I need to transport my 2 cat 600 miles in my car, should I sedate them first?
Hi there...if you have a week to a few weeks before your trip the best solution is to begin a treat reward inside the travel crates before you place them into the car so begin feeding your cats now until you leave for your trip inside the crates fulltime. If the kitties will not go into the crates begin by feeding it in front/around of the crates then gradually move the food dishes into the crates...eventually when kitties are okay with eating in the crates gently close the door, but open it immediately while they are eating to help them acclimate to this. After they appear to be okay with eating inside the crates (sometimes it will happen within a couple days) you can begin with the next step... First take the kitties in the car (with crates and food dishes) and sit quietly with them and the crates door opened and offer it delicious treats inside the crates, which rewards both kitties for accepting the new environment. Do this several times throughout the day and when the kitties are showing signs of being more comfortable then you can move onto the next step. Just start the car (no driving) and offer rewarding treats again in the crate/bed still with door opened and also closed. After a few times then start the car and move it back and forth in that little area again offer treats in the crates with door opened and closed (by the way, chicken baby food is usually is an excellent treat just make sure this is Gerbers "2nd" NOT 3rd as the ingredients Onion and Garlic are toxic to cats). Again, when the kitties shows sign of comfort then try a drive around the block once then several times gradually with the crates door closed this time. Make sure they can see you when you travel as they find comfort with their owner's familiar face and can easily hear your voice as well. If you don't have anyone traveling with you then place one of the crates on the front passenger seat so you can occasionally put your fingers through the holes to comfort kitty with your touch too. The backseat is fine also if they like looking at each other, but make sure they can see you too. Keep in mind this method is the healthiest so that you don't need to tranquilize the kitty, which should be reserved as a last resort if the kitties are still very anxious in the final stages of the training. The method I described above is how zoo trainers teach their animals to be managed without sedation. I hope you all will have a safe and happy long journey.
How do you transport your cat if your cat hates its carriage?
Depends on where you are transporting to - travel on a plane? Too bad, the cat needs to be in a crate of a specific size depending on the airline. To the vet? You can use a leash and harness (and I stress harness not collar I have seen many many cats slip out of collars easily). But I would also caution you that GOD FORBID someone hit you or a truck goes by and blows its horn cats can interfere with the brakes and gas and a freaked out cat with claws is not a good thing when you are driving especially if it is wearing a leash that can get wrapped around stuff. Cats are den creatures and small spaces make them feel better. Where does the cat go to hide when they don’t want to be caught? The smallest place they can: under the dresser, under the bed etc. . As long as they have room to turn around the carriers are big enough but you may want to look at a larger dog sized crate. I also like the above suggestion of leaving out the crate at all times in the house so they don't associate it with going to the vet. I do that in my house and my cats sometimes sleep in theirs, I occasionally toss a treat or two in there to reward them as well. I have also known people that have had much success with putting a towel over the carrier in the car. Cuts down on seeing the world rushing past them out the sides and perhaps quells the motion sickness that some cats get. You can also spray the carrier with Feliway or Comfort Zone, synthesized pheromones that mimic happy pheromones that cats put on things by rubbing their face/paws on things. It can help take the edge off with a lot of cats as well. Rescue Remedy can be helpful for some cats, a few drops in the water or even a boop on the nose so they can lick it off can help. There are special ones designed for pets so look for those so there is no alcohol in it.I hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions :)
My cat is traveling 600 miles?
First make sure he's got identification. Microchip is best. Then get him a good sized cat carrier with a soft pad in the bottom (you can use carpet squares or a rug). You can get litter boxes that will fit in the carrier cross-ways and food/water dishes that clamp on the front of the carrier door. When you put it in the car you can belt it in with the seat belt. It isn't safe to have him running around in the car while you're driving. Too distracting for you and unsafe for him. When you start out the first day, put ice cubes in his water bowl. That way it won't spill as easily. It'll melt and he'll have plenty to drink. Talk to him and he should be fine -- probably go to sleep. Be aware that he may "sing" to you for the first several miles. I moved my cats from the Midwest to the west coast in 3 days. They hated motel rooms. When we were slowing up we'd get choruses of "are we there yet? are we there yet?" but mostly they just slept and didn't care.
How to take cat to vet without a car?
putting the cat in a cardboard box and then taking it out into public is a bad idea. she will be frightened by the new surrounding and jump out. cats have, in their confusion, run into busy streets because of their fear. it would be awful. a cat carrier is the best way to go. i would not recommend tying it to your bike - if you overbalance you will fall, and the cat will have no room to move and catch its self. if you must not use a car, and if public transport will not allow a cat in a carrier (in toronto they do) then you will have to walk. it might be winter, and if so you will have to think of how to keep the cat warm. the truth is that the longer she is in the carrier and ferried around strange places, the more upset she will become. she might be impossible to examine when she does get to the vet and they will have to drug her just to check her vitals. i think your desire to be committed to the environment (i am presuming this is why you are dedicated to the bike idea) is wonderful, but if the vet is not close to you, the result will be very unpleasant for your cat. i am speaking from experience - i do not have a car, and am not strong enough to carry my cat all the way to the vets. my friend has done so, and by the time he got there the cat was so afraid he bit everyone in sight and retreated under the table. it cost a hundred dollars to anesthetize him, just so they could check him out. a cab would have been twenty bucks and would have saved my little guy from being so afraid he peed himself.
What can I put in cat food to put some feral cats to sleep for transport?
Don’t drug feral cats. You can’t control the dosage, for one thing. Do you really know how many animals might be eating that cat food when you’re not watching?Use a live trap and tuna fish with no additives, or call a feral cat society or the humane society for advice.Or, if you have the time and patience ….Even very feral cats born wild and raised wild feel a certain attraction toward humans. It may take many months, but go out where you feed the cat, put out some fresh, fragrant food like tuna fish, and wait until you see the cat. When you see the cat, no matter how far away it is, go inside. Every single day go out, and wait a little longer after you see the cat before you go inside. Eventually the cat will get impatient to get its food and will wait closer by. With enough time and patience you should be able to touch it, and then hold it. It might not like getting picked up and held, but at that point you can take it into the house, put it in a cat carrier, and get its health needs taken care of. And the best part is, from that point forward, if the cat is sick, or hurt, or has matted fur, you can take care of it. It will always be mostly wild, but it will trust you to help it when it needs help.Or, it might become like our cat Wizard, who was feral before we caught him and had him fixed and vaccinated. We also had him microchipped. Once he recovered from his surgery, he decided that life inside was even nicer than life outside. He’s now an indoor/outdoor kitty. His favorite thing to do is wait by a mouse trail and squish the mouse as it runs by. Sometimes he waits for hours. It’s kind of amazing how many mice he catches this way!
How to travel with you cat in the car without a carrier?
The one and only time I ever took my cat to the vet without a carrier but had a halter and a leash she forced her way out of my arms, wiggled backwards and was off across a frozen lake where a fox had just been seen. It took 2 hours before she was back and we took her to her appointment. Vets in larger cities say that there is a feral group of cats around the clinic and they are made up of cats that decided they were no going into the vets. It is dangerous for your cat to be in the car and not in a carrier. If there is a car accidents cats are killed by being thrown out of the car or slamming into a window. They Escape and run off terrified and are often never seen again. You can get medication to calm you cat down and spray feliway in the carrier before putting her in. My carrier is soft and it unzips on the top and is much much easier to put her in as I can just pop her in and start zipping. She hated the one that was hard plastic and a door in the one side where we had to stuff her in while she screamed no. I vote you must use a carrier.