Cats don’t generally travel as well as dogs do. I’m lucky because Mr. Meow is an exception. He does very well if we give him the freedom to decide between his carrier or roaming around the vehicle. (If we just keep him locked in his carrier he’ll meow constantly like mad until we unlock him.)
And once he can be out and about, he quiets down and generally picks a spot and stays there. Sometimes it’s my lap, sometimes it’s on the seat beside me (if we’re in Wayne’s pickup), or it’s next to his brother Murphy.
But we now know his traveling personality and what to expect from him and how to make the trip more comfortable for him.
If you have to travel with a cat and have never done it before or are looking for ways to make it a pleasant experience for you both, here’s some tips that might help:
1. Use a cat carrier. That way if you get rolling and your cat is the kind to flip out, she will be in a confined area where she can’t jeopardize her safety or yours.
2. Make him as comfortable as possible. If he has a favorite blanket or a snuggle bed that will fit in the carrier with him, put it in there.
3. Talk to you vet about tranquilizers, especially if your cat is the kind to flip out on even short trips to the vet. But follow dosing instructions very carefully. You don’t want to put your cat to sleep forever!
4. Let her roam free IF you know she won’t try to get under your feet and interfere with the pedals or in any other way impede your driving.
5. If you can let your cat roam free and have room to leave a litter box out, great. If not, pack the litter box in the trunk as the very last item. That way you can easily retrieve it when you make pit stops.
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