were leaving in a few months on a 1700 plus mile drive and of course were taking all of our animals with us and not giving them away! anyways i know our two dogs will be okay, they love car rides. but not so sure about our cat, hes never been on car rides besides to the vet and back and thats when he was a baby and he was in my lap. its a long car ride so he cant stay in my lap the whole time and ill be tending to a newborn aswell. so we were thinking about sedating him. has anyone done it before? what would you recommend? any info will help TIA 

Our vet recommended to use a half a tablet of benadryl (sp?) for our dog when we put her on a plane. It made her drowsy but she was quite the whole way. 

I would recommend you putting your cat inside a LARGE dog cage, with a small tub of cat litter & some water. Cats FREAK out when they aren't used to traveling in a vehicle & if you let your cat run free in your car--he or she can either scratch you or run out of your door when you open it!! Also to be on the SAFE side, if you get into an accident! ALL of our pets travel inside a kennel-even our cats.

Hope this helps! 

I would recommend you putting your cat inside a LARGE dog cage

hmm idk if two large dog crates and one medium dog crate, about 4 suitcases will fit in our tahoe, i guess we could always give it a test run to yucca or something...a medium crate would work too right? hes not a very big cat. 

Most bets and air lines tell you Not to sedate your animal. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, in most cases cats and dogs should not be given sedatives or tranquilizers prior to flying. An animal's natural ability to balance and maintain equilibrium is altered under sedation, which can be dangerous when the kennel is moved.

Whether flying as a cabin or checked pet, animals are exposed to increased altitude pressures, which can create respiratory and cardiovascular problems for dogs and cats which are sedated or tranquilized. Brachycephalic or snub-nosed dogs and snub-nosed cats are especially affected.
I drove 2500 miles with a cat that never been in a car except for the vet she did great, i took her out of her cage i felt bed her being in there so she stayed under the seat the whole drive...good luck 

Oh, and we don't sedate our cats... they might talk or cry the first 20-30 minuets, but soon shut up when they realize they aren't going anywhere! LOL Oh, and if you put your cat(s) inside a kennel/cage in your car-you MUST put in a thing of cat litter... when cats stress-out, they WILL poop & pee!! You might also want some air freshener, as your car will smell!! LOL 

thanks for the info though my hubs suggested we make some room in the back put a litter box down, block off the front from the very back and just let him run around in the back..but your right what happens if we do get in an accident 

.a medium crate would work too right? hes not a very big cat. 

I would say yes. Our cats' litter box is a covered one & with it in the crate, it needs the height for it to fit, but if you are using a small/shallow litter box/pan, having your cat in a smaller/medium would also work. Just be sure that there is enough room in the cage for the litter box & the cat. The cat should have enough room that it won't be standing IN the litter pan... there should be extra room in the cage so it's not standing in it's own poop. lol Make sense?? =) 

Most bets and air lines tell you Not to sedate your animal. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, in most cases cats and dogs should not be given sedatives or tranquilizers prior to flying. An animal's natural ability to balance and maintain equilibrium is altered under sedation, which can be dangerous when the kennel is moved.

Whether flying as a cabin or checked pet, animals are exposed to increased altitude pressures, which can create respiratory and cardiovascular problems for dogs and cats which are sedated or tranquilized. Brachycephalic or snub-nosed dogs and snub-nosed cats are especially affected.


were driving this 1700plus miles from california all the way to the other side of the us and stopping in la to see family...hes a Siamese 

NIKI- that part was kinda for ohio_state...Not good to sedate... 

I was pretty scared driving here with our cat. He freaked out when we first started driving but, we let him out, and he just layed on the floor of the car. It took him a minute to relax but he did. Good luck on your move! And it's great to hear your not giving up your animals just because you are moving! 

I would say yes. Our cats' litter box is a covered one & with it in the crate, it needs the height for it to fit, but if you are using a small/shallow litter box/pan, having your cat in a smaller/medium would also work. Just be sure that there is enough room in the cage for the litter box & the cat. The cat should have enough room that it won't be standing IN the litter pan... there should be extra room in the cage so it's not standing in it's own poop. lol Make sense?? =)

yah, it makes sense lol:) his litter box is a little big, we might need to get him another one for the trip. 

NIKI- that part was kinda for ohio_state...Not good to sedate..

oh lol okay 

And it's great to hear your not giving up your animals just because you are moving!

^^^ Ditto 

I was pretty scared driving here with our cat. He freaked out when we first started driving but, we let him out, and he just layed on the floor of the car. It took him a minute to relax but he did. Good luck on your move! And it's great to hear your not giving up your animals just because you are moving!

i'm terrified of driving with two dogs and a cat and a newborn!our dogs will be fine..idk about the newborn or the cat, i hope they do fine...thanks! 

i just cant see giving them up, there kinda like my babies..you wouldnt give up your babies because your moving. 

It really makes me sad when I see families giving up their pets because of a move.

We moved and travel with our daughter and animals all the time. When we moved out here our daughter was 11 months, I know she wasn't a newborn but she did better then I thought. and so did our animals. So I hope that your move goes well! 

So I hope that your move goes well!

thankyou!! 

i'm terrified of driving with two dogs and a cat and a newborn!our dogs will be fine..idk about the newborn or the cat, i hope they do fine...thanks!

Niki I was the same way..it was me, my 6 yr old, a one month old and a cat! It took me three days, I was very impressed how great everyone did. You guys will do great :) 

hubs suggested we make some room in the back put a litter box down, block off the front from the very back and just let him run around in the back.

Yeah, I wouldn't do that if I were you!! If your cat has never been in a vehicle before, it's most likely going to FREAK out & when it does, it will want to run & hide. Just blocking the cat in an area in the truck isn't going to stop it from finding some place else to be!! .... and what if it crawls to somewhere in the truck & the litter box isn't right there & it poops or pees!?! Cat pee STINKS & is VERY hard to get the smell all the way out!!! Trust me on that one... it happened to us, so now we know what to do & our cats always-always ride inside a kennel!! 

I messaged you niki === 

ALL ugs cat's also at times need an owner or closest human 'friend' nearby to reassure them if one travels as in an vehicle etc [maybe if you can stroke or pet it the cat often or sometimes then] 

I've heard that its not good to sedate cats cause it could have adverse reactions and could cause seizures... I was in the same boat as u when we moved here from sc..we just put a towel in the small animal kennel with him and put a sheet to cover light coming in and he slept most of the time we were drivng 

My cat did great on the trip out here (from NC to OH to CA) without any drugs. He hated his carrier so he only stayed in that a tiny bit before we just let him out and he would just sit on the floor or in someones lap. 

when My husband came home from overseas, I traveled from Bakersfield to here with a kitten, I had a little harness that had buckle loops on it. You can get them at petco or petsmart. they're made so that the animal doesn't have to be confined in a cage but they also cant roam the car and get stuck like under the seats and stuff. its had a little moving room on it to they can lay down easily or look out the window or something.