Long distance travel - advice please

[Team Svartalfheims]

Any food that's really mushy and can easily be mashed with water will be fine. I just always use A/D as its very very mushy and high in calories but if Korky's on obesity pouches normally then high cal might not be the best idea although 1 tin wouldn't do him any harm as a one off lol.

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

Is Korky a cat who can't eat when he's travelling?

He's never done a long journey so I don't know but he's fine on short journeys.  His current food is Royal Canin obesity management pouches     and I'd like to keep him on food that he's used to while travelling.  They do have a high water content and I can add alittle bit more without him turning his nose up at them.  Do you think they would be OK or would you try him on some A/D before we go.
Lynn - glad the vetbed works and thanks for the tip on towelsetc

[CurlyCatz]

vet beds are terrific for water losses as it goes straight through to the bottom and the fleece stays dry on top   However the water does need somewhere to soak to so i'd say those absorbant pads or even an old towel under the vet bed would be a good idea.

atleast you have plenty space with your vehicle so putting a litter tray out at pit stops and letting puss out to use it will be possible,

[Team Svartalfheims]

Food and drink.   I'm really worried about this one.  Korky loves to eat and hates to drink which is completely at odds with all the advice to give plenty of water and very little food. Miss Boopy's experience has me trembling at the knees

Oh dear I really didn't mean to panic you. Is Korky a cat who can't eat when he's travelling? I've now discovered Miss Boopy can happily eat food (wet and dry) when the car is moving and still isnt sick which is fantastic as it means on long journeys she can eat wet food to get moisture into her. She's managed several long journeys (incl. Aberdeen-Bristol) since she got to the UK fine with having wet food to keep her going (she won't drink when she's travelling) and we haven't had a repeat of the drip!

A tin of A/D mixed with lots of water the night you are at the hotel will be a good idea as at least that will replenish his fluids if he hasn't drunk much in the daytime.

The carrier sounds lovely and big so he'll have plenty of room to stretch out and get good air flow through. I'd definately put him where he can see you. I have to sit in the back with Miss Boopy when we travel anywhere or she goes mad (she usually ends up sitting on my lap on her harness and lead as she doesn't like being shut in her carrier). She's had me very well trained from the start.
It's good he's getting used to the carrier now so it won't be strange to him when he travels in it and the vetbed will smell of him as well if he's sleeping on it.

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

     for all the really helpful advice.  Its especially good to hear from peeps whose fubabies have done the journey and lived to tell the tale.  This is the current situation.
The journey.  We are going from NW England to just SE of Paris in our VW Touran and crossing the channel by Eurotunnel.  We hope to make our overnight stop on the French side of the channel at a Campanile because each room has a door directly onto the car park so no need to treck through the hotel.  Rooms also have a small internal hallway then another door into the room so no chance of him escaping.  However, we have bought flexible tickets (at ridiculous expense) so if we need to do more stops we can arrive at the terminal any time on any day and are still be guaranteed a place on the first train out (thats the theory anyway - hope they deliver).  The car has AC and it seems to cope well even when stationary for quite long periods but I'll certainly take something to create some shade and plenty of water for wetting towels.  I hadn't thought about it being hot on the train itself so the ice blocks idea sounds good.  Where do you get them (bearing in mind we will already have been on the road for at least 5 hours by the time we get to the terminal).
The carrier.  I've bought plastic-coated wire dog cage with a solid plastic base.  Its 30inches wide x 21 deep x 23 high and has large doors on 2 sides and I'm currently experimenting with what goes in it (apart from Korky!).  At the moment it has a piece of Vetbed covering the floor. Its nice and fleecy and supposed to have unique drainage properties that enable it to remain dry in case of accidents (but might buy some puppy training pads anyway).  I've sewn tapes to two of Korky's favourite cushions and attached them to adjacent sides of the cage to create a cosy corner.  Must have worked because he spent yesterday afternoon in it and he didn't come on the bed last night so I think he may have slept there as well (both doors are open of course).  I've ordered a corner litter tray with lid which I may or may not put in, depending on how he takes to it.  The airline-style carrier will go with us as well.
Practice runs.  I give in Gill    - we do need at least one practice run, not just to sort out the logistics but also so that he knows nothing awful happens to him at journey's end.  We'll a couple of dry runs with just the cage in the car to see which is the best place to put it/best way to secure it etc. then see whjat happens when we take Korky .  The back seats on the Touran are removable to leave a flat floor so I think we'll put it there so he'll be right behind us and in the most stable part of the car.  There's also room farther back in the bootspace as an alternative.
Food and drink.   I'm really worried about this one.  Korky loves to eat and hates to drink which is completely at odds with all the advice to give plenty of water and very little food. Miss Boopy's experience has me trembling at the knees and the thought of syringing water into him like Swampmaxmum fills me with dread.  Any further advice on quantities gratefully received.  Still got a few weeks to practice syringing before we go so maybe I should try that 

