Advice for a long car journey

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Emily-Sweep
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Advice for a long car journey

Post by Emily-Sweep »

Hello,

I'm going to be travelling by car in the next couple of weeks with my two elderly-ish female cats (14 and 15 yrs old). The journey will be take about five hours; they've never been in a car for longer than about twenty minutes before. They normally travel in separate cat carriers, but I'm told that a large travelling crate with space for a litter tray would be better for this journey. I think they would be okay to share a crate (they are both small cats). I've looked at some online but they all have very mixed reviews, so any recommendations would be appreciated.

They're both very nervous cats (when out of their element) and Sweep sometimes starts to pant/hyperventilate in the car. Any advice on how to minimise the stress for them will be received with thanks.
Joe_Danger
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by Joe_Danger »

Keep them cool and keep the car cool if you don't have an air conditioner in the car I would strongly advise against doing this.
If you have a panting cat that's no good. I'm sure people who have experience with this will post here, this is an incredibly helpful forum :) but my advise is to keep your cats cool, keep their heads and ears cool with a damp cloth ever so often, at least that's what my vet advised we do when our AC was broken at home and Mila got a heatstroke earlier this summer.

Be careful with cats and heat, it can get real bad real fast.
marigold575
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by marigold575 »

Hi

I would have a word with your vet, they may be able to advise you with things that may calm a stressed out cat. I had a tabby lad many years ago now, who would scream in the car, goodness knows what had happened to be so terrified, and the vet was able to give me something to help him when we had to move and we had no choice but to be in a car.

A good dose of feliway spray might help a bit.

I hope you find something to help.
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ChonairJazz
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by ChonairJazz »

Maybe look into a cooling pad for them if it's going to be warm and your car doesn't have air con? My in laws have one for their very heat sensitive small dog, it works wonders!
Emily-Sweep
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by Emily-Sweep »

Cooling pad is also a good idea, thanks :)
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Mollycat
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by Mollycat »

I would argue against a single crate for both. If anything startles them there could be a fight which could be disastrous.

I've done a 4 hour trip with a cat before and it wouldn't have occurred to me to provide a litter tray for that length of time. One time my cat had to provide a urine sample and the vet instructed us to take away the litter tray in the evening ready for a mid morning appointment, she was busting but she held on and that was over 12 hours. If your girls are the sort to go every couple of hours then fair enough but if they normally pee 4 or 5 times in 24 hours, then 5 should be easy for them. Water, yes, if it's a hot day, but if they are nervous I doubt they would drink anyway and a stop halfway for a comfort break for you and check on them and offer water might be more than enough, you know your cats best.

Most of all I would say keep your own anxiety under control, this is perfectly normal and the more you give off perfectly normal vibes, the easier it's likely to be for the cats.

Agree with Joe-Danger about keeping cool, I have a catnip spray that I use on Molly which not only cools her directly but also encourages her to lick herself and thus helps her keep herself cool.

For relaxation, I would recommend PetRemedy spray for their bedding, it's quite strong so don't let them in contact with the bedding within half an hour of spraying it. I also wouldn't recommend anything - food, water or litter - that encourages them to stand up and move around. A sudden brake or sharp corner throwing water all over the place or unbalancing them in the tray can easily trigger lasting problems.
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Kay
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by Kay »

personally I wouldn't worry about a litter tray for a five hour journey, as most cats would find using one in a moving vehicle difficult, especially if stressed

lots of spare bedding which can be swapped if necessary would be useful though

I travelled from Surrey to West Wales with a sedated cat in a carrier in the back of a removal van, which because the suspension bridge was closed took 12 hours and although it was 30 years ago, I don't remember any major problems - I think cats travel better with a minimum of human intervention, as they just seem to hunker down and sit it out - even more so if sedated

to get a sedative you will probably find your vet will want to check the cats shortly before the journey, and all being well you will be given tablets to administer about an hour before you set off
Emily-Sweep
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by Emily-Sweep »

Thanks for the good advice. It did cross my mind that it might be best to sedate myself and leave the cats alone! My first inclination was to keep them separate in their usual carriers, and hope that after they've belted out all their favourite songs they'll hunker down and sulk or sleep. I'll see the proposed crate tomorrow which will help me to make a decision.
Emily-Sweep
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by Emily-Sweep »

Hello, I just wanted to post a quick update to say that both cats coped with the journey brilliantly. I kept them in their usual separate carriers, and as I was also able to borrow two larger pet cages I put each carrier in those as well for extra security! I put a small towel soaked in cold water over the top of each to try and help keep the circulating air cool (not sure if it did much), and lined each carrier with lots of alternating layers of puppy pads and fleecy blanket in case of accidents (but there were none).

Both are now slowly adjusting to their new environment. Thanks for the tips posted here and I hope it may be of some help to anyone planning a similar journey.
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Mollycat
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Re: Advice for a long car journey

Post by Mollycat »

Thank you for updating, so many people just vanish and nobody ever knows what happened.

Glad they coped well, after all that worry and careful planning. Wishing you all well in your new home and hope you'll stick around on the forum too.
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