Moving Across States with 2 Cats! Help!

We did two moves, from Virginia to San Diego and back, with our two cats. It wasn't too bad.
1. get two cat carriers. Insert cats.
2. Every time you stop for gas or to stretch your legs, let the cats out of the carriers so they can eat, drink, and use the litter box. For a twelve hour trip, I would just get their regular box and put in fresh litter, scoop as needed.
3. They'll probably yowl and protest initially, then settle down for a looong nap. They are cats, after all.
4. When you get to your new destination, let them explore on their own and don't be surprised to find them huddled up in some unusual spots while they get used to it. When we moved, we found one cat huddled behind the toilet and the next one crammed up next to the fridge. I think they liked the enclosed feeling. So maybe leave their carriers out, with the doors open, so they can run in there to feel safe.
It won't be as bad as you think.

If you're not driving, maybe YOU can take a sedative?

I have moved several times with cats and it is not a big deal. Like the other responses, get a carrier and make sure that they have access to atleast water and a litter pan. If you are stopping to sleep at night then make sure to let the cats out of the carrier (I actually used a medium sized wire dog cage when I moved mine but you might not have enough room) make sure that they know where the litter box is.

Just a note on the sedatives. My uncle is a vet and I had asked him about sedatives the 1st time I moved one of my cats and he actually strongly advised against them. Evidently the cat still knows what is going on and is still stressed they just can't do anything about it and he has known several situations where the cat actually ended up having a heartattack from the stress and died. Needless to say I decided NOT to go with the sedatives and my kitties did just fine. :o)

Good luck on your move.

Hi! No sedatives!!!

We traveled with two cats from California to AZ (6 hour trip), then a few years later from AZ to TX (15 hour trip).

We put them in cat carriers that they can stand up and turn around in. We made sure to secure them into the way back of our mini van. They had food and water, but did not eat or drink a thing until we got to the hotel to spend the night. We also bought at Petsmart a disposable littler pan. It has litter in it already.

Our cats were very easy travelers. Before the car trips we moved and they flew from CT to CA! Again, no sedatives.

Good luck and PM me if you have any more questions!

My husband and I traveled across the country from Arizona to Pennsylvania with my 2 cats. We had our Camaro stuffed with everything we owned and squeezed in one cat carrier! We just made sure we stopped to let them stretch their legs (on leashes) and drink water and eat. However, during the 3 day trip they refused to eat, drink or go to the bathroom the whole time!! Even when we stayed at a hotel overnight, they still wouldn't go to the bathroom. They were definitely stressed, but as soon as we got home to PA and in our apartment, they were right back to normal. The first thing I did when we got to our apartment was set up the litter box and put out their food to get things as normal as possible for them. I am almost positive that I did give them a sedative, maybe benadryl. I think that I only gave it to them when we left and not throughout the trip though. That was about 12 years ago so it is hard for me to remember. I would make sure you have a carrier for them though. Either one that they can both fit in or two separate ones. It will be safer for them and for you instead of having cats crawling around the car! They will be fine, don't let yourself worry and have a safe trip.

We moved from Massachusetts to Michigan with a stuffed pick-up truck and 3 cats all in separate carriers. It ended up being a 12 hour road trip and the cats did fine - no sedation needed. A friend of mine moved a few times long distances with her 7 cats - she would get a hotel room for the night, bringing food, water, and litter boxes, so they could all catch a break.

My mom and I drove across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and to PA to move my cats from my Chicago-area appt to my parents' central PA home -- it is a 12 hour drive. It wasn't bad -- we let the cats have free reign of the minivan though and put a small pan of little in a place where it wouldn't move around-- 1 cat explored the back, the other stayed put in his travel carrier bag. No sedatives and it wasn't so bad (one cried almost the whole 12 hour trip though!). Once you get to the place you are moving into, keep the cats confined to a small area for a while (a day or 3 in one room) and gradually let them explore at their own pace. It helps with their anxiety for a new place.

When I moved, I bought a couple of harnesses for cats (I had 2 cats too) so that I could take them out for fresh air every couple of hours. One had to stay in her crate the entire time, or she would flip out. The other was calm about it, and once she settled down she was able to come out and ride on my sister's lap. We would stop at a rest area and let them out to stretch whenever we did. We put dishes of water in the crate with them (the kind that attaches to the door) but only a little bit of water so it wouldn't spill.

