Advice needed -- travelling with my cat

[pappilon]

 Hi Andrew, just wondering if you have been to the speciallist yet with Charlie,and how did it go with travelling ?

And how is Charlie?

[swampmaxmum]

Hi Andrew, I've just read this thread. Only suggestions are a plastic, secure carrier that's on the seat (seatbelt!) and well secured so it doesn't move, and quite a few spare vetbeds (the right size is easy to find) and let him see you during the trip as that minimises stress. Some cats like to see out the window too. No way to avoid stress though. Don't know anything about North Downs, but Davies is in the middle of nowhere down a lane, so you would need a car to reach it. The trip back is always easier as they are so relieved to be going home.  Definitely wouldn't use a sedative as they can be dangerous. I spray feliway in the car and carrier about 5 mins before setting out, but there will be some yelling for a bit whatever you do. How much car travelling has he done? I would try a trial run of a short trip first; if that's bad, maybe the closer specialists would be easier?
good luck with it all. I also don't get much sleep and find 2 bananas before driving works a charm. And def sing to him   Joking apart, he should stop miaowing once he's been on the road 1/2 hr or more (and start again if you stop for a coffee & restart).

[blackcat]

I was moving house. Me, my stuff, three cats, in a station wagon in the middle of a Queensland thunder storm - joy!

Oh, and the car leaked 

[Andrew]

Oh my god!!

Five hour drive (turned out seven)... That's a long way lol. That was brave of you 

I honestly think it will stress me out if Charlie meows the entire journey if I drive!

[blackcat]

yep, I sedate bob for a five hour drive (that turned into seven because of massive thunderstorm and flash flooding, and he screeched the entire way. Normally he would give a few whimpers and settle down - don't know what I was thinking!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

You are right sedatives are not a good idea and can make them worse.

Good luck with you trip, hope it goes well 

[Andrew]

Thanks everyone for the valuable opinions and experiences! 

Charlie's cardiomyopathy is in the early stage and no medication is needed yet.

And he is not used to travelling...

I am thinking that if he meows and poos, I'll stay in the toilet with him!

I'll certainly bring the puppy training pads you mentioned!

Will let you know how it goes. I am not that fond of sedatives so I probably won't drug him..

[Reynard]

But be very careful unless you have a large cat.  I took Mosi to the vet in one and opened the bit at the top to fuss him.  Next thing I knew he had his head and shoulders out of it and it took me some time and a tremendous struggle to push him back in!  I'd never have thought he'd be able to get through the hole as he's not a particularly small cat, but he managed.

Hah, Pearl can squeeze out of that hole easily - but she's used to travelling so invariably naps en route to shows. She was fine to and from the National earlier this month and that was a three hour journey which included a coach trip. I find the hole is useful for slipping snacks through to her. 

Andrew, is Charlie used to travelling? If not, I'd suggest putting a puppy training pad in the bottom of the carrier in case of oops moments - it can be whipped out and replaced with a clean one if need be. I know quite a few exhibitors who do this.

[Sarah (seldom_use)]

I think that carrier is only suitable for small cats and wouldnt put any of mine in it. Well Misa and Sasa wouldnt fit 

you'd be surprised gill! charlie can comfortably lay down fully in that carrier and he's HUGE now i must get a pic

[Millys Mum]

Id opt for a friend to drive or book a taxi. Most expensive option but quicker and quieter than a busy train.
My preference for a basket is the wire type as they dont have any plastic bits which have the potential to split.

[lisa77]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh such a beautiful puddy 

[lucy]

I brought Xanthe home by train, tube and bus when I first got her as I dont drive. She did poo, but I cleaned as best I could using babywipes & nappy sacks, making sure she was locked in toilet with me so no escape possible before opening carrier. Still stank but hey, no one wanted to sit near us so plenty of space!    Sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done, but if you can beg a lift it may be easier all round. Good luck with it all, keep us posted!

[smudgepickles]

Hi Andrew
sorry to hear about your poor little one........I have no idea on transporting but can I ask how far advanced the cardiomyopathy is and what else your fur babe is being tested for.  is it because of constipation causing the colon problems as Pickles medication used to do just that

Im only asking as the stress of travel used to make Pickles so much worse with his cardiomyopathy that I refused to take him to the vet in the end and would only have a house call.........

hope you manage to get sorted.. look after yourself too though

xx

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

hi andrew, i would recommend a carrier with one of the compartments you can open, i have one for my charlie and it makes him feel a lot more at ease, i can put my hand through it to comfort him and he likes to have a peek out of it nown again

i'll see if they still do them on the tesco website, it's a fab carrier

But be very careful unless you have a large cat.  I took Mosi to the vet in one and opened the bit at the top to fuss him.  Next thing I knew he had his head and shoulders out of it and it took me some time and a tremendous struggle to push him back in!  I'd never have thought he'd be able to get through the hole as he's not a particularly small cat, but he managed.

I think the best thing would be to get a friend to drive you there, if at all possible.  I've never travelled on public transport with a cat before, but I don't think it will be easy travelling on a train at rush hour.

If you do need to go on the train, make sure you have a secure carrier and I'd take some nappy sacks and kitchen towel in case of messes.  Jaffa sometimes does a poo in his carrier on long journeys and the smell is not good!  It won't be nice for anyone on a train to have to put up with that and I think you would feel awful.  If that happens I'd take him to the loo, then try to do a bit of a clean up with the paper towels and nappy sack.

