? Moving - advice needed & recommended petsitting in GTA?

Hi All!

We are moving at the end of the month - driving from Indianapolis, IN to Burlington, ON. It's a 7.5 hr drive + time at the border which could be an hour or two. We have 2 kitties, one diabetic, one not. FA, our diabetic cat seems to like car rides, although we've never gone further than 30 mins with him. Our other cat, Molly does not.

I'm looking for advice on how to transport insulin, how do we keep it refrigerated and not have it freeze?

Does anybody have any advice on feeding schedule during the drive? It's possible that they won't want to eat at all that day.

Is there anybody from the GTA here that knows of any petsitting services/petsitters that have experience with diabetic cats? We have a great petsitter here in Indy that we really trust who we will miss very much.

Any advice on travelling in the car with diabetic (or not) cats, is much appreciated! Thank you in advance

 

Hi there!

This is an easy one: a Frio pouch.

You just soak the pouch in water before use, then pop the insulin pens/vials inside. It cools by evaporation. A single soak is enough for the pouch to work for a couple of days.

I used to live in a flat where the temperature could hit 38 Celsius in the summer. My fridge packed up but the Frio pouch kept Saoirse's insulin perfectly cooled.

Frio Insulin Wallets

Is there any food they're absolutely nuts for (even if it's a bit on the carby side)? That might be something to consider as a one-off to get them through the journey.

I see from your signature that FA has a history of DKA so skipping the dose before you set out on the journey isn't advisable but, given the worry over whether or not he will eat while you're travelling, a reduced dose might be worth considering as a means of reducing risk of him going low. If you don't get a firm enough answer on this thread, I'd suggest asking for dosing suggestions for your travel time on the Lantus board. (Before posting there, it would be helpful if you could put FA's BG readings and dosing info for the last fortnight into your spreadsheet since members there will need this info in order to be able to make suggestions on how you might proceed.)

One thing that pops to mind in terms of practicalities. If you don't already have similar, there are travel litter boxes available. I know that Patty has one so I'm going to tag her to ask whether she can give you details of the one she has. (@Patty and Blue)

Wishing you all a safe journey and much happiness in your new home.


Mogs
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Thanks for your reply! I've never heard of a Frio pouch but it's a great suggestion! I'm sure it'll come in handy more times that one. I just purchased it on amazon!

As for feeding, he goes crazy for dry treats, so even though that's not part of his regular diet we will likely bring those if he doesn't want his regular food. Dry food is probably a little easier than wet food in the car anyways... We monitor his BG and his blood ketones pretty closely (despite not having an updated spreadsheet) so we should be fine with a reduced dose just that morning since we will hopefully arrive at our destination in time for his evening dose and can get him back on track then.

 

I took that as a given!


Mogs
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Bring a year's worth of strips with you. Expen$ive here.
Also remember you will be quarantining for x number of days.

@Sonia & Leo used to live near Burlington, I believe.
@Butters & Lyla know some things about vets in the 6ix.

 

I guess we will trade expensive insulin in US for expensive test strips in Canada I'm going to place an order to stock up today.

And yup, we are lucky enough to have friends on standby to drop off at the door anything we have forgotten for our 14 day quarantine.

 

For an LB, I just make my own when we travel (one of our kitties will use it and one is too scared so he doesn't) - I take a small box (usually amazon lol), cut off one of the short flaps, and then tape up the flaps on the other three of the sides with packing tape. I put a pee pad in the bottom (folded to fit) and pour litter on top (wish I had a picture but I don't!). I bring an extra box flattened and packing tape so I can make another one of something happens to the first one. The kitty that doesn't use the LB when we travel has a pee pad lining his crate (with a towel on top) - he gets offered the chance to use the make-shift LB when wee stop but he doesn't want to leave his crate. We haven't traveled was long as you all (our usual trip is 3.5 hours and our longest recently was 5.5). I also make sure to have a scooper and litter bags handy - poop stinks in the car

I offer food & water every 2-3 hours; I also test my sugar cat when we stop but his BG usually rises when we travel so I have yet to adjust his dose (know thy cat ). I still make sure I have MC, HC, and Karo handy justttt in case.

Safe travels

 

I do that the other way round, so that there's a cushioned bottom in the carrier all the time but if the pee pad gets soiled I can remove it (along with the 'aromas') and put a fresh one back over the towel. (Saoirse hated travel and vet visits and she'd always pee in the crate due to the stress - even though the vet's only a couple of minutes away.) I use a pee pad larger than the base of the carrier so that the excess goes up the sides of the carrier. Provided there's not much in the way of cat movement, it helps keep the towel dry.


Mogs
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So my civvie won't actually pee until we get to our destination so I don't really worry about changing it...but when I did this with Jax he would pee on the pad no matter what. The pee pads (at least the amazon ones) have an attractant to make dogs want to pee on it and I'm convinced it does the same for cats...so I put the pad under. But you're right cleanup is easier with the pad on top!

 

Hi, best of luck with the move. Butters was diagnosed after covid restrictions came into effect. All of my work travel stopped so I haven't had to find a petsitter who is experienced with diabetic cats, unfortunately. I haven't thought about what I'll do when the restrictions lift. Right now they are extremely strict, though.

The pet sitters I've used in the past include a former vet tech but Burlington is out of their boundary. So sorry I cannot be of more help with the pet sitting, but if there is anything else I can help you with don't hesitate to reach out to me by PM if you want.

 

Neko went on a few road trips. Three days of 9-10 hours each way to Fort Collins, Colorado from Vancouver and back. And later some road/ferry trips to Vancouver Island. And a plane/car trip to Fort Collins a second time. It was stinking hot when we first went to Fort Collins. I wrapped the insulin in bubble wrap, inside a tupperware container and kept it in a small cooler next to a gel pack. I also kept opened cans of cat food and water in there, plus some meds that needed to be cooled. For the plane and car/ferry trip, I had bought a Frio wallet by then. I kept the lot in a lunch sized cooler, along with cool pack and meds.

For feeding, I'd feed Neko at least an hour before we hit the road, so it was getting digested and less likely to come back up. She also got fed when we stopped for gas/lunch if she wanted it. Or if she was low. She decided it would be "fun" to dive during the long car trip. During the long airplane/road trip, she didn't want to eat at all. I offered water/food when we were in the airport and on the plane - she ignored it. The ferry ride was better, she ate while we were in the ferry line up. In general, she only ate or used the LB when we were stopped. I had a regular sized LB for her.

I sprayed Neko's carrier with Feliway before we left, and gave her some Rescue Remedy. They seemed to help calm her down. Before the long trip, she complained on the 10 minute trip to the vet.

I've seen lots of options for car setup, depending what you have. I have a sedan with split seats in the back so she could go back in the trunk if she needed a break. There was a bed there and the LB. I've seen some people with sport ute, station wagons put together a small kitty play pen with room for cat, food, LB. Here is one example. Not sure what brand @Olive & Paula recommended.

A compilation of ideas in Travelling with Diabetic Kitties. Lisa commuted each week with Leo - he hated travelling.