Travelling With Cats

[EvilSquee 7]

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!!

I didn't have any issues and the cat flew with Delta back in 2008. However it was in-cabin in a soft carrier with my mom at her seat not in the cargo which may be different. As far as I know they didn't ask my mom about it. I didn't like the idea of using sedatives but I didn't want him freaking out on my mom either which is why we only used the minimum possible (think we cut one pill in half and that's all we gave him, we were given 2 pills in case he needed a second dose which wasn't required). While Pete was a stray so I can't say his age for sure I'm certain he was relatively young (1-2 yrs is my guess) so I didn't have the concerns that come with an older pet. Breeds with short muzzles (such as Persians) need special consideration as well and I would avoid sedation if at all possible in those kinds of circumstances. I wouldn't sedate a cat for a car trip.

[Flames9_RN 358]

I didn't have any issues and the cat flew with Delta back in 2008. However it was in-cabin in a soft carrier with my mom at her seat not in the cargo which may be different. As far as I know they didn't ask my mom about it. I didn't like the idea of using sedatives but I didn't want him freaking out on my mom either which is why we only used the minimum possible (think we cut one pill in half and that's all we gave him, we were given 2 pills in case he needed a second dose which wasn't required). While Pete was a stray so I can't say his age for sure I'm certain he was relatively young (1-2 yrs is my guess) so I didn't have the concerns that come with an older pet. Breeds with short muzzles (such as Persians) need special consideration as well and I would avoid sedation if at all possible in those kinds of circumstances. I wouldn't sedate a cat for a car trip.

Depends on the cat, some get super stressed and wont settle down. rapid heart rate for many hrs isn't healthy. There are other options as well. Like that calming feliway stuff. Or what we use for our dog--the thunder shirt....thundershirt.com

When ones dog has to go below, they tell you upfront that if they think the dog has been sedated, they won't accept the dog. I'm sure if ones dog is small enough to go into the cabin, you could get away with it. Lot different when 1 flies out of the USA to a another country (beside canada) Was the hardest part of our move to NIca,lol

[Stuart and Thea 95]

We crossed the border with two cats and a dog. We had to park the truck and go inside for about half an hour. We told them that we had animals in the truck, and had their updated information and health certificates, and the border guy just waved his hand. He didn't care, didn't want more work for himself I guess. The fact that I offered the information was probably seen as enough proof that my animals were in good health and being cared for properly, so they didn't even inspect them. Or the truck, lol.

I kept the dog on a leash and the cats in carriers. If I could have put the dog in a seat and buckled her in I would have as well, but there just wasn't any room. It may seem harsh to keep an animal locked up, but it's for their own safety, if you were to get into a crash, they would just fly into the front of the car, and get really badly hurt, but at least in a carrier, you can tuck them under the seat, if it's high enough, or buckle the carrier into the seat.

Rescue remedy and felaway didn't work for us, but I made sure to have a number of blankets and toys with their scent from back home on them, and would swap them out every time we stopped. Make sure you have enough to give a fresh one at each stop, and not to rotate them, as they'll smell their own stress on them. Also keep one for when you arrive. (what I did was take a big piece of flannel and let them sleep on it for a couple weeks before we moved, then cut it up into small blankets, and some I tied with catnip in them as toys)

Be careful of the catnip though, I saved it for the hotel room and for when we got home, because some cats are unpredictable on it, and you DON'T want unpredictable in a car.

The meowing stopped after an hour or two... each day...

[Kathryn41 3,205]

We drove from Southern Ontario to south of Atlanta Georgia 8 years ago with 6 cats. It took two days of driving and we stopped at a pet friendly hotel overnight - although it wasn't very friendly for them as the evening rock band was rehearsing right outside our window for the first 2 hours!.

Don't let the cats out of the carriers while you are driving. The last thing you want to have happen is something unexpected like a quick stop or being in an accident and having a cat loose in the vehicle to be thrown around and injured, possibly running away and escaping in a totally foreign environment. We also moved in May. It was cool when we reached the border so it wasn't a problem to leave the cats in the van (we rented a small van so we would have enough seat belts to strap in each carrier. We stopped for a rest break every 5 hours or so of driving and let the cats out of their carriers one by one to use the litterbox if they wished or to have a drink. They all did use the litter box during the drives one time or another. I used the throwaway pre-filled litter box- one for each day's drive and one for the hotel overnight. I also brought a small dust-buster with me to vacuum up any possible litter or messes the cats made in the hotel room. We had to pay a deposit but we got the deposit back when the room passed inspection. We made sure that all the cats were safely in their carriers before any doors or windows were opened. The temperature steadily increased as we drove south and by the time we arrived it was in the 90s. Thank heavens for air conditioning! (It was also on in the house when we arrived).

During the drive I found out that when a transport truck passed us, the cats cringed low into their carriers as the shadow came over them, so I covered the carriers with towels to block out the side views and top views. They could still hear and see their neighbour - just nothing outside.

They all meowed for the first bit but by the end it was only one who kept meowing and it seemed like it was almost on auto-pilot. He still sort of meowed even when he slept. I would take him out of the carrier and hold him in my lap when he appeared to get really frantic and then when he was calmed back down put him back into the carrier.

Bring some of the water that they are used to in a gallon jug. Bring enough of their usual food along and some extra because you may or may not find the same brand when you get to the US and will have to convert them over to the new food.

