moving cats cross country?

[boogiemomz]

more like 1100 miles, but still...

we moved them a long distance last summer, before we had DD, and just the 2 cats were a serious handful. Dh drove a penske truck with his car on a trailer behind, and i followed in my car. both cats were with me, b/c DH was nervous with the giant truck and trailer and didn't want the distraction of the cats... smart bc they were a HUGE distraction! i gave them valium and they did okay, but each one had one bad reaction each where they were really loopy and howling. now that we have the baby, who will be 7 months at the time, we're thinking we can't handle everybody in the cars/truck for the move.

have you ever shipped or travelled with your pets? i've started doing some research online but wondered if you folks could recommend for or against anything based on experience. thanks! :)

[Indianamom2]

Yes, we've travelled 1400 miles (round trip) with two cats, on more than one occasion.

One cat howls every time a semi passes or when we stop at toll boths, and intermittently just to let us know she is not pleased.

The other cat gets carsick within 20 minutes of leaving home. Every.single.time. There's no warning, she just barfs. We used to let her ride in our laps because she was just fine that way, but obviously a time or two of barfing rules that out. Of course, when she gets sick in her carrier, that's loads of fun to clean out too. Did I mention she's a long-haired cat...covered in barf...for hours...yeah, it's fun.

We made the trip a couple of times once we had DD#1, but I eventually put my foot down and said no more. It upset them so much and we had to lug so much stuff that it wasn't worth it. If I was moving...yeah, I'd do it, but I'd definitely ask the vet for some sort of tranquilizer.

Good luck!

[lmwbasye]

We have to do this more often than I'd like for moving with the Army. Both cats are in their crates during the drive and get a pill to keep them calm/quiet (not sure what they are given...the vet just gives me something). At night, we let them loose in the car with food/water/tupperware container with litter and then in the morning I wrestle them to the ground to shove the pill down their throats before driving. Not the most fun, but we don't have much of a choice so we do it. Giving them the pill is the worst part. They usu. sleep through the drive from whatever the vet gives them.

Good luck!

[3blackcats]

My cat just wanders around the car. She will perch in the back window or sit on my lap. I usually just leave the litter tray on the floor behind a seat.

How big a vehicle do you have? Maybe you can cage them in somehow.

[boogiemomz]

My cat just wanders around the car. She will perch in the back window or sit on my lap. I usually just leave the litter tray on the floor behind a seat.

How big a vehicle do you have? Maybe you can cage them in somehow.

that's what we did last summer. i have an SUV, but i don't know if i can handle both cats and the baby. the two cats took up the entire back seat, so unless i put them in the very back (meaning i couldn't pack anything else in my car), they wouldn't all fit. plus, i would be afraid they would all upset each other... cats freaking out would upset DD and vice versa. it would be possible if DH drives his car, but not if he drives the truck and tows his car on a trailer (like last year). i'm just trying to weigh if its worth the money we would save, or if it would be easier and more reasonable to ship the cats.