kitty travel advice

[Lizzy Dorie 777 1]

Hey everyone, we have 2 beautiful cats; Sara, who is 3 and My old girl Katie who is 13. We have taken Sara camping with us twice and Katie once. When we get to where we are going and hook up, Sara settles in by the next day, Katie not so much. I could tell she was not having fun. Well, we only took about a two hour drive to get to where we were going and the first hour was car sick and fussing. I know thats cats for you, but, next year we are planning a 10 day trip to the fort and I'm a bit concerned about them traveling that distance.(about 10 hours). Sara, I think will do ok, but katie, I just don't know. We have a TT, so they have to be in a cage while we are traveling. Anyone been thru this and can give me some advice?

[Otter Spotter aka Debbie 58]

My current babies, blue burmese ages 15 & 16, have traveled with us since they were young cats and are used to it. They have about 10 minutes of "yowling" when we start out & then they settle in for the ride. They love the MH.

My former batch of cats (4 in all) did not get to go camping until much later in life. Three out of four got accustomed to travel and loved our then TT. One wanted no part in it and never got used to the TT. It made life miserable for her and the rest of us. We finally gave up, left the kitties at home, and had a neighbor tend to them when we vacationed.

I think the key issue is Katie's age. Much as we hate to admit it, a 13 year old kitty is a geriatric cat.

Car sickness is not common in cats - especially if they travel in a carrier (which they should). I would take Katie in for a check-up, including blood work, to see if all is well with her. Discuss the car sickness with the vet and see if they can give you something to calm her down before you start your trip.

If the traveling stresses her out too much, it might be best to leave the "kids" home and have someone come in to feed, water, and tend to the litter box. Your last resort (IMHO) would be to kennel them. (Ugh....I almost choke on those words!)

Good luck and let us know what the vet says about Katie.

[Lizzy Dorie 777 1]

My current babies, blue burmese ages 15 & 16, have traveled with us since they were young cats and are used to it. They have about 10 minutes of "yowling" when we start out & then they settle in for the ride. They love the MH.

My former batch of cats (4 in all) did not get to go camping until much later in life. Three out of four got accustomed to travel and loved our then TT. One wanted no part in it and never got used to the TT. It made life miserable for her and the rest of us. We finally gave up, left the kitties at home, and had a neighbor tend to them when we vacationed.

I think the key issue is Katie's age. Much as we hate to admit it, a 13 year old kitty is a geriatric cat.

Car sickness is not common in cats - especially if they travel in a carrier (which they should). I would take Katie in for a check-up, including blood work, to see if all is well with her. Discuss the car sickness with the vet and see if they can give you something to calm her down before you start your trip.

If the traveling stresses her out too much, it might be best to leave the "kids" home and have someone come in to feed, water, and tend to the litter box. Your last resort (IMHO) would be to kennel them. (Ugh....I almost choke on those words!)

Good luck and let us know what the vet says about Katie.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Sara at her age, I think will get used to it, and be a good campin' buddy. I think that my old girl though having never been taken, simply for the fact we've only had a TT now for about 2 years, is probably better off where she is content. That's at home. I hate to leave her that long, but I would rather her be happy.

[Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo..Karla 77]

My kitty is 17. She started traveling with us when she was 10. It took a couple trips but she loves it now and has her favorite perch looking out the window when we're parked.

After you get a clean bill of health from the vet you might try to do some short trial runs around the local area to try and get her more accustomed to traveling in a carrier....after all...the most kitty has probably been in a carrier is to go to the vets? So maybe she associates travel with going to the vet?

If you decided to leave her home you might want to think about leaving both kitties at home. They have been together for three years and would probably miss each others companionship....sometimes when you split them up they even begin a grieving process thinking their companion has gone away forever...this is what happened to my kitties when one had an extended illness and had to stay with the vet for a week.