Transporting a cat for a 12 hour car ride, please help!?

Question

So we might have a hurricane headed our way and the possibility that we are going to be evacuated is probable because we are in a flood A zone. If we get evacuated out of state to our safe haven we have decided that we are going to take the family cat with us, rather than sheltering her.

I need some suggestions on how to keep her comfortable and how she can use the restroom as her carrier isn't very big to house a litter box.

My MIL suggested a kitty harness and buying a compact litter pan so when we stop we can try to get her to use the restroom. Does this sound like the easiest way to do things? We are going to be traveling in a regular car so we won't have a ton of room.

Thank you so much!

Answer 1

yes that sounds like the easiest way

also just putting her in a travel cage will blankets and farmiliar toys is good too

make sure that she cant see you though because then she will start to meow

everytime you stop you should take her out and talk to her (which should be often) and try to get her to use the bathroom

good luck!

Answer 2

Yes I would definitely take her with you, while she will be stressed either way, if she is with her family it should help her to have something familiar. Often times the stress of the hurricane itself and the stress of being in a kennel with tons of other stressed cats and dogs can do horrible things to a cats mind and personality.

Bring a small pet carrier she can go into in case she needs to feel secure, you can put a blanket or towel in there from your house to make it seem more like home. Bring some of her toys if you can, and yes, get a small litter box and leave it somewhere in the car that is sort of secluded (at least my cats like to go potty in private) so she can take care of business. Make sure she knows where it is at. Often times when we travel with cats, we put the litter box in the trunk, and we have one of the seats down to the car so the cat can go back there to do their thing. But with space being an issue you might not have that luxury.

Most of all please make sure she has her ID tags and I like the idea of a kitty collar. I would hate for your cat to get scared when you stop and run away or anything :(

Good luck!  

Answer 3

Yup, you can also try to swing by your vet and pick up some sedetives....  

Answer 4

Sounds like you have a good plan, but be very careful not to let her escape!

You might also consider bringing a bunch of towels.  This will provide a nice cushion for her, and you can just switch them out if she potties in her carrier.

Answer 5

Getting some Feliway and spraying it inside the carrier has been known to be effective in having a calming effect.  You really want your cat alert, so no tranquilizers.  If your cat is zoned out, and the carrier gets bounced around (i.e. a sudden stop in traffic), your cat could get hurt.

Many cats can easily hold it for 12 hours and not need a litter pan.  In the event of an accident, a heavy towel in the carrier bottom would work.  If you use a harness, get a figure 8 harness, but she may not want to use the litter pan on your schedule.