[dorjus]

I am driving from NJ to Florida and want to know what is the best way. Should I put them in a cage, how do I give them water, keep them from ****ting and pissing all over the place. Anyone got any advice?

[DB3]

I moved from Jersey to Mississippi with my cats and have evacuated for hurricanes with them many times. My vet gave me tranquilizers for them so they would sleep or at least be relaxed the majority of the trip. If I stopped at a hotel, I brought them in and set up their litter box in the bathroom. If the hotel is pet friendly it's easy to do. If you're on the interstate and you're not sure if it's a pet friendly hotel, look for the type (is it motels?) where the rooms are on the outside so it's easy to sneak them in! I never had a problem with them having to go to the bathroom and this is with them being caged for up to 16 hours on one trip, maybe the tranquilizer helps? I also didn't feed them while I was on the road driving, unless we stopped at a hotel for the night.

[dorjus]

Thank you for the tip.

[PG77]

I think it depends on your cat. I have a cat that is 10 years old and have driven from Ohio to Florida about five times and back and I just put him in his cat carrier. He didn't want any water and he did not even go to the bathroom until we got to our destination. He just slept the entire time. I have even flown with him from Ohio to Seattle and back and out to Seattle again. He did not want anything to drink nor went to the bathroom. I think it depends on the cat. My cat is laid back

[KoZmiC NinJa]

We moved from VT to FL (1200 miles )
with the kitties in a HUGE tupperware thing that took
up the whole backseat of my car. They had bedding, sedation and
water and everything was fine. We just made sure they were cool
and only got hotels where we could sneak them in for the nite and all was good.

[Ten]

I've driven Colorado > Michigan and Michigan > Nevada with my daughter's cat. The first half day she's uptight, the rest of the time she sleeps on the dash of the rental truck in the sun, happy as a clam. If you're okay, they're usually okay.

[House4Sale]

One tip I'd like to offer is try to park away from big rigs when you make your stops for food and restroom breaks. My cats got spooked by the hydraulics (hissing) of those huge trucks and thought a big cat monster was hissing at them. Park closer to cars and always leave at least one person with cats when humans go to tinkle or get grub. There are mischief makers who look in windows and if they see animals they like to mess with them. Your cats do not need added stress.

When staying in hotels etc., bring the animals in with you. Again, never leave them in room alone (esp. during day when maid comes in so they do not bolt at the sight of a stranger) when you go to eat etc. When we stayed in a hotel, I let them out of cages and they curled in various places in the room. Careful with open doors so they don't jump or run out when scared. You will never see them again as they will run partic. in a parking lot. A mild tranq, is a good way to go. We did that also.

Best wishes.