moving to california! need advice on pet transport for my kitty
so i need some direction here as google is failing me on this subject :/ i will be moving to California on July 15 with my very close friend and as we are planning this move we are thinking about the pets. i will not and refuse to leave my cat behind but the problem is she has very small car (mazda RX-8) so its going to be very difficult to have us two, our luggage and baden in the car. and for a cat, as good as he is, its very stressful. he crys the whole time unless hes in my lap but i know thats dangerous plus where would we put the cat box. he could stay in a carrier but hes maine coon so hes bigger than baden and weighs 20 pounds! (hes not fat) so that large kennel will not fit.
so i am turning to you for help on advice and see if theres a company u recommend that will get yoda from AR to CA safely. if its by plane or car please let me know.
also for those who live in CA if u know any nice apartments for about $1000 and is in the middle of the Sacramento city (so i can easily walk to stores and such) feel free to recommend.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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I have traveled a lot over the years with cats. Most are terrible in the car. I would put a leash and collar with id on him and hold him in your lap if there is not room for a kennel.There really is no alternative. Good luck on your move and hope it works out well for you!
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Permalink Reply by Ingrid & Ein on
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Is this a 2 seater car? If there's not a back seat, I don't really see how you could do it. If that's the case, I'd look into renting a car to drive for the move. How long is the drive? You're just going to have to get a carrier big enough for him and weather through it. Make sure he's got a collar with an ID. You can also ask your vet for a tranquilizer but definitely try it out first before the move to see how he reacts to it.
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Just checked your profile----are you coming from Arkansas? Cause, yeah, that's gonna be a tough journey. I haven't traveled that far with a cat myself, but almost all of my family members have traveled cross-country with cats. You just gotta get them in the car and go. I'd get some urinary incontinence pads to put in his carrier. Not pee-pee pads for animals (those have attractants in them) but get the kind made for people. They have no scent added to them. Get them in the Depends section of the store.
I assume you'll be staying over at least one night during your trip. Just be really careful once he's in the motel/where-ever you're staying that he doesn't get out. Set out his litter box and food. Have a syringe (without a needle) to hand feed him water if he's refusing from stress.
And remember you can't leave him in the car if you stop while on the road.
Anyway. Good luck. It'll probably suck but you'll both get through it. Last year my brother and his wife drove their cat 11 hours and he spent the whole drive under the driver seat yowling. But he was fine once they got to their house.
And welcome to California! I don't have any info on apartments but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a place. If you'll be here in time for the Northern California Corgi meet up in San Francisco (June 22) you should come!
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on
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thank you :) her car has four seats but its a sports car so its tiny on the inside but the diaper idea is good. i think i wil give that a try. i talked to my vet and hes going to give me some medicine to help him sleep and i will hold him the ride to a hotel and then set up a litter box. also thanks for the tip on the syringe to give him water as i was stressing out on how to get to drink on the ride there
that seems to be the best option. i looked up a company on people who transport animals and they want 500 for everything which isnt bad but it would be way cheaper to just take him with us then pay them to do it
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Permalink Reply by Marcie on
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My last cat saw more of this country than most people have. He was five when I moved from Maine to New Mexico. The first day of the drive was the worst. He was a great traveler after the second day. I was able to have a good sized crate for him. He preferred having a towel in it to burrow under. Whenever I stopped to gas up or use the restroom I put a litter.box in the crate. I found a rubbermaid container that was the same width as the crate. Take the lid off, put it in the crate, take out and put the lid back on, switching out litter as needed. He was also harness trained so he could get out and stretch his legs occasionally. Always check the motel room for obscure hiding spots before you let him out. I had a tag made special for my trips. It had my contact number plus my mother's number. Now I would also microchip. Ultimately my cat crossed the country eight times. He would meow the first 45 minutes then settle down.
If your cat is 20 pounds would a seat belt system work? I like the idea about renting another car for the trip. You could also ship any luggage that was not absolutely essential to gain space. Have you touched base with your vet to ask about shipping options?
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i have talked to him about it and he said it would be too expensive and a long process to set up a flight for him. i found a company who would ship him by van to california but they want 500 and to save money he said he would give me some pills that will relax him and he will sleep the whole ride until we get to a hotel.
he is microchiped and has all my info along with tags/collar. i do like the harness idea and if we stop i will harness him up and let him stretch or keep a small kennel in the car and put him there for when we get out because im going to hold him on the ride there
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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I think probably the least stressful thing to do would be harness and leash and let him ride on your lap. I'd definitely get him a tranquilizer for the drive though. Flying would work if you have somebody who can drop him off at the airport for you since he will beat you to California. Sacramento has an international airport so finding an airline should be easy. How are you getting all of your luggage/etc across the country? Perhaps the idea of renting a 2nd car or truck wouldn't be a bad idea.
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funds are a bit limited so getting a 2nd car would be too expensive. we are only going to have 1 or two suitcases with are essentials in it along with the animals stuff to save as much room as possible and good news, my vet is going to get me a tranquilizer for him thankfully
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Rae & Fauna on
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I had a 20 hour drive (traffic...it was supposed to be 8 hr) with two cats, two girls, and luggage in a VW Golf during Gustav evacuation. What worked well for my cat was a corgi-sized hard carrier in the back seat, on top of a suitcase so she could look out the window. I put a small litter box in there and a couple of towels. She wasn't happy, but she survived without too much puking or crying. The key to success seems to be being able to look out the window for her. If I put in down in the seat, she gets very car sick. Stopping overnight at a friend's house she could walk around in helped a lot too. Many hotels allow cats and dogs for a small fee.
You might need to UPS a few boxes of clothes to make room for your cat.
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Sounds like that might not work that your cat is a size of a corgi though.
You might want to consider paying someone to fly with her. Southwest only charges $75 for a pet. Maybe one of your friends would like to visit California? I've flown a few times with Fauna as a carry-on pet with Southwest and it was very easy and no-stress.
I sent my boyfriend's dog solo via PetSafe with Continental about 6 months ago. They were very nice and helpful, but she had a super long trip with flight delays and she was really stressed out when she got home. It was $330 to send Lola (45 lbs) one-way on Continental.
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i thought about shipping him but it would be pretty expensive and i would worry about him stressing out to much as hes never been on a plane before
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Permalink Reply by Linda on
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I can't really add much but I would use a harness rather than a collar if you were going to keep him on your lap and I would have him chipped. Also Sentry makes a calming collar. It's all natural and works wonderfully. I had to use it on my Gemma. She was being harassed badly by our new addition. I saw a difference in her within an hour and after a couple of hours she was no longer in hiding from him. She no longer needs it, it got her over the hump tho and I am grateful. It's non-toxic even if a dog decides to eat it. I know from experience, the Sentry help line was amazing and reassuring. They also make them for dogs.
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