I agree with the mothers that say no sedatives... unless your cats are very very anxious.

When you get where you are going, I would leave the crates accessible to the cats somewhere fairly secluded.

We moved across the country with two cats several years ago. It was a four day trip. We bought one big cage (like the ones they sell for big dogs) for the two of them and put it in the back seat. We had a little litter box and food and water in there with them. Neither of them ate, drank, or used the litter box the entire time they were in the car. In fact, one of them just sat on the litter box like it was his bed for the whole trip but didn't "go" in it at all.

This is moot for you for a 12-hour trip, but we stopped in motels every night and brought them in with us. Then they would attend to all their bodily needs.

We didn't sedate them and didn't have any problems. Getting them to take the pill would have been more trouble than it was worth. The only issue is that one of the cats was car sick and was foaming at the mouth because of it. Kind of gross and freaky, but not a big deal otherwise.

Good luck.

I haven't read the other answers, but we have done two cross country moves with three cats- NC to AZ and then AZ to PA. Both moves took 2-3 days. Make sure you have a copy of their records with you, microchip information if they have one just in case. I used carriers large enough for a very small litter box- I used the 9x9 aluminium pans that you can toss and had extra ones to replace with. Also extra bedding for if and when it gets messy. One of our cats travels well so she gets no medication. The other two get medication because traveling is very stressful for them and they get two different ones. I would do a test run of a 30-45 min car ride with the medication as directed and see how they do. Talk to your vet if doesn't work.

Added:
It took trying 3 different dosages and 2 drugs before I figured out worked best for one of them. He normal vomits, poops and pees if he in the car more than 5 minutes, so drugs were a must for him. He was also in a medium dog carrier and had a 9x13 litter box in there. Neither cat was sedated enough that they could not move. Both could get up and walk around in their carrier and did as they wanted, they were just sedated enough that they were calm.

I am a little parnoid about traveling and they all travel with a cat harness and leash in their crates with tags and tags on their collars for the just in case. At rest areas in the mroning and evenings I changed their litter boxes and fed them. I kept them in carriers, since otherwise they would have been every where probably and the carriers are safer. I also had battery powered fans since we were traveling when it was warm, that way if we stopped the fans were on them. I tdidn't want the windows cracked much, even if it was just a quick run in to go the bathroom or when we were sleeping at night, so the fans were great. We slept in the car at rest areas since we had the crew as we call them. In addition to the 3 cats we were traveling with a dog and several containers of live fish.

We are gearing up for our next move soon and will do all the same as before. At least this one is just to Ohio, but we now have a baby to take too.

We moved from South Dakota to Virginia with 2 cats. Ditto everything Sara G. said.

I had a close friend take the cats to the airport once I was settled at my new location and they flew direct to my closest airport. It was a 3-hour flight.. we just followed the airline rules and had them checked at the vet's beforehand. It was the least stressful way to do it for them... plus when I did it it was cheap (something like $50 because they flew as cargo). I was so happy to see them when I picked them up!!! They did great.. tired, scared, peed in the crate but that's all fixable. Their spirits lifted within days.

Sounds like some good advice that you have gotten. I would recommend using something to sedate them even if you think that they would be ok. Help keep the stress at bay. Also would recommend that you first try the drug BEFORE leaving for the big trip. You don't want any surprises. I'm a big fan of benadryl too. Try using a product called Feliway when you get to the new place. http://www.amazon.com/Feliway-Plug--Diffuser-Refill-Milli... Try and have your furniture and some belongings at least in one room of the new place with the diffuser set up for them until you are settled in the other parts of the new place. It won't be so overwhelming that way. Cats can become really narcotic when things change so go slowly. Cats can become stressed when moving and start to go potty all over the house, lick hair out and cry all night long.
Hope you have a good move for all of you :)
C.

I just asked my sister - she is on the phone with me now :)

My sister moved from TN to KS with two cats - she says "kitty drugs!".
She put the back seat down in the car and put a disposable litter pan in the car, with food and water, and she let them roam free in the car.

