Road Tripping with Cats VOL. 1

Yes. I said cats. That's not a typo. I did not mean to type pets. I'm a pet parent, my babies are two long haired meow machines. Now this is not a post for shipping your pets, or airline travel. My darlings and I have never left the continental US. So I have no experience in that. If you are in the military contact the SCPAI, or your local vet. They can get you started. Now,

Met Aedin and Calcifer

Together we PCS'ed from Washington to Georgia, and then from Georgia to Illinois. We also made weekend trips from Georgia to Florida and Alabama. Now Aedin LOVES to travel, Cali... not as much. But there are ways to make it easier on everyone. Cats CAN travel, and they can do it well. With style even.

There are a few things you will need regardless. Always make sure your cat is up to date on ALL shots. Bonus points for feline leukemia and parvo. Spay or Neuter them. Seriously, if your cat isn't fixed, don't let it out of the house. If you can get them chipped, it's relatively inexpensive these days and can ease the stress.

Here are a few things to Always have on Hand no matter how far you are going.

Leather Collar /// Flea Drops /// Earth Friendly Poop Bags /// Extra Sticky Lint Roller Sheets ///
Absorbent Pads /// KOR Water Bottle /// Calming Treats /// Leash Harness Combo ///
Collapsible Bowls /// Ziploc Easy Zip Bags /// Spill resistant Bowls /// Soft Carrier

Most of these are pretty obvious. But I'll go over them in any case. A leather collar, so they can't get it off or shred it with there claws or laser eyes. Breakaway collars are fine for kittens and cats that tend to get stuck places. Otherwise stick to a nice leather one. Or be prepared to replace the cheap ones constantly. Flea drops. This goes without saying. I buzz the back of Cali and Aedin's necks to make it easier to apply and harder for them to lick off. Earth friendly poop bags, because well, for poop. It easier to take breaks to stretch your legs and let them go. Just make sure you pick up the poop. These are great to put the pads in too. Extra Sticky, because lord knows stress makes them shed More. Those pads I told you about, for if they wont get out of the car, you can't stop or accidents. Put it in the poop bags right away. No body wants to smell it. Not even them. KOR water bottles. Fabulous for you and them. Any container you use to refill their bowl needs to be BPA free. This goes without saying really... Calming treats, these are nice. We also use Pet Greens treats which are good for kitty tummy's and happy tummy's means less barf. Less barf is good. I like matching leash and harnesses, but it's not necessary. Cali wears a cat harness but Aedin wears a t-strap small dog harness. Because, well he's huge and a little Houdini. Collapsible bowls make for easy filling and carrying. For short trips I don't usually give them food. Cali stress eats and Aedin is to busy looking out the window. But these are great because I can just fold them up and stick them in the side pocket of their carry case. No bulk. Now for zippy bags I like the big ones that zip. If necessary I can use one hand and my teeth. It's necessary more often than not. We put everything in them from food to treats to toys and everything in between. Now this says non-spill water bowl but we all know NOTHING is cat proof, but less mess makes every one happier. Last but not least a soft SAFE kitty carrier. Each of ours has their own. Each carrier has a duplicate of their tags too. Aedin is rarely in his so his has lots of pockets to hold his stuff. Blanket, toys, bowls, treats and his batter bottle. Cali's is black and mostly solid. When she's scared she likes to hide in it or sleep. She doesn't like pockets or mesh. So don't just buy the cheap one. Pay attention to your kids needs. If you can get the bigger one (except for Cali) no one wants to spend any amount of time scrunched up even if it's just from the car to the hotel room. One thing I didn't include were tags. Cali and Aedin are mostly inside cats, but if we travel they have tags with our numbers attached to their Leash, Harness, collar and bag. DON'T TAKE CHANCES. And always ALWAYS double check harness and collar tightness before exiting a vehicle, make it snug, no one needs an accident.

Stay tuned, next time we'll cover Car Specific Needs!
For now, enjoy Aedin driving (the car that was being towed)