How To Travel With A Cat: Traveling With Cats

Traveling and pets are not always a happy combination, especially if you own a cat.

These beautiful creatures are fun and lovable until they’re confined.

Once you try to restrict their movement range, they come cranky and annoyed, and they make sure to express it fully!

Thus, whether you are on a train, a car, or a plane, your journey can be longer than you expected!

If you’re interested in knowing how to travel with a cat, read the complete guide below to learn about the basics and necessities of traveling with cats.

Is It OK To Travel With a Cat?

Traveling with cats is indeed intimidating when it is not forbidden.

You can travel with your cat as long as it’s vaccinated, prepared, and on its best behavior! In fact, you can have a great time traveling with your beloved pet.

That being said, do cats appreciate it as much as you do? Not really!

Cats don’t like to travel much, and they prefer staying confined to their familiar, stable environment. However, if you absolutely must take them along, it is OK to travel with a cat.

Also read: How to train a cat to do things.

Why People Travel With Their Cats

The most popular reasons why people travel with cats revolve around preference or circumstance. Some cat owners prefer taking their pets along instead of leaving it behind.

Others would like to leave them under someone else’s supervision but don’t have anyone to look after them.

Another common reason why people travel with their cats is that they are moving. Since they’re not taking a trip or traveling temporarily, it is essential for them at a certain point to take their cat along.

However, there are also certain times when people just don’t like leaving their pets behind and feel paranoid about their safety. Thus, they want to travel with their cats.

How to Travel With a Cat in a Car Long Distance

Before we talk about how to travel with a cat on longer journeys, let us first talk about this: can cats even go on long car rides?

Essentially, trips shorter than 6 hours are acceptable for these pets.

However, if the trip gets any longer than that, take your pet out. Your cat needs to stretch, litter, and eat, so take it out of the carrier at certain points.

Plus, if your cat is not acclimated to the carrier before you take off for the journey, things could potentially get quite unpredictably awkward.

If your cat decides in the middle of the trip that they’re not comfortable, you’ll end up having a tough time trying to calm them down.

Moving on to the main question, how to travel with a cat in a car long distance, here’s what you can do:

First things first, make sure that you’ve consulted with your vet before leaving for a trip.

Tell them about your entire journey plan, including how long the traveling will be for, the particular vehicle you will use for transport, and how long you plan to stay there.

Your vet will recommend the appropriate precautions and preparations accordingly.

Next, get a suitable carrier for your cat.

This particular carrier should be big enough to fit your cat and allow it to move around, get up, and stretch. Make sure it’s also well-ventilated and allows lots of fresh air to come through.

Here’s a good tip: allow your cat to use the carrier several times for going on the journey.

Doing this will give your pet enough time to feel comfortable with the container and won’t hesitate or resist the day of traveling.

Also read: Best cat carrier for every occasion.

You may also put them inside the crate and take them out for a few short rides just to help them get more used to it and the whole idea.

Search up the vet locations along your journey just in case there’s an emergency. Decide the route you’re going to take and make a complete list of all the vets you’ll have access to and exactly where they are.

If you plan to stay at your destination for longer than a few hours, make sure your hotel or residence accepts cats.

Do all the homework before traveling; ask them about their fees, the weight limits, any other animal restrictions they might have.

Ensure that you have all of your cat’s necessities with you, and during long car rides and journeys, you’re going to have to make some effort during packing.

Include the everyday use items for your cat to make sure they feel at home and have their usual stuff around.

Doing this helps them stay calmer while they’re in a different environment. Also, keep extra water, milk, and treats for your cat for the long ride.

Traveling With a Cat on a Plane

It is a different experience when you are traveling with a cat on an airplane- it comes with far more stress and anxiety!

Since you are on a plane, it is not in your control to stop the vehicle whenever you want (or whenever the car wants!) You must keep your calm and make sure your cat stays the same way as well.

As intimidating as it might sound, there are some things you can do and some steps you should take to reduce the risk of a messy, long journey.

Consult your selected airlines and ask them about their animal policies. Ensure that they don’t have any laws, restrictions, or bans on specific animals and breeds.

Ask them about the details like how many animals you are allowed to bring, their medical requirements, what it will cost you, the kind of carriers that are allowed, and the weight of the cat, etc.

Doing all of this research and homework avoids panic when you’re finally at the airport, and it’s time to board!

Buy your cat’s identification tag. This tag must have your cat’s microchip number, your telephone number, your address, and your name on it. Make sure you also put your destination on the tag.

Here’s an essential tip for you if you are traveling by air: take a flight with the least number of stops. So much noise and movement when changing airplanes can be annoying, stressful, and triggering for your cat.

Do a little research on the weather as well. Keep track of the potential weather changes when you’re supposed to be traveling and pick flights accordingly.

Disturbance in the weather, like rain and thunder, can stress your cat even more. Plus, dramatic weather changes can lead to flight delays, unexpected stops, and exceptional turbulence that could make your pet uneasy.

Make sure your flight crew is aware of your pet situation if you’re leaving the cat alone.

This way, even if you are away from the cat, somebody else will make sure to look after it in cases of emergencies or delays.

Traveling With Multiple Cats

Sometimes, you will have to travel with more than one cat, and that’s not any easier. In such a case, here’s what you can do:

When you are booking flights, ask them about their regulations on multiple pets in a single carrier. Even though most airlines allow you to put your cats in a single crate, it is still better to ask and confirm.

Board your cats. This way, they’ll stay confined, won’t run away during the travel, and you can travel with ease and comfort as well.

Use a larger pet carrier. If you know you will be taking two small kittens with you, buy a crate that fits them both. Doing this makes carrying them around much more manageable.

Plus, the pets have each other’s company, so they don’t feel stressed, anxious, or scared.

However, you must remember that there is such a thing as “too many cats” when traveling.

At most, you can keep two kittens with you while you’re on the road or in the air. Any more than that is a bit of a mess to handle for a single person.

Things to Bring Along on the Journey

The best way to make traveling with cats less intimidating is to create a complete list of things you want to take along.

Listing items down properly makes sure you don’t forget anything, and there are no “oops!” moments when you are on the move.

Here is a premade list of the most important things you must take along:

• Cat carrier
• Cat food and water
• Your cat’s litter box
• The bed
• Its toys
• Scratch post
• The necessary documents, IDs, and photos
• It’s tag and collar

Conclusion

Traveling with cats is indeed an intimidating thought, and a lot of people are scared of the idea.

However, proper planning and research make it a lot easier. If you know where you are going, what it’s going to look like and have everything pre-planned, a lot of stress goes away.

The more you prepare for your cat and yourself, the less likely it is to lose your calm.

Thus, this guide (and the Essentials list above) will surely help you get a grip on yourself and your cat when you two travel!