Some of you know that I am moving in a couple of weeks. Here is my problem. We have 2 dogs and 2 cats. One of my cats gets tummy troubles EVERYTIME she is in a car! Last time we put her in a carrier, but that was a mess because she ended up getting it (I will assume we all know what IT is, lol) all over her. I don't want her to to run freely in the car and get it everywhere. Her vet had said it is just her nerves and we really can't do anything about that. We are moving 3 hours away and I am not sure what the best way to get her there is! Any ideas?
My cat gets car sick
- Thread starter MissyO
- Start date
One of my cats gets very anxious in the car, but he releases his anxiety out the other end...poor little muppet. I usually sit in the backseat with him and talk to him constantly in a soothing voice which works to calm him down. His carrier is also laid pretty thick with regular and shredded newspaper.
What's the longest drive you've taken your cat? It may turn out that on such a long drive she'll settle down eventually. other than cleaning her up, the biggest concern would be to keep her hydrated.
What's the longest drive you've taken your cat? It may turn out that on such a long drive she'll settle down eventually. other than cleaning her up, the biggest concern would be to keep her hydrated.
Take her to the vet and get her a sedative. She will be much more relaxed and will be able to handle the drive much more easily than if she was fully aware. Good luck!
The last time we moved it was 2 hours and it was pretty bad the whole way. She is older now so maybe it won't bother her so bad.
I have had very, very good results with those cat pheromone diffusers that you plug into a wall socket, just like an air freshener. Basically, they make the cat feel comfortable and calmer in a strange environment. Many cars now have a standard electrical outlet somewhere inside - if your car has one, you might try a diffuser in the car?
i have a cat that gets car sick as well. poor thing! he would puke 5 minutes into the car ride. I get nervous even when i have to take him across town! makes me feel awful. he's been on many car trips. one being a 6-7 hour drive. basically my mom worked for a vet and got him some sedatives, not enough to knock him out, just enough to make him relax and they worked great! actually the trip out there she gave him too much (i think 1 pill) and he was sooooo totally out of it during the whole trip and after we finally reached our destination. so on the trip home she just gave him a half of a pill and he was perfectly fine! my mom calls them "kitty downers"
talk to your vet! they should be able to help you.
talk to your vet! they should be able to help you.
My seven year old dog got carsick when he was younger. Nerves and motion sickness combined. I tried really hard to get him used to the car but it really went away when his crate was raised up so he could see out the window better. I trained him to accept the car with clicker training. That got him to trust me enough to get in even if not happy about it. Now, after six years he does ask to go in the car!
You could try baby steps like I did. Practice your journey in tiny steps. Pick up cat. Pick up cat and put in crate/carry to door [whichever you decide to do] return to a safe happy place and reward cat for being so brave. PUC, CTD, open door. Then do all the previous steps and take one step outside. The chain going all the way to backing the car down the driveway might have 20-30 steps! With each step go back to a safe comfortable place and reward the cat. It sounds tedious but it will go quickly until you find the sticking point. That sticky scary place could be stepping out the door or turning the car on.
I would not want to travel with a carsick cat out of a crate. Back when, my scared cat would actually crawl under the seat then under my feet when in the car - he was a fat guy! What about fixing up a mesh bottom so any sick would not be under foot? I did travel eight hours in a heavy rain storm with a yowling cat in a cardboard carrier many years ago. Better than a sick cat any day! Oh, out of a carrier there could be an escape. You probably won't have to stop during a three hour trip but that would be a nightmare.
I strongly feel it isn't fair to an animal to expect it to be comfortable in brand new situations without preparation. It is really hard with cats as generally they stay home and go in the car to the vet once or twice a year. Dogs go to work, hikes, the park in cars all the time. Hope you have a chance to get your kitty used to cars. If not happy still, get the sedation!
You could try baby steps like I did. Practice your journey in tiny steps. Pick up cat. Pick up cat and put in crate/carry to door [whichever you decide to do] return to a safe happy place and reward cat for being so brave. PUC, CTD, open door. Then do all the previous steps and take one step outside. The chain going all the way to backing the car down the driveway might have 20-30 steps! With each step go back to a safe comfortable place and reward the cat. It sounds tedious but it will go quickly until you find the sticking point. That sticky scary place could be stepping out the door or turning the car on.
I would not want to travel with a carsick cat out of a crate. Back when, my scared cat would actually crawl under the seat then under my feet when in the car - he was a fat guy! What about fixing up a mesh bottom so any sick would not be under foot? I did travel eight hours in a heavy rain storm with a yowling cat in a cardboard carrier many years ago. Better than a sick cat any day! Oh, out of a carrier there could be an escape. You probably won't have to stop during a three hour trip but that would be a nightmare.
I strongly feel it isn't fair to an animal to expect it to be comfortable in brand new situations without preparation. It is really hard with cats as generally they stay home and go in the car to the vet once or twice a year. Dogs go to work, hikes, the park in cars all the time. Hope you have a chance to get your kitty used to cars. If not happy still, get the sedation!
Cats and dogs are different with a car. Cats are territorial, so they are nervous because you took them out of their environment. It's not about the car at all. Even getting them used to the car doesn't help much because they get overwhelmed with the change of scenery and such.
We had a cat just like this and we had to use sedatives (still awake, but MELLOW). Best thing EVER as we had several cross country moves in his lifetime. Otherwise, drives to the vets which is less than 5 minutes away always resulted in MASSIVE fur loss and vomiting and once poo too.
my dog has car-sickness issues too! she's okay for short trips, but if the trip gets a little too long, she gets motion sickness and throws up. i haven't really found a solution to it, but of course it really helps to make sure we don't take her anywhere in the car until she's fully digested her food .
.Thanks everyone! I went to petsmart last night and found there are several options there that have a "calming" affect. I am going to try one of those and take her out for a short drive this weekend. If it does not seem to help the I will get the seditives. I will let you know how it goes!
My cousin's Chihuahua would puke when taken out in the car, too. Just try not to feed it before the ride. Good luck!