{"id":258,"date":"2019-01-14T03:03:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T08:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messysuitcase.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/14\/road-trip-with-cats\/"},"modified":"2019-01-14T03:03:00","modified_gmt":"2019-01-14T08:03:00","slug":"road-trip-with-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/messysuitcase.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/14\/road-trip-with-cats\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Road-Trip with Cats"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We have taken our three cats — Ellie, Equinox and Kaylee — thousands of miles in a 2015 Toyota Tacoma over the past three months. <\/b><\/p>\n

These are ordinary cats who hate going to the vet. Yet they have road-tripped successfully across the country from Colorado to Pennsylvania, then PA to Vermont, then VT back to PA, then the big one: PA to central Mexico.<\/p>\n

The ultimate destination for this marathon road trip is Tlaquepaque<\/a><\/b>, near Guadalajara, which is still 250 kms away from where we are right now. (We are waiting to finish the trip until the gas shortages resolve enough for us to get the gas we need to make the final journey.)<\/i><\/p>\n

In the meantime, as we all roost at a sweet little AirBnB apartment in Leon, I’d like to share a few tips about traveling with cats.<\/p>\n

\nTips for Traveling With Cats<\/span><\/h3>\n

\nAdvance preparation is key<\/span><\/b>
\nIntroduce your cats to their cages well in advance so they can form a positive relationship. We put the cat cages out in the family room two weeks before the trip and placed our cats’ food bowls inside at mealtime, to give them a positive association with the cages. When it was time to leave on the trip, they got in happily. (This only works once.)<\/i><\/p>\n

Expect them to hate it<\/b><\/span>
\n“Put me in a cage for 8 hours and I will sit and not complain,” said no cat, ever. Expect a lot of yowling and complaining. Expect them to have accidents and to occasionally vomit from the motion of the vehicle.
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<\/b> Visit the vet in advance<\/span><\/b>
\nThe vet gave us ideas for reducing cat anxiety, including kitty valium and anti-nausea drugs. The nausea stuff helped Equinox but the valium made it worse for Ellie. But we also made sure they were up-to-date on their shots and in good general health, and got their claws trimmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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The cats with their favorite handler, Lexie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Keep your expectations low<\/span><\/b>
\nDon’t expect your feline companions to travel as long as you can. After all, humans can stop every couple of hours to stretch their legs, have a snack, and use a bathroom. Even dogs can get out of the car to exercise a little and relieve themselves. But cats are stuck in a tiny cage for the duration. No bathroom breaks. No chance to stretch, or even stand up. So don’t expect them to last 12 hours a day just because you can.<\/p>\n

We learned this the hard way on the first leg of our journey, Colorado to Pennsylvania. Bob was trying to power-drive across the United States and the cats let him know in no uncertain terms that any more than 10 hours on the road was decidedly NOT<\/b> OK with them. First, Equinox had diarrhea just an hour and a half into the first leg of the trip, which was a portent of things to come. The next day, poor Ellie, a fastidiously private litter box user, let out a long, throaty, almost otherworldly groan of embarrassment as she peed in her cage after 10 hours on the road. Every day for the first four days, at least one cat vomited in a cage.<\/p>\n

Kaylee, the scaredy-cat at home, turned out to be a natural traveler. She never cried, peed or pooped; she was a perfect little angel in the car. She just hid in hotel rooms. (More on that later.)<\/i><\/p>\n

So we had a family meeting and agreed: 8-hour limit, if possible. That’s nice for humans, too, because perhaps we can get a run in after eight hours on the road, or do some yoga, or move in some way to compensate for all the hours sitting in the truck.<\/p>\n

Be prepared on the road<\/b><\/span>
\nHere’s our advice for some advance moves to make to ensure success on the road with your cats:<\/p>\n