moving cats

[knittingkitten04]

Does anyone know anything about moving cats? We have 2 cats that we will be bringing with us from Nottingham to Thurso when we move and I am a little worried about taking them on such a long journey (will take us approx 12 hours). I have had some info from our vet but didn't find it all that useful.

Any suggestions as to either how to make the journey a little easier for them, and/or how I cope for 12 hours with 2 cats howling in the back of my car??

[mackenzieremovals]

http://www.best-cat-art.com/cat-travel-tips.html

[sintra307]

number 1 above all in case of escape cos it can happens make sure your cat is chipped and have the details with you just in case.

i have to transport my cat to and from essex at least twice a year and he hates it and we hate the occassional pathetic howling but we all survive.

all depending on which motor i use he either travells in his soft carrier which we got from pets at home or luxury he gets the dog cage and a bit more room to move about but i think he prefers his soft cage. we always get nasty looks from him and he is very vocal but once we arrive we put his litter tray out for him even before we have a cup of tea and hes happy and within a very few moments everythings settled and hes sniffing around and exploring and back in love with us.

our trip usually takes around 20hrs and weve never had a problem so i think you will be ok.

good luck with your move up here. you are about to change your life forever you will not want to go back. its lovely.

[knittingkitten04]

Thanks for that, really reassuring.

Can't wait to move

[Dadie]

I dont envy you on that one...
would your vet give you travel sickness meds or a sedative for them as its such a long journey?
When you get here only let them out in 1 room to start with with their litter tray/food etc and no escape routes!
gradually let them get used to the rest of the house but its best not to let them out for a few weeks, and ,when you do only let them out for a short time before you feed them as they will come back in more readily for their dinner
A DAP diffuser could help with their stress levels too.... LIZZ knows more about them!

[sintra307]

yes i quite agree with the no escape routes and the one room but i have never given mine any drugs you know your cats they may need something because car travel is not normal for a cat. my cat is a big scardy cat and he doesnt go out even with all the doors open but yours may well be frightend only you know their personalities and im sure you will get it right just remember cat tray first thing you do after arriving because they will be bursting. lots of cat nip too.

[Dadie]

*laughs*
I only suggested a sedative because my cat doesnt settle at all in the car.....and the 10-15mins it takes to get to the vets seems like a lifetime.
He goes mad yowling and trying to battle his way out the carrier even though he will happily sleep in it at home.... dont know if he could keep that up for 12hrs but after 10 mins im frazzled!
I was thinking if it was my cat, he, would need sedating to keep him calm.

[teenybash]

Over the next couple of weeks, before the Big move you could do some test runs. Simply put the cats into their travelling carriers and go out for short drives to start with and lengthen up to about an hour.
They should do fine when you move and provided they have access to plenty of water should arrive safe and sound. Best wishes for your new life in Caithness.

[Commore]

Does anyone know anything about moving cats? We have 2 cats that we will be bringing with us from Nottingham to Thurso when we move and I am a little worried about taking them on such a long journey (will take us approx 12 hours). I have had some info from our vet but didn't find it all that useful.

Any suggestions as to either how to make the journey a little easier for them, and/or how I cope for 12 hours with 2 cats howling in the back of my car??

Our cat sat on my lap, for the better part of a two day journey,
lots of breaks and wee walks on a lead,