[Stuart]

My Mother took her cat Geordie on the train from Aberdeen - Ardgay about 2 and a half hour journey
I remember Her saying that He was Marvelous but he was a strange cat cause he didnt mind
travelling in the car iether ?? My two would always fire at both end's  during the journey, I used
to give them a sedative from the vet's, but then they would be zonked for ages and didn't really like that
I got my current pet carrier from Lidl's £15 and it is large enough for two furbabes only downside is the
construction material is of tubular steel, and can get heavy carried over a long distance  " I would have used Aluminium "
or maybe it's Misty thats Heavy?? 

Here's a photo of Misty in it and good luck with whatever you decide
Edit, there is also a large door in the roof, and it all folds away for easy storage

[dolcetta46]

Mark has a good point about taxi.  Also it can be awfully expensive, I once took a taxi from central London to Stanstead and it costed over £60 and that was over 10 years ago.  I think the best bet is to find someone to drive you there, if you can't find anyone among your acquaintances it may be an idea to put a notice on a local newspaper and such.  If I am not mistaken (sorry I am not a British resident) going from Chichester to Surrey is roughly going towards London, so there maybe plenty of people travelling in that direction. 
Also inquire to this specialist centre, I imagine there would be many people like you bringing in their cats travelling long distance, so they may have some suggestions/informations.
Then also telephone NR and ask about the regulations re transport of a pet.
I agree with Gill, if you stay with him he may rest calm.  I think the moves of train is less disturbing than that of cars, and just over 1 hour is, in many cases not intolerable (though of course that depends on the cat!).

Best of luck to you and keep us posted!!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I think that carrier is only suitable for small cats and wouldnt put any of mine in it. Well Misa and Sasa wouldnt fit 

[Sarah (seldom_use)]

oooh it's on sale aswell!!

think i may invest in another one

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.100-1535.aspx

[Sarah (seldom_use)]

hi andrew, i would recommend a carrier with one of the compartments you can open, i have one for my charlie and it makes him feel a lot more at ease, i can put my hand through it to comfort him and he likes to have a peek out of it nown again

i'll see if they still do them on the tesco website, it's a fab carrier

[Andrew]

Hi Mark,

Thank you for your reply.

I think all the taxis around here will only take an animal to the vet if they are confined...

As for travelling during off peak time, unfortunately, the two specialist centres told me they only have appointments between 9-11am. This is because animals will not have anything to eat after midnight. So that when they admit the animals, they can be tested or x rayed.

I am thinking to rent a car. I don't think my driving skill is that bad! I drove between the age of 18-24 in the UK and had no accident. Then I stopped driving when I moved down to Chichester from Cambridge. There is just no need to have a car because I live by the train station and my company is 5 minutes walk.. So I haven't driven any car for 4 years now. The only concern I have is that because I myself have a bit of thyroid issue for a year, sometimes I can only sleep for 2 hours a night!

I'll think it through as it is still 20 days away.

[Mark]

Hi Andrew,

If you do end up taking a cab, I would make it clear to them that you are bringing a cat carrier. Only recently, someone on here booked a cab for a vet visit and was told it had to go in the boot  - they refused of course.

All advise I can offer is to spray the carrier with feliway (at least 5 minutes before you put Charlie in). If you do go by train, I can only advise to travel well out of rush hour. Maybe the centre could offer some advice, possibly they have a transport service?

[Andrew]

Hi Gill,

Over the past four months, Charlie's megacolon has gotten harder and harder to manage. He has also been diagnosed cardiomyopathy and hyperthyroidism..

And these two specialist centres are recommended by a feline expert actually..

They seem pretty good. North Downs has a specialist in feline internal medicine too.

I hope no one ever needs visiting them!....

Andrew

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I hope everything goes well, what is wrong with Charlie if you dont mind me asking?

Have put thise links into my favs cos they may come in use for someone else.

[Andrew]

Hi Gill,

I am thinking to ask for a taxi or ask a friend to drive me there if possible.

North Downs is a specialist referral close to Redhill in Surrey and I live in Chichester. http://www.ndsr.co.uk/index.php

I actually prefer to take charlie to the Davies specialists http://www.vetspecialists.co.uk/ but it is quite far! (nearly 3 hours by car)

Thank you all for your reply!

Andrew

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Sorry I do not know the answer to your questions.

I used to take Kocka on the train but only one stop and she was fine as long as she could seee out of the window 

She did soil her carrier once which was very embarrassing but cos it was only one stop wasnt a problem.

What ever carrier you use needs to be very secure and roomy enough so Charlie can sit up and stretch out and a[ppaernetly if you cover the carrier with a towel or blenket helps the nervouse cat..............not sure I believe this as have sen many noisy cats in the vets and covering the carrier made no difference at all, including to my current singing ones.

It maybe that if you are with Charlie he maybe be better than you think.

Is there nobody who can drive you there?

When you say North Downs, where are you talking about?  Surrey way ?

[blackcat]

I haven't tried train travel with the cat so far, usually car or taxi. But I imagine if he makes a racket you could just move to a less populated car. between mobile phones and loud converstations you would be hard-pressed to make an impression. As for bad smells, people stink sometimes so don't see that as a problem myself. Depends on the temperament of your fellowpassengers.

[Andrew]

Hi everyone, merry Christmas and a happy 2008!

I need your inputs as I am travelling with my cat in January to a specialist centre.

As I haven't driven any car for 4 years and my thyroid sometimes keeps me up at night, I think it would be silly to drive.

So, I am going to take a train for an hour and 20 minutes to North Downs speciialist..

I don't know what kind of carrier I need.

And I don't know if Charlie makes a mess, will I be asked to leave the train? (if he soils in the carrier?)

Also, if Charlie meows all the time, (I know he will...), will I be ask to leave the train? It'll be so embarrassig!

Any input is appreciated... especially if you have experience with travelling by public transports!

I found this information on FAB http://www.fabcats.org/owners/travelling/info.html

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all!

Andrew