My husband had set up the spare room as a safe room for the cats. He purchased a litter box and had dishes and water waiting for them in the room for when we arrived. We put all of the cats in the spare room and set up the extra litter boxes to allow them to de-stress.

Depending on the ages of your cats they may or may not adapt quickly. My eldest was 15 at the time and developed a urinary tract infection from the stress (something to keep an eye out for), then stopped eating. I had to force feed her but she never ate again. 6 weeks later I had to put her down from hepatic lipidosis. The other 5 adapted fairly well, although we did run into some issues with aggression when an outside cat was able to get nose to nose with them at the back door window and tried to attack. They couldn't reach her but started fighting among themselves - so be sure to mask off any areas where an outside cat can appear to threaten them. Mine had always lived on the second floor before and I didn't realize the adaptations that were needed for a first floor level.

Invest in Feliway. Have an room diffuser set up in the safe room where you will first bring them in their new home. This releases positive pheromones that reassures them that the place is friendly and safe. You can also use Feliway spray in their carriers before they enter and in the hotel rooms when you first get in and before you let them out of the carriers. If you leave the hotel room (go for dinner or something) be sure to put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door to prevent housecleaning or someone opening the door when the cats are in the room and you aren't.

Get copies of your cats' vet records from your vet and bring them with you so you can turn them over to your new vet. It will help your new vet to have a complete record. You might want to microchip them if you haven't already and include the new US address on their records. I also wrote the name and age and the address they were going to for each cat on masking tape on their carriers. I also taped the carriers round ways to prevent them from accidentally separating top and bottoms (not that they ever had but as a preventative measure). I used hard sided carriers as they would offer more protection if there was an accident.

Expect them to walk around, slink around and be really nervous and possibly vocal the first few days. They may hide under the bed. Be sure to keep them secured into a room if you are opening any doors outside or are moving things in and out. They will need to reestablish new patterns of behaviour in their new environment so you can't expect that they won't run out the door because they never have before.

As Stuart and Thea mentioned Try and have some of their blankets or beds or even clothes that you have worn available to them while they are driving and when they arrive in their new place. Rotate them out with 'fresh' each day of the drive and when you arrive. The familiarity of the scents will help to reassure them, and having your scent around will also reassure them.

Pay attention to their health for the few weeks following because stress reactions can be delayed.

I hope you are planning on keeping them indoor cats, but if you are hoping they will be indoor/outdoor cats don't let them out for several weeks at least after your arrival, and then when you do, be sure they are out supervised by you for a few more weeks until they adjust to the very new environment (new hazards, new weather, new risks, new pests) before you relax and let them come and go like before. Preferably, keep them indoors where they will be safer.

I know this is rather rambling but I am writing it down as I recall what we did. Good luck with the move.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Kathryn41

[gad33 47]

Hi Guys

haven't posted updates as have had limited internet access and hadn't completed our journey so didn't want to jinx by posting that everything went fine.

Huh, phooey to that as it doesn't work. Yesterday my biggest nightmare about travelling with the cats came true. We were in the 3rd hotel in 3 days so we dropped our stuff in the room, put out litter tray and water, do not disturb sign on door and went for a walk. We were gone 2 1/2 hours. When we came back, our door was open and there were 4 hotel staff in our room and the cat carrier had been moved to the door.

The first thing out of my mouth was "where are my cats?", the second thing out of my mouth was "where are my cats?". I think that might have been the third thing out of my mouth too. Everybody was trying to talk to us and my husband was trying to change to his regular glasses from sun glasses so he could see.

There was a major leak in our room. I asked everybody to leave and close the door so we could find the cats and then they could all come back and do whatever they needed. I might have been hyperventilating at this point. I had to tell the maintenance guy twice to leave the door closed. One cat was hiding behind the drawers and the other cat was behind the bed which we had to pull out she managed to get behind it again as she escaped while I was drying her. (She was soaked from the leak.) Hubby got her again and put her in the carrier by this time she was open mouth breathing. So I told my husband to take them to the car and sit with them. She did eventually calm down. Thank goodness.

The hotel did have another room we could move to and they would have moved all our belongings but I did it as that helped to calm me down and also time for the cats to calm down.

Poor things. I shall be so glad when we get a place of our own.

[hikergirl 277]

I can't believe that they would see the cat paraphernalia and still leave the door open. WTH were they thinking...

I hope you and your furbabies made it to your new home safe and sound though!

[dukeandduchess 141]

Oh heaven help those hotel staff if one of them had gone missing. I would freak!

[gad33 47]

I think they were thinking, how the h did this leak start and are we going to blame the cleaners or the maintenance staff. The room below was in much worse shape but no animals. This particular hotel didn't say anything about pets. One hotel had us sign a form and another said they can't be left in the room on their own.

I had stayed in this hotel before so knew that when they cleaned they didn't do the whole room at once, they'd be in and out during the day collecting sheets, towels, cleaning etc and it wasn't the same time every day. So this time I arranged for the room to be cleaned in one go at the same time every day and they were obliging. So I suggest that to anyone who stays more than one night in the same hotel.

After that hotel we've been with friends for a couple of weeks and then we'll be in a hotel again and then we should be in our own place where they can rule.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Prior to moving to Nicaragua, we stayed in a hotel for like 2 weeks.... We made sure they knew we had pets and there was even a sign on the door--that they provided--if not, we would have had one made! Hotel staff don't make a lot of $$$, so probably not thinking if a room has pets or not--so best to remind them 1 way or another.