See, we have two large Maine Coon mixes. They weigh about 20 lbs a piece and are about twice the size of a Chihuahua or normal size cat. We got them while my husband was in the military and, when my husband was in the military, we were blessed with exclusively long distance moves. I'm talking more than 2700 mile moves (and can I add that I was pregnant for two of them??). We've learned some things about how to travel with these monsters (who are actually too big to fly in cabin. They literally don't even MAKE a soft carrier big and strong enough for them. I've looked.) so I wanted to share some tips, especially for the poor souls like me who have ginormous cats.
I should add that two of the moves have included a 2700 mile road trip with these cats in a small sedan. So, yeah. Its been interesting.
**This post includes NO affliate links. This is the stuff I legit use or links to give you an idea of what I mean
Traveling with Cats
I'm going to assume you have planned your move or road trip. You know the starting point and an ending point and have a rough idea of the method of transportation (car, plane, train, boat. Do they even allow cats on trains?). You know what YOU need to bring for YOU. Pajamas, clean traveling clothes, packets of tea, a water bottle, the basics. What about the cats?!Checklist:
Car:Medium sized wire sided dog crate (like this one), one per cat
Puppy pads (I use the Amazon Basics ones. I used them for my foster kittens too. Super absorbent!)
Drip Water bottle (like for hamster cages, like this. You CAN train cats to drink out of it)
Food Crock (again, like for hamsters, like this)
Their real food and water bowls, for when you stop
Cat food*
Small litterbox for in cage (optional) and/or their usual litterbox
Litter** (do. not. use. clay cat litter.)
Poop bags (I use the Munchkin ones for my toddler. I like the large size and the scent blocking)
Cat bed (I got them each a cat bed they could hide in when they get overwhelmed, like this)
Cat calming spray (and routinely douse the cages in many spritzes but NOT while the cat is in there!)
4 chip clips or similar
2 sheets to cover sides of the cage
Vet records
Optional: cat scratcher (I got my cats this combo cardboard scratching area with self grooming arch brush that's heavily dusted with catnip and they are enjoying it in the hotel room. They're too big for it to fit in their cage in the car, though)
Plane:
FAA Approved Cat Carrier, one per cat ***
Drip Water bottle (like for hamster cages, like this. You CAN train cats to drink out of it. May not be necessary for short flights, check with your airline)
Food Crock (again, like for hamsters, like this. May not be necessary for short flights, check with your airline)
A small amount of their food in a plastic bag (for long flights where they will need to be fed)
Health Certificate (within 10 days of flight)
Vet records
*A note about cat food. Make sure you keep their regular food because you do NOT want their tummies even more upset than they are. If you can introduce some wet food to complement their dry food before the trip, that would be ideal (substitute a portion of their dry food for some wet food). That will help keep them hydrated and, since their bellies are used to it, they won't puke.
**Use their normal litter BUT clay litter is a nightmare to clean while traveling so switch them to the crystal litter 2-3 weeks before the trip. You don't want to risk litterbox rejection while traveling by switching it immediately before/during the trip!
Litterbox trick! When switching litters or litterboxes, it can be helpful to use some of their old litter that they have peed on and add it to the new litter or litterbox. This enables them to smell that they have peed there and know its a good place to pee again.
***Check and Triple check your airline's cat carrier requirements! Even cats MUST be able to stand up in the cage and turn around in the cage, which must be FAA approved (my cats were almost rejected from boarding a flight once because the attendant didn't believe they could stand up and turn around in the cage. Don't risk this and make sure you adhere to the policy, for the safety and health of your animal). FAA approved cat carriers for cats flying under the plane are the enclosed shell style and have only ONE door on the front, vents on the sides, and the top and bottom screw together (not click like a buckle). This is the general idea of what you are looking for if they cannot fly in the cabin. Cabin carriers are different but also must be FAA approved. While I prefer puppy pads or a pad of some kind in the cage, they do pose a bit of risk to the animal (in case they start eating it out of stress or something) so this is isn't allowed by many airlines which is why I don't list it on the checklist.
Airlines want stickers and stuff on the cages that are checked. I stumbled on this kit and thought it was cool and would highly recommend it! Its a travel kit that comes with Live Animal stickers (required by airlines), metal screws and bolts for the cage, and other goodies that will help you get your pet on the plane!.
On Traveling as "Cargo": This is the general term for when a cat cannot fly in the cabin. I want to dispel some myths on this. They are NOT put in with the luggage to jostle around. They are secured in a separate area under the plane. It is not an inherently bad thing. It is most important that your cat be appropriately sized to the kennel so as to not cause additional stress so please don't squish your cat into a carrier it is too big for simply out of fear about them flying under the plane. I found it comforting to watch the tv series "Animal Airport" which shows the behind the scenes of the animal service at London's Heathrow Airport (I watched it on Netflix).
