Road Trips with Your Cat

It’s not always just in a car that you have your cat. You might also take your cat on the bus, bring your cat in a plane, carry your cat on the train or possibly even take your cat on a boat!

Each method of transporting your pet has its own particular issues.

I’ve spent most of the time in cars with Hepper and have learned a lot from all the mistakes that I’ve made.

Here’s some tips and tricks to make traveling with cats easier, safer, and maybe even fun!

It’s not always just in a car that you have your cat. You might also take your cat on the bus, bring your cat in a plane, carry your cat on the train or possibly even take your cat on a boat!

Each method of transporting your pet has its own particular issues.

I’ve spent most of the time in cars with Hepper and have learned a lot from all the mistakes that I’ve made.

Here’s some tips and tricks to make traveling with cats easier, safer, and maybe even fun!

These are scary thoughts but easily avoidable. Just put your cat in a cat carrier at all times when they are in the car with you.

You would never put your baby on the seat without a seatbelt or baby seat, so why treat your cat any different?

Containing your cat may also make them feel more secure, and they won’t have the desire to crawl into tight places under the seat or on your dashboard.

I use a large hard shell container for any drives over 30 minutes. Like this one on Amazon.

For longer drives I use the larger carriers so that my cat has more space to turn and and change positions. Even stand up if she wants. It’s even big enough to include a small litter box inside. After cleaning out many “accidents” I’ve found that a litter box really helps!

Every time I’ve taken my cat for a drive, there’s been something that I have to clean up. On a good day it’s just some fur that got stuck on the seats, but I’ve had some epic poop, pee and puke cleaning events! In my experience, cats usually have the need to “expel” after about 45 minutes in the car. That is good news for a short trip, but bad news for an 8 hours drive!

As much as it is a pain to slow your drive by stopping, it’s always best to find a safe place to pull over and start the cleanup, as soon as is needed.

Here’s some ways I’ve found to make this stinky process a little easier:

• Make space to work. Move the carrier to the back seat so you have more room to clean. If you have a second carrier, you could move your dirty cat to that carrier, take time to clean the original, then clean your cat and put them back in. You could also put a towel down on your seat, clean your cat well, and then let them roam in the car (doors closed, windows up!!) while you clean the carrier. I’ve had neither option in the past and have had to just squeeze my hand in the door of the carrier and clean everything one bit at a time, which works well enough.
• Tools for the job. Be sure to bring paper towels – microfiber towels also work great and don’t shred. Have a bottle of water on hand and maybe some sanitizing wipes (for you, not the cat!) to clean up after all is done. Don’t forget a plastic bag to store all the dirty, smelly items. If you have a small litter box in the carrier, you might not need a scoop, but you’ll want a small poop plastic bag to pick up the waste.
• Refresh the carrier. Bring extra clean towels or pads to refresh the carrier. This will make your cat happy and more comfortable after having such a tough time already.

As much as it is a pain to slow your drive by stopping, it’s always best to find a safe place to pull over and start the cleanup, as soon as is needed.

Here’s some ways I’ve found to make this stinky process and little easier:

• Make space to work. Move the carrier to the back seat so you have more room to clean. If you have a second carrier, you could move your dirty cat to that carrier, take time to clean the original, then clean your cat and put them back in. You could also put a towel down on your seat, clean your cat well, and then let them roam in the car (doors closed, windows up!!) while you clean the carrier. I’ve had neither option in the past and have had to just squeeze my hand in the door of the carrier and clean everything one bit at a time, which works well enough.
• Tools for the job. Be sure to bring paper towels – microfiber towels also work great and don’t shred. Have a bottle of water on hand and maybe some sanitizing wipes (for you, not the cat!) to clean up after all is done. Don’t forget a plastic bag to store all the dirty, smelly items. If you have a small litter box in the carrier, you might not need a scoop, but you’ll want a small poop plastic bag to pick up the waste.
• Refresh the carrier. Bring extra clean towels or pads to refresh the carrier. This will make your cat happy and more comfortable after having such a tough time already.

