Transporting your cat on a long trip in the car

[misa 2]

I would definitely get a leash and harness for stopping points if you plan on taking them out of the carrier. A lot of people lose pets on car trips. Most rest areas have pet areas, too. Sometimes like to walk around. If you want them to use the bathroom outside then give them a good 20 to 30 minutes to explore the area first.

Remember never to leave them in a car alone even for five minutes. Temperatures get high very quickly in the summer and your pet can die within a few minutes.

Yes, I kept my dog on his leash at rest stops. Even though he's fairly reliable off-leash, I would never risk it in an unknown area where there are also so many cars.

[kimmbo 0]

I go back and forth with the sedative thing for my two cats (they have such horrible reactions to the "coming down" part of it)... we will be driving for 4 days... 7 to 8 hours a day max.. making frequent stops in between..I dont usually keep them in the carriers the whole time, will probaly do half in half out when we make the move... We put a litter box in the trunk with the back seats down and they have used it before..

they dont mind the car rides once we get going..theyve been to Detroit once and Buffalo/Niagara several times... the last time we went to Buffalo, my boy Tippy was standing looking out the window (window was rolled up of course) when we pulled up at Customs (pets are a great way to distract the customs officers)..we explained that they are both diabetic and that we take them everywhere with us.. He went on to tell us how he once had a cat that looked just liked him...etc... he smiled at Tippy and told us to have a nice weekend..LOL

I worry about them being alone in the car at Customs when it comes time to activate the Visa.. will they let you take them in if they are in a carrier? does anyone know?

[misa 2]

Kimmbo, you should be able to stay in the car with the cats while your husband is inside getting his I-94, etc. for his K3. I grabbed my husband to come inside with me because I wasn't sure if he had to be there or not. Plus the parking lot officers were watching our car, windows were cracked and the temperature outside was very comfortable (this was late March). If I had to do this in the summer or winter, I'd definitely make him stay in the car with the animals.

[Flames9_RN 358]

The sedative our vet prescribed was great (can't find it, otherwise I would name it!!)t!! Doped her up, she seemed very relaxed and happy! Purred away on my wifes lap, and the coming down part went well, was a gradual process. Belive it also helped with vomiting! We used our dog carrier to initially put the cat in. put a blanket in it and bought a small litter box, and yes she did use it. We to were concerned about sedatives, but it worked out extremely well.

[Tinker 0]

I was thinking it would be October and not that hot. Misa you went in March so I guess it'll probably be the same, cold then hot.

Pumpkin will just have to stay in the cab with us. It was so hot the last couple weeks, I haven't even taken them for short drives. I was a volunteer at the Humane Society. I know what the heat does to animals

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Yes, the cab is the best idea. Down 'south' here, it can still get into the 90s in October. "Winter" doesn't really start until late December - we don't turn the heat on here until around Christmas time and it is generally turned off for good by early March. The trees start blossoming around the end of February or early March. I have the windows open most days during the winter except for a handful of days late January where it stays cool, and then closed at night. While Nashville is north of us and in mountainous areas you will still get similar temperatures. We just drove through that area this week on a quick trip up to Indianapolis - it is beautiful country!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Kimmbo,

You may want to look for a product called Feliway. It is a pheromone product that is supposed to make your cats feel more relaxed. It incorporates the pheromones cats themselves release through their cheek glands (this is why they rub up against you - they are marking you with their 'happy and safe' scent) and you can get both an plug in air diffuser (which you may wish to have set up in your new home when you arrive) as well as a spray that you can spray inside the carriers before the cats go in. It is odourless and completely non-toxic. It is considered a behaviour modification device that uses the cats own body chemistry to obtain the desired behaviour and is especially recommended for stressful situations or environments. I have the plug in diffusers in the house - and wish I had put them in place before I got here as I do believe it would have made the transition easier for them. It's only drawback is that it is pricey but it definitely works and you can get a good deal by ordering it on-line at Amazon.com or The Pet Guys (I think that is also .com).

Regarding sedatives, my vet advised against them and we didn't use them. Since your cats are used to travelling they will probably accommodate the distance fairly well. You could certainly add some Rescue Remedy to their water (you can get the Bach flower essences at most health food stores) - it won't hurt and it may help.

I also took with us a small hand-vac and some of the disposable pre-packaged litter trays. We paid a pet deposit at the hotel we stayed in overnight and they returned the deposit after they had inspected the room the following morning before we left. Try to make sure your room is away from any entertainment area - we unfortunately had a 'band' playing on the patio outside our room and the noise (rock and roll) was an extra stress on the cats.

I felt really reluctant leaving the cats in the van when my now husband and I went in to process the K-1. I talked to the customs guy in the area and advised him that the cats were in the car. He said they would be fine and they were.

When we stopped for meals (to go) or to 'rest' the cats, we never opened the doors outside or a window at any time a cat was outside of its carrier. I did let them out at scheduled stops (we tried to go no more than 3 hours at a time before we stopped at a rest stop for about 10 minutes) but one at a time so we didn't have cats running loose through the vehicle. They did use their litter box and they did have something to eat and drink. When one would become 'nervous' or upset, I would take him/her out of the carrier and cuddle him/her in my lap until they were calm again.

It was a long drive and we were all very happy to arrive at our new home. My now husband had purchased an extra litter box and had it ready and waiting with litter in it in the spare room so that we didn't have to try and unpack litter boxes and fill them first thing. You might wish to do the same thing.

