[Payge]

So as most of you know my Fiance has been working contract jobs while looking for a permanent job. Yesterday his old boss called him and offered him a great job making 60k a year plus a job for me as a receptionist plus being able to live free of rent in one of his houses. We can take the cats with us to live in this house as his old boss is an animal lover as well. The only catch is....its in Reno, Nevada, and were in NC.

Now I know my fiance is excited by this, he's VERY close to his parents and two brothers and they all live in Reno, but im terrified of moving across the country with my babies. It wouldnt be so bad on Envy, shes used to long car trips, but Chaos isnt. And his old boss wants us out there by the end of the month.

So I have a couple questions.

1. We will probably move before Envys spay date and even if we don't I don't want her having just gone through major surgery before we move, it was set up for June 22nd with the humane society, do you think its possible to 'donate' that spay to another animal in need?

2. We need a GOOD vet in Reno, anyone know of any? I love my vet here, my family has been using her since Sam was alive, in fact the first thing I thought when my fiance told me about this was 'Oh my gosh we have to find a new vet!"

3. When ordering the spirit essences how long does it take to be delivered?

4. When driving across the country with two kittens, how long do you go between rest stops? I will be driving the car and Fiance will be driving the truck with our stuff so they will have to remain in the carriers while in the car.

5. Chaos is used to a collar but Envy isnt, is there a way to guaruntee her cat collar will stay on with her I.D. tags?

Thank you in advance!

Regards, a very nervous Payge

 

[nautile]

First off, congratulations to you and your fiancé! It's always a good thing to get a job offer; my husband and I are waiting on one for him.

I've never driven across country with kitties before, but I'll try to answer some of the questions.

1. I would surely think so

2. don't know; never been to Reno

3. don't know again

4. I've heard that you should stop every three hours or so to give them water and see if they need litter box time.

5. For Envy maybe you could try a cat harness. Renton would always jimmy off his collar, but he has never been able to get out of his harness (which has his ID attached). Maybe you could also look into microchipping Envy.

I hope more people can help you better than I can; I tried

 

[Socksipuss]

Well - I can't answer most of your questions but I can tell you about bringing Socks here. It was 19 (!!!) hours of flights and connections and I was terrified! But my vet gave me a pill to make her drowsy and she was fine and didn’t go to the litter box even once (although I tried to convince her to “go” a few times - she just wouldn’t). How long is the drive?

 

[Payge]

Probably going to be 3-5 days driving. We are going to get Envy microchipped before we go. I won't be putting them on a leash and letting them out of the car on the way though, im just too afraid of losing them.

 

[Payge]

Nother question, Envy just turned 5 months old, im concerned about when to spay her now, should I take her to the vet and get it done within the next few days (we may be moving as early as this friday) or wait until we get to Reno and after a week of settling in time get her spayed? I do NOT want her upset any more than she has to be, but I also don't want kittens! I know it's unlikely since shes an indoor cat, and she hasnt had her first heat yet, but ive read enough "oopsy my cat got out and now shes pregnant" posts to be really concerned. I asked her breeder and he said Envys mother had her first heat at 7 months old, dunno if that relates at all to Envy though. Sigh. Help!

 

[Socksipuss]

OK - drugging them for 3-5 days won’t do the trick… Good luck! We are moving to Toronto next month and I am planning to fly with Socks and send my husband with the car and stuff… Now that I think about it - maybe we can drive there together?? how do you guys plan to do it?

 

[CyberPet]

I read a post not long ago about someone who drove by car a long distance. They took daily breaks and booked hotel rooms where they accepted pets. Maybe an idea?

 

[Lilly]

I know alot of vets are saying that it is perfectly ok to spay/nueter earlier than 6 months. The vet that spayed all of my cats said she preffers to spay as early as 2 months. I always thought this was to early for me personally, so all mine waighted. However Jessy was only about 5 months when she got her surgery.

I think envy would be fine to get her surgery now. This way you can do it with a vet you know and trust...and not have to worry about it when you get to Reno.

By the way I am so jelous! Reno! That just sounds so exciting. *looks around at kids and messy house :? *

Good Luck!

 

[tanyuh]

You are supposed to leave June 22nd? I agree, you should try and get her spaying done soon so that she'll be in tip-top shape before you go. I think being in a new home and then getting major surgery would be more traumatic for her. Especially if she is used to long car trips, she should be fine.

I am also glad to hear you will be leaving them in their carriers while in the car. That is a VERY good thing to do. My friend almost lost both of their cats when they were getting out of their moving truck and the cats fell out. *shakes head* I couldn't for the life of me see why they let their cats roam the cabin of the truck..