It worked out fine - they had a good trip.

Good Luck and God Bless

Yes and further. We have moved from GA to CA and CA to IN. My advice is not to go with the seditives if you can. The cats will object for a while and then settle down. If you sedate them you will have to control their body tems as they can not regulate that while sedated.

We got medium dog crates. They take more room but they have room to move around. Put a towle or blanket in the bottom of each one, and make sure you have extras as they may end up peeing or pooping on them. Sedated or not stress can cause this along with drooling.

At each break we would offer food and water and treats. (they usually refused) at night we would take them in and let them loose in a pet friendly hotel. One note though make sure that you can catch them again. Make sure you can move all the furniture and there are no little holes that you can weasle themselves into. We made this mistake once and it took an hour to get one out from behind a dresser that was bolted to the ground.

They do well.

I would recommend Benedryl instead of a sedative. It will make them sleepy and if they are vocal like my cats, it might save your sanity. They will be stressed but they will be okay!

I'm a few months behind but maybe it can help someone!!

We've moved twice with cats... the first time from California to Kansas, a 24 hour drive, with 4 cats and I don't think we used any form of tranquilizers, and it was awful. One of our cats was so nervous she pooped in the backseat!

Six months ago we moved 16 hours away, drove it all in one sitting, with 2 dogs and 3 cats in a Ford Mustang that was also packed down with a bunch of our stuff that the movers didn't take!! The dogs travel well anyway. One of our cats will lay on the floor board on the passenger side and just ride along, no meowing or anything. The other 2 we got tranquilizer pills for because they can't be in a car without freaking out, moving or not! The sedatives were amazing, and if kept in a kennel, they feel pretty content and safe, I guess. Good luck if you haven't already moved, and if you have, I hope it went well!!

We moved our cat 2,500 miles and did use a sedative b/c we had to fly with her. So you know the pills were a nightmare so 2 years later when we moved back the vet gave me a liquid sedative that I could squirt into her mouth. It was less drama for everyone.
I know that may not qualify as an "other suggesstion" but I hated shoving the pill down her throat the first move and she would spit it back up and then I didn't know how much she had had etc. I think I paid $10 more for the liquid version and it was worth it.

I had a similar situation, when I went to stay at my sisters a couple years ago. I was going to bus, depending on time of day it would be 14-18 hours, too long I though, for my cat. I opted to fly out, with him in cargo ($50) a one hour flight. He didnt seem to mind, but he's a good natured boy. If I were driving that far, I think I would again opt to fly the cat.. I couldnt stand listening to a cat yowl and carry on for that many hours.

Yes, I've done it and I'd get a cat carrier so that they don't get under your feet. You might also want an ipod with ear buds! Take a litter box and be sure they don't get out of the car or hotel on their own even if they are outside cats. Once you have moved I think you have to keep them in at least 3 days so that they get their bearings straight and know where to return to....... at least that was the advice from the vet 20 years ago. LOL!

We moved with cats for a 12 hour trip a couple of times. The first time, we sedated them. They were so still it freaked me out. I kept waking them up to make sure they were alive! I will never do sedatives again. After that time, we kept them in their carriers while the car was moving. Periodically, they would howl, so it was a little disconcerting while driving, but eventually they calmed down. We played music to help soothe them. When we stopped for meals, one of us stayed in the car while the cats roamed in the car (my cats will not take a harness; they just fall over). After the meal, they went back into the carrier.

While they were out, we supplied drinking water and food and litter, but they were more interested in exploring. Except for taking a little water, they ignored it until we arrived at our destination.

And, as someone already mentioned, they were kept in a single room while we were unpacking everything and arranging furniture. Once it was settled, then we let the explore the rest of our new home.

Another time, the cats stayed at my parents until we had settled everything. Then, when we visited my parents for Christmas, we brought the cats back home. With all the hassle of moving, it was much easier to handle them on their own trip.

Good luck!
P.

Do not let them roam free in the car-why risk the accident?!

Do not leave them in the car even with the windows cracked. When I did it (WI to CO), we took turns staying with them even at rest and food stops. It gets deathly hot, fast, in a closed car.

Good luck!