Anyone travel with their cat??

babynurselsa, RN · Nov 25, 2005

Many hotel/motel chains offer rooms for people traveling with pets. Probably cost a little more.

Just let your recruiter know that you will be traveling with pets. You will probably be responsible for an additional pet deposit. I have known many travelers who bring their pets along.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Nov 25, 2005

Vets will sometimes given antianxiety meds, however, they don't always work. Also ask the vet for long-distance travel tips.

Since you're driving....

Keep the radio on a low volume. Loud music will make their nerves worse.

Take plenty of paper towels, an upolstry cleaner, and plasti grocery bags (for the cleanup trash).

Take plenty of terry cloth towels for the Kitty Taxi. Change out towels as necessary, either when they mess on them or if they get too hairy or sweaty.

Take washclothes and a jug of water. This way, if one messes, a "sponge bath" can be given to clean them off with.

Maybe put some catnip in their cages?

Watch their water intake. They can get dehydrated easily when they are worked up.

Try to put the cats within an arm's reach in the car. This way you can reach your fingers through the door and show them you are near by.

When you get into a room, IF they aren't hiding under the bed (you know, the cat's usual way to solve their problems), try to play with them. And maybe try to order food to be delivered to your room so you don't have to leave them.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 25, 2005

this is probably a weird post.... i am planning on starting to travel in january and have 2 cats. i'd like to bring them with me.... obviously i know i'll have to plan on housing that allows them. i live in nj and will most likely be travelling out to ca. i plan on driving. has anyone else driven cross country with cats?!! i dont really know how they would handle it, or how i would for that matter. like i guess youd have to sneak them into a hotel? what about setting up a litter box.... im sure this sounds so crazy, but i really can't figure out the logistics of this! do vets give out like kitty xanax or antianxiety meds for this sort of thing. thanks!!
kristi:imbar

i traveled with a standard poodle. the first thousand miles, she howled constantly except when she was barking. after that, she learned to sleep in the car. :)

the travel company arranged housing for us in a pet-friendly apartment building, and even paid the deposit up front, deducting it from our first pay check. hotels weren't a problem -- only once or twice over the 20 years i've traveled with dogs have we encountered a motel that wouldn't take pets. usually they stipulate that you not go out and leave your pet alone in the room -- so we'd lock them in the car while we had dinner, etc. that's less of a problem in january than it is in july, but even in july there are ways around the problem. never had to worry about litter boxes, but it would sure be much less trouble than walking the dogs in some of the areas we've been in!

ruby (who needs to teach the standard poodle to use a litter box because next time we travel, it will be in a sailboat!:) )

nursekelly217 · Nov 26, 2005

I moved from CA TO MA last year... with my 2 cats. One kitty is very high strung and the vet prescribed valium but gave the warning that it may relax her so much she could "lose her bowels quite often" were his exact words. Needless to say we decided against the feline sedatives. Turns out the cats were fine- we had a litter box on the car seat and the cat carrier open and they went back and forth. The high strung cat liked to sit on the floorboards under my feet (I was passenger, of course!) We fed only when we stopped for the night but had H20 available and they were fine. Good luck!

SFCardiacRN · Nov 26, 2005

I drove from TX to CA with my cat. NEVER AGAIN!!! It nearly killed us both. Looks like some people have done it without problems though. Good luck!

suzanne4, RN · Nov 26, 2005

I drove to Michigan from Arizona with four cats and no issues at all. They stayed in their crates in the car, and allowed out at night in the motel room, that was aover ten years ago and they did just fine.

I travel now with two Yorkies, and you just need to make sure that your recruiter knows that you will need a pet-firendly apt. Funny thing is that it is harder to find a cat friendly apt in Ca, than a dog friendly.

As far as doing the motel thing while driving, Motel 6 takes pets, as well as the the Extended Stay places.

