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One of the biggest reasons that held me back from traveling full-time was because I have two obnoxious adorable fur babies, my oldest, Jinxy who is currently 13-years-old and my youngest, Ivy who just turned 6 this year!
Of course, this blog post pertains to car traveling and not flying outside of the country; however, I know traveling with cats on road trips is a very unusual thing, unless it means taking a trip to the vet.
And don’t get me started on the reactions I get when my cats became our travel partners.
I will say, it was tricky to travel with cats in a car, but we luckily managed to make it work!
So, how did we do it?
Here is my advice on how to travel with cats in the car.
Bring anything that has their scent on it.
Blankets, toys, even if they like to lay on your favorite hoodie, bring that also. Cats need things that have their scent on it and the more things you bring that they are already familiar with, the better off they will be when traveling.
I also recommend some kind of scratching toy that you are able to travel with so that your cats aren’t sharpening their claws on something that they shouldn’t!
Cats don’t get to be familiarized with driving unless it’s taking them to the vet, so if you know when you are going to start traveling, I advise you get them used to traveling as much as you can by taking them on drives.
Start small and work your way to longer drives, whether that’s starting them with a few blocks or driving around your city for a few hours.
Remember to work slowly and please be patient with you fur baby as they will most likely be making a lot of noise.
Pheromone sprays help reduce anxiety and stress in cats. They can also help familiarize your cat with new environments, so spraying them around your hotel, Airbnb, or wherever you are staying at can help your cat adapt to areas much quicker.
Of course, all cats are different and may not have any reaction to pheromone sprays.
I recommend using different brands and trying them out on your cat to see if your cat has any kind of reactions to these sprays.
FELIWAY Classic Cat Calming Pheromone Spray
FELIWAY has been a very popular brand when it comes to pheromone spray. They even have a plugin version that you can use!
Personally, I have used both the spray and the plugin and, for my cats, they work the same. Give it a test run and see if your cat responds well to it!
FELIWAY Classic Cat Calming Pheromone Diffuser
The plugin diffuser is great when you have to stay in a hotel room with your fur baby. This diffuser is completely odorless and it’s a great way to ease your cat into the scent before your next trip! That way, you can plug this baby in when you get to your destination!
One thing I do want to point out is to make sure the wattage you plug the diffuser in isn’t too much, otherwise you might burn up the diffuser and let off a burning smell (which completely defeats the purpose).
From experience, keep an eye on it for, at least, the first day of plugging it in.
If anything, you can still always do the spray!
Cats are already stressed as it is, so whenever we have to move to a new location, we make sure not to feed the cats in the morning, just so they don’t vomit throughout the car trip.
Wait until you reach your destination before feeding them!
If they’re really hungry, maybe you can give them a treat to help them settle throughout the trip.
In fact, I know places sell “calming cat treats” that can also help your feline friend feel calm throughout the trip (again, each cats varies).
Think melatonin for your cat!
So, you may want to try them out and see if your cat likes them!
I personally didn’t see much of a difference with my cats with the treats, but they sure like chomping on them!
So, for some reason, my youngest really likes hiding in a “hut” where stuff is covering her and she can’t see what’s going on around her.
I don’t know why she likes it, but my husband says apparently, she sleeps throughout the entire trip (we drive separately).
You can try this with your cat. Maybe try putting a blanket over your cat’s carrier or building some kind of fort around them.
It sounds weird, but it makes a little sense since cats like to lodged themselves into tight places. So, if you have some stuff that can go in the backseat, try putting stuff around the cat and see how they react.
They might also like the darkness that the hut creates so (hopefully), it can help your cat sleep throughout the trip.
Just like humans, cats need to be let out too!
If you are going into a gas station or at a rest stop, let the cat out of the carrier and roam the inside of the vehicle so that they can stretch, drink some water, or maybe use the litter box. Please make sure the car isn’t too hot or too cold for the cat either when you need to go inside for a bathroom or snack break!
If you do let the cat outside of the car, pleaaaase make sure they have a harness and leash on them. We wouldn’t want your fur baby to run away!
For my cats, especially my oldest, she likes to look out the windows and see what’s going on. She gets very curious of what is going on outside and likes to explore the inside of my car when we are at a rest stop. When she gets a chance to roam outside, she just loooves to roll on the grass.
My youngest couldn’t give a crap and is usually sleeping the whole ride.
Alright, so, I haven’t tried Happy Hoodie during my travels because I forgot it at home; HOWEVER, I have used it when I have to blow dry my youngest cat whenever she gets a bath and needs to dry off (she’s a freaking fluff and sometimes doesn’t clean herself all the way).
And obviously, a blow dryer is pretty loud and traveling is not that much different with the noise levels.
I’ve tried the Happy Hoodie on my youngest, and it freaking worked! She rarely meows, much less howls, when I blow dry her.
So, obviously, these types of things help with noise (not so much motion sickness though).
If you don’t mind your cat looking a little funny for a car ride, try out the Happy Hoodie. It might be the noise that scares them the most.
Happy Hoodie
Although the picture shows a dog, you can use it for cats also! Just make sure you get the right size and follow the instructions on how to properly put the Happy Hoodie on!
You can even get different colors for your fur baby!
Again, your fur baby will look a bit silly, but it’s worth it if it makes traveling a little bit more tolerable!
You can also get compression vests for you cat.
I personally have never tried it on my cats, but I hear they help create that snug feeling that cats like to feel when they get anxious (see, just like people).
So, do your research and see which ones are actually going to pair well with your cat!
All cats are different and not one size fits all.
So, the advice I’m sharing with you has worked in my experiences and will differ from what your cat likes.
But regardless, no matter what people have to say about traveling with cats, I find that traveling with my cats was not as difficult as I thought it would be.
I know that with a lot of patience, care, and love; anything is possible and I don’t limit myself to what people have to say about my choices when I started to travel with my cats.
And I encourage you to be the same!
After all, you know your cat better than anyone, so do what is best for your fur baby!
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