[elysian fields]

hello everyone,

i'm new here. i'd just like to ask u all, if any of u, like me have a travelling cat?

pickles is my first cat. i've always wanted one and about this time last year my partner and i finally found ourselves in a settled enough lifestyle to get a cat. we went to the local cat sanctuary and came home with a tiny, gorgeous little ginger kitten who had been abandoned.

i've always been told that cats do not travel well but i spend a lot of time travelling between my and my parents home (200 miles away).

we decided to try taking pickles in the car with us on short runs around town to get her used to being in the car and found that she loved it. so we thought we'd take her home with us next time. she had a great time. and loved my parents garden.

she is now a year old and a seasoned traveller. she spends time with me in the car and a week in tjhe country and then time in town at my house. we even take her to my parent's holiday house by the sea in the summer.

i would never have forced travelling upon her if she didnt like it. but we often find that she will jump into the car expecting to go on holiday if we're just going to the shops and we have to shoo her out.

has anyone else ever experienced such behaviour? is she unusual?

personally, i think it has a lot to do with conditioning. most cats will hate going in the car because the only time they ever do is for a visit to the vets.

look forward to hearing from u all...
jenny
(Preston, England)

 

[VegasCats]

Once in a great while, a cat likes to travel in the car too much.

Many years ago my first wife & I went to a breeder's house to buy a lovely Siamese kitten. Upon driving away with our new little friend, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a big startled cat sliding down the rear window! I immediately stopped the car, got out and put the cat inside and drove back to the breeders.

According to the breeder, this cat loved to ride in the car and routinely jumped on the car roof (well, any car, it turns out) awaiting a trip. The "traveling cat" was safely returned to its home, but that was really a funny sight in the rear view mirror!

 

[elysian fields]

travellers

oh those are both really sweet stories.

thanks for your replies.

 

[Bengalsownme]

I think you did it the right way by taking her to town on pleasant trips. I believe conditioning plays a major role. Cats are very intelligent.

 

[Tiber]

Tiber goes everywhere with me.. It really is about conditioning. I kinda got him on short noticed, and had a camping trip planned shortly after we got him. He did wonderful. He doesnt mind being tied to a leash. And we even took him on a small motor boat and down on the docs. He loved looking in the water. At first he was a lil scared, but by the end of the trip he got brave enough to start walking on the edge of the boat!!! I had to nip that in the bud quickly! And it was great because the place we stayed at took care of the local strays, and they had two kittens (since they've been trying for months to capture the momma cat and get her spayed), that wouldnt let people touch them, but they came out to play with tiber!

Since I live in the city and have no car, I take tiber on the bus with me when i go to visit my parents. He just sits on the seat next to me watching everyone. We also go on the Ferry boat. He always gets many comments, and the occasional "is he a bob cat?!?" Sometimes we'll just take the bus and wander around the waterfront of downtown seattle. So he can look at the seagulls and pikeplace market.

Oh and he's just fine in cars.. he jumps in the back ledge part and just watches the world go by, or sleeps.

 

[lexxie109]

That's really neat that your cat doesn't mind going for rides in the vehicle. My family and I move quite often and my kitties don't seem to enjoy the ride at all. They usually meow when we start out but soon they settle down and fall asleep.