Moving with 2 cats

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Lalamimi
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by Lalamimi »

we were in car 17 hrs with 2 cats for hurricane evac. No one ate or drank (was normally 3 hr trip). Do not try to feed or water them in the car. put newspaper you can pull out and toss. Hotel - let loose only in the bathroom. take their normal litter box and food bowls. Feed and water an hour before you leave. They will be fine. Do a few test drives to determine noise level.
toast0
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by toast0 »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 8:58 pm And in the hotel, there can be VERY difficult to notice places to hide or even get into the walls.
Do NOT let them out, unless it is in the bathroom and you can SEE every possible place for an opening, including under the sink. Especially under the sink!
Definitely agree; if you can, keep them in the bathroom. Otherwise, you'll end up figuring where all the weird cat hiding spots are in the room. Did you know most hotels have a headboard mounted to the wall, and a sizeable gap underneath between the mattress and the wall? Your cats will certainly find it. Someone else mentioned a pet friendly room that was well setup for cats; don't expect that, but be pleasantly surprised if you do find it. :) For a one night trip, bringing a disposable litter box and leaving it is pretty nice. If you can, definitely do a trial drive with your cats. My first two cats had iron bladders and did 8 hour drives without touching the litter box; my current cat (a barn cat), will empty his bladder and bowels in the carrier before I get to my major cross streets (sort of handy for visits to the vet, since they often want a fresh sample, but wouldn't be great on a long trip).
Student2
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by Student2 »

Lots of good advice here and things that we've done too when moving short-distance or flying with cats. One thing I've seen mentioned only in part is that we have always kept a room with the "cat stuff" alone until the last possible minute, preferably their usual room but best someplace where no one is entering/passing through. That way they stay out of the fray until the last moment.
On arrival, their 'stuff' is the first thing we unpacked and set up. Again, we put them in a room by themselves where they would be undisturbed until everything else was unpacked. So, last packed & first unpacked. We moved several times over a few years so our guys would start to get nervous when they saw packing start to happen, but they were always back to normal behavior by the evening of our arrival when they could spend time with their hyoo-mans. We tried various drugs ahead of time for the more nervous of the two (gabapentin and valium and something else I can't remember) and used it once, but did not find it really helped. It probably depends on the cat. Definitely try it out well BEFORE you try using it for moving. Our orange tabby turned into your worst drunken uncle when we gave him valium and he needed close supervision until it wore off.
Oh yeah, and a harness and leash sound like a great idea, but one of our cats would "develop" acute epileptic-like seizures' the second we put the harness on him and this would continue until the harness came off, one way or the other. Another thing to try out ahead of time.

Good luck!
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ResearchMed
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by ResearchMed »

Cookiegirl wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 3:20 pm Love these replies, all sooooooo helpful!
I sent you a Private Message a few days ago.

RM
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afr
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by afr »

My daughter and I are transporting her 2 cats by air as carryons(soft carriers)one way from Phoenix to Philadelphia about 5 hour flight. We’re seated next to each other but would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks
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JAZZISCOOL
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

afr wrote: Sat Aug 05, 2023 3:26 pm My daughter and I are transporting her 2 cats by air as carryons(soft carriers)one way from Phoenix to Philadelphia about 5 hour flight. We’re seated next to each other but would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks
A relative took her cat from Colorado to Florida in a soft carrier a while back. He was sedated but somehow almost escaped the soft carrier and also loudly meowed and cried the entire flight. Other passengers were not happy and it was a tough flight. In my experience, sometimes the medication vets give do not have the desired effect so you may want to give it a "test run" before the flight. Maybe you will have better luck with her cats if you do get something from the vet (which is common for travel).

Good luck. Flying is likely still easier than a long car ride with cats. I did that years ago and my ears barely survived the 1000 miles. :shock: YMMV.
Carefreeap
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by Carefreeap »

afr wrote: Sat Aug 05, 2023 3:26 pm My daughter and I are transporting her 2 cats by air as carryons(soft carriers)one way from Phoenix to Philadelphia about 5 hour flight. We’re seated next to each other but would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks
Having them sedated is helpful. Talk to their vet.

Hopefully you have soft-sided carriers which slip easier under the seat.

Best advice my AZ vet gave me was to put them in a harness and leash while in the carrier. This is important while you are going through security. You do not want a paniced cat running around the airport!

You might also bring extra pee pads. Mine were pretty quiet until their meds wore off. But we were on long flights; Phoenix to Frankfurt and then upon on return, Frankfurt to L.A.

Happy to report they adjusted within a couple of days to their new homes.
Every day I can hike is a good day.
Carefreeap
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by Carefreeap »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Sat Aug 05, 2023 5:02 pm
afr wrote: Sat Aug 05, 2023 3:26 pm My daughter and I are transporting her 2 cats by air as carryons(soft carriers)one way from Phoenix to Philadelphia about 5 hour flight. We’re seated next to each other but would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks
A relative took her cat from Colorado to Florida in a soft carrier a while back. He was sedated but somehow almost escaped the soft carrier and also loudly meowed and cried the entire flight. Other passengers were not happy and it was a tough flight. In my experience, sometimes the medication vets give do not have the desired effect so you may want to give it a "test run" before the flight. Maybe you will have better luck with her cats if you do get something from the vet (which is common for travel).

Good luck. Flying is likely still easier than a long car ride with cats. I did that years ago and my ears barely survived the 1000 miles. :shock: YMMV.
Good point. My vet had us dose the night before as well as the day of. OP will need to follow vet's advice.
Every day I can hike is a good day.
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Chv396
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by Chv396 »

We moved 600 miles away, years ago with one cat.

Lots of great advice here. Main thing is to keep your cats confined in a carrier, for their safety and to prevent them from possibly getting lost during the process. Cats get scared and stressed during these times, so keep watch on them too.

Good luck!
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afr
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Re: Moving with 2 cats

Post by afr »

Appreciate the replies. Has anyone ever tried CBD for their cats?
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