Moving with cats

Hey all - this is Cat_Mom_of_2....its been awhile since I was here and I forgot my password, etc so I had to create a new account. I have a question....

I will be moving from Tennessee to Southern California next month and I am wondering how in the world will I move my cats. Is it safe for them to fly and what is the process with that? Any recommendations if we decide to drive and move ourselves as opposed to hiring a company and us flying? I dont want to traumatize my kitties! :? Bu the most likely scenario will be us driving and I cant figure how I am going to do that with two cats that dont like car rides! Any suggestions would be great! Thanks! oh..neither of them are diabetic.

Erika, Chico, and Jezebelle!

 

I drove with Buttons from Yellowknife to Vancouver [1700 miles] .
In a Datsun truck [ small two seater pick-up] with the cat litter on the passenger floor.
First day he was unhappy but then he watched the scenery or slept. Snuck the litter and cat into the motel rooms at night.
From then on he liked using the truck as his day bed when it was hot out. :smile:

 

When I moved back to Nebraska from North Carolina a few years ago. I was able to get a mild sedative from my vet for the 2 very loud non-car riding siamese. I'm trying to see if I can find the bottle again ..It was all herbal and didn't make them dopey just seem to take the edge off. Of course I did still have my bouts of the singing to me, but we got here with all our sanity intact (well as much as it was to begin with). I do know I was told that they couldn't fly if the temp reached more than 80 degrees on the tarmac. Do to several dogs losing their lives a few years ago in Denver CO when their kennels were place on a hot tarmac.

Mel & Muse

 

And when you get to your new place......years ago, I heard about when relocating cats, to dip their paws in butter before letting them outside for the first time. They then lick the butter off & get the scent of their new home on their paws quicker. When we moved Morris from MILs house to our house years ago, we tried it & it worked!!! We dipped his paws into an almost empty margarine container before putting him outside on the first night....the next morning, he was waiting for us on the door step! After a few days, I took him to the vet for a check-up (we knew he hadn't been fixed yet) & the vet was extrememly surprised that we were already putting him outside & he was coming back each day!

 

I've never flown with my cats, but I've moved cross country three times with them by car. I think the longest of the three trips was Idaho to Central Texas, and the most recent trip was about 1,300 miles from TX to SoCal.

The first time, I used some Ace to tranq them a bit and they slept the whole day - not sedated - just drowsy. The last two times I didn't give them anything, and they just slept.

The best course of action is frequent litterbox stops, but that timing doesn't always work the kitties. I gave them the box at every gas stop, and they usually used it. I also put adult "underpads" in their carriers to soak up any possible accidents.

My oldest (17 and in CRF), had one accident, but it was my fault, not his. And it was a doosey. We were stressed out, late leaving, and rushed, so I skipped a litterbox opportunity. Bad idea. Poo in the carrier is pretty awful when you are on the road and the only place with a restroom and running water is a restaurant. And bathing a cat in a Motel 6 wasn't fun, either.

Best advice is keep a jug of water, paper towels, wipes, plastic trash bags, etc., available in case you need it to clean up.

 

I flew with Oscar a few months ago. Cats are small, so you can take them on the plane with you, which I would recommend anyway. There is a limit of 2 pets per on plane carry-ons, so you need to call the airline as soon as possible to reserve the allotment for you. You just carry them in airline approved carriers (has to have a hard bottom and 10-11 inches high so it will fit under the seat). Delta charges $125 per pet per way. The only hitch for us was discovering how to get through the security screening. They made me take Oscar out of his carrier and carry him through the metal detector while his carrier went through the x-ray machine. Other than that, we were golden. Just make sure to have a health certificate from your vet stating they are healthy and are up to date on their rabies. It only cost me $5.

 

I have driven across the country (3200km) with Odie twice. I drive about 1100km return trips with him once a twice a year.
(he has also done a 4000km return trip on a train - I do not recommend it, and flown in the luggage compartment - I do not recommend that either)

For driving, I have a large carrier that he can stand move around in a bit (he likes his carrier, I keep it out in the house without the door and he naps in it all the time). He complains about being in the car (howling as if he's being tortured and must be rescued), but eventually settles down and naps with only an occasional meow to let me know he's still pissed off about the whole thing. I stop every 2-3 hours and let him out of his cage to walk around the car and stretch his legs and get some cuddles and brushing (which he enjoys). I give him something to drink and eat then too (sometimes he takes some, other times not). I use his regular bowls to keep things as normal as possible. Odie refuses to use the litterbox in the car, no matter what. This means that there are occasional "accidents". That's just part of the deal. I pack extra towels to put at the bottom of his cage, disinfectant wipes, paper towel, water, and plastic bags. He's diabetic, has IBD, and pancreatitis... so we do medical breaks too. I bring along a small cooler with an ice pack to keep everything cool. He usually does not eat or drink very much while we are on the road, but will be very hungry and thirsty when we stop for the night.

When I have someone else in the car with me, we'll occasionally let him out of his cage. He usually settles in the passenger's lap or at their feet. I do not do this when I'm alone in the car with him, because he wants to lay at my feet... under the gas and break pedals @-)

The very first trip, I thought he'd want to go outside to stretch his legs (he's an indoor cat) when we stopped. So I had a harness and leash for him.... bad idea!!! He freaked out, ran full speed in this large bush in the middle of a flower patch with me following along... here I was on my stomach among the pretty flowers, trying to coax a cat out from the middle of the bush without poking his (or my) eyes out... Now he stretches his legs in the car only!

 

PS... besides travelling with Odie, I have also moved a few times.

After the 3000km drive, we got to our new apartment, which was completely empty because all of our stuff was arriving in a couple of days with the moving company. Odie was terrified and wanted to hide, but there was nothing to hide behind. He hid behind the toilet. Then I went to the grocery store and got a box of cereal and some bananas for breakfast the next morning. I have pictures of him on the cupboard, hiding behind the cereal box (it's both hilarious and sad at the same time). I eventually opened a kitchen cupboard door for him and he literally lived in there for the first 3 days. I had to put his food in there, and his litterbox because he would not come out (he peed in the cupboard before I put the litterbox in). Once some furniture arrived and he got a bit more comfortable, he decided to gradually come out.

Our last move (just down the street, 5 years after the one above), I brought him over, he looked around, found a good spot on the windowsill and was fine. He ate and used the litterbox as normal, slept with me on the bed from the first night. I think by this time he's traveled enough that he's mellowed out a bit