Travelling with a sugarcat

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Tara & Ivana (GA)

Tara & Ivana (GA)

Member Since 2015
Hi everyone, I hope this is the right place to ask this question, as it's more generalised and not really specific to my cat.

We're going on a holiday next month (booked months ago before we knew about Ivana's diabetes). We are away for 5 days in a self-contained cottage. The drive is about 3.5 hrs without stops, but we will be stopping halfway. We are taking Ivana with us so we can continue her treatment and monitoring while we're away (the cottage owners have ok'd it), rather than boarding her at the vets where she'll be stressed of course.

Are there any tips for travelling with cats? The longest Ivana has ever travelled before is 1.25 hrs and she was fine (well, as fine as a travelling cat can be I guess). We were thinking we'd buy a bigger cage for her so she has a bit more room, and put our luggage on the back seat so that when we stop halfway she can come out of the cage and stretch her legs in the boot (it's a 4WD so massive boot) and we can also put her litter tray and some food in the boot during her break too. Do you think that would work? How have others done it?
 
We made road trips that were anywhere between 8 and 13 hours each way.
This is how we traveled with 4 kitties:

Roadtrip.jpg


Each crate (with water dish hung on the side) was large enough to hold 2 cats and a small disposable litter box. We lined the floor of the SUV with a shower curtain liner in case of accidents. An old quilt went over the liner which prevented the crates from sliding. Eventually we figured out to anchor the crates so they wouldn't slide, but we continued using the quilt anyway. We also carried bottled water, paper towel, a litter scoop and plastic bags for litter waste. When traveling we covered the crates with a sheet, but kept the side closest to us uncovered so we could see what the kitties were doing. Covering the crates seemed to help calm them down. I did bring small paper plates and plastic spoons for feeding, but only 2 of my cats would eat while we were on the road.

I gave each cat one Hyland's Calms pill (homeopathic remedy) mixed in food the night before and the morning of the trip. It seems to take the edge off their anxiety without drugging them. I do the same for the return trip.

I usually skipped Alex's shot in the morning because for the most part I kept her pretty tightly regulated and didn't want to have to deal with the possibility of her dropping into low numbers, but that part depends on the cat.

I bet Ivana will do fine. Have fun!


Edited to add: Almost forgot... we also brought along a plastic tool box filled with all of Alex's diabetes paraphernalia.
 
This is fantastic info Jill, thankyou! Your car looks like ours, plenty of room in the back.

I think we will time our journey so that we leave mid-morning when we know she will be ok after her AM shot. And we'll be there by early-mid afternoon, so that should work I hope.

Can I give her Rescue Remedy in some water before the trip? Is that ok for cats?
 
We have traveled extensively with our cat while towing our RV... And the first time this year since he was diagnosed in April. He loves to travel! We drove from our home in California all the way to Florida and the Carolinas and back home. We have a crew cab pick up truck so it has the backseat, and we tow a long trailer. Tigger was diagnosed just four days before we left home so it was crazy. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to manage his diabetes but it really worked out just fine. We placed his crate ,which is enclosed on the sides and top, on the backseat and we put a litter box on the floor. This year we found a cat booster seat online! He never actually sat in the seat, but it worked just as well because we were able to use the anchor on it to hook to his harness and collar which we kept on him in the truck while going down the road. I felt it was safer, even though he was out of the crate he was attached to something in case we stopped suddenly he wouldn't go flying to the window. When we would arrive at our campsite each night of course he had the run of the whole trailer which is quite large. We were able to sightsee during the day, leaving him in the trailer with the air conditioning on of course, and water. Everything, including testing, was no problem as those are the times we feed him anyway. Usually at the campsite we leash him and let him sit outside with us which we love. He just loves to sit in the trailer on the back of the sofa and look out the window and see all the new sights and new birds! Ha ha! I highly recommend taking your cat along, and don't be worried about it.
 
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We took vegetable camping again this weekend, she's a awesome travelling kitty! Like CarolandTigger said above, I kept vegetable ok her harness while she was in the back of the jeep. She had her bowl of food & water until we hit the off road trails & then we took the water away since it would just end up all over everything in the back from the bumps. Bring a blanket or towel along from home that smells like home & that can help with the new surroundings. I also had a small litter box available at all times in the back of the jeep, vegetable had no accidents at all.

Some kitties get stressed out while travelling so be prepared for some higher numbers until everyone gets settled into the new surroundings.

This was vegetable this weekend at her bedtime.
 

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Wow Carol, Tigger sounds like an awesome travel companion! Amazing that you were able to do that so soon after diagnosis.

Jennifer, Vegetable (funny name!) looks so cozy. I don't think Ivana will like travelling as much as your kitties, but fingers crossed.
 
I have some experience traveling with my sugar kitty! We moved back from Japan a few months ago where Jasper had to be on two flights (the long one was about 10 hours) and landed in San Francisco only then to drive to Washington state for a week and then from there drive cross country to North Carolina where we currently live. We worked the road trip around him, he would get his normal dose in the morning and evening with his food and in-between we would stop every few hours to take kitty potty breaks. But Jasper and my other cat are used to traveling so they just laid in the backseat on their bed the whole time.
 
