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Old November 11th, 2004, 11:35 PM
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Travelling with a cat - Unsocial Cat

**UPDATE**

Mrs. Norris did wonderful on the car trip to Sacramento from Los Angeles. She was quite vocal for the first five minutes or so but I hooked her harness up to the seat belt and she ended up sleeping on the floor behind my (driver's seat.)

Our arrival was OK. She was scared and remained under my bed and didn't want to come out. By the next day she was coming out and she ate and used the litter box just fine. She also kneaded my head and began to purr. Today (day 4) she is playing with my mom, my sister and my dog. She loves the birds. She just likes to look at them for a bit. She has also found her favorite sofa. We haven't seen any mice, so we think they left when Mrs. Norris arrived. We will be going home in a week. For those who celebrate, please do enjoy your Thanksgiving.

**END UPDATE**

Ok. A few concerns here. Mrs. Norris is now terrified to leave the house. I think she is traumatized from the 3 injection visits, spay, and stitch removal from the vet. Anytime I take her out even if it is with me to grab a quick bite to eat she shakes, and growls like a dog and will not let me go. I console her and pet her and talk to her but she still acts like that.

I am going home for the holidays and she is coming with me. So I have been taking her to my cousins house so she can let off her tense. But it has been four visits and she growls at people (like she has to the vet) and won't let me go. She is scared of their cat and dog. She won't take likings.

I go home in a week and I have my dogs and birds there. My mother also advised me that they have been battling field mice but she has pet safe traps.

So my concerns are how is she going to adjust to all the new faces for a whole week. How am I going to train her to not want to eat the birds. And what shall I do about the field mice....I know she is going to want those.

I am stressing out and need some ideas. I don't even want to think about the eight hour drive. And leaving her is NOT and option.
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Last edited by MrsNorris151; November 23rd, 2004 at 01:27 AM. Reason: UPDATE
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Old November 11th, 2004, 11:48 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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You say that leaving her is not an option. This cat is NOT going to adjust to travel, new places, people, other cats and dogs, etc.

By taking her, you are going to stress her to point where she may become very ill. Cats are not like dogs, and do not like going places with us and they do not like change. Some of them are very easily stressed as well, and cats do NOT handle stress well and are subject to rhino and other related illnesses.

Your cat is already highly stressed by you taking her out with you. I would not be doing that either. You say she is already traumatized yet you continue to traumatize her further to the point where she is shaking and growling. Why must you take her when you go out to eat?

If you want a pet you can take places, I suggest you get a dog or a little kitten and start doing that from day one, but even that is no guarantee the cat will continue to enjoy this.

If you cannot leave her in her home and have someone come in to take care of her, you need to find a kennel that caters to cats and leave her there. It's not the best solution, but it's better than what you are proposing to do.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 12:05 AM
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The thing is that I am a student and I cannot afford a kennel. I am already too attached to her that I cannot leave her. She feels like a baby to me. And being a student I have to go home with my family because I do miss them. I go home for a week during thanksgiving and then for a month during winter break. Everyone is waiting for her because I found her during the summer when I was at home and decided to bring her with me to LA (my family wanted to keep her). She did very well as a kitten traveling and she was getting used to my dogs in Sacramento. When I brought her here, she adjusted to my grandpa's dog very well. I cannot leave her with grandpa because he can't give her all the attention she needs. He cannot clean her litter box and can't chase her if she runs out (which usually happens when i leave her in his care), and never feeds her enough despite I tell him how much to feed her. She is always hungry when I come home either because grandpa "forgot" to feed her or the dog ate her food. But she is still a kitten. I don't want her to be sick, but it has to be done. she loved it in Sacramento because my mother lives on an acre of land and she was able to play and run outside. I only drove her around so that she doesn't have to always think of my car as a trip to the vet.

