After three moves within four years, it is safe to say we know how to move cross country with cats. From Las Vegas to Dallas, Dallas to Washington D.C. and then back to Dallas – we have gathered all the tips and essential things to know when it comes to moving cross country with cats. Suffice to say, we also know what it’s like traveling with cats in a car. We have driven long distances with a cat in both a truck and a compact car, we have PURRFECTED the art on how to travel with a cat in a car. From finding the right travel litter box to the comfiest blankets and travel carrier, we know exactly what makes a cat purr.

 

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Meet Tiramisu

We would not know the first thing about traveling with cats in a car without our lovely companion, Tiramisu. Tiramisu (Tira for short), is our beautiful medium haired, calico cat. Tira has been a traveling cat since she was only a year old. Throughout the past three moves, she has meowed and purred her way to help us find the perfect course of action to move cross country with cats. From understanding what she wants and needs, we have successfully traveled from coast to coast with her. With that said, I think she is ready for us to stop moving and settle down in Dallas.

How to Travel with a Cat in a Car

Whether you are traveling with a cat in a car long distance or just visiting the vet, you need to be able to make your cat feel at home in an uncomfortable environment. Cats are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. Tira always knows when she is about to take a car ride and will quickly try to hide. Mostly because she thinks its time for her annual visit to the vet. So here are some tips we have picked up throughout the years that have helped us travel with a cat in a car.

 

The Human Touch

When you travel with a cat in a car, the most effective way to make your cat feel safe is to soothe them with the human touch. After we place Tira in her cat carrier, we immediately walk around the room while talking and petting her. Once she relaxes, we will carefully walk to the car and continue to soothe her with our voice and touch until she feels at peace. It honestly does not take long, which is why we highly recommend soothing your cat with the human touch when you travel in a car, especially long distance.

 

Cat Carrier

The most important item you need when you travel with a cat in a car is a cat carrier! Especially if you are visiting the vet, it is always required. A cat carrier can be anything from the classic plastic kennel to a soft-sided bag or a trendy capsule backpack. We try to help Tira to distinguish when she is traveling in a car long distance versus when she is visiting the vet. We do this by always placing her in the classic kennel for the vet and the capsule backpack for traveling.

 

Kibbles and Snacks

It is always a good idea to pack some food and snacks for your cat when you travel in the car. Depending on the nature of your relationship with your cat, you can give them snacks to keep them calm and nurture good action. Furthermore, for traveling with cats in a car long distance, you will want to make sure you pack enough food for them. With that said, typically Tira always feels out of place and only eats a little. On the other hand, if you have a cat who gets car sick (like my sister’s cat, McLovin), it is best to feed them as early as possible and limit their food intake during the car ride.

 

Moving Cross Country with Cats

The same tips mentioned above should be repeated when moving cross country with cats. The additional pieces that need to be accounted for are finding proper accommodations, pit stops, and more.

Cat-Proof Your Seats

Cats are very curious creatures. In fact, Tira is probably more curious than George! Therefore, we let Tira out only AFTER we are on the open road for major safety reasons. Cats (especially Tira), need to get acclimated to their new environment for big cross country moves. So to let cats wander the car, you must first cat-proof it. Any cat owner can tell you, no matter how big or fluffy their cat is, they will always find a way to get into the smallest areas. To cat-proof your car, simply stuff bath towels or blankets under the driver and passenger seats. This will help keep your cat from sneaking under the driver’s seat and getting into a very dangerous situation.

 

Leave Room For Comfort

Tira LOVES to sleep in the dark or on soft, dark-colored blankets. So we make sure to leave two spots for her. One on the floor behind a seat so she has shade and another with a blanket fluffed up on the back seat. Depending on what your cat prefers, make sure to provide comfort to them as best as you can, given the circumstances.

 

Hotel Accommodations for Moving Cross Country with Cats

When you are planning your route for moving cross country with your cat, make sure you find and book your hotel accommodations ahead of time. The last thing you want to do is drive for ten hours and then try to find a cat-friendly hotel. Trust me, finding a decent cat-friendly hotel is not an easy task, especially last minute.

First of all, I say cat-friendly because some hotels will claim they are pet-friendly, but they actually only allow dogs. Once you find a cat-friendly hotel, you also need to check their policy to see how much the additional fees cost. We have seen some pet fees cost as high as $150 for cats, which is outrageous! Typically, a pet fee should not cost more than $20, give or take. If you cannot find a pet fee online, just give the hotel a call.