[Team Svartalfheims]

Hello, haven't been around so only just seen this.

It all really depends on what size your cat is and whether you want them to have a litter tray in the carrier at all times. The general size airline carriers for cats won't allow space for litter trays etc in them as cats aren't allowed them when they fly and they're not allowed excess space in the carrier as it's bloomin expensive for you plus cat can get thrown around a bit in turbulence. Careful not to get a carrier too big though or the cat might get nervous from too much space.

Ice blocks are good for keeping the carrier cool on the journey. If you don't have room for a litter tray in the carrier then don't worry as puppy training pads are brilliant for putting in the bottom and they'll absorb any accidents.

I did a night crossing on the Eurotunnel with Miss Boopy (think ours was quarter to 9 at night or something) so it was cooler whilst we were waiting to board and once we were on the crossing (it's quite stuffy) so it's definately a good idea to do that with the weather being the way it has been. Might be an idea food wise to take some wet food, maybe Hills A/D or something else that's very squishy, that they can eat during stops to get a bit of moisture into them.
Miss Boopy would like to point out to Korky that whilst you do get a lovely bright pink bandage after you've had a drip at the vets because you didn't drink for 24 hours it's much better to just drink on the journey (she now has watered down A/D left in her carrier all the time on journeys)

If you travel by ferry I think on the Dover-Calais crossings, because they are only very short, you have to leave the animal in the car but on longer ferry crossings cats get moved into separate kennels in a well ventilated area and have non transparent sides so animals can't see each other and are checked on every 2 hours (owners allowed to check on animals at someone on the boats discretion and providing a member of staff free to come and accompany you).

If you travel by plane the length of time it will take obviously depends on where in France you are travelling to but it's usually very quick and apparently not too stressful for the animal as they are the first things taken off the plane when it lands (as soon as it hits the tarmac they are instantly whisked away). Just make sure you triple check that your cat has definately been put onto the plane and any subsequent connections.

Warning about flying to some places in France:

Strasbourg is an absolute logistical nightmare to fly animals to/from it seems so animals have to fly to Stuttgart and you have to pick them up from there and if your journey requires changing flights at Paris I really wouldn't do it as I got a reply from a few companies saying "I am afraid that the airline insist on an 8 hour transit time in Paris and there is no animal facility there so your queen would have to stay in her box for this time. To be honest, I have to say that although Air France has always made the connection as booked, that I could not honestly swear that there is actually a person who we could contact to confirm she has made her connection though"

It's much much cheaper to drive the cat than fly it however it obviously takes much longer! Hope somewhere within my rambles is some useful info.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Kocka did three 5 hr plus journewys by car and yes she wanted to be able to see out and then if it was boring like on a motorway she would sleep.

When we stopped she would have a drinkout of her waterbowl and use the litter tray if needed.

I think as much room as possible to allow em to curl up in their bed and move around a bit, but not too much cos of bends and corners.

if you use a cage with something solid on bottom covered by something soft they can grip, sounds like a nice idea with their bed inside, if all of this is possible.

For a nice shady place you can always cover part of the cage with a towel and make it very damp if it is hot, cos will help to keep him cool but also give a place to hide.

Certainly advise trial runs, not just to test how he travels but also how things work in the car cos you may need to make some adaptions.

