Renee messaged me on Facebook to request that I ask y’all something. She said:
Would you mind asking your readers for tips traveling with multiple (many) cats. I’m going to have an 11 hour drive come May – i usually do the drive in one day but I am worried about my cats and the drive. I have carriers for all but any ideas or anyone with experience I would be happy to take advice from.
I don’t have any advice for Renee because I when I moved from Rhode Island to Alabama almost 20 (!) years ago, I had one cat who was pretty good about the whole thing. So any words of advice would be very much appreciated here!
Renee has 23 cats (she has carriers for all of them), and here’s a picture of some of them. I love this picture!
(Next time I hear “We’re moving and can’t take this cat with us”, I might have to say “Let me tell you about my friend Renee!”)
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That huge scratch-post is really unique! Good for climbing and sharpening claws. Where did you get it?
That is the Pioneer Pet SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post. I got mine at Chewy.com because at the time I bought it (well, them – there’s one in the foster room and one downstairs in the living room for the permanent residents) it was cheaper. Now, it’s the same price at Amazon as it is at Chewy. I also bought the perch for the top. The perch gets use in the foster room – Regina uses it to sit and look out the window sometimes – but the permanent residents ignore the perch. They love to sharpen their claws on the post, though. I highly recommend it – it’s a good price, very sturdy, and the cats love it!
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I love how much Regina likes to play with her kittens. She seems to do that more than past mama kitties, do you think?
All the past mamas have been pretty playful, but yes – Regina is especially so. She is a very playful girl, and when the kittens get a bit bigger, she’s going to have a LOT of fun with them!
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I’m enjoying the 1 year ago photos of Gilly (Lucy) and her babies!!
Those pictures from a year ago are killing me DEAD. I bet I say that exact same thing about the Fakers this time next year!
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Those kittens sure do have the “Ears of Annoyance” down pat, don’t they?
It seems to come naturally to them!
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I adore what appears to be her one vivid pink nail cap in that one photo–so punk, and so Stinkerbelle. (I’m also amazed that you were able to get it on her.)
You will please note that there is only ONE SoftPaw nail cap on her claws. That’s because Fred held her while I put the cap on, and when I went to put a second one on, Stinkerbelle made it super clear that that was NOT going to happen. I’m amazed we managed to get it on her, too!
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Wow, she so mastered the Ears of Annoyance as a young kitten. She had achieved sensei level of disapproval.
When I was writing Stinkerbelle’s post, that picture made me laugh out loud. She was a character right from the beginning!
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I wonder if anycat is going to take over the cabinet troll job?
So far things seem pretty calm up there, but Dennis went to walk by Kara, and Kara growled at him and made him turn around and come down the other side, so maybe Sheriff Mama is thinking the cabinet tops have become part of her territory!
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Someone has got a case of the loons
Oh, good lord – SO CUTE!
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“I tire of your shenanigans, lady.”
Chanandler Bong has a skeptical.
Just kidding!
::thlurrp::
“::THLURRRP:: I THAY!”
“I got toeses, lady, see?” (Art Vandelay)
I love how Princess Consuela is all snuggled up to Regina.
That’s a nice mouthful of litter you’ve got there, Ken Adams.
Pile o’ sleepy muffins.
Art Vandelay and his teef.
“Lady! STOP TAKING MY PICTURE I KNOW I AM CUUUUUTE!”
“‘Smile,’ you say? WELL HOW ABOUT THIS?”
“Space Cadet Princess Consuela reporting for duty!”
As of last night, Art Vandelay, Susie, and Bert Macklin are eating solid food. The others might be eating it too, but I haven’t witnessed it myself. I have, thus far, found one single, solitary (perfect-looking) poop in the little litter boxes. I saw that on Wednesday, and haven’t seen another one since, which means that Regina is still pottying them. I say this with love: JEEZ, REGINA, CUT THE CORD ALREADY.
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Videos! In the first, Regina Phalange gives Chanandler Bong a very sweet bath.
And in the second, Bert Macklin and Susie are starting to skitterbug!