Plus, what is the difference of taking her to a kennel? She will be around strange people and strange animals, at least taking her with me I am there with her. I don't know anyone over her that could care for her and I would never leave her with a stranger.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 12:38 AM
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Guerabe, you can't be packing a cat around just to make sure he's safe. Cats are nothing like dogs in that respect. They enjoy your company while they have it and when it's over, they don't pine after you, trust me. He would be better in his own room with a closed door and maybe a radio turned low, a big bowl of food and his litterbox. Keep him in there and only let him out into the rest of the house when you are at home. It sounds like prison but believe me, he will be a much calmer animal.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 12:49 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by badger
Guerabe, you can't be packing a cat around just to make sure he's safe. Cats are nothing like dogs in that respect. They enjoy your company while they have it and when it's over, they don't pine after you, trust me. He would be better in his own room with a closed door and maybe a radio turned low, a big bowl of food and his litterbox. Keep him in there and only let him out into the rest of the house when you are at home. It sounds like prison but believe me, he will be a much calmer animal.
for a whole month? No. I have left her at the house when I am on weekend vacations and when I come home I find her more attached to me then ever and crying when I leave. She still kneads my head nightly. Like I stated before, she is going with me, regardless on what everyone is saying.

So please if there is anyone out there who has had this experience give me a few pointers. She is a good cat and just needs a little reassurance, and encouragement that not everything is the vet.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 01:03 AM
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Actually, I was just talking in general, not about your trip. Sorry, should have made that clear. But I'm just trying to impress upon you the importance of a calm environment for a cat. Regarding the trip, maybe your vet could prescribe a mild tranquilizer. But I still say you should find a way of leaving her behind, sorry, that's just my opinion.

And as for training a cat not to want to eat birds or run after mice, not gonna happen. A little wild meat won't hurt her.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 01:16 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by badger
Actually, I was just talking in general, not about your trip. Sorry, should have made that clear. But I'm just trying to impress upon you the importance of a calm environment for a cat. Regarding the trip, maybe your vet could prescribe a mild tranquilizer. But I still say you should find a way of leaving her behind, sorry, that's just my opinion.

And as for training a cat not to want to eat birds or run after mice, not gonna happen. A little wild meat won't hurt her.
I don't think she'll do too bad on the trip. It is eight hours and I think she will get tired of meowing and with music and me talking and singing (YIKES) I think she will calm down. Oh by the way do you know if it is true that a cat scare scare birds to death just by staring at them? Because I don't want my 3 birdies to die. oh and what I was wondering about mice was that can they give her diseases? And is it true that mice won't enter a house once they sense cats?
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Old November 12th, 2004, 10:01 AM
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Cats can't kill birds by staring at them. If they constantly attack the cage, or chase the bird, then it can give them heart-attacks. But, like the others here, I'm more concerned that your cat is going to be so stressed by the travelling, that it'll cause health issue. Then where will you be? You'll have to take the cat back to the vet...the source of all her issues to begin with. It's going to become a never ending vicious circle.

My suggestion would be not to kennel the cat, but rather have a close friend, who doesn't have much of a life, stay at your home while you're gone. It'll do the cat a world of good.

For the record...cats won't grow quiet on a car/plane/train ride unless they're sedated, or the trip is one they've done a million times before. The cat will howl until you get where you're going, even with the radio on and you talking to it. Since your cat hates travelling, period, I would venture a guess that it's going to be a very stressful time for the cat, making it a very vocal cat.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 10:20 AM
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Is this your first cat? I get the impression you expect her to be like a dog, and come to enjoy travelling to new places and meeting new people and animals. It isn't going to happen. She may have enjoyed it while a kitten, but is making it very plain she HATES and fears it now. It's not the fear of going to vet that makes her hate car trips - it's leaving her home and being in the car itself.

If you must take her on this trip, at least stop dragging her to your cousin's or other places now. Get some Rescue Remedy at a health food store and start her on it.

When you get to your family's place, put her in a room by herself with her stuff and a radio playing. Hopefully this will be your bedroom and she can stay there for the duration. Do not plunk her down in the middle of the house with other pets and people. If you do, you risk her getting sick, or avoiding the litterbox which stressed cats often do.

