[yayi]

Just want to know how many of you brought your cat/cats along in trips?And how you managed to do it?Of my three cats only QT has gotten used to the leash (but she won't tolerate it for long)and my other 2 have to be cramped in their carriers (poor girls) or stay behind to be taken cared of by strangers (well, in this case all 3 are left behind).
Thanks!

 

[comiskey]

My cats are great on trips; they're no problem, whatsoever. I thought I might have to use leashes but cats hate those and, luckily, there's never need. It really is remarkable. It's as though they are right at home on the sofa. That would be the one which is shredded at each corner. Of course, on the plane I have to put them in the carriers, poor things, but they don't seem any the worse for wear for having lived through the experience.
Although, I'll tell you they're sure glad to get out when we land. They're used to going on long trips now that I'm retired. We just put them in the back seat and they are perfect little angels. The 'cedes is really quiet and after ten minutes they go right to sleep (just like someone else I know, i.e., my better half.) We drove from Key West all the way to Richmond, Virginia, and they only got antsy one time. That was in North Carolina.
I'd gotten a flat and, as I was going out to change it, they started mewing, loudly.
I thought they were either hungry or thirsty but my wife said they had to go. She "suggested" I put the leashes on them and take them with me. I didn't want them getting run over but she insisted (Mother knows best). To my surprise, they just walked around a little and then they laid down,
docile. So, against my better judgement, I let them loose and they didn't bolt like I'd thought they would. It was remarkable. Batman went down off the shoulder but stayed in sight. Kitty (my little Paladin) stayed near me and went right there with all these cars whizzing by at 70+ m.p.h. These cats aren't afraid of anything. They chase dogs. Well, anyway, everything was o.k. What a relief. I know this probably didn't answer your question but I thought I'd share, anyway.
p.s. When we got back in the car I didn't have a drop of blood left in me. I was wearing a tank-top and shorts and I now had bites, "a-a-all over my body," like Jonathan Wiinters used to say. I've never been so mosquito bitten in my whole life!

 

[kitkat]

I havent taken my cats for a road trip yet but we occasionally take the cats for a ride in the car, mostly at night when theres not that many cars around and they Love it. They will perch their little heads near the door ledge and look around in wonder. Most of the time they are content and just look around and Twinkie just lies in the back seat mostly. I just put them in the carrier and let them out once Im in the car. Surprisingly they are very good in the car :wink:

 

[cmaijer]

My two older cats never went anywhere except the vet and twice to the lake. They aren't good travelers because of that.

Our youngest, who is 4 1/2 months loves traveling between home & the lake. She either lays in my arms the entire 3 hours (she's verrrrrry spoiled) :lol: or she lays either on the floor or in her bed. I've never put her in a carrier yet. She goes to the vet loose.

We are planning on taking her with us when we go to FL at Christmas since we are driving. That will be very different since it is about an 18 hour drive. I am going to take Ming to Petco and try on leases and try to get her used to walking around with a leash. In fact, I need to do this this week and try to walk her around at the lake. I don't want to let her loose when we stop at the rest stops on our way down to FL.

Starting her out traveling was the best thing we could do so that she doesn't get like the other cats. In fact, we had her on our boat two weeks ago and she liked that too. Not as much when she got too close to the edge and fell in!

 

[Gibsonsmom]

Gibson traveling

We got Gibson about a year ago from a local shelter. From the day we got him he loved riding in cars. He really doesnt like having the cat carrier (only time we use it is when we take him to the vet). He also does very well on the leash, he knows its the only way he gets to go outside. But when we take him on a trip, the ride generally last around 8 to 9 hours. He always sits in the passengers lap on top of a pillow. My suggestion would be to just drive your cats around the block or two and try different things that work best for you cats. There are cat seatbelts that you can get that prevent them from roaming if your worried about that, or you can keep them in a krate. I would also suggest that you have access to a travel litter box, we just just a semiflat rubbermaid container with a lid.

 

[yayi]

Thanks everyone! A trip far from home is lacking in fun when I have to leave my darlings behind (even if it is for a short time).

 

[Jeanie]

I'm very cautious. I never let my cat loose in a strange place. I'd use the leash.

 

[lili]

Traveling with cats ... by airplane

Hi everybody ! We need your help …. please.
We have 2 cats : Bijou and Betty.
We’ll travel this year from Europe to Canada (one way trip) … by plane.
We would like to transport our cats as hand luggage …. without sedation.
We need advice about :
- an airline which allows 2 small pets in the cabin
- the carrier (what should I put on the bottom of the carrier … you know …the smell and everything …)
Any advice is welcomed. Thank you very much !

Lili and the family (daddy, baby-Dan, Bijou and Betty)

 

[kfny]

I came to this forum looking for answers to the question of taking the kitty as a carry-on traveler. Since then I found the answer by looking up airline "pet policies" as general search words on the internet. You may want to start by looking up your airlines of choice and going from there. You can then call the airline reservation department directly for details. I was given the size specifications required by the airline I decided to travel with, and was given alot of information which was very helpful, such as document requirements and such.

As for keeping the carrier fresh, you will need moisture proof disposable liners. I ordered both an airline regulation carrier and "wee-wee pads" from petguys.com at very economical prices.

Bon voyage to you and your kitties

 

[Superkitties]

I only have experience with car trips so far, so I'll share that. 6 hrs drive each way, and the kitties were all in carriers. Everyone was ok, no noises or crying. After an hour, we opened the doors on the carriers. Ginza was very happy to stay in the carrier, Kayla laid down on the back dash and stayed there looking or sleeping. Mozart laid in our laps and slept most of the time, or looked out the side windows.

I kept food from them 5 hrs before the trip. I had a bowl of water in the car for them, but no one cared. I stopped once to put a litterbox on the back seat for anyone to use, but no one cared. When we had to make our own stop, we put all the cats back into their carriers first, then took turns, so someone was in the car all the time.

The minute we got to our destination, we put out new water and the litterboxes. Everyone went right away, so I know they were holding it.

 

[drjean]

www.ramblincat.com has fabulous info on traveling with kitties.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[AnnaR6]

This is great Dr. Jean, thanks!

 

[Jeanie]

Superkitties, I think it's amazing that your cats "held it in" until they were at an appropriate place! Clever kitties.

 

[bluey]

I dragged my poor boys all over the place a couple years ago, and they are terrific travellers. Though some people might not think this is cool, I always have them travel in the same carrier, despite it being a bit cramped. Why? Because they have grown up together, and it was my opinion that they would less frightened if they had each other there for familiarity and comfort.

In the car, they are fine so long as they can see me, though I had to be really careful about making sure the car is cool and well ventilated. They didn't like planes so much. One time they got stuck with a HUGE dog in another carrier. Rumor had it that that meowing/barking could be heard clearly up at the front of the plane.

As for airlines, if you are going west, Westjet is excellent. They didn't charge an arm and a leg for them (ie: no freaking $200 PER like some US airlines), and they treated my boys like they were special passengers, cooing at them and labelling the carrier so everyone could call them by name.