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Not-the-Daddy Joe Bob, chilling on Fred’s desk. I like the way the blanket matches his pretty pink nose.
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Previously
2015: Lucy’s Fools are 6 days old!
2014: Such a generous boy, always sharing that tail!
2013: Oh, the head tilt. Seriously. Kills me dead.
2012: No entry.
2011: No entry.
2010: She is the MOST laid-back cat I’ve ever seen.
2009: So, the great freedom-letting has begun!
2008: Detective Cullen, however, spots something out of place in the grass.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
“Space Cadet Princess Consuela reporting for duty!” – OMG LOVE that picture!
Renee – I travel with my 4 cats often. They go to the BlueRidge Mtns with me and to Grandpa’s house! Here are my tips. Have a catbox in the cat that can set on the floorboard on one side and put food and water on the other side (floorboard). I have all my cats in carriers. I do stack them to get them to fit but they are secured together and the seatbelts are ran either thru the seatbelt slot (if the carrier has one) else, the handle. All my cats have those soft harnesses (I got from Walmart). They look like these…may be small dog ones:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oxgord-Cat-Dog-Comfort-Travel-Portable-Pet-Harness-Large-Pet-Harness-Blue/45218461
And they have leashes.
I will rotate them in and out of the carrier (9 hrs to the mtns) to eat, drink and pee. When out, they have their leashes on and I hold onto the leash (my husband drives) so they can’t get into some part of the car that I cannot get them out of. I will also hold them in my lap so they have “stretching time”. If we stop for gas, EVERYONE is in the kennels BEFORE anyone opens the doors. I bring Tupperware for food and water when I travel as my spoiled children have crystal bowls (made for cats/dogs and they actually have “spoiled” carved into it – ha). I have litterboxes in the back of the car with CLEAN litter and they are stacked to save room. When I return, scoop it well and put a trash bag between them when stacking. I bring enough plastic grocery bags for scooping the litter each day (and the scoop, of course). I have a Tupperware full of cat food…more than you think you need…just to be safe. I had one that would act like she was DYING and had to be on the console between the seats with the ac blowing on her face. (She would stick her face in any ac vent and loved it). So, you will have to adjust according to your own divas. 🙂 Don’t worry, it isn’t hard. Just like home, keep the doors closed and be aware of where they are before you open any exterior door. You can also, put them in one room and close the door as their “safe room” if your setup allows. Mine always (2 sets over the years) have done really well. Feel free to ask any question that I may have overlooked.
Thank you! Gives me some ideas!
I know my 4 doesn’t compare to your 23…
If your carriers have food and water containers that hang on the door, use them, too. 🙂
Have a catbox in the CAR that can set on the
(typos)
23.. wow.
My opinion is probably not going to be popular, but having seen cats under stress a number of times over the years, I personally would just put them all in carriers with a nice soft blanket and some feliway, douse them all up with rescue remedy, load them all up and just go.
The harness isn’t a bad idea, on the off chance something happens they’ll make them easier to catch. ID is vital, both externally and microchips if you can. All registered with a number that you will be reachable at all times – or someone you trust will be.
Most of the time cats won’t eat when they are in transit, nor will they drink or use the box. Out of 23, you will probably have some that might want to, but you’ll spend time offering them the opportunity that you could be getting them to where they need to be.
My other recommendation is to bring the used litter. Scoop it yes, but bring the old litter as opposed to buying new litter at the new place. Don’t wash the boxes for a week or two before the move. bring things they love with them. Blankets they sleep on, toys they play with, trees they climb on, so they have all of their favorite things with them when they ‘land’ at their new place. And since they’ll have gone the day without food, a nice hearty meal..
In 9 hours, I found that my boys peed 1 time and my girls 3. Humor: 1 peed 3 times and my husband 1 time. See a male/female thing going on here?
I do agree with the ID. I didn’t think of that cuz my cats have all been micro-chipped from the get-go.
Mine all eat some.