The goal is to try and keep her situation as stable as possible under the circumstances. Cats do not like adventures or surprises or big upheavals in their lives. They thrive on routine, even if it seems boring to us.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 10:57 AM
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Smile

Sorry to say this, but just because you think it will be OK, it won't necessarily work out that way.

We all understand your attachment, especially since she has been sick and even more dependent on you. If you saw me running down the alley with food for 'my' outside cats in the middle of winter, trying to coax them to eat before it freezes on the plate, you'd think I was completely mad (my neighbours already do). We all talk baby talk to our pets. They knead us, like yours, drool on us, sleep on us and generally command our undivided attention. But if we see that our animals are stressed out by their situation, our instinct is to do what is best for them and not to make decisions based on our own needs. Sometimes it's difficult to make that distinction.

Once when I was going home for Xmas, I took Badger (an 18-pound brown tabby) along. She flew cargo on the plane and then had to stay with a friend of my mother's (since my mother has two cats of her own). He was confined to her kitchen, having tested his claws on some appallingly ugly furniture. I visited him at least twice a day to feed and play with him and scoop the litter box, but he was not happy, I was not happy and it was a big stress on our Xmas.

Never again. Now he stays home in familiar surroundings and is visited once a day, either by a friend or a pet-visiting service. Sure, he misses me - at least I like to think so! - but everything else is exactly the same and that is what reassures him, even more than the sight of me (sad but true).

There has been some good advice posted here. You should listen up.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 11:32 AM
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Ok...here is my two cents. I have four cats, and they all travel well. I found that at first when all they left the house to do was go to the vet, yes they got traumatized. Then I started taking them on small short car trips, to a local park (they loved the ducks once they figured out they couldn't get into the car), then to my mom's (across town), then my brother's (Markham-1.5 hrs), then all the way to my in-laws (Kincardine, 3.5 hrs). I found that as soon as they realized that not every car trip ended up with a thermometer up their bums, they began to relax more in the car. Now they even seem to know where they are going, as soon as we pass under the Thorold Tunnel they know that we are off to the vets, and if I start to drive faster than 80km...they settle in for the longer ride.

I agree with you that leaving this cat alone for a whole month is not the best choice. But seeing as she already has trouble travelling I strongly suggest you have her secure in a carrier, and also have a leash/harness so that you can stop to let her use the litter box and drink or eat, at least every one to two hours. Make SURE SHE IS NOT LOOSE! She will be scared and may bolt if given the opportunity, as cats just run when they are scared...and fast. You may want to take her on short drives as soon as possible so that she stops associating the car with the vet visit.

Also, don't expect her to get used to all this right away, cats may not be exactly like dogs, but they can be trained. It just takes a bit longer and a whole heap load of patience. My cat Smoke on her first few trips got quite worked up, even panted, but the more we went places the easier it got for her. And not one of my kitties has ever gotten sick from travelling, although it is entirely possible.

I suggest that if you plan to take her with you, go check out the post about can a cat travel to someone else's house? (back further in this section)
Good luck to you, and have a nice visit home.

OH and ya mice do carry things like worms and parasites that are harmful to the cat if it eats them. And I have found that mice are rare in a house with cats.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 11:49 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LuckyRescue
When you get to your family's place, put her in a room by herself with her stuff and a radio playing. Hopefully this will be your bedroom and she can stay there for the duration. Do not plunk her down in the middle of the house with other pets and people. If you do, you risk her getting sick, or avoiding the litterbox which stressed cats often do.The goal is to try and keep her situation as stable as possible under the circumstances. Cats do not like adventures or surprises or big upheavals in their lives. They thrive on routine, even if it seems boring to us.

