PCS with two kitty babies! Need some advice

[soozq]

In two weeks we leave to PCS from CA to VA.
We have two 5 mo old cats. One is shy and withdrawn and the other well, hellfire. I'm taking them to the vet, getting their shots/meds updated, a sedative for them just in case, and their health certificates, etc.
I got them a larger med size dog carrier for the trip and I am still afraid it's not enough room.
What about a litter pan
I have these little stouffers tv dinner plastic trays I saved but i don't know if it's big enough. Would they even go in it? It's going to be a very stressful move for them being in a car for 5 days and hotels...what can I do to make it more comfortable for them?

[Beckah]

When we moved our kitten was only 3 months old. We had him in the cat carrier and filled the little container with food and water.
We took the full size litter box under the seat and stopped every two hours while driving because its also reccomended for humans and let him out of the cage and use the litter box if he needed to and gave him treats and cuddles.
Since we adopted him just before we moved, he was used to spending lots of time in a kennel, but I still think the breaks really helped him.
He is indoor only so we did not take him outside, just let him run around the rental truck a bit (the Front)

Bring lots of treats and make sure you have ways for them to eat and drink and take lots of breaks just like you would for regular kids is my best advice! Hope your move goes well!

[SammaJamma]

We moved from KY to az about 1600 miles...put a litter box in the truck with the back seat down with food and water too and let them roam around the car...for the most part they stayed in the back sleeping the entire time.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by soozq In two weeks we leave to PCS from CA to VA. We have two 5 mo old cats. One is shy and withdrawn and the other well, hellfire. I'm taking them to the vet, getting their shots/meds updated, a sedative for them just in case, and their health certificates, etc. I got them a larger med size dog carrier for the trip and I am still afraid it's not enough room. What about a litter pan I have these little stouffers tv dinner plastic trays I saved but i don't know if it's big enough. Would they even go in it? It's going to be a very stressful move for them being in a car for 5 days and hotels...what can I do to make it more comfortable for them?

Are you driving or flying?!?

NM.. just read the last sentence. I'm confused why you need a health certificate to travel by car.

Are you cats already litter trained?!

[~*Dawn*~]

We drove from WA to VA with our six cats and our puppy.

The pug sat up front with us. The cats each had their own carrier, stacked 3x2 and secured by bungee cords (yeah, that was fun assembling at 5am every morning after locating and crating six very unwilling cats). I put training pads in the bottom for comfort but nothing else. We stopped frequently at rest stops and while DH walked Otis, I used one of those medicine syringes to give each cat water. They only ate at hotels. We had those disposable litterboxes that we set up at each hotel and let them roam free and stretch their legs in the room. We left the morning of the 10th and got there the evening of the 14th and we had minimal trouble finding hotels that would take them all in...surprisingly.

I had tranqs but didn't keep them drugged. A couple of them laid down and went to sleep right away, and a few yowled I'd say halfway through Oregon. After they accepted their fate they settled down, except for Sassy who is extremely claustrophobic. I ended up having to keep her relatively sedated because she was just miserable. She panicked and peed all over herself so I had to take her in a reststop bathroom to rinse her off.

I'm not going to lie--it was NOT a fun trip. But it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and everyone who made bets about how many cats would be dropped off along the way LOST because I still have all six. They were so happy to be inside a big empty house...it was kind of cute. Like they knew they were home. I just don't look forward to vet day...putting all six of them in the backseat is going to bring back some serious deja vu for them.

[soozq]

Originally Posted by Victoria Are you driving or flying?!? NM.. just read the last sentence. I'm confused why you need a health certificate to travel by car. Are you cats already litter trained?!

They're already litter trained, they just like to play in it and make a mess...Their no no water is taking care of that slowly. I think they were just acting out because of the house showings we were required to have to rent out our current place. we kept them contained in the spare room because our landlord is a jerkface and said he would not be held responsible if our pets were accidentally let out.
We are going the southern route which has at least 4 customs/agriculture checkpoints. On the way moving here with my car with NY plates they actually searched our car. (it was cold and 4am in the mountains...)
The base vet recommended it and to have their rabies certificates handy. I'd rather have them than risk any issues. They were too small to get all their shots before. They're old enough now so I am not worried.

We took them for a car ride today and they meowed for a bit but curled up and went to sleep in their carrier. Hopefully that will be a sign of what is to come. We're still getting the sedative just in case.

[~*Dawn*~]

Originally Posted by soozq They're already litter trained, they just like to play in it and make a mess...Their no no water is taking care of that slowly. I think they were just acting out because of the house showings we were required to have to rent out our current place. we kept them contained in the spare room because our landlord is a jerkface and said he would not be held responsible if our pets were accidentally let out. We are going the southern route which has at least 4 customs/agriculture checkpoints. On the way moving here with my car with NY plates they actually searched our car. (it was cold and 4am in the mountains...) The base vet recommended it and to have their rabies certificates handy. I'd rather have them than risk any issues. They were too small to get all their shots before. They're old enough now so I am not worried. We took them for a car ride today and they meowed for a bit but curled up and went to sleep in their carrier. Hopefully that will be a sign of what is to come. We're still getting the sedative just in case.

We went down through California, over to Arizona and across that way. I was concerned about the checkpoints so I got them all caught up on their shots plus had the vet give me their records a few days before we left. The checkpoint patrols didn't even bat a lash at the animals, all they were interested in was whether we had produce. But it's still a good idea to have their records just in case.

[MyFlyBoy]

Make sure you have the certificate in the Glove box with all the shots..I ran into this problem when we moved from Utah to NC We got stopped in West Virgina and I packed the proof of everything (not fun)> As for your kittys crate them. and get them so toys or catnip. Keep them entertained. If you want to sedate them I learned with Ace(aceprozine)Cut the Pill in half so they are not so loopy but still calm