancouver. They did not look at any of her paperwork when we crossed. I offered it and they said not to worry about it. California requires you to get a rabies vaccine though, so definitely get that. (I can't remember where I read that but I'm sure I did!)

As for the travel part: it really depends on the cat! My cat is very calm and is really dependent on me for happiness (so as long as I was there she was okay). Honestly, she's a lot like a dog. We just set her in the car and drove. When we started out each day she'd meow a bit but once we got going she just sat there. She was fine just being carried to the hotel without a carrier (but I don't recommend that if you're not sure how your cat will react!) Didn't need a carrier at all (except to keep her confined during the inspection at the border).

My family has had other cats that HATE traveling. They would literally panic - panting/throwing up/diarrhea... Eventually they just accept it. It's really hard to watch though because all you want to do is comfort them

Best suggestion would be to get your cat and go for a car ride and see what s/he does. I believe you can get sedatives from a vet (although my Aunt, who is a vet, says never use them when you take a cat on a plane because it prevents them from regulating their body temperature correctly).

off topic a bit----but a lot of airlines will NOT take an animal that has been sedated. I know we could not when we flew our dog to Nicaragua!!