This is also GREAT advise...as I have put this into practice for our visits too, they really do tend to be more calm when they feel secure, so for sure....DO NOT as Lucky said "plunk her down" in the midst of a strange house, strange people and even stranger animals. Have her in your room, with food and litter etc. That way she can get used to that space, know that you are in it, and feel a bit safer. I also would not let her outside at all, especially if she has been ill, and definitely not in a strange environment. It is in no way cruel to let her stay in only that room, it will be the best thing for her. For the first few days she may even hide under a bed or furniture coming out only to eat....don't worry that is a normal reaction to a changed environment.

And so I guess that is more like my 4 cents!
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Old November 12th, 2004, 02:14 PM
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Krdahmer just stole the words from my mouth!

I may be lynched for saying this but.... I, like you, would not be leaving my my animals alone for a whole month. Not everyone knows another person to come and check on their pets while they are gone. As well, you cannot always trust others when giving them free access to your home. I know that this is probably the case with you as well seeing as how you are a student and it would most likely be other students you are dealing with. Plus, I understand completely because I just finished going to school. A service to come to your house and check up on her is also not in your cards as you are on a student budget, correct? On that note - this is another stranger entering her territory which can be worse on her nerves. I understand because I have a VERY unsocial cat. He does not growl but he does get terrified - I am just lucky that I do not have to go away for a month.

If you think that this trip is most definitely going to be hard on her I would suggest, like someone else said earlier, going to the vet and asking for a tranquilizer or any other suggestions as to what you could do to calm her. I know in some pet stores there is an all natural spray you can use on your cat than can calm their nerves. I am not sure what Rescue Remedy is, but I am sure it is good if LR suggested it. Once she gets there and has her own room with her things I am sure she will be fine. As for the birds - just make sure that they are high enough up and far away from any places she could jump up to to get to them.

Good luck!
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Old November 12th, 2004, 04:40 PM
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Thank you for all your concerns but I do want to point out one thing. She lived at my parents house with me for a whole month and she was attached to both my mom and sister and became friendly with my dogs. This isn't a strange eviorment, she was born of a stray cat underneath some loose logs next to my mom's house. When I brought her to LA, this was a strange environment with strange animals and strange people. Like everyone has suggested I already left her in my room and within 3 or 4 days, the dog became her best friend and took a liking to grandpa. She did perfectly fine. I am taking my elderly great aunt with me to Sacramento who is going to hold the kitty on her lap. (The first car trip from SAC to LA, she cried for about 20 minutes, I stoped at pet co and bought a carrier. She cried worse, and as soon as I let her out and just left her on a blanket she fell asleep and was quiet for the remaining 7 hours or so.)
I was planning to keep her in the bedroom when I am not going to be home because I have a hard time trusting people to keep door closed. Someone mentioned something about cats not liking change or excitement. Well. My cat definatley run out on "adventures" whenever she gets a chance. Goes into rooms in my house and climbs everywhere and knocks things over. I think she yearns for adventure.

Thank you all for both the negative and positive feedbacks. As soon as I get to Sacramento I will post to let you know how we did.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 04:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by krdahmer

I agree with you that leaving this cat alone for a whole month is not the best choice. But seeing as she already has trouble travelling I strongly suggest you have her secure in a carrier, and also have a leash/harness so that you can stop to let her use the litter box and drink or eat, at least every one to two hours. Make SURE SHE IS NOT LOOSE! She will be scared and may bolt if given the opportunity, as cats just run when they are scared...and fast. You may want to take her on short drives as soon as possible so that she stops associating the car with the vet visit.
See that was my strategy, take her to mcdonalds drive through with me, to my aunts house when I go visit, to the mailbox, so she doesn't always have to think of the car as a trip to the vet. But a lot of people on this forum said that I am traumatizing my cat more. I just thought it would bring up her confidence. She is great with people her in the house. People she has never seen in her life she lets them pet her etc. But it just seems that once I put her in the car she assumes we are going to the vet and doesn't trust anybody after that. She isn't due back for the vet for another year for shots.


