Leslie_B

mms, i'm laughing just thinking about it

joan

You know, in the Cat Bible, there are rules for car riding, as follows:

1. If I am crated, I will bellow in tones you never heard before, at a volume you didn't think possible, while barfing and shedding enough to make everybody in the car sneeze.

2. If I am not crated, I will head directly for:

a. If claws intact, the back of the driver's head.

b. If de-clawed, directly to the underside of the brake pedal.

I have never seen a cat disobey these rules.

OO

They are as different as we are and behavior as varied.

Our son moved into a new home just miles from his apt. He thought his cat would be hoarse by the time they got her from the apt to the house (in a carrier). She could never have been let out in the car.

We've had a Siamese that behaved similarly in the car. I would have never let her loose. We flew her once and I could hear her coming on the baggage carousel WAY before the carrier came into view from being loaded--she might even have still been on the plane! LOL

We just moved from FL to TX. Our almost 18 year old Burmese went into the carrier wide-eyed to begin the drive. Her carrier was placed in the only space left in the back seat. She was quiet and I worried about her having to use her litter box so eventually opened the door to allow her out if she wished. She got out, used the box, then came sat on my lap until I tired of that (after a couple of hours). We made space for her on the back seat where she curled up and promptly went back to sleep. She didn't make a peep the entire trip.

We made it from Tampa to Daphne, AL the first night where we stayed in a Hampton Inn. It was a pretty nice Hampton, but who'd have guessed they had turn down service? We never dreamed it. We left the cat out in the room, never thinking anyone would be in, and returned from dinner to find our bed turned down and her curled up happily on it. Either she has learned new tricks worthy of the Tonight Show, or the maid had come while we were at dinner. Maids ALWAYS leave the door ajar as they work so we are eternally thankful Hobie did not decide to leave during turndown. We wouldn't have blamed her if she had though.

Moving from Savannah to Tampa we had both Hobie and a Siamese. We gave them both half a tranquilizer. Hobie behaved as she did this trip, but Katie, the Siamese, tried to fight it. It was SO sad I'd never consider doing it again. She tried to jump off the bed but her legs gave way and she fell. We tried to get her to hold her, she tried to run but tripped and stumbled. It was terrible. Really think twice about using tranquilizers. Again...reactions are as different as each cat's personality!

One more brief story. We had a Cocker Spaniel early on in our marriage. We were going to Gramdma's house for the weekend and taking the dog with us. After a 9 hour drive we arrived at Grandma's, and she was outside to greet us. The Cocker saw her and was so excited she JUMPED out the partially open window to get to her. Two problems...the car was still moving and she was on a leash. She hung from the car door for the interminable time it took to get the car stopped and get to her!! She was OK but it probably took 10 years off our lives!

Sandra_E

Crate it. I've had cats for 14 years and drove across the US with one of them... She would have been miserable outside the crate as the moving car made her very nervous. All three of mine get in their crates easily and just lay down promptly. Sometimes they cry a bit while driving, but other times they just go to sleep.

Sandra_E

Crate it. I've had cats for 14 years and drove across the US with one of them... She would have been miserable outside the crate as the moving car made her very nervous. All three of mine get in their crates easily and just lay down promptly. Sometimes they cry a bit while driving, but other times they just go to sleep.

-S

Fodorite018

Joan--those rules are hilarious! So true though, lol!

On the last move, after several hours in the car she couldnt howl anymore. Her mouth was stuck open, like she was going to howl, but nothing came out. It was stuck like that. Now you see why we were laughing so hard...between her noise and then that face.

The next day the movers arrived at our house, and I had her in her carrier and then had the dog on a leash and tied the leash to the carrier. I thought it would keep the dog from wanting to greet the movers. Wrong. The dog barreled down the hall to the front door and the cat and her carrier went rolling and trailing behind the dog! Poor kitty...traumatized by the car ride and then being drug by a dog, lol!

Scarlett

omigod this is making me laugh so! Thanks guys!
I am picturing the cat with its mouth open but no voice, the dog dangling from the car window and my cat who once was loose in the back seat, retching while I scrambled to get something to catch IT before IT happened.
What is more fun than traveling with a dog or a cat?

Fodorite018

Scarlett--Just for your pleasure I will share the tranquilizer story. We had two Siamese (loud) cats and were moving from Florida to Idaho. We gave them the pills that morning. I can still remember being at a rest stop and having to hold each one up to use the litter box since they could not stand up on their own. I was pregnant at the time with really bad morning sickness. Not a good combination! I agree...pets can be quite entertaining (sort of like kids)!

Scarlett

mms-Thank you for the morning laugh
What we do for our pets, no? ((&))

beentheretwice

Crate them and put them in the trunk.
Problem solved.
(;-)

beckers2482

beentheretwice, that's also a good method for dealing with unruly children.

Scarlett

Also not bad advice for Trolls who change their screen names multiple times within a thread..
Now it is smilingcats. although this person is so tiresome, I don't even think the cats are smiling.