I looked around and I don't think we've had a thread on this, but I could be wrong. If you see that this is a duplicate, let me know and I'll take care of it. :)

Ryan and I are probably not going to be moving for awhile, (couple of years) but at some point we will be making a long distance move. (Hopefully to Oregon!)

I find myself curious about the best way to move cats over a long distance. Our boys aren't particularly high strung but I want to do everything I can to make it as stress-free as possible for them when the time eventually comes.

I'll definitely be making liberal use of Feliway at the new residence, wherever it is, but for the actual trip, I'm wondering if it's better to drive them or fly them, and whether or not to possibly ask the vet for a mild sedative.

My driving idea would be to rent a van and put a large dog crate in the back, with a small travel-sized litter box enclosed in one corner, and some blankets/towels that smell like home (and maybe some Feliway spray) and food and water, and let them travel that way.

The only problem is that if we move from Alabama to Oregon (which I really want to do) that's like, a three day drive. :\

What do you folks think?

That's a long way. Have you ever had them stay at a cattery before where they had to stay inside a cage for days on end? That could give you idea of how they might react. Half of the cats I know will meow constantly during any driving, I think it's something about the movement of the car. What are they like in the car?

I think I would just fly them if possible. And by possible I mean reasonably cheap.

I moved with my cat from Michigan to Washington, which was a three day trip. Bijou is a pretty laid back cat, so once we got on the road, I would let her out of the carrier and she slept most of the time on a pillow on top of her carrier. When we stopped for potty breaks I would put her in with some food , water and her litter box so she could go if she needed.

We stayed in pet friendly hotels along the way and I let her run around in the room and played with her for a while each night. She ate very little on the trip and didn't drink much either, but she wasn't all that stressed from what I could tell.

As long as your cats aren't the type that get extremely stressed out on car rides think your van idea would work fine, even for a longer trip. If there's the potential that they might freak out, you could get some tranquilizers from your vet, and wait to see how it goes before dosing them.

This isn't quite the same, but I drive back and forth from albany to my parents house downstate all the time. It usually takes about 2 1/2 hrs. My cats HATE being in the carrier... but in different ways. Monchichi hates to be put into the carrier, but once he's in the car he's pretty chill. Atticus will go right into the carrier, but as soon as he's buckled into the back seat, he starts screaming. The first time we moved up here, it took 4 hrs (traffic! ahh!) and he screamed the entire way. That time, I drugged them both, and Munchie was really doped up on 1/4 of the amt of meds I gave Atticus, who didn't feel it AT ALL! Munchie was driven around a lot as a kitten so I think thats why he doesn't care as much. He's just nervous in new places, hence the meds. So for that drive, I was scared to death that something would happen to Munchie cause he was so drugged, and Atticus screamed the whole way anyway, so I never drugged them again. Now Atticus usually just screams for the first 20 minutes or so, then periodically the rest of the way so I know he's still back there or something. A former client of mine used to drive back and forth from NY to Chicago with her cats fairly regularly. She's rent a large SUV or minivan and just let them loose in the back. Put a litter box/food down and let them roam. She just didn't tell the rental company she was going to have them there. I bought a net divider thing for my car so they couldn't get into the front seat (it can be VERY dangerous to have a loose cat under your feet while you drive), but I've never used it for fear my cats would pee/puke/poop/claw up my back seat while I drive.

... i hope some of that helped...

I drove a long distance with cats once. That sucked.

I hired a pet transport for my second long move.

we moved from michigan to california then three years later from cali back to MI and both times i decided to have my cat fly. it makes me so nervous the day my cat gets dropped off in someone elses "care" to fly across the country, but once i know he's safely arrived at his destination (my friend is happy to love and care for him) i can rest assured and moreso enjoy the cross-country roadtrip. we're getting ready to make the move from MI to AZ and i will fly him again. it is pricey, but with a cat who doesn't enjoy the car it's clearly the best way to go!

Dude I went from CA to NY and gave my cats Benadryl sprinkled on top of Tuna. He slept in a rolled up comforter and was fine as long as the radio was on.

They are tougher than you give them credit for.