I know I might get lynched for this one too, but.....I used to vaccinate my own dogs. I am a med assistant and I would buy the injections and vaccinate my own dogs because they hated the vet. Do you think that is an option for me and mrs. norris. Do you think me giving her the shot would have a more traumatizing affect than taking her to the vet? I just thought about that since, I do get her used to traveling, what will happen the second I do have to take her to the vet.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 04:53 PM
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I have often wondered myself how my cats would travel,as it is now,they howl all the way to the vet in a carrier But I know in the future we might spend the winter somewhere warmer and will have to take the cats,I would not want to be without them for 2 or 3 months,I love them too much.
But I think since it will be only us with them,they would soon get used to different surroundings.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 05:18 PM
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loose in a car

[QUOTE=guerabe] I am taking my elderly great aunt with me to Sacramento who is going to hold the kitty on her lap. (The first car trip from SAC to LA, she cried for about 20 minutes, I stoped at pet co and bought a carrier. She cried worse, and as soon as I let her out and just left her on a blanket she fell asleep and was quiet for the remaining 7 hours or so.)

This may sound awful but if you were to have an accident on this trip, a loose cat in the car would not have a very good chance of survival. Also, god forbid something spooks her and she will be swinging on the rear view mirror causing you to have an accident. Just my two cents worth.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 08:36 PM
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[QUOTE=BMDLuver]
Quote:
Originally Posted by guerabe
This may sound awful but if you were to have an accident on this trip, a loose cat in the car would not have a very good chance of survival. Also, god forbid something spooks her and she will be swinging on the rear view mirror causing you to have an accident. Just my two cents worth.
I know. I am a big time seat belt person but I don't like the thought of giving her drugs to sedate her. I avoid drugs at all costs, plus I don't want her to get car sick, and she probably woun't be able to use the bathroom at will. And sedating her will be the only way the cat will stay in the carrier. I was planning on taking the carrier regardless. But it might traumatize her more. I drive a very small car and will be driving from 11 pm to 7 am, my chance of survival in a car crash regardless of seatbelt and airbags on a freeway at 70 miles per hour is pretty low. I am not concerned about her being spooked. But I am going to try out the carrier. I had planned to leave her harnesss and leash on so she coundn't run around in the car, and just stay on the floor or my great aunts lap.
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Old November 12th, 2004, 11:53 PM
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My old cat, Puff, who now lives with my mom, always travelled with me. I'd have to. I'd take her from Lethbridge to Calgary and back. (It's about 2.5 hours each way.) She also had to adjust to living with me at a friends house for a month until I moved back home. My cat went through a lot at the beginning as I was always moving around. She lived in over 4 places before she was a year old. It was awful! She did okay in the car and what I did was put her harness and leash on her, and wrap the leash around the rear view mirror. Not the mirror itself, but the handle that comes out of the glass and holds the mirror in place. I'd keep her right next to me on her bed with enough room for her to move comfortably, but not run around the car, which she liked to do. I'd be able to pet her and talk to her which seemed to comfort her. I don't travel anymore with my cats, and that was my first cat, so I might have made an error in judgement by tying her to the rearview mirror, but she did fine and I felt better having her next to me the whole time.
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Old November 13th, 2004, 12:41 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guerabe
I was planning on taking the carrier regardless.
i take my cats in a carrier and after a little bit, i open the door to the carrier. but what ends up happening is that they stay in there with their blankets b/c they feel safe in there. i have only had one occasion that one came out but he sat in the center console in the back and looked out the window for about 45 mintues. after awhile, he got bored and went back to nap in the carrier.

my fuki hates the car and cries when we go to the vet but the last time i left him home, i came back and he had chunks of his hair missing and he didn't eat (and he is the biggest pig-even more so than the dog!)the vet said that he licked himself naked due to nervousness of me being gone for a week. (hubby was taking care of the cats-so it wasn't like a stranger was at our home...) afterwards, i felt so bad, i take him with me and leave the otehrs behind. even though he hates the ride for a little bit, he is happier to be with me.

i know that the general belief is that cats don't "miss" you, "out of sight, out of mind" but i really think that some cats are more needy.

