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9:06 am
January 8, 2010
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Miss Dana
| | Georgia | |
| Mighty Chicken | posts 171 | |
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So have any of yall every tried to travel somewhere with a kitty? I've only taken my two kitties, Abbey and Dark Kitty, to the vet. They took the ride fine and behaved with the vet, but that's been their only venture out from the house. They're entire lives…
Now that I have a mountain retreat, I would like to have them there with me sometimes. I could bring their beds, litter pans, food bowl, water etc….but how would they handle this little vacation? And how should I 'introduce' them to the new surroundings? It's a small house, about 1000 square feet and no nooks and crannies to hide in, really. (nothing worse than losing a cat in a car dashboard like Suzanne did!)
Any advice on this one? Surely somebody visits a mama and takes the kitty. ( The dogs have already visited and except for that one unfortunate incident of Annie Fannie taking off at a dead run in the middle of the night while on a tee-tee break, they did fine.)
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"It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." Mama
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9:50 am
January 8, 2010
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Pete
| | WV | |
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| posts 7875 | |
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Not a cat person here, but I have had to travel with one several times. Yes, it is possible and one can even train cats to walk on leads! Not that I had any luck with it, but others have. I ended up with my Siamese on a lead at a gas station stop and she slipped the thing and took off across the access road. Happy ending, but it was dicey for a bit.
Later in the trip she escaped the car and hid in a wood pile on a farm. I left her alone and she eventually came out.
Yes, they will find a place to hide even when you don't see one.
There are lots of cat people here, so they should be able to give you more specific advice.
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Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus!
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9:57 am
January 8, 2010
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BuckeyeGirl
| | N.E. Ohio | |
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How long a drive is it? I traveled cross country with my cat when I moved from Colorado to Ohio and I got a large dog crate and a small litter box in the back of it, hehe, I even put a cardboard "wall" from the 'roof' of the crate to the floor with packing tape to hold it so he would feel more secure in there. Silly huh? I put a comfy bed in the front too and there was room for a sort of deep water dish too.
When we stopped for the night though, the whole thing came in the room, and he could stay inside it if he needed the security of it… but he didn't, he explored the room and had a blast, then crawled UNDER the covers with me, something he never did otherwise.
If you get a big enough crate, they can both be in it and be security for each other and the crate can be a hidey spot in the new place. It's really best that they stay inside it the whole drive too, if something happens where you need to react, you don't want to be distracted, and if a door or window gets opened unexpectedly, having them slip out would be awful. Take some familiar toys and their beds as you say and make extra EXTRA sure they don't get outside while you're there. Loose in those mountains would surely be a death sentence for them… I'm sure you know that, but I had to say it, sorry. 
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If tomatoes are a fruit, then isn’t ketchup technically a
smoothie?
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10:29 am
January 8, 2010
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JeannieB
| | Columbia, South Carolina | |
| Superstar | posts 1453 | |
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I am not a cat person, but when Lauren came to live with me, we kept her cat in for a week, so he could get used to the new environment, but the first time he got out, he was gone. We went back to the old house several times a day for over a week and did not find him. I hope you can find a way to take him with you.
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Don't cry because it's over—smile because it happened!
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10:54 am
January 8, 2010
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Suzanne McMinn
| | Sassafras Farm in Roane County, WV | |
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That's the worst part about taking cats somewhere–if you let them out, they might disappear. When we moved here, I kept the cats inside for a few weeks and STILL some of them disappeared, though they eventually were found (one took three weeks to find–and she didn't come back on her own, somebody saw her and I tracked her down and eventually nabbed her). If it was me and I was going to take them somewhere that would only be temporary, I'd keep them inside while I was there. If you're planning to do that, you should be fine. Travelling with cats isn't hard–just stick them in a carrier. If it's a seriously long drive, put them on a harness leash and let them out at rest areas to pee etc. Just be sure the harness leash is really snug on them. I wouldn't use just a regular leash–cats are good at wriggling their necks out of regular leashes. A harness makes it so they can't do that. And don't feed them in the morning before a car trip–some cats get carsick! (Dogs too!)
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11:09 am
January 8, 2010
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shirley
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| Big Chicken | posts 46 | |
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Every time I moved, I took my cats and put butter on their paws. Don't ask me why this works. I just know that it does. Keep them in for a day, then, if it's an inside/outside kitty, they'll stay close.This also works for hairballs. They lick the butter off their paws and it works like a charm.
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11:37 am
January 8, 2010
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Miss Dana
| | Georgia | |
| Mighty Chicken | posts 171 | |
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Butter on their paws? It makes them less homesick? ( makes note to put butter on hands next time I travel somewhere.  )
The drive from the house is only two hours. What would this be in cat hours?
They are strictly indoor kitties and I would take the utmost care in not allowing them any access to an open door or window. We recently learned Labradors can make their own outside door when faced with unfamiliar door screens…so, yes, care will be taken.