I looked around and I don't think we've had a thread on this, but I could be wrong. If you see that this is a duplicate, let me know and I'll take care of it. :)

Ryan and I are probably not going to be moving for awhile, (couple of years) but at some point we will be making a long distance move. (Hopefully to Oregon!)

I find myself curious about the best way to move cats over a long distance. Our boys aren't particularly high strung but I want to do everything I can to make it as stress-free as possible for them when the time eventually comes.

I'll definitely be making liberal use of Feliway at the new residence, wherever it is, but for the actual trip, I'm wondering if it's better to drive them or fly them, and whether or not to possibly ask the vet for a mild sedative.

My driving idea would be to rent a van and put a large dog crate in the back, with a small travel-sized litter box enclosed in one corner, and some blankets/towels that smell like home (and maybe some Feliway spray) and food and water, and let them travel that way.

The only problem is that if we move from Alabama to Oregon (which I really want to do) that's like, a three day drive. :\

What do you folks think?

In a month, I will be flying with 2 cats and my mom from FL to IN. Each cat will go under one of our seats. We plan on asking the vet to give us sleepy pills. It's about a 2.5 hr flight, not including the check ins, the waiting, and the bag pickup at the arrival. I just hope they don't scream in the cabin.

I'll let you know how it goes...

I drove with three cats during our move from Los Angeles to Texas, and my cat Maddie screamed the entire time, until she became almost too hoarse to make a noise. Otherwise they did fine. We let them out of their crates in the motel bathroom so they could use the catbox we brought along, eat, and drink. We didn't give them any sedatives.

I took my cat from the British West Indies to Chicago in one day on two flights. The first part was an hour on a turbo prop and the second a 4.5 hour trip from San Juan to Chicago after a 4 hour layover in the airport (and too much luggage to haul all over the airport). I put her in a soft sided carrier and no drugs. She behaved perfectly, not a single peep from her. When I drove to and from Urbana and Chicago (a 1.5 hour trip), she hated it and meowed frequently.
From my expereince, flying them would be best, but not in cargo, always under the seat. If they must go in cargo, absolutely no drugs. Acepromazine inhibits an animal's ability to regulate their temperature and they can easily die for cold or overheating. If you must give them something to calm them, use Rescue Remedy or Feliway or find another way to get them to their destination. All animals are different and what bothers one, might be best for another.

My last move was across town. It was an all day project. I moved the cat in the carrier into my car first and I was the last to leave. To begin with, he cried for a while, but (the windows were down) by the time I left, he was sleeping soundly. He was fine the whole time since he was asleep most of it. I put him down with the litter box around 6pm. He was himself by the time I crashed for the night. They're really smart critters. I think either way would be just fine.:smitten:

I drive with my cat a 4 hour drive about twice or three times a year. He stays pretty calm. Once he was really moody and screamed for a while so I stopped at a rest stop and let him out of the carrier so he could calm down then I put him back in it.

One time I had car trouble so I was with him in teh carrier for 12 or so hours, once we got to the car repair place I put him in my lap and tried to let him have some food and water. He wouldn't eat. It was kinda scary how calm he was and I just kept worring he needed to get home. Finally my bf got there and picked me up and he got home and returned to normal instantly.

Hi All,

I am going to be in the same situation soon. I am planning to relocate from Chicago to California as soon as I get a job. Dilemma is how should I move the three cats?

It would be more economicial and efficient to just drive them (and my car) out there in one fell swoop. They have been in car trips as long as around an hour locally but nothing this long so not sure how stressed out they would get. One of them I know would meow the whole time - not because she is scared of the carrier mind you but because the carrier impends on upon her freedom to prance about and be nosey. My guess is that she would meow the whole time on the plane too unless she was allowed to trot about the plane and sit in everyone laps. :) She is half Siamese too so you can imagine the weird loud meow she has!

My other two cats meow first when in carrier then give up and lay down and quiet up - don't know whether it is because they are nervous or not. I think they are a bit.

I actually read that is not advisable to drug pets when flying (saw that online on some of the airlines sites). Some airlines will not let smushy-faced dogs fly in the summer because of possiblity of breathing problems. And the drugs can apparently make it worse. None of my cats are have smushed-faces so hopefully that won't apply to them.

