Cross country move with pets

[katharinerose]

OK, this is a little long...

We will be moving literally from sea to shining sea at the end of August, and will be bringing our dear kitty and rats with us. We will more than likely be driving. The rats I'm not as concerned about, as we can just rig something to seat belt their cage into the back seat, and they won't really care where they are as long as they get fed and petted. But I'm worried about Astrid, the cat.

She's almost three years old, and except for a couple vet visits and one time out on a lead as a kitten, she's never been out of the apartment. The one time we tried to take her outside, she didn't like the snow and a big truck scared her. She's generally pretty easy going, but doesn't like change in her environment. She also doesn't like riding in the car. She cries non-stop. It's better if she can see us, but I don't know of a way we can set her up safely. Any ideas on keeping a kitty happy on a 3,000 mile car trip?

And on another somewhat related note, she hasn't been spayed yet (mostly out of laziness on our part, and it not really being a problem as she's never been near another cat since she was a kitten). We will be getting her spayed either before the move or immediately after, as we will be moving into a place with other cats, and easier access to the outdoors. Is it better to do it now, when she's home and comfortable with her surroundings, or wait so we don't have the risk of complications and moving a sick cat? We do have a very good vet at the far end of the trip, but not one we really like here.

[Krisis]

Hmm, personally I would wait until she's settled at the new place before spaying her.

I've moved with cats several times. The last time we moved from Arkansas to Utah and had the cats in our car (which was towed behind a U-Haul.) When it was very hot, they rode in crates in the Uhaul with us. But most of the time, they were free to roam about our empty car. It worked very well.

We once moved from Florida to Utah with 3 cats. We stuck their litter box in the back of the van, and every time we stopped for a potty break they got to go outside of the car (on a leash) to stretch their legs. All 3 of those cats DESPISED the car and had never really ridden in one for a long time. They yowled for about 10-15 minutes, but after they realized it wasn't going to stop the car, they quit. One of the cats liked to lay on the passenger side of the dashboard, and if any of them tried to distract the driver the passenger threw them inthe back seat. If you're very concerned though I'd just put her in a crate.

It's a pain in the butt, honestly, but it can be done and it's way worth it. My parents used to just rehome our pets every time we moved (which we did LOTS of) and I'm so grateful now that I am all grown up and can move my pets with me wherever I choose to go.