As far as driving, I have never done it (but will be moving across country next year). I have read that 10 hour trips are fine for your cats without food (not sure about water). Then you should lock them in the bathroom of your hotel at night and let them use the box and eat/drink as much as they want. I think it'll be fine. Might be a little nerve-wracking at first, but your kitties are young - I think they'll adapt. Just try to get Envy spayed before you leave, that's my advice.

 

[nautile]

I read a post not long ago about someone who drove by car a long distance. They took daily breaks and booked hotel rooms where they accepted pets. Maybe an idea?

Here's an interesting resource I found: http://www.petswelcome.com/

It has tips, a list of hotels that welcome pets, and other information.

 

[Ta3339]

www.packthepets.com


is a site our company runs.. has hotels for pets

 

[Jeanie]

I just wanted to congratulate you. I'm sure you'll miss your family, so I hope all works out for the two of you.

Reno sounds like fun! Good luck on the trip. I'm hyper about my cats getting lost too, but I know you'll be exceptionally careful. I haven't traveled with my pets. I get nervous just going to the vet!

 

[Socksipuss]

Payge - thanks to you I am finally finding the courage to think of taking Socks to Canada in our car…
It will take us about 10 hours and I am sure she will not like it but at least that way my husband will not have to drive all the way there and if we both share the driving we can get there in a day instead of two days… I would appreciate it if you can share experiences of trips with the cats Thanks!

 

[Payge]

Socks, when we first got Envy my fiance was working a contract that required him to travel all over the state for one week time periods at each site. We spent roughly two months on the road with Envy, most of these were 3-8 hour drives. In the beginning she cried a lot, we found if we opened the windows she cried more, the only time she would relax is laying on my lap. She was allowed to roam the truck(wouldnt reccamend this especially if youre a nervous driver), and she used the litterbox we had in the back. She finally learned to enjoy it after the first month(roughly 8 3-8 hour trips) When staying at the hotels we kept her in the bathroom, as some of the beds had small crevices under them that she could have hidden in and it would have taken a sledgehammer to get her out. It was also easier to inform the maids not to go in the bathroom this way so she wouldnt be let loose by them.

Weather: if its hot or very cold out I suggest going through the drive-thru, yeah it would be nice to get out and stretch your legs but leaving an animal in a hot/cold car for the time it takes to get food/eat/pay/leave in a sit-down restaurant could prove deadly for your baby.

Water: ice cubes worked great, Envys hardsided carrier had a food/water dish that clipped on the side and we would put an ice cube in there, it usually didnt melt fully, as she finished it before then, and no water spilling on my baby this way!

Stinky poo: We learned the hard way that once in a while Envy had very stinky poo, to counter this we brought along large plastic zip-lock bggies to scoop the mess into quickly and smellessly, if the sight offends you can also put that bag in a non-clear bag after. Garbage bags under the litterbox helped keep the mess down, and were double useful for wrapping the box in when transporting it to and from the car.

 

[Ianthe]

I love Reno! I live about an hour and a half away from there, and we go alot for mini-vacations. I also have friends that live there part time. What part of Reno will you be moving to? Close to the strip? Do you have your house picked out yet? Alot of questions, but I am really excited for you guys

 

[Socksipuss]

Thanks Payge! Your advice is great and it looks like you have thought about everything!! My smile got bigger with every sentence I read!!

 

[Payge]

Ianthe, dunno yet! We only JUST figured out our move date is the 22nd of this month, which would have been Envys spay date heh. My fiance swears his parents vet for the family dog is great so I guess ill be using him to spay my baby when we get there. We are going to rent a trailer instead of a truck so we can tag-team drive/sleep so the trip will take less time.

AHHHHH only 12 days til I move across the country from what has been my hometown since I was 8!!! Man I gotta get packing....meh, i'll start tomorrow. :lol:

 

[ForJazz]

Payge -- I will be in your situation someday. When the time comes I hope maybe I can talk to you about it.

Anyway -- as far as traveling with cats -- Dr Jean says that the night before you leave, you should keep the cats in a room with nothing but their carriers, and a light meal, water, and litterbox. By morning, they should have pooped, and might even be sleeping in their carriers! Then they can easily go 12 hours in their carrier.

OH! And make SURE you don't let your cat free in the hotel room, as you already know, because of the bed thing. You could also request a handicapped room -- the bathrooms are huge!

 

[Socksipuss]

Just a thought - when we brought Socks over she was under the bed for 2 weeks until she got used to the new place so you might want to wait a bit before you "fix" envy just so she will get used to the new place and won't be too traumatized at once. :?

 

[Maleke]

What a fantastic post! My boyfriend and I are also moving across country next year. We are moving from Ontario to Alberta. What we planned to do is book hotel rooms, and just take as long as it will take to get there making sure we give them enough breaks. Good idea about the hotel bathroom at night.....never thought of that!