[swampmaxmum]

Hi Carol or is it Wendolene

My 2 have done to and back from France a few times now in our Twingo boot space. They travelled well (ok as well as can be expected) in a big plastic rabbit cage, into which I fit their bed and a litter tray. I stopped every 2 hours or so to syringe some water into them (not their favourite part). They were well wedged in with other stuff, kept cool with the aircon and they could see out. My friend in France has done the UK-France thing with a very ancient kitty and her kitty appreciated being able to see out as well. They should also be able to see you to minimise the stress. I did the Feliway bit about an hour before travelling, but it did take them a while to settle down.  They travel ok though; some cats are horrendous in the car. Have you tried a short trip to see that he doesn't freak out or get travel sick?
If you are going Eurotunnel, be warned that there is no shade at all for parked cars (I complained - no effect) at Folkestone. Peeps can take their dogs into a shady area but cats have to stay in the car. So when I do it again , if I do, I would choose a cooler time of day in case of delays. Coming back, the French officials at Calais were brilliant and came to the car and put their hand with the scanner in the rabbit cage to scan the chips so as to minimise stress.  I wouldn't go by ferry because I didn't want to leave my boys unattended in the car below deck during the voyage. Travelling with you I think is the key.
How long's your journey going to be? Mine did 7 hours the first day, stayed in a nice Ibis hotel (that was their fav bit) and then 6 hours on the next day, including stops. We travel/led to the basque area from SE London so it's about 12 hours driving.  Most French hotels are great with cats, but I'm sure you know that.
I took along the airline plastic pet carriers in case I needed to 'decant' the cats at some point, but I really swear by the bigger rabbit cage - it has a plastic bottom and is wire with top entry so very easy. Cost quite a lot though! It just fit nicely so there was no lateral movement when driving as you are right, that's NB. Hope this all helps.

ps assume you have a hatchback car? If they were to travel on a seat, I don't think the rabbit cage would fit.
pps don't give him too much to eat before travelling!!

[CurlyCatz]

you get cat carriers now that can be seatbelted in properly but i dont know how large they are.

Personally i'd check out the size of crate requirement if he was going on a plane and use that measurements as a gauge.

[blackcat]

If you have a power drill you could drill a couple of holes through the base of both carriers and put through some short bolts with washers, thus tying the two together firmly. That would alleviate the wandering cage syndrome. If the cages come apart in sections it should be reasonably straight forward to do.

Also make sure you stop frequently to offer water to the poor lad. Feliway spray is a must, and perhaps some rescue remedy as well in case he starts to feel extra stressed...

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

Thanks Helen.  I've already got the Feliway - all I need now is something to spray it on    I was originally planning to do exactly what you are suggesting but now I'm wondering whether it might be difficult to anchor the carrier sufficiently inside the crate.  If it slides about or wobbles it might make him travel sick (if he isn't already).   With carrier plus tray in the crate there wouldn't really be much space left so he'd have to sleep in the carrier anyway. Oh I don't know - I keep changing my mind.
We're only going for 4-5 months (should have been longer but the start date got put back) but I can't bear the thought of leaving him in a cattery for all that time.

[Tiggy's Mum]

Never done a long distance journey but I would have thought maybe a dog crate with a carrier inside aswell so if he wanted to go into his little safe hole he can but then he also has a bit of space. I would imagine a small litter tray would be essential!   How about some Feliway spray on his bedding - I use it for my two boys when they go to the vet, can't say if it makes them calmer as they are only little and I have used it from day one.  Rescue remedy is also recommended by some people on here.

Good luck with the journey, I'm sure he'll be just fine.  Are you staying in France long term then?

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

In a few weeks time I will be travelling by car to France with my cat Korky.  Its not an ideal situation because he is 15 years old and has never been more than 10 miles by car before but needs must.   Among my many concerns is what type of carrier would suit him best.  I can't decide whether to go for one of the smallish rigid plastic carriers (not too small to allow him some movement of course) on the grounds that he would feel more secure in it or whether to get a dog crate that I can put his bed (and possibly litter tray) in.  Does anybody have any experience of long journeys with cats and/or any advice to offer - not just on the subject of carriers but anything to make the journey easier for him.