How to Travel Long Distances With Cats

I have two black cats named Fontana (13lbs.) and Skittle (10lbs).  

Once I realized I would need to move back to Florida, my biggest concern was how to move my cats comfortably.  I had traveled with dogs before, but never with a cat.  

Fontana meows constantly on the 20 minute ride to the vet, and Skittle tends to get car sick on any short trip.  Now I had to deal with taking two of them with me, in the back of my Subaru Forester, while I drove 1400 miles down the eastern seaboard!

Along with selling the house and moving, it was an additional stress I really didn't need.  To overcome my anxiety, I decided to be well prepared far in advance of the trip and it paid off.  We all spent three long days together, but made it to Florida just fine!

After researching and purchasing some things I didn't need, in the end I chose to use two of the MidWest Life Stages Dog Crates - see image and link below.  Each cage measures 24 x 18 x 21 inches.

Why a crate and not a typical cat carrier?  Give the cat some room to move and a clear view to enjoy the scenery.  Our driving days were long and the cats could not get out until we stopped for the night at a hotel.  Cats need food, water and litter during the trip.

The small dog crate is easy to set up - it basically unfolds.  There was plenty of room for the portable litter box on one side, with space for the cat to sit on the other.  I included two small dishes for food and water, and a disposable pad on the bottom pan, to soak up any spills. (All items I used are listed further down this page.)

I drive a Subaru Forester, which is not a huge car, but with the back seats down, both cages fit fine with room to store suitcases and boxes and my computer.

The two nights we had to stay at hotels, my sons and I carried the cats, in the cages, into the room.  These cages with cats, litter boxes and food bowls were heavy - one person alone could not do it!  It took two of us to manage.  It was the safest way to keep them from getting away, which was my biggest fear.

Alternatively, the cat could be put into a carrier, such as the one we use to go to the vet.  One person could then carry the cat.  I didn’t want to try to do that in my car for fear the cat would escape.  I had my two grown sons with me and they carried the cages into the hotel room.

I was a little worried about finding a good hotel that was pet-friendly, but there were plenty of them around to choose from.  Each afternoon on the road I would look up the area on my cell phone.  Then I would call to reserve a room for the night in whichever city / town we would be coming to along the highway.

Some hotels charge an additional amount just for the pets, and some don't.  In my case, I didn't know from day to day how far we'd get, so each day I called to book a room in the afternoon for that night.  Weather can cause delays, and so can traffic.  Once we had a pretty good idea of the time of arrival, I'd look on the map and find us a place.

We stayed at LaQuinta the first night, and at The Hampton Inn the second.  They offered very similar rooms, which were both nice.   One difference between the two hotels was the much better, free hot breakfast offered at The Hampton Inn!  It was the highlight of my trip.  Breakfast never tasted so good after 2 days on the road.

LaQuinta put us on the 3rd floor which was more difficult to get to, so I requested the first floor the second night.  I had my two sons with me and they carried the cat cages, but they were heavy and cumbersome to manage on the elevator.  Try to avoid that!

Once inside the hotel room, I let the cats have their freedom, and did they ever appreciate it!

My daughter's boyfriend, who is a carpenter, suggested a second level addition to one of the cages.  He built a simple platform that rested on the bars to create an upper level for Skittle, the smaller cat.  It gave her more area to use, and she could move around from top to bottom as she wanted.

It turned out that she used it a lot, and she never got car-sick once during the three day long drive!  The upper level gave her an outside view and that kept her happy.

• Spend money on a comfortable cage / crate for your kitty.  One that can be carried into the hotel room.  Cats can escape from leashes, so don't do that... keep them enclosed until you are shut into your hotel room where they cannot escape.
• Get tranquilizers from your veterinarian.  I only used them the first day, but they helped calm the cats while they adjusted to long hours of riding.
• Use a smartphone to locate local hotels a few hours before the time you plan to stop for the night.  Don’t try to make reservations until that day!  Car trouble, weather, and other unforeseen things can cause delays.  (We planned to get much further than we actually did, so making reservations ahead would have been a mistake.)
• Hotels that accept pets were not hard to find, but they do have restrictions on number of animals and size.  
• When you call for a reservation....ask the hotel to give you a first floor room!

My cats don't ever wear collars.  I worry that animals who go outside will accidentally get caught on something and get hurt or stuck.  I also think that a collar must be a bit uncomfortable.  But I wanted to be prepared in case the cats got away from me somehow.

When ordering, I could choose the collar color, the text color and then add the cat's name and my phone number, which is embroidered right onto the fabric!  Simple and ingenious!

One complaint from customers who have bought the collar is that the text gets covered when it's tightened to fit the cat's neck.  And some people said the collar was too loose for their cat.  But 75% of 730 reviewers gave it 5 stars.

THESE ARE BREAK-AWAY COLLARS - so don't attach them to a leash.  If the cat pulls on the leash, the collar will come apart and the cat will be gone!