Transporting cat in the 8.......
 

Here's the deal, i'm moving to NC the end of June. Need a way to transport the cat, she doesn't like the carrier besides I don't want to hole her up in that thing for over 12 hours, so here is my plan tell me if you think it'll work.

Block off half the rear seat area, open the pass thru to the trunk, lay down blankets in both areas(to protect the 8 of course), food/water in the trunk. Drive up with a/c on high/recirc. This way it gives her a place to move around.

The cat's going to spaz out being uprooted once again, so......

I never had to take the fur ball more than 10 miles and she hates that with a passion so 830 miles is going to be rough. I plan on doing a one day drive.

Also another consideration, think there is any chance of CO fumes getting into the trunk area? I know it's sealed but I don't want to find out the wrong way.

Opening the pass through is a terrific idea. I don't know about you but my cat loves my dirty clothes. Try throwing a couple dirty shirts in the back with her. Also do you have anything like a rubber or plastic type place mat you can put back there? My kiddy likes to lay on smooth cool surfaces sometimes. Like yours, my cat becomes some kind of crazed possessed nightmare in the car. The noise he creates makes my freakin hair stand straight up. I don't know how you can transport water without it spilling all over the place. I recommend you take some chicken broth with you and offer her some *every* time you stop. They typically love broth and she should take to it if you pour some for her. I can't imagine fumes being anywhere inside the car unless the car itself is in a closed area. Lastly - pill her! Get a pill from your vet to relax her. It will help her with the stress :)

Now go give her a good chin scratch from Poolside :D

this is my perfered way of transporting a cat .

Very funny. I particularly like the totally gratuitous swipe at 'Focus on the Family.'

You might not want your cat in the trunk. I know that my trunk gets pretty warm. Especially in the summer.

Have you thought about tranquilizers?

I would ask your vet about tranquilizers for the kitty. I transported my cat on a three hour trip a couple of years ago, and tranquilizers were a must-have. He doesn't like riding in the car for more than 10 minutes, so the elongated trip was not something I was looking forward to.

However, with that said, he did seem to get used to the hum of the road and after 20 minutes calmed down and didn't make any more noises. I also like the comment about dirty laundry...he loves that. I will try that myself next time.

I recommend a cat carrier (a regular one, not like the one above!). Put it on the back passenger seat so you can still look at her. No water or food - they can easily go 12 hours without, and you do not want her urinating or defecating during your trip.

She may spaz out at first, but after a few minutes to an hour of wheel hum, she will relax without the need for tranks. Being in a carrier in an unfamiliar situation may be shocking at first, but will actually make her feel more protected than if she is left out in the open. She won't get thrown around as much in a carrier either, if you have to make a sudden defensive driving maneuver

You really do not want her free in the car, both for driver distraction reasons, safety reasons, as well as excrement reasons.

There really isn't any other reasonable way to do it for a long trip. She also could bolt out the door and disappear the first time you open the door.

I concur with the Doc on this one. We've transported cats on a few occasions to a new house, and they really freak out when they were actually loose in the car. When we've put them in a crate, even though its an experience getting them in it, they eventually calm down much more.

Plus, as Doc said, when you open that door...it better be in the garage of your new place, because that cat is going out. Unless you have a leash/collar of some sort...but we all know how much cats love those as well.

hahahahahahaha lilbigman that's hilarious!!!

That's to funny.

A friend took the cat in the airplane without a carrier. It took twelve stitches to close the wounds. The cat was freaked out, totally. He thought about opening the cabin door and throwing her out but she hid under a seat. It could have turned out very bad.
Use the carrier. Dobson can't be wrong.

Too late now, but if you take your cat out a lot when he or she's a kitten and do it every so often after. They become car trained and will just sleep in the passenger seat or on the dash while your driving.

Mine does that, but I don't let her in the 8 cause she's white and the interior is black.

She's pretty pissed off about not being in the 8. Keeps running up to it, sniffing the door and then looking up at me with that WTF! look on her face.

FEDEX

FEDEX...that's good!

The tranquilizer thing seems it might work, i'll check into that!

if I did the back seat/trunk passthru thing she'd have the ability to mosey around a bit. besides i'd make sure she couldn't get into the front.

I would keep her in the carry case. You don't need the added distraction of the cat moving around. Maybe consider a soft sided carrying case. They have little doors you can partially open so you can pet the cat.

My friend's cat likes to ride in my car on the center console, behind the front seats. That way she can lay there, or sit up and watch out the front window.

Once before, I transported a 22lb cat from Louisiana to Florida and back.. let it loose and it just stayed in the back away from me. Then I got arrested and the cops carried this HUGE cat by the nape of the neck.. then tossed it into the back of the squad card with me on the hard plastic seats. It was bouncing around, slicing me up like Yoda in SW II...

Then they released me!