I guess my cats are PERFECT!!! I don’t have to worry about litter, beds etc. However, I am sure with 23, she will have a few picky-pants. 🙂
This is perhaps deeply unhelpful, but have you thought of hiring an RV or a van and a driver? That way you could spend all your time reassuring the tykes. And maybe an organization that does long journeys with many rescues could offer some of its hard-won knowledge? Godspeed!
I don’t know how feasible this is, but Drive as smoothly as you can in a straight line and avoid bumps, potholes and swerving if possible.
I can only imagine eleven cats reacting to wild potholes and swerving. And I don’t want to imagine the smell.
This is not universal but I’ve found that filet o’fish are very popular road trick items. Especially if you eat the bun and edges of the filet and give them just the center fish portions.
Oh my god. The worried looks on Art Vandelay and Ken Adams’ faces are too cute to handle. I’m a big fan of gray kittens (and sweaters, and cars, and comforters – I have a gray problem. I even have a gray cat!), so this litter is killing me!
Which of the kittens is wearing what looks to be “toenail polish” in the second video? Is that Ken Adams?
No, that’s Susie. It does look like nail polish, I hadn’t noticed that!
I think of Susie’s paws as piano feet, and I love that Joe Bob!
Sorry, still laughing hysterically at the idea of you having one cat.
That was a lonnnnnnnnng time ago. And once I hit Alabama, I immediately had two cats, because Fred had Spot. 🙂
That is …well…actually….unimaginable!
Skitterbugs!!!! My weekend can start now… 😀
Every time I see some of your foster babies in that kitty paradise you call the foster room, I think about how they could have been born in the dirt under an old shed somewhere and I get a little choked up. The ones that land with you and Challenger’s House are very lucky.
Exactly! My co-worker rescued a little one dumped (by itself) at a Sunaco gas station. Another person just sat the kitten under a bush and walked away!!! BAD URI. So, she called me and we got the little one into the “system” and she is fostering her. Maybe 3-4 wks old max. Crusty closed eyes and totally bunged up. Had she not gotten her, she would have – best case – been blind, worst case – dead. All I can say is that fosters make a world of difference. If fosters weren’t available, kitten litters without moms, would just be EU’d. We have so many bottle babies and those just starting mush coming into our shelter this kitten season. One of our fosters has 10 kittens (from diff litters with no moms). So, to all the fosters in the world, thank you!!!! You all make a HUGE HUGE HUGE difference!!!!
Oh my, Susie’s spotted feet! They have killed me dead this morning. 🙂
“Space Cadet Princess Consuela reporting for duty!” – I love the one yellow horn.
Susie/bert video.. I love Susie’s feet, and her little gray toe.. it looks like she stepped in something.
looks like they may need remedial skittering classes 🙂
Cats and travel. I’ve travelled across the country (USA/multiple days) multiple times with cats and I’ve found that each cat has their own needs. I have one cat who loves to cave and thus for her it was best if her carrier was not near the window. I did travel across the world with a cat and I put diapers in the bottom of her carrier in case she needed to pee during the 30 hours she was in her carrier.
I think one thing to take into account is that they probably won’t be happy, and so how you, the human, are going to deal with that is something you should think about.
I put terry cloth bath towels down, and have spares to switch out.
One of mine did cry (he was only a year and it was his first trip to the mtns) but if I put the kitten in with him, he was happy. (His living teddy bear. They are bffs to this day (6 yrs later)).
I am so jealous of Renee’s picture. I have two cats. TWO. They hate each other. I had dreams of them being best friends, but NO. (I’m sure the fact that one is clearly a Trump supporter isn’t helping.)
My two also hate each other. When the tiny old female gets totally fed up with the big lumpy young male, she leaves one small poop on my mouse pad to let me know. Like a kitty exclamation point. I can’t even imagine coping with 23 different feline personalities and their quirks every day. I am in awe.
Man, I put my 2 cents worth all over the place here. Feel free to tell me to “shadd’up!” 🙂
That space cadet picture is a classic. I think you’ve gotten several kittens in that thing.
I love those tongues.
Reene, I don’t have much advice for you, but I hope it all goes well!