Tips:
1. Don't Forget the Vet RecordsEven if you're driving. That's actually why I have time to write this post. I was driving last night and got swiped on the highway so I had to bring my car in for service. If I had the vet records, I could have dropped the cats off at a nearby Petsmart while I waited for my car to be finished (it should be okay but still! come ON!). But I made a mistake and left their vet records with my husband (in a different vehicle, days behind me) so now we are enjoying our hotel room and praying my car gets done before checkout time or else I will have to pay for the hotel for another night x.x
If you're flying, they are required. Especially the health certificate! If you're unfamiliar with that, how it works is you bring your cats in for a checkup within 10 days of the flight, they check its health and clear it to fly, giving you a certificate saying its healthy enough to fly. Do it as close to your flight as you can so, if your flight gets rescheduled, the certificate is still good. For example, we were supposed to fly out on the 25 so I made the vet appt for the 20. Our flight got changed to the 30 but we were still okay because the health certificate was still within 10 days of the flight. If we'd flown out on the 31st, we would have needed a new health certificate.
2. Check the Laws at the Destination
Check and see if your destination has any quarantine laws! Hawaii, for example, has stringent quarantine laws BUT if you read up ahead of time, you will be okay. If anyone is interested, I can make a followup post on how to deal with various quarantine laws so your pet spends the least amount of time in quarantine. The USDA is a great resource, in my experience. I was able to get a USDA certificate that my cats were up to date on their rabies vaccines and were originating in a place with stringent quarantine laws so that I was able to get our cats released immediately upon arrival to Japan (which has one of the strictest quarantine laws in the world as far as rabies). That won't be available everywhere but its something to check into.
Also be sure that your pet is legally allowed where you are headed. California, for example, has one of the longest lists of banned animals in the country, including wolf-dog hybrids (primarily first generation), ferrets, and hedgehogs amongst others. California does have agriculture checks at its borders where you will be asked if you have any fruits, vegetables, or animals to declare, if you're driving, although most other states don't seem to.
3. Flea Treatment before you Leave!
Be honest, not all indoor cat owners are diligent with the flea treatments. These are CRITICAL while traveling. Be sure your cat is up to date with flea treatments before you leave! If you aren't doing it regularly, put it on at least 48 hours before you leave so it can start working. You can do your best at home but, especially if they are staying in human hotels or pet hotels, they may become exposed to fleas and you DO NOT want the fleas to stick around.
4. Hotel Hacks
If you book your hotel room online after 5 or 6 pm, its frequently 10% or more off. Be sure to declare your pets at check in because there is a small additional fee (usually about $20, sometimes for both pets and sometimes individually). I'll stop at about 5 pm for gas and google "hotels near xyz" (wherever I think I'll stop for the night). If you hit "more filters," you can select pet friendly hotels. It hasn't steered me wrong yet!
Bring all your stuff into the hotel room and let your cats adjust to the room before letting them out of their cages. I recommend using the bathroom, showering, and brushing your teeth before letting them out because those loud sounds may be overwhelming for them. Then, put out their litterbox (bring a towel or mat for their litterbox, in case they decide to kick litter everywhere in protest), their regular food and water dishes, and let them out. Keep things calm and quiet for them while they adjust to the room while outside their kennels. I set out the cat scratcher as well and they were VERY happy to see it (if there's ever a time you want your cat doped up on catnip, its while traveling). In general, just let them be. Pet them if they are bold enough to be out. If they hide, let them hide and leave them alone. If there is a window and you can set their bed near it, they'll love that!
If you're lucky, hotel beds have boards so nothing can get under them. Nothing is as fun as trying to drag an upset cat from under a hotel bed when you are rushing out the door for another day of road tripping. Check the bed before you let the cat out so you can prepare mentally.
5. Cats in the Car
Cage setup: Cover floor of crate with puppy pads. Add litterbox and something comfy and familiar for kitty to sleep on. Spritz heavily with cat calming spray. Keep the cage spacious and resist adding tons of toys. your cat needs space to move around more than things to do, in order to keep them calm. If you do add toys, try to stick to quiet, calm toys (cardboard scratcher or self groomer might be good). The car trip is stimulating enough for your cat so minimize other stimuli. Caveat: all cats are different. If your cat turns out to better with a distraction, do add the distraction. You know your cat best!
Cover your seats or the area under which the cages will be with large trash bags. In my case, my car is very small so I fold down the back seats and put a trash bag over them. Then put a moving blanket or something down before putting the cages in the car. Load one cat per cage before exiting the dwelling (house/apartment/hotel room) and put them into the car (preferably pre-cooled, if its hot out or slightly warm if its cold). I thought I'd have to cross tie the cages so they would not move around in the car, or at least tie them together, but that turned out to be unnecessary as I packed my suitcase in behind them. Be wary of any exterior clips/water bottles/etc that may catch and/or break as you load the cages (rip hamster water bottle #2). Check the cages to see if the sun is shining on the cages. Cats like sunning themselves but they have nowhere to escape in the car if they get too hot so clip up a sheet on that side of the cage if there is sun shining on it, making sure there is at least two inches of fabric on top as well as over the side. Drive gently (no slamming breaks or hard turns).
Put some calming treats in their food dish with a small portion of food. Every cat is different in the car; my cats sit on top of their hideaway beds for the road trip (the entire 12 hours we are on the road!). In the evenings, they sometimes pee in the litterbox if they can't hold it until the hotel room but they prefer to wait for the hotel room (they used to not care when they were younger).
Let me know if you have any questions/comments/recommendations!