Bring water from home with you so can be sure they will drink on the way down as they may not like the new water right away. Also, bring enough food down with you to accommodate several weeks if you can. The US formulations for a lot of foods sold in Canada are not the same and you may have to switch them over to something you can get here.

I will try to find the link the the other post I did a while back - there were more hints there of what we did that we found useful. Good luck with your travels, though; I am sure you will be fine.

Edited August 12, 2007 by Kathryn41

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Here is the link to another post that include information about our travel south - plus some useful comments from other cat owners based on their experiences in the rest of this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;#entry760665

[misa 2]

Regarding Feliway, I've used it before and it's helped some cats and others it didn't (I used to do cat rescue and fostering). It is extremely pricey in Canada but much cheaper here in the U.S. It may have dropped in price in Canada since I've used it (a couple of years ago). It was previously only available at vets in Canada.

Kimmbo, if you need some, I can pick some up for you and mail it to you. PM me because I order some special supplements from an online store for my dog and can easily tack some onto my order. I can get a bottle of the spray here for $21. I believe I paid $50 for the spray in Canada before.

Kathryn gave some great advice. You all know your cats the best. I knew mine could not travel unsedated as two of them would try and chew through the bars potentially hurting themselves.

Edited August 12, 2007 by misa

[rae_and_scott 1]

This little trick worked wonders for me: cover the carrier with a blanket or a towel so your kitty can't see out. Mine didn't make a peep the whole 10 hours. Of course I kept checking to make sure they were okay and could breathe and were comfortable. But it made the ride less stressful for all involved.

[trailmix 77]

I found this information on pet food today:

Pet food from Canada

Last Updated

11/19/2007 05:23 PM

Question

Can I buy pet food in Canada and bring it into the U.S.?

Answer

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently relaxed rules for travelers entering the U.S. with pet foods that contain ruminant meat or meat by-products from Canada. This includes pet foods made from cattle, bison, deer, elk, caribou, moose or camels. Pet food containing meat from those animals are now allowed entry in the U.S.

Commercial pet food that lists lamb, sheep or goat in the ingredient list is still prohibited.

http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/ph...ser/std_alp.php

[Modano 0]

Seeing another post here today on transporting dogs made me think of this again.

We are going to be driving from Calgary to Nebraska, approximately 36 hours. (We will probably only travel 8-9 hours per day) and taking our cat with us.

Have any of you transported your cat from Canada to the U.S.? Any advice? Any problems with hotel accomodation or can you recommend a cat friendly chain? Also I have read that cats don't require any vaccinations in particular, they just need to look good.

I thought I was the only Calgarian crazy enough to move to NE!

[LadyJane 1]

Seeing another post here today on transporting dogs made me think of this again.

We are going to be driving from Calgary to Nebraska, approximately 36 hours. (We will probably only travel 8-9 hours per day) and taking our cat with us.

Have any of you transported your cat from Canada to the U.S.? Any advice? Any problems with hotel accomodation or can you recommend a cat friendly chain? Also I have read that cats don't require any vaccinations in particular, they just need to look good.

Trailmix,

I just returned from a nice two-week visit with my hubby in Montreal. I brought our cat through the border, and there was no problem with him entering Canada or the USA. However, because the US is not considered rabies-free, you'll need to bring a rabies certificate for your cat. I did, and was asked to present it upon entering Canada. The US did not ask for it. It seems that if kitty is clean and presentable then it's OK.

As far as the logistics of kitty in the car-I got a dog crate to put into the car, and put a small litter box and some water in the crate. Although Howie cat did not like the crate, he eventually got used to it and I did let him 'roam' in the car a bit. He was in his crate though when I crossed the borders.

I had stayed at a Super 8 hotel in Ohio, no problem with the cat-and they didn't charge extra.

No problem with the cat food (Science Diet, dry kibble) at either crossing.

Edited January 11, 2008 by LadyJane

[trailmix 77]

Seeing another post here today on transporting dogs made me think of this again.

We are going to be driving from Calgary to Nebraska, approximately 36 hours. (We will probably only travel 8-9 hours per day) and taking our cat with us.

Have any of you transported your cat from Canada to the U.S.? Any advice? Any problems with hotel accomodation or can you recommend a cat friendly chain? Also I have read that cats don't require any vaccinations in particular, they just need to look good.

I thought I was the only Calgarian crazy enough to move to NE!

Apparently you are - we have decided to move to Florida instead

Actually Lance, a member here just moved to Omaha this year - oh and my Sister and her family live in Fremont - where are you moving to?

[Modano 0]

Seeing another post here today on transporting dogs made me think of this again.

We are going to be driving from Calgary to Nebraska, approximately 36 hours. (We will probably only travel 8-9 hours per day) and taking our cat with us.

Have any of you transported your cat from Canada to the U.S.? Any advice? Any problems with hotel accomodation or can you recommend a cat friendly chain? Also I have read that cats don't require any vaccinations in particular, they just need to look good.

I thought I was the only Calgarian crazy enough to move to NE!

Apparently you are - we have decided to move to Florida instead

Actually Lance, a member here just moved to Omaha this year - oh and my Sister and her family live in Fremont - where are you moving to?

I already moved out of NE, but I lived there for 2 and a half years in Grand Island about 3 hours west of Omaha in the middle of nowhere ! Too much corn and not enough mountains for me.

Florida will have way nicer weather!