i always put some crunchy treats in his carrier with his favorite sleeping fabric. i also put a t-shirt of mine (that i have recently worn) in the carrier so that he can smell me. i also put him at an angle in the back that he can see me and i can reach over and pet him if he is crying.

sometimes you just can't leave them behind and traveling is a necessary evil. i completely understand how you feel about this and wish you luck on your upcoming trip. let us know how kitty faired on the trip!!
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Old November 13th, 2004, 09:11 AM
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Many,many years ago,pre-catcarriers..I took my Maine Coon cat to the vet,he was loose in the car....
Needless to say,he was terrified,not used to the car.I guess his first instinct was to hide,so he went under the driver-seat,got tangled in all the wires and other than nearly causing an accident,there was no way we would get him out to see the vet.It took hours in our drive-way before he finally came out on his own.After that scary incident the cats are always in a carrier.
Keeping them in a harness,attached to a seat-bealt might also work,the problem would be that they'd probably pee out of fright.Cat-pee in the car,not nice
We always said we would get any new cat used to the car,but it just never happened,the vet is only 5 minutes away,but boy,do they howl all the way :sad:
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Old November 13th, 2004, 10:41 AM
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I'm waving a white flag here. It seems all cats are not created equal. I do have a tale from the other side of the argument, about a young French guy I met the last time I was in India. He was travelling with a six-month old grey tabby he had brought from France. In the mountains of northern India, there are no trains, just buses, including the kind with the doors hanging off, a goat on the roof, and a tendency to fall into ravines from narrow hairpin roads. Anyway, every time he moved to another area (although he had a tendency to stay in places for long periods), he tranquilized the cat, who would be so out of it she sometimes peed in his lap. We were staying in a house in a rural area and the cat was able to go outside when her owner was around (but never otherwise). She was a UNbelievable hunter - lizards, spiders, small mammals - which was just as well: in Hindu village India, meat is sometimes virtually unavailable. If she had scoffed something poisonous like a scorpion or a snake, only the gods would have been able to save her. She eventually made it back to France.
India is full of stray dogs - I won't digress, but it is painful to see them - and sometimes people travelling around would adopt one, feed it up, even hunt down a vet and get it treated for its various diseases. I met several women travelling with rescued bazaar dogs, as we called them, even buying them seats on buses (talk about a cultural divide, the Indians were stupified!). They had every intention of taking them home on the plane. Lucky dogs!
So hey, Guerabe, all irony aside, don't pay any attention to us agony aunts. Just be careful and don't rush things. And have a good time...
  #23  
Old November 13th, 2004, 12:19 PM
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CyberKitten CyberKitten is offline
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I just travelled four hours to my home with a new kitten and she was a good as gold. Now there a little bit of Siamese squaking which is pretty normal but I gave her a pillow with my scent (But she'd just met me soo...), and fed her about avery 2 hours and had litter box visits. So far she is a good taveller. But imho, that's not always the case, especially of the kitty does not travel often. I hope to get Yin Yin used to travel but I do think it's best for short trips that I have my neighbour -whose cats I look after when she is away (which is frequent) - to look in on Yin Yin and feed her. She will be safer I think in her own room (my bedroom) with the TV - she actually watches it, lol - or pretends to anyway - and more importantly, happier.

Now for a month, I'd take her. But I would give her a herbal called coculine (It is available in most herbals stores or Jean Coutu in Quebec and NB) and it is better than sedating her! She likes her carrier - walks in and out of it - even after THE vet experience. (Mind you, she's such a sweetheart that she licked the vet too, post needles, lol). So so far so good.

BUT, most cats hate and despise change. The old adage that cats are creatures of habbit is so true!!!

I think the recommendation by Lucky to give her her own room is the best one. Or is she and you are sharing a room, make sure she feels secure in that room. Have all her toys, fav foods and treats and litter.

