Travelling with a cat

[Quebec Gen]

Hi everyone,
our little kitty, Victor, was vaccinated a few days ago. Now we officially can bring him with us during our future trips, long or short, cross-country or not.

My question is, I know many motels allow pets in their rooms (like Motel 6 and Drury Inns for example), but does this apply to cats or only to dogs? I think so, but I'd like to be sure. And also I'd like to know about any website or book that has a great directory of cat friendly cheap hotels/motels.

If any of you have ever travelled with a cat or dog, I was wondering what's the best thing to do when you have to leave your pet in the car for more than a few minutes?(example : when you have to do some grocery shopping or go to the restaurant). When I'm travelling, I bring a lot of valuables with me, I just cannot leave the window open unless there's something to prevent from stealing and I don't know any mechanism that would allow me to do so. Stealers may get scared away by a big barking dog, but a cat???
I do have a camping fan that works with batteries, but I don't think it would be enough to beat the summer heat, especially in southern states. I thought of bringing an extra set of key, let the engine run (with A/C) and lock the doors, but I'm afraid the cat'll get intoxicated ( I know, some will say per chance she doesn't have any kids...yet!:-)).

Maybe some of you have suggestions on how to avoid pet heat strokes? I'd also like to know what to do if the cat is suffering from the heat anyway (water, treatment)? Any advice on "do's and don't's" and what to bring when you travel with a pet is welcomed.

Thanks a lot,
Gen and Victor:o)

[elena]

i have taken my cat across this whole country in an itty-bitty car....we probably could have done better, but we all survived.
we stayed at motel 6 with no problems, and lots of places will take cats, but they can charge some outrageous fees, so we stuck with motel 6, but we haven't really researched other options, they just seemed to be the cheapest and most consistant that we found out there.

as for water and heat and valuables and cat, is it possible to bring most of your valuables with you when you go shopping? you don't need to leave the window all the way open, but i don't really know of another way to keep your cat cool, i've never done the a/c thing, although it seems like it would be ok, as long as you don't have an exhaust leak or something, although if you're worried about theft, all someone would need to do is break the window and drive away with your car...maybe if you're staying in a hotel, you can go shopping without the cat entirely and just leave him in the room, or if you're traveling with someone, you can take turns staying with the cat.
i do know that if your cat gets dehydrated, you can give them pedialyte....the stuff they give babies when they get dehydrated....you can either give it to the kitty in the water dish, or if he won't drink it himself, get a syringe (you can also find it in the same section of the grocery store) and feed your cat by hand, i think 2 ml twice a day is what we gave our cat when he was dehydrated from vomitting....

every cat is different, but we noticed our cat really liked to have a safe place to hide, a box or a cave or something. we put him on a kitty leash to walk him, but he was so freaked out by everything, he prefered to stay in the car.

good luck!

[Robert Schaller]

Simple answer, don't do it! Your engine will very likely overheat if left idling, especially with things like the air running. An overheated engine will do itself major dirt. I don't have an alternative to suggest, but I KNOW I wouldn't do that. Don't ask me why I know this.

Locked-himself-out-of-his-vehicle-Bob

[Quebec Gen]

Bob & Elena,
Thanks for the tips, I've been taking my cat to the park a few times last week, it has been going well, I guess he'll become a great road kitty:-))

Gen-who-isn't-surprised-Bob-locked-himself-out-of-his-vehicle :-))))lol

[Mark Sedenquist]

Gen,

Some cats, (& dogs, humans, birds, etc.) never make the transistion well to being on the road. If that happens to you, there a some pharmaceutical products that can make life much saner and more fun for all. I am not sure about the regulations of pet stores in Canada, but in the US some of these products are over the counter and some require a prescription. Just to keep in mind.

[Syv]

Our city actually recommends people leave their cars idling & air conditioning on -- which saves on concerned citizens calling the police for every animal left in a vehicle (whether or NOT it appears in distress).

That is a big problem in our area. Every time you leave your animal for "one second" -- someone calls the cops.

[imported_Amber]

Gen, I was just wondering if you have taken Victor on any trips yet? And if so, how it went. My fiance and I are taking a short road trip to Boston (from the Madison, WI area) just to visit the Cape and a few other spots (not really the actual city, so much). We would like to take our kitten, Tink, seeing as how she doesn't mind the car or new places, and she doesn't like being away from us. I was just wondering if anyone had any luck (or not so much luck) traveling with a cat? What about cat-friendly destinations? I have seen dogs at many beaches/parks i have traveled to but never any cats :-) . Any suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks!

Hello Amber,

So far, I brought Victor only on short roadtrips within the province: Montreal-Quebec City, Montreal to Ste-Agathe (2-3 hours roadtrips). It's been okay, but he's not used to being in a car anymore because we've waited too long. When he was a young kitty, he didn't mind but now he's almost 1 year old and it's even a while since we brought him anywhere so he's a little scared and he makes a lot of "miaous" along the way.

On the other hand he's never been sick and he's pretty friendly with other animals and people, he gets along with everybody pretty well and he doesn't have any problem of adaptation to a new environment. When we arrive somewhere he visits the whole place, sniffing stuff everywhere, and when he feels comfortable he begins to purr and flirt with people and you can see he's still the Don Juan he's always been :o) I never had any problem with the litter too, we always managed to get him to do his stuff in it wherever it is.

We brought him to Orleans Island Beach near Quebec City two weeks ago, he was scared by the water that was running not very far, but he soon got used to it. He was walking beside us with his collar and leash on. Of course, it's a bit more difficult to get a cat to do what you want it to do, they have their character you know and they'd rather be held in your arms than to walk in a filthy place and get their paws dirty. Many people we met told us they've seen many dogs on the beach but it was the first time they saw a cat, they thought it was cute... Well, I guess there's a first time for everything! :-) The only trouble I had was when we met a VERY friendly and huge dog. I took Victor in my arms but the dog was reaching for him he was scared, but that's the worst that has happened so far.

I'd like to take him on my next roadtrip to the US and I got him vaccinated (to get through the border). Unfortunately, I can't help you on hotels, I never went in a hotel room with Victor so I never had to ask for motels' pet policies, but that'll probably happen in the future. I know Motel 6 usually welcomes pets, and since they often are the cheapest, I'll probably give a try there first. There's a cat on their pet friendly brochure so logically I guess they welcome cats as well as dogs. But if you do bring your kitten on a roadtrip, let me know how it went so that way I'll have an idea of what to expect! :-)

Gen :-)

PS - Before taking a long roadtrip, I suggest you bring your kitten on short car rides, just to see if he's going to get through it and to give him roadtrip experience before the "big" ride.

[Quebec Gen]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to maybe bring my cat on a US roadtrip, he's been vaccinated to get across the border. I have all the needed equipment and papers, but I only have to find a backpack to carry the cat around. I used to put him in a standard student backpack but now he's getting bigger and I want us both to be comfortable. I know some of these bags are available to order over the internet, but I don't have time to wait for it to arrive here. I was wondering if any of you knew about a pet store that sells bags like that for cat and/or small dogs in Quebec, Ontario or in Northern US.

Thanks!
Gen

[Mark Sedenquist]

Gen,

Sherpa is a widely-carried pet backline luggage line in the states. The Cat backpack model runs about $USD 70.00 and I have seen it at Petco, Petsmart and Target stores. But you may wish to order it on-line with a pick-up in one of those stores in Detroit or whatever.