Misty1 · Nov 27, 2005

i traveled with a standard poodle. the first thousand miles, she howled constantly except when she was barking. after that, she learned to sleep in the car. :)
the travel company arranged housing for us in a pet-friendly apartment building, and even paid the deposit up front, deducting it from our first pay check. hotels weren't a problem -- only once or twice over the 20 years i've traveled with dogs have we encountered a motel that wouldn't take pets. usually they stipulate that you not go out and leave your pet alone in the room -- so we'd lock them in the car while we had dinner, etc. that's less of a problem in january than it is in july, but even in july there are ways around the problem. never had to worry about litter boxes, but it would sure be much less trouble than walking the dogs in some of the areas we've been in!
ruby (who needs to teach the standard poodle to use a litter box because next time we travel, it will be in a sailboat!:) )

what company paid your pet deposit? i couldn't take the housing offered by my company because my dog is too big...had to find a place and deposit came out of my pocket

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 27, 2005

what company paid your pet deposit? i couldn't take the housing offered by my company because my dog is too big...had to find a place and deposit came out of my pocket

ppr travel. but we did have to pay it back out of our first check. good luck!

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Nov 27, 2005

I travel with my cat frequently. Before I was a traveler, she was used to 10 hour car rides to visit my Mom.

She fusses at first but once she recognizes that she is not on her way to the vet, she is fine. I have never sedated her for any trips, car or plane. She has flown in an airplane carrier (very small) under the seat on several flights to/from Boston, Atlanta, NYC, Orlando and Tampa. She does not particularly care for flying but it is easier on her (and me) than driving.

It does require many of the same preparations that taking small children would require. She has her own "emergency bag" of stuff that goes with us.

When she was younger, she would eat, drink, and use the portable litter box on car trips. But now she merely finds a comfortable sunny place to nap in the car.

Cats do become more active at night, and I try to arrive at a hotel/destination, before sunset, as she starts to get restless then. I took a trip near the Canadian/Maine border. I could have passed over with her(had fresh vet papers so that she could fly), but my rental car was not cleared to cross. While I sightseed, she curled up under the blankets at the hotel and slept. I generally request "no maid service", unless I am there.

For motel stays, try to bring a few familiar toys, cat bed, etc.

pearldora · Nov 28, 2005

I'm preparing to leave this Sat to drive from KS to Calif w/ my 2 kitties. I'll let you know how it goes. I did get sedatives from the vet, and also certificates of health and proof of vaccinations. I hear they check those in California. I found pet-friendly hotels all along I-80. As said before, most are Motel 6, however, you get into Wyoming, and many places are pet-friendly. Good luck with your assignment! My vet had me go ahead and "test-run" the sedatives on my 2 cats. They both did fine. No poo!

(btw, I was the one who was going to take assignment in Anchorage. I decided not to take it. I wasn't real comfortable w/ the recruiting firm. This assignment is thru RN Network, and I already feel lots better about it. I read positive comments about them on this website.)

texas_chicky · Jan 7, 2006

traveled with my 2 babies (2 cats) from tx to ca in the summer heat...we even stopped in vegas and at the grand canyon. they did great...i was a little concerned about one of them traveling because she meowed on just 3 hr local trips. the vet had a drug company mix up a topical dremamine (sp?) for her because she didn't do well with oral meds....but i never even needed it. after a little time on the road we discovered they did much better out of there cage...slept the whole time next to the cooler, only to pop they head up when we filled up. had litter in a large storage container that only 1 of them used...the other refused to potty until hotel stops. neiter one would eat or drink...not even treats...but offered often. water was the first thing i put down when at the hotel...they would drink for 5 minutes straight. put them in a cute 'kitty bag' with plenty of ventilation if we got out of the vehicle for a tourist stop or a stretch. i was lucky to have my family traveling with me and have a large vehicle with plenty of room for them to roam....wouldn't let the cats in the front seat...only ticked off one of them! well have to say that one of the cats came down with a high fever 2 wks after arriving at my location....vet never found the cause....he related it to stress. benefit of being a nurse though...treated her at home with subq fluids and injections rather than being hospitalized at the vet!!!