Relocating my cat

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Smuller
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Relocating my cat

Post by Smuller »

As my mother is moving and does not want to take our 13 year old cat with her, i'm more then happy to bring her up to where I live.
The problem is I have to go via train as i don't have a car, and this is a rather nervous cat. I'm worried that the move is really going to stress her out. I've already found a route that avoids London, but it's going to take 5 hours to get home.
Is there anything commercially available that can calm her down or make her really sleepy for the trip?
Failing that, can you give me any tips for travelling a long way with cat?
Thanks.
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meriad
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Re: Relocating my cat

Post by meriad »

Well done you for taking in your mom's cat - so glad she's not being left homeless :)

As for moving her, how far do you need to go? There are actually animal couriers, they will collect the pet on your behalf and drive them to you in an air conditioned van / car. Is that something you could consider? Chances are - given the horrendous price of train tickets sometimes - it may not cost all that much more than your return train journey?

If the train definitely is the only option how much shorter would the journey through London be? It may be louder but if it's quicker then that could be the better option?

You could speak to the vet to see if they have something they could give her but often the lingering after effects are actually worse that the potential journey time so personally I'd try and do without.
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lilynmitz
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Re: Relocating my cat

Post by lilynmitz »

I agree, I think an animal courier would be the way to go on this one. I wouldn't risk any of my nervous moggies on public transport over such a long journey. It's a lot to ask of them to cope with so many different noises and smells, and there may be litter-type "accidents" along the way to add to the stress.
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Jan
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Re: Relocating my cat

Post by Jan »

We've been dealing with this problem for a year now. My mother had to go into a care home so we took her 10 year old cat up to live with us, 170 miles away. Blackie is also a highly strung and nervous individual.

Fortunately we do have a car but in spite of liberally spraying his basket with Feliway and starting him on Zyklene 3 days before the journey, he has cried loudly and pitifully from the back seat all through the journey.

However, we may now have cracked this problem (fingers x'd) because apart from the medication, I kept his basket on my lap for the most recent journey (a week ago) and a miracle happened - by the time we got to the M25 (20 minutes from our house), he stopped miaowing and hardly made a sound from then on.

Not a comfortable journey for me in the front seat (I had to peel myself out the car when we arrived) - but as long as Blackie is ok, that's fine.... :D

Good luck Smuller - hope everything works out as well with the adoption of your Mum's cat as the adoption of my Mum's cat has worked for us.
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Willowgill
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Re: Relocating my cat

Post by Willowgill »

As someone who regularly transports 3 cats from A to B most weekends I know they soon got used to the journey and now just settle down once in their crates - we also moved Daphne up here to Yorkshire from London originally but she did cry most of the two hours home - I spoke to her softly all the time and it did seem to help a bit. However this doesn't solve your problem of moving your mum's cat with no car. Do you have any friends or colleagues with transport who would be willing to help if you paid for the fuel? It might also be worth checking out the cost of a private hire taxi firm - that way you would be able to sit beside the cage to reassure her. The other option is to find an animal transporter as has already been suggested who would be well used to moving a nervous animal. My son emigrated to NZ last year and their cats had to stay with a friend for 3 months - the courier company came and collected them (from London) and took them to the airport seeing them onto the flight etc so they are very good. Good luck - so nice to hear she won't be going to a rehoming centre and your mum will feel happier knowing where she is I'm sure.
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