I really really want my animals with me so I can move what makes my home 'home', to the mountains for multi-day stays. This would be all four animals. Now there's an interesting trip! 
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"It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." Mama
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11:44 am
January 8, 2010
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Flatlander
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Before we moved out to this farm, we used it as our weekend-get-away, I always took my cats with me.
In a crate when we traveled and in the house when we were there.
If you go (almost) every weekend, most cats get used to it.
It also depends on age, caracter of your cat of course.
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11:50 am
January 8, 2010
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BuckeyeGirl
| | N.E. Ohio | |
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| posts 3992 | |
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Two hours is just a nice nap for most cats! I got the impression from the first they were only indoor kitties, they'll probably think it's an adventure.
The butter thing is something that has been around for ages, I'm not saying it's good or bad, right or wrong, but my Grammy had a lot of those things and I'm not gonna argue! Besides, it'll keep em busy licking it off and they'll stay out of trouble. 
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If tomatoes are a fruit, then isn’t ketchup technically a
smoothie?
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12:40 pm
January 8, 2010
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wvhomecanner
| | North Central WV | |
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| posts 3017 | |
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I haven't had to move a cat for 15 years but I remember that we brought things that she had slept on and smelled famiiar to her. I bought new stuff for where we were moving from including a litter box and brought the old things here to where we were moving, including the 'old' litter box. Switched to all the new stuff here once we were all moved in. Worth a try for you to take some things to the mountain house that they are already familiar with and just leaving them there.
I did not have a carrier to put her in for the ride. I wouldn't recommend doing that part ever again 
dede
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"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." ~ The Lorax by Dr. Seuss ~
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4:05 pm
January 9, 2010
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princessvanessa
| | University Place, WA | |
| Big Chicken | posts 55 | |
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I was moving into a new house and someone let my cat out of the "safe room". Of course she flew out of the front door and dissappeared throught the hedge. I was frantic because I was not going to be able to stay at the house for the next 4 or 5 hours and would be returning after dark. I worried that she might not know that she truly belonged at this new house. I put an old, ratty sweater (that had my scent) on the front porch to let her know that this is where her "bean" (and her) now lived.
I returned later in the evening to find her sitting square in the middle of my old sweater! She knew this was her new home and waited for my return to let her in.
So if your kitty gets outside before he/she learns that this is where it "belongs" try putting something on the porch that has either your or the kitty's scent.
Vanessa
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Everyone has a Prince Charming. Mine just took a wrong turn, got lost, and is too stubborn to ask for directions.
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5:35 pm
January 9, 2010
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Farmgirl wannabe
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| Mighty Chicken | posts 166 | |
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Vanessa, what a wonderful story and a very happy ending to it. That is very good advice.
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12:50 am
January 18, 2010
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MrsC
| | California | |
| Big Chicken | posts 24 | |
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Ah, cats – don't you just love 'em? We moved to our little farm approximately four months ago with one cat (we've since adopted two more). Frankie, our cat, was an indoor cat (pre-farm). Once here, he had serious business to take care of OUTSIDE (mice, by the dozens!).
I don't know if our strategy is correct, or not, but it worked for us. In the beginning, we allowed Frankie to go outside for short periods (and under supervision, at first). Slowly, we increased his time outside. Now – he's a champ and stays outside on his own (he's a big boy now).
Oddly enough, we also bring this cat in the car with us. This "training" happened by accident. Frankie liked to greet us at our front gate when we came home – we were always afraid of running him over, so we stop and pick him up. He would drive the short drive (often, several times a day) to the house w/us. Now, he can't wait to get in the car with us! Even when we don't see him, we honk and he will come running, and jump in through a window – so cute!
Good luck on your kitty adventures!
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6:49 am
January 18, 2010
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Leahld22
| | Newburgh, IN | |
| Superstar | posts 2673 |
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My cat Kiki knows my car. I live in an apt so we have a parking lot. If she's out,she runs up to the car when I get home,waits for me to get out follows me upstairs and into the apt!Surprised me the first couple times she did that! They're always looking out the window,guess that's how she knew.
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Life is too important to be taken too seriously.
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10:08 am
January 18, 2010
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Pete
| | WV | |
| Moderator
| posts 7875 | |
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That bit about getting pets accustomed to riding in a car for short trips with happy endings has always worked for my canine friends, so surely it would work for the felines in our midst as well. But then, I know almost nothing about the training of cats! 
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Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus!
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10:59 am
January 18, 2010
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Miss Dana
| | Georgia | |
| Mighty Chicken | posts 171 | |
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Okay…so I've bought a two kitty sized solid carrier with windows and enough room for a nice blanket. I put it out in my bedroom and Abby has already been hanging out….peeking out from the windows.
Next step….car trip.
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"It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." Mama
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