Travel Advice for Mountain Trip?

[SupplyPipe28]

Hello all,

We'll be bringing our little guy with us on our annual anniversary trip to the mountains and this will be our first road trip together so we're looking for some tips/advice. The drive will be about 6 hours (with our usual stops in between) and we'll be staying in a pet-friendly hotel (yay!) for 6 days. To prepare, this is what we've done and what we'll be bringing, as well as a couple of questions...

• We've started bringing him for outings in the car and have gone for 6 hour outings to visit my parents - so far so good. He is surprisingly well-behaved in the car and usually just sits or sleeps in our laps.
• Leash + harness + a couple of tops
• Food + water + blankets + favourite toys + bowls
• Baby wipes + baggies

Questions:

• Cat Bed - Do we need to bring this? He usually sleeps with us at the foot of our bed...
• Litter Box - I like @Xandria 's idea of a plastic box with a lid for travel, but should we also bring his actual litter box from home for the sake of familiarity? Also, this might be a stupid question, but during pit stops do we take the travel litter box out of the car or see if he'll go to the bathroom on the ground away from the road?
• Pet Carrier - The last time we used ours was when we brought him home from the breeder. He is comfortable wearing his harness and leash - should we still bring the carrier?
• I was also thinking of making a 'Do Not Open Door - Cat Inside' sign like this one - yay or nay?

TIA.

 

[Xandria]

Have fun. It's a great experience bringing a Sphynx on a family outing like this. We love doing this too.

Also bring some hand towels or rags into the car as well. Stuff happens.

Bring any medications necessary. Do you know if he has allergies to bee stings? If not, no worries, but if you do not know or he does, get a few prefilled syringes of a liquid antihistamine from your vet. Vetericyn is also good to have on hand. Fortiflora in case of lack of appetite. Laxatone in case of constipation.

Don't bother with a cat bed if it's not normally used. Just pile the blankets at the foot of the bed.

When we do overnight hauls, in addition to the travel litter box we also bring a larger covered container to be used as a main litter box. This has been thoroughly washed out and I put their blankets (inside a garbage bag) in this container. Once at the cabin I go out and buy a bag of kitty litter from the local store and fill the bigger box. I leave the travel litter box inside the car for the duration of the trip as we take them out during the day with us.

I just open the travel litter box in the car and they go in that -- even if it's piled on other stuff. LOL When packing the car I make sure that the litter box is accessible.

We bring the pet carrier for them to retreat to in the car if they wish, but also just in case of emergencies or need.

Those signs are a great idea. We always remind the owner of the cabins that we have our nakeds in the cabin and to not enter. They know any way, but I remind just in case. LOL.

Here's a thread on one of our trips: Maximillian von Strange on Salt Spring Island, BC

Oh and this one: Maximillian von S. & His First Road Trip

Might be some information to help you out too.

Take lots of pics!!!!

 

[SupplyPipe28]

Thanks for all the great tips, especially the liquid antihistamine and Vetericyn! @Xandria We are so excited (and a little nervous!) to bring him with us and just want to make sure we're not missing anything.

For the large covered container as the main litter box, do you mean something as large as those Rubbermaid storage bins? Also, how important is it to use the same kitty litter on a trip as that used at home? I don't think Severin is all too picky about that, but then again he has only used 2 different kinds of litter...

p.s. Thanks for posting the links to your adventures with Max and Min - I already had them bookmarked!

 

[Cleopatra Beers]

They usually won't use a box in a strange area outside. We used to travel extensively with cats, and some cats won't use a box in the car either. @Xandria has good suggestions, and the only thing I would add is to try not to take him out of the car during rest stops. If he gets startled or scared, he can wiggle out of the harness in no time and then you have a lost cat. So we kept the cats in the car and only let them out on leashes in quiet areas.

 

[Xandria]

Absolutely, what @Cleopatra Beers said with respect to letting them out of the car. I think the reason Max and Min are okay with going potty in the car is because we spend time in the car together, so it's already familiar. And the box is always there.

Oh, and I don't get the exact same litter -- but something close.

 

[SupplyPipe28]

Thank you for the advice @Cleopatra Beers and I'm glad you made the suggestion not to take him out of the car during rest stops. Severin has been really great on our outings, but we did notice that passing cars tend to freak him out - I'll definitely take note of that during our pit stops. Also, we've noticed that Severin usually holds off on peeing/pooping during our 6-hour outings to my parents' place and will only go once we get home ... we'll have to see what works for him during this trip. Out of curiosity, when you traveled with your nakids, how long were the trips? Did you drive?

Thanks, again!

 

[SupplyPipe28]

@Xandria - This will definitely be a learning experience! It'll be interesting to figure out what his preferences are and if anything, we really hope he doesn't get too stressed out by the newness of it all. We're hoping that his level of comfort with being in the car with us and feeling safe with us will be a huge help. We plan on keeping him with us as much as we can during the trip, so hopefully that will help as well!