My thinking is that even if it is more expensive and less convenient (would have to buy two friends plane tickets so they can take a cat each) that the flying would be still a shorter trip (3 fot 4 hour flight compared to 36 hour car ride) and thereby, less time to be stressed out for both the cats and me. Even though there will be more noise and more people (two of them don't take to strangers well), it will be over quicker which seems better to me.

anyone here who has flown with cats have any suggestions for the airlines to choose?

thanks!
queenfluff

queenfluff -- a think a problem you may have is you'd have to buy 3 airline tickets for 3 people so each could have 1 cat in a carrier under the seat with them, and some airlines have limits to the number of animals who are allowed in the cabin. You certainly couldn't jam 3 cats in 1 carrier for the trip, and it doesn't sound like you want them in cargo!

Well, idk if this varies state to state but my sister just moved with ther dog, and she had to take a special flight becasue they only alow a flight carrying live animals to last 2.5 hours. Then the animal has to be walked and then you fly another two hours. But in general i understand the cargo hold is not a nice place for an animal, so i'd recommend driving. And a sedative. Something mild that just puts your baby to sleep for a few hours would probably help in avoiding a traumatic experience for him/her.

I have taken my cats in the car & on planes, most of the time they don't even realize there was a cat on the plane. It depends on their temperment but I havenever had to give them a sedative.The do get nervous/antsy, etc. it's just animal nature. Think of all the people that hate flying or are miserable in a car after a long period of time.

Good timing on the thread. We took our cats for their first car ride yesterday. My husband and I travel a lot, and while we plan to leave the cats home when possible, we also want to get them comfortable with car travel. We didn't use carriers, but had them on their harnesses and leashes in the backseat with my husband.

The kitten was interested in traffic for about 20 minutes, then he fell asleep. Our older cat was freaked out for the first bit -- he lay down in the travel litterbox on the floor and meowed plaintively -- but after a while he calmed down and climbed onto the back seat. Then he climbed up on the back window and looked out, and that seemed to make him happy.

I'm not sure I would take them on a really long car trip, just because I'm afraid they'd get bored.

I have taken my cats in the car & on planes, most of the time they don't even realize there was a cat on the plane. It depends on their temperment but I havenever had to give them a sedative.The do get nervous/antsy, etc. it's just animal nature. Think of all the people that hate flying or are miserable in a car after a long period of time.


You took him like in your carry on or in the cargo bay?

Took one my cats to the vet today. I asked my vet about traveling with the cats. She recommended to fly them and to not use any tranquilizers. She said she thinks that cats will handle the stress better when they are at their full alertness and the tranquilizers will make them disordinated.

She thought my cat (the most nervous one) would handle the flight pretty well and that the 36 hours car trip would be too long of a stress period. (don't think I could handle it either ...I get nervous just having them in the car for the short trip to the vet)

Oh, she also said NEVER do cargo ..always in-cabin. I think that the cargo is more for animals flying with no human to accompany them or large dogs that won't fit under the seat in a carrier.

I used to work at the zoo and a few times we went to pick up birds that were flown in from other zoos (they go in pet carriers) and they were unaccompanied by humans and I am sure they went cargo. They all arrived OK.

I saw that Continential airlines will allow up to four pets per flight in the economy section for all domestic flights. There were no restrictions on flight time. So as long as there are no other pets flying on my flight I can hopefully get all three on the same plane.

So, I guess were flying! :)

I saw that Continential airlines will allow up to four pets per flight in the economy section for all domestic flights. There were no restrictions on flight time. So as long as there are no other pets flying on my flight I can hopefully get all three on the same plane.

So, I guess were flying! :)

You need to check to see how many animals PER PERSON you can take. AFAIK, cats etc.. can travel in certain sized carriers under the seat in front of you. You are one person, so you get one seat in front of you to put the cat. You need to make sure you, alone, can bring 3 cats in 3 carriers on cabin on a plane.

It is only one animal per person. (the cat carrier counts as one carry-on) I would only put one cat each in a carrier anyhow. So, I will either have two of my friends each take one cat or take three flights separately by myself. I will have to pay for three flights no matter which way I do it.