Thanks everyone – I have to do an internship and it is going to be a challenge. Once we get to where we are going I know it will take a few days for them to settle and calm down – but they will have a screened in porch which they will enjoy. It’s for a full year so not much traveling after this for them til then. I know there will be a lot of unhappiness but fingers crossed.
I just love the sweet mama kitties. Such good mamas to their babies. <3
We drove from Long Island to Michigan with our 3 cats last year. Now we have mini van and had the room to do this. But we had 2 small/medium sized dog crates that we set up in the van with small temporary litter boxes and things of comfort. A cardboard box with a cat bed inside if they wanted a place to “hide” and another cat bed on top of the box if they wanted to observe. As well as secured food and water options. I also had a light sheet to cover the crate in case they were feeling stressed. I lined the bottom of the crate with puppy training pads to absorb any spills or accidents and an old sheet on top of that for comfort and quick easy cleanup. While the one crate would have been enough to accommodate all 3 I had our oldest who is cranky at her bestwould have objected strongly to being confined with the other 2 in one to herself. So youmay want to consider pairing pals for mutual comfort. It worked well. I made sure the crates were secure and that nothing was going to slide around and crash into them either. They stayed safe for the trip and I was able to see and interact with them more easily. The first 50 miles or so i was entertained by some serious yowling but they eventually settled down and we had a fairly peaceful trip.
The grey and white kittens all kind of look like they are wearing bad toupees, especially Ken Adams.
Oh Renee, you are my hero. You could so charge any amount you’d want for a chance to “nap on a bed o’ chill cats!”, and I’d pay!
Space Cadet Princess Consuela looks as though she’s wearing her fancy Sunday hat with ribbons streaming off of them, what with the perfect placement of the toys in the background.
I’m so pleased that Joe Bob is man enough to sleep on a pink bed and not feel the least bit emasculated by it.
Renee you are a superstar – 23 cats!!! I don’t have much good advice as I only ever travelled with my one cat Zoey, and it was only a 3 hour drive max. But I found she loved Timbits, the cake-y plain ones especially. Also, those tiny round single serving packs of butter. Just gave her something to lick (and then clean herself up) and helped her calm down. Gave her water about halfway through the trip, and lined the carrier with an old towel and threw in a couple of snuggly toys. When it was just her in the car with me, I put her carrier on the passenger seat with the seatbelt threaded through the handle, and angled it so she could see me, and I could waggle my fingers in the carrier for her to rub up against. I usually put on the radio set to easy listening music or people talking (not angry political talk radio). She ended up being a really good traveller, and would even purr loudly while we were on the highway! The first time I heard that rumbly purr, I thought my engine was acting up…
One time I drove Zoey and her “cousin” cat Finnegan to visit my Mum, and Finny was crying and crying, so I turned the two carriers to face each other on the back seat, and the crying immediately stopped. I then had TWO loud purrers al the way to our destination. Funnily enough they hated each other the rest of the time, but somehow became buddies for the journey.
All kinds of good traveling ideas! My two cents – be very careful about letting a cat out of the carrier while you are driving. GD is smart to use a harness, but when I was a new cat mom, a couple of times I left mine roam in the car thinking they would be happier. That stopped the day one went after the other one and I ended up with two fighting cats under my feet while I was going 75 miles an hour on the freeway!
And Renee, I have moved a couple of times with my cats, and I think the most important thing to them was just that they were with us. Familiar smells in the new place will help if you can bring some things, but you there with a calm attitude (as much as possible!) will be the best.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Depending on the sun’s heat on one side of the vehicle, those kitties will get a bit warmer than the other ones. My cat and I headed from PA to Orange County, CA and the only part where he was stressed was in the desert heat of western AZ, through Palm Springs of CA. I had to turn the AC up to the max for his comfort as well as let him out of his huge crate (small dog size). When we passed a big rig, he was happy to go back to the crate. Perhaps consider covering the windows on the more exposed side of the vehicle to reflect the sun out. And if you can drive during the night, provided you’re rested well, that may be a consideration. Best to you in your adventure!