Thanks for the tips everyone. We've also just ordered her a larger cage too, to give her a bit more room to lay down for the trip. I'll report back how she goes.
 
my DM wanted to go to Branson last year to see the Christmas shows, so I made the reservations at a pet-friendly hotel, packed us up and off we went! In the past, China had yowled so loudly that I'd get nasty looks from cars driving by (and that was on short trips) so I had worried about a 3+ hour drive. We have a 4dr sedan and I put China in her harness, attached it to the back safety belt in case we had to hit the brakes hard or were in an accident she'd be tethered to the car, put a litter box on the floor and she did GREAT! Slept most of the way on the back seat and when she did finally get bored, came up to the front and sat on DM's lap for a little cuddle time

Of course by the time we got all China's stuff packed, there wasn't much room for ours.....LOL

I just started on planning this year's trip too! So yes, it can be done, and it can be fun for everyone!!....and it was a lot less stressful than I would have been if I'd left her with a vet or sitter since nobody takes as good of care of her as I do!!

Helpful hint....be careful with "hotel refrigerators"...I've had my insulin freeze inside them more than once....take a thermometer!!
 
The place we're staying at isn't even officially pet-friendly, as we didn't know about Ivana's diabetes when we booked. We're SO glad they are understanding and are letting us bring her! The only stipulation they said was to "keep her off the furniture to avoid excess charges". Which translates to we'll bring plenty of blankets to cover everything and a roll of sticky tape to de-fur what we can't cover. Because we all know you can't keep a cat off furniture if they want to be there!
 
First i say make sure he has ID tag with phone numbers. I just saw online a pet medical "insulin dependent" tag. I have not done long trips myself. Smokey used to do 3 hr trips every weekend when my parents had him. He did fine.

Now when I take him to vet which is 20 minutes he vomits and wets and sometimes poops. Could be the mountinous roads or i drive to small who knows. Remember he is 17 yrs.

I take puppy pads, wipes, garbage bag with me. I did take him to visit my dad, 3 hrs away and he got car sick.

But have fun you figure it out.
 
Neko traveled from Vancouver to Fort Collins Colorado for her SRT treatments. 3 days each way of around 9 hours. I used Rescue Remedy for Pets (no alcohol), a couple drops in her breakfast before travel, and sprayed her carrier with Feliway. She didn't need either by the return trip. One of our members compiled a list of recommendations from others, as she had to commute weekly with her sugar cat for a while.
 
I would also throw in to keep your cats ID tag up to date. Ours isn't...and until we get him chipped, we need to. For the neighborhood, his tag is ok...our landline phone, our street number and street name....can only fit so much on those tags! When we were traveling cross country..we realized we'd need our CELL phone #'s AND area code on the tag, plus our city's name and state...or even just a zip code. Now I need to get new tag and get him chipped! But how does a chip help if you're across the country??
 
Tags, harnesses and of course, chip ID is so very smart these days. This was a long time ago but my family and I were moving from Indiana to Oregon. We had a dog and cat, my two daughters, my husband and me all in our dually truck pulling a four horse trailer. We stopped in Montana at a truck stop and decided to stay at the motel that was right next to the truck stop. We were parked getting checked into the motel when my kids come running to me saying that they can't find Al our beloved orange tabby cat. Lo and behold, he escaped from the truck. Mind you, this was a very busy place and near a very busy highway. For two hours we searched all around the truck stop, parking lot and motel area calling out AL....AL....AL. About an hour into our search, my husband took our luggage down to our rooms which was kind of in an enclosed downstairs location. After two hours of all of us searching, we decided to go to our room, defeated, discouraged and so, so very sad. As we opened the motel door and our last call out to...AL, a man came out and asked us if we were looking for something. Very sadly, we said our cat AL. He said about a half hour ago, he opened the door to the motel and an orange cat came running in and he said that the cat has been sitting in front of this door down the hallway. He said he thought it was the motel's cat. We ran down the hallway, and there he was sitting right in front of our motel room. Now, how he knew where to go, I will never know.
 
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I have traveled with other cats, but not my diabetic. I would recommend a copy of her health card and vaccinations. Make sure that she is tagged with numbers for you and for your vet. If there is any maid service I would probably cancel that. Don't take a chance that she might be startled by a stranger and bolt. I have travel with any number of pets in the past...and it was good. Good luck from Jane and Stewey
 
We take Norton with us when we visit family, about 3 1/2 - 5 hour drive away, depending on traffic. He's not always thrilled to be in his carrier, so sometimes we listen to a lot of meowing along with the audiobook we are listening to... The biggest issue we have related to his diabetes is that he typically does not eat well when we are at our destination. We stay with family, and he is familiar with the house, etc. But it takes him a day or two to get back to a normal eating rhythm, and by then we are usually headed home. So we end up testing him before shooting to make sure he is not too low for a shot.

Have fun!
 
We took our sugar kitty on her first trip earlier this year. It was a 6 hour trip there and back. We learned she is much more calm if we let her roam free in the vehicle. We put a carrier in the trunk and her cubby and a litter box in the back seat. Also water. We made a few stops to let her walk around outside (with her harness). I also give her Bach's rescue Remedy. She did so well I am actually looking forward to another trip with her.
 
Some tags can be printed on both sides. I put the vets number on the back side and my number on the front side. So if I can't be reached someone could be.
 
Our trip is next week, gee that came up quick! I have no idea if we will have internet access, so I may not be able to keep Ivana's spreadsheet up to date. I've got a ton of supplies for her including about 500 test strips (no joke!) and a heaps of tins and frozen pet mince. Will have to get a cooler brick thingy for the insulin though, I think that's the only thing we're missing. Exciting!!
 
Good luck on your trip. What is raw pet mince? Your treats that you have listed in your signature is interesting too; dried anchovies, dried prawns, etc.
 
Hi Cindi, the pet mince is just meat (that I assume isn't good enough for human consumption) that has had thiamine added. We get her a selection of steak, chicken and kangaroo mince, it's packaged as individual servings in a peel-back seal, quite handy. Ivana loves her treats! But man, they really stink...
 
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