 

[Cleopatra Beers]

Cleo and Markie go on small trips of less than 2 hours. When she was younger, we would take Cleo to my school in the summer to help me get my classroom ready for the new year, and she never used a box that we had for her there. The cats that we traveled with before were all mixed-breed haired cats, and we did a lot of driving with them. The first ones were Samson and B.J. They moved with us from the coast of Northern California (Eureka) to Reno, NV, a trip of about 6 hours. Then, a year later, they, along with my son's PAC-Man frog, moved with us to Rapid City, South Dakota. That trip was 2 days (the frog got really cold and had to be thawed out-don't ask-trying to forget that memory). THEN we added our beautiful white longhair Kermit the Terrible cat to the other 2 and moved the three cats from South Dakota to near Atlantic City, NJ for a 6-month stay. Finally (I know it's a lot...) the 3 cats moved with us from New Jersey to our present location near Las Vegas, NV. That was the longest trip. It was supposed to be 3 days of driving and hotels, but our car engine kind of blew up in the Rockies near Denver, and we had to spend Memorial Day weekend in a really bad Denver hotel with 3 cats for 3 days, until a rent-a-truck place opened on Tuesday and we could continue the trip, crammed into a truck cab with 3 cats (trying to forget that memory too). That trip took 6 loooooooooong days, and the cats were all troupers throughout the entire ordeal.

With all of that driving, we never had a cat who got sick, never had a litterbox accident, and the cats behaved better than the humans (and the frog)!

PS I will never do it again!

 

[SupplyPipe28]

Hehehe Oh, wow - that is a LOT of traveling! @Cleopatra Beers This will be mine and my husband's first time traveling with a pet other than the time we moved with a tank full of snails and shrimps, a bin full of fish, and a plastic cup with an African Dwarf frog inside. Haha I would LOVE to hear more details about the frog-thawing ordeal, but if it's too traumatic for you I'll understand.

 

[Cleopatra Beers]

Hehehe Oh, wow - that is a LOT of traveling! @Cleopatra Beers This will be mine and my husband's first time traveling with a pet other than the time we moved with a tank full of snails and shrimps, a bin full of fish, and a plastic cup with an African Dwarf frog inside. Haha I would LOVE to hear more details about the frog-thawing ordeal, but if it's too traumatic for you I'll understand.

You may find that the snails, shrimps and fish were more trouble than the cat. Those trips of ours took place over 3.5 years, so they were not back-to-back. The frog problem came about because we were going from Nevada to South Dakota over Thanksgiving weekend (my husband had to be at work the following Monday). We had a car and rental truck, and everything was fine, until the lights on the car failed the first night outside Salt Lake City, Utah. So the next morning, we got a tow bar to tow the car behind the truck, but since we had 3 adult people, the animals had to ride in the car. With no heat. And it was snowing most of the way. The cats were fine; they slept in blankets. We had wrapped a blanket around the frog's terrarium, but when we pulled up to the apartment, my son brought me this stiff, apparently lifeless frog. Son was really upset, and I told him to put the frog in warm water (I remembered hearing about frogs that freeze in the wild and revive in Spring, so it was worth a try). Lo and behold, the frog woke up! She lived for 5 more years and got really big! And I have never travelled with reptiles or amphibians again!

 

[SupplyPipe28]

You may find that the snails, shrimps and fish were more trouble than the cat.

So far, yes! That was such a stressful move, BUT not as stressful as your frog situation! Hi-fives for remembering that frogs hibernate in the cold and for suggesting the warm water soak. Your son must've been ecstatic when his frog woke up. :smuggrin:

 

[Cleopatra Beers]

Totally thrilled

 

[Xandria]

The larger of the makeshift litter boxes was actually just one of those low profile under the bed storage containers. The one for the car about half the size. We'll be travelling again soon so I'll take some pics!

OH, another thing you can try is spraying the inside of the car with feliway spray just before you load it up. It can get a bit stinky to the humans, but Severin may like it!! LOL

When are you leaving for your trip?

 

[Toa and Ross]

Have fun! Never travelled with my crew but wanted to wish you lots of fun.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

How to prepare for a trip with your Sphynx cat. This thread has a couple of other things as well.

 

[SupplyPipe28]

The larger of the makeshift litter boxes was actually just one of those low profile under the bed storage containers. The one for the car about half the size. We'll be travelling again soon so I'll take some pics!

OH, another thing you can try is spraying the inside of the car with feliway spray just before you load it up. It can get a bit stinky to the humans, but Severin may like it!! LOL

When are you leaving for your trip?

Thanks for the info! @Xandria @Toa and Ross @Catzzzmeow Sorry for the delayed reply, but the trip went extremely well! (y) No accidents in the car and no car sickness - he pretty much slept on our laps or in his shark bed, which we propped up on the back seats after folding them down. Severin also waited to go to the bathroom until we got to the hotel and did the same on the return trip home. It was so nice to have him with us and he only had one day where he wasn't in the mood to go for a coffee run and mountain walk. Haha

 

[Xandria]

That's fabulous. I'm so glad. Do you have any pics of your vacay?

 

[SupplyPipe28]

@Xandria Yes! There are a couple photos and videos on his Instagram account - @ severinthestrange

 

[Toa and Ross]

Happy to hear all went well and you and Severin had fun.

 

[nudieluvr]

Yay. Glad the trip went well! I always use the Clevercat Top Entry litter box when we travel. The kitties are pretty good about going during the ride.

 

[Xandria]

Love your IG page. and the videos. Severin is soooooooooooooooooooooo adorable. So handsome. My goodness.