Good luck!! I have yet to make the decision to take Yin Yin with me when I go to Florida for March break. My bunny was always cared for by my neighbour when I went to the US - he too was a well seasoned traveller but quite adjusted to it as a baby!
  #24  
Old November 13th, 2004, 01:37 PM
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I am sure every cat have their own hang-ups,we never found it important to take the cats with us anywhere,hence they are not used to cars and frightened.When we go away twice a year,my son lives in the house with the cats.When we leave I put pieces of clothing from me in different spots(does not do much for the decor )but my son told me they slept on them and looked comfy
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  #25  
Old November 13th, 2004, 07:09 PM
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onecatandonedog onecatandonedog is offline
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cats & travelling

my cat doesnt have a problem with travelling in a car but i rarely rarely every have to do that only to the vets for checkups and stuff. one important thing though is to let them keep their favourtie blanket with them and you should buy a kennel. look around for one they are worth it.


this might sound silly and i havent tried it but does anyone think that giving them catnip before they go in the car might help? my cat loves catnip and then he usually goes to sleep after he eats it.
  #26  
Old November 13th, 2004, 10:08 PM
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Actually, every cat reacts differently to catnip and it is probably NOT a good idea - for the most part - to stimulate a cat prior to a trip! It all depends on your kitty. Plus, most kittens under six months are not affected by catnip. The best option - if you need to use some calming agent - for want of a better term - is the aforementioned coculine or Rescue Remedy, both herbal products that do not have any adverse reactions.

Catnip STIMULATES most cats.

Or were just fooling with us here?
  #27  
Old November 13th, 2004, 10:54 PM
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Thank you for all your replies. I really do wish I knew people who could cat sit her. I never travelled with my dogs because back at home I have soo many people to take care of them and here is not the case. My cat doesn't have a favorite blanket. She only seems to find confort and rest after kneading my head. So I am just going to give her my pillow which she sits on while she kneeds my head so she might like that. But I am already for the trip, I bought her all sorts of goodies. What is it that the Resue Remedy does? I am being hesitant to get it. Can I try it a couple days before the trip and see how it works. I don't want her to have a reaction or anything during the trip. I will look up some infor on the internet. Thanks everyone.
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  #28  
Old November 14th, 2004, 10:54 AM
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LMAO...I am so lucky....I have never had a cat pee in the car yet, although Smoke did do #2 under hubby's feet once which resulted in us pulling over onto the shoulder and throwing her present out into the ditch immediately Pee-YEW(that was before we started bringing along a litter box). I usually try to leave after they have had their morning visit to the litter box, then they hold it until we get where we are going. I do have a litter box there for emergencies though.

Someone mentioned attaching the harness and lead to the rear view mirror right? I only see one problem with that...mine fell off!!!! Most mirrors are only held onto the window with a small strip of glue and will fall off when pressure/high heat is applied. That's why I strongly suggest, even if your Aunt will be holding her, that you attach the lead to one of the seatbelts.

And Chico, I bet those big brutes of yours would love a nice warm vacation!!! (Although the local birds might not be too happy with those visitors!!!! )

I am so surprised to see how many people do travel with their cats...and here I thought I was the only crazy one taking them on outings!
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  #29  
Old November 14th, 2004, 01:31 PM
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Dahmer,boy did you hurt my LITTLE angel kitties feelings
We actually thought of taking them to SC,but you have to stay in these dumpy hotels that accepts animals.Also we drive for 14 hours split in two days.
I am always jealous of people walking their dogs on the beach,but I doubt my cats would walk on a leash
Now,you look into these sweet faces and apologize for calling them brutes,ok!!
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  #30  
Old November 15th, 2004, 02:37 AM
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Sorry Brutes...I mean nice kitties!!

They are quite a handsome trio eh!
I would love to take Buddy for walks...he trots along on his leash like a pro , but I am affraid to say that if he saw a bird or squirell I'm so outta shape, I wouldn't be able to keep up!

I still can't help picturing those three kitties of yours loungin on the beach...lookin all cute and innocent....but really, they'd all just be sizing up the feathered locals!LOL
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