 

Pet-Friendly Pit Stops

Every long-distance road trip needs pit stops. Whether it is for a quick rest, to refuel gas or to eat lunch. So when you are moving cross country with cats, you need to find some pet-friendly pit stops. For us, we would find somewhere suitable such as Firehouse Subs. We typically call ahead to ask if we could bring Tira inside the restaurant with her cat carrier. Most times, restaurants do not have a problem with it. However, there were a few times when we would have to leave her in the car. This option is not ideal, but sometimes you have to make the best adjustments when you travel with cats in a car. So we would either eat in the car or park next to a window so we could always see her. Then we would take turns to visit her every five minutes.

 

Traveling with Cats in a Car Long Distance – Essential Items to Pack

When you are traveling with cats in a car long distance, it is essential to pack everything you need for a successful trip. Through trial and error, we have found that these items work best for Tira when we take her on long-distance road trips.

 

Travel Litter Box

Of course, a travel litter box is the most important thing you need to pack when traveling with cats in a car long distance. Just like humans, cats need to use the bathroom on long road trips. At first, we used small cardboard boxes as Tira’s travel litter box, but now we have found the perfect one! This travel litter box is made of durable nylon fabric that is not only portable, but also collapsible. You can easily place it behind a car seat without any fuss because it can fold in on itself without spilling any litter. It also comes with a portable, collapsible food/water bowl. Talk about the purrfect travel litter box.

 

Ziploc Bags

So, a cat using a travel litter box comes with some cleanup. My best recommendation is to pack some Ziploc bags and pick up your cat’s stool like you would pick up a dogs. Or speaking of dogs, you can also buy and use regular dog poop bags to help clean your cat’s travel litter box.

 

Air Freshener

The last piece to cleaning your cat’s travel litter box is a nice air freshener because nothing is worse than smelling your cat’s nice piece of work in a small, enclosed car. If your cat’s work is anything like Tira’s, not even rolling down the windows can help. So we make sure to pack some air fresheners. Whether they are air freshener sprays or a simple car air freshener, you should definitely pack one when traveling with cats in a car long distance.

 

Comfortable Blankets or Cat Bed

As briefly mentioned before, we like to make Tira a nice comfortable bed with some of her favorite blankets. So we will always pack at least two blankets for her. You can also pack a small cat bed if that is what your furry friend prefers.

 

Cat Car Hammock

This is one of the coolest things you can pack for your cat during a long distance road trip. Unfortunately, we do not have wide enough windows on our Honda Civic to buy this for Tira, but we hope you can. This cat car hammock is perfect for cats who love the sun and lounging – so basically every cat. Just make sure you measure your car window. The hammock requires at least a 30″ x 14″ window.

 

Towels

Both paper and bath towels are a great idea to pack when traveling with cats in a car long distance. Just like children, cats can make quite the mess. So it is best to always be prepared for any accidents that may occur on the road. We like laying down a bath towel around the travel litter box and on the nearest seat to make sure any mess does not get on our cloth seats.

 

Cat Calming Spray

No matter how many times we take Tira on our cross country moves, she is always scared at first. Some cats like my sisters are even worse. They cannot calm down because of the stress. So it is always best to pack some cat calming spray when moving cross country with cats. The calming spray truly helps reduce their stress and does not affect any other animals, children or material. It is also a non-sedating formula that can last for hours. You can spray it within the car, on the cat carrier, blankets, etc and it will work like a charm.

 

Cat Backpack

For the cats who love to travel and see the world, a cat backpack is essential. If you plan to do some traveling to National Parks or unique destinations during your move across the country with your cat, this backpack will be perfect. We have even seen people go camping with their cats using this exact backpack! The capsule cat backpack has plenty of space to allow cats to be comfortable while also providing plenty of airflow and an astronaut dome for them to see the world. We wouldn’t say Tira “loves” her backpack, but she doesn’t hate it either. You definitely need to slowly get your cat acquainted with the backpack before taking them on a big road trip.

 

I hope these tips on how to travel with a cat in a car and/or moving cross country with a cat have been helpful. Moving across the country is hard enough and when you have to also do it with a cat, it can be intimidating and stressful. Just recognize your cat’s needs and prepare accordingly.