• Small handheld vacuums work well to suck up any fur or dirt that is on your seats.
• To remove smells, try sprinkling a small amount of baking soda on the carpet, then vacuuming up. Or these deodorizers might also be a good option.

Mindset – I get stressed because I worry a lot about the feelings of my fur kid, but in reality, their experience of a car trip is likely a lot different than I think it is. For all I know, Hepper’s meows are her way of telling me that she’s having fun and enjoying the sights. But of course, I just think that she’s miserable… 🙂

The thing to remember is that whether human or feline, we are all very adaptable and if our health is good, and the temperatures are reasonable, we can survive a lot.

Breaking the trip into smaller segments may make the feeling easier, though, so you could plan on a 15 minute stop every couple hours. Find a nice place in the shade, turn off the car, and pat your cat. You’ll both enjoy the time to relax.

The thing to remember is that whether human or feline, we are all very adaptable and if our health is good, and the temperatures are reasonable, we can survive a lot.

Breaking the trip into smaller segments may make the feeling easier, though, so you could plan on a 15 minute stop every couple hours. Find a nice place in the shade, turn off the car, and pat your cat. You’ll both enjoy the time to relax.

I always bring snacks and drinks for myself on a drive, so I assume it’s the best thing to do for my cat too, but this is not necessarily true. Your cat may not have an appetite from the stress or simply from the motion of the car.

There is a lot of contradictory info online about how long cats can go without food or water, and since we at Hepper are not trained Vets, we won’t tell you what to do for your cat. You should always ask your own Vet for these kind of questions!

But, in the research I’ve done for myself, I’ve learned that water is more important than food – cats can go longer without eating, than without drinking.

I’ve decided that a drive under 8 hours is OK to not supply food or water for my cats, if they are healthy and the temperature is normal. Hepper can sleep for longer than that, so by my estimation, she’ll be just fine.

I do like to feed her wet food – which has more water content – before the drive, and give her time to digest and use the litter box before I put her in the car.

You know your cat the best, and if you maintain the normal feed times, but with a break in between for the trip, I would expect that all would be fine.

I have made the mistake of giving the cats calming treats before and during the drive, though – and they’ve immediately puked them up.

The lesson I’ve learned is to keep all food and water details as close to the normal home routine, with no new flavors, and no surprises!

There is a lot of contradictory info online about how long cats can go without food or water, and since we at Hepper are not trained Vets, we won’t tell you what to do for your cat. You should always ask your own Vet for these kind of questions!

But, in the research I’ve done for myself, I’ve learned that water is more important than food – cats can go longer without eating, than without drinking.

I’ve decided that a drive under 8 hours is OK to not supply food or water for my cats, if they are healthy and the temperature is normal. Hepper can sleep for longer than that, so by my estimation, she’ll be just fine.

I do like to feed her wet food – which has more water content – before the drive, and give her time to digest and use the litter box before I put her in the car.

You know your cat the best, and if you maintain the normal feed times, but with a break in between for the trip, I would expect that all would be fine.

I have made the mistake of giving the cats calming treats before and during the drive, though – and they’ve immediately puked them up.

The lesson I’ve learned is to keep all food and water details as close to the normal home routine, with no new flavors, and no surprises!

If your cat is vocal and likes to meow a lot, you could get them to join in for some Carpool Karaoke!

Dogs are our outside furry friends and unlike cats they usually go everywhere with us. Car trips for most dogs are problem-free, and some woofers even like to ride around.

Safety for your dog in the car is still a concern for all sizes. A quick stop or even a sharp turn could throw your dog onto the floor, against you, or even worse – out the window.

Treat your dogs like your kids and friends – get a tested and approved dog safety harness that buckles into your seatbelt system.

Safety for your dog in the car is still a concern for all sizes. A quick stop or even a sharp turn could throw your dog onto the floor, against you, or even worse – out the window.

Treat your dogs like your kids and friends – get a tested and approved dog safety harness that buckles into your seatbelt system.

Be sure to check in with your Vet before your trip – they know you and your cat, and will have specific advice for your situation.

Do you have any good road trip stories? Leave us a reply comment – we’d love to hear about your adventures!