Where do your sphynx ride in the car?

[sphynxie]

I just wondered how your sphynx travel in the car- free roaming, crate, car seat etc.?
I am trying to decide the safest and happiest way for Nudie and Skinderella to ride in the car. Is it different with 1 vs. 2?

 

[ypvsypvs]

I just wondered how your sphynx travel in the car- free roaming, crate, car seat etc.?
I am trying to decide the safest and happiest way for Nudie and Skinderella to ride in the car. Is it different with 1 vs. 2?

Sure I'm gonna get a bashing for this but I let them out of the crate as soon as I'm out of the city. Let them go where they want except driver floor. Dont wanna get a pedal blocked.
Safest way if an accident should happen is natrually to keep them in the crate and have the crate locked in place with a seatbelt though.
It is also (with most cats at least) a good way to make them hate both the crate and the travelling however so I opt for some freedom in this case.

 

[ktate88]

As you can see he enjoys the steering wheel. He also likes the passenger floorboard, or the passenger seat if the sun is on him.

 

[apete89]

Has anyone ever tried out one of those harness seatbelts they make for dogs on their sphynx kitty? I have contemplated getting one for Lemon because she gets carsick in the crate sometimes

 

[BareOnAHotTinRoof]

Mostly in the carrier strapped in with a seatbelt. Sometimes, rarely, I will let him out, but only if we're out in the middle of nowhere and traffic is light.

 

[Mews2much]

Mine stay in their carriers.
Last year there was a accident by my vet caused by a cat being lose in the car.
The cat was hurt also.
My sisters co worker got a ticket for having a lose pet in her car in San Bruno.

 

[firehillqueen]

Cadeau rides right in the middle of the back seat. He is a very good boy when he goes in the car. He wears his harness and sits like a little gentleman most the time, unless he is trying to ride on my shoulder to look out the window. Yes, we start out in the carrier, and keep it in the backseat if I need to use it. Most the time he walks like he should on his harness like a little dog.

 

[klreese]

well, the sounds of my kitties crying BREAKS MY HEART and i'm a big softie i know i shouldn't by typically mine dont ride in their carrier..
We only travel to the vet. Bronx-e gets sick so quickly that we dont go out in public. and the girls... well, we just don't. Bronx-e was our first and that's just how things went.

Bronx-e gets TERRIBLE diariah from axiety of the carrier. So i pick my battle with that situation!! he'll typically ride of the floor board but will often jump all over the car. Recently, the last few times out, he'll crawl in my arms and snuggle as we drive.

Winny loves to crawl around too, but typically positions her self on the top of the back seat.

Bea has only ever been in the car once, for one dr appointment. I typically try to keep my kitties home. she stayed in her carrier but i opened the door so she wouldn't feel trapped.

A PP asked about the harness for dogs. typically we kennel our dogs in the vehicle. We did buy the harness, used it once and it was a disaster! Valerie twisted herself around so badly.. it was just a mess. the dogs have NO room to move AT ALL. they have to SIT not lay because theres no extra belt for that. honestly, in my opinion it was a waste of $30! however, i have friends who use them. we have one, and maybe will try to use with the puppies. I find the dogs have more room in the kennel with a no-slip rug on the bottom.

 

[Gizzymom]

I hate to admit it... but I am a Britney Spears mommy and Gizmo curls up on my lap and sleeps... I have been looking into something like this...



Not sure if it worth the money. It would have to be something that can go in my passenger seat, as I only have a 2 seater.

 

[ktate88]

I hate to admit it... but I am a Britney Spears mommy and Gizmo curls up on my lap and sleeps... I have been looking into something like this...

View attachment 2129

Not sure if it worth the money. It would have to be something that can go in my passenger seat, as I only have a 2 seater.

I knew someone who had one for a chihuahua who loved it. I would imagine it would work. Niles will sometimes ride in his carrier. Loves it at home but enjoys the window in the car

 

[Nofuratu]

To EVERYONE WHO DRIVES WITH THEIR PET ON THEIR LAP!!!
I used to sit in the front passenger seat with Nofuratu on my lap but stopped doing this last year when a coworkers mom's little dog died in a small fender bender from the air bag!! Her mom always drove with the little dog in her lap and had a little accident with no damage to car or drivers, but the airbag was triggered and killed the dog. Her mother was devastated. Scared the crap out of me!!!
Since Nofuratu was used to sleeping on my lap, and I didnt want to change his routine because he travels so well... I got a "Sleepy Pod" (google it, its super cool).
When Im a passenger I ride with the sleepy pod on my lap. I leave it unzipped so he can get out if he wants to, but usually doesnt. On the sleepy pod web site it says it is crash tested, and made from ballistic grade luggage material. So if the airbag does go off when the carrier is on my lap I know he will be ok!
If I am driving I put him in the passenger seat, in his sleepy pod. You can buckle the car seat belt around the pod. It comes with a heater that hooks up to your car cigarette lighter adapter, and removable fur liner, and hammock for summer travel that allows air circulation under his body!
I paid over $200 for it but I totally think its worth it. Nofuratu travels in the car AT LEAST twice a week with me, and Im a horrible driver...so it puts my mind at ease.
My stepmom found a sleepy pod at the store "homesense" for only $75!!! which is a great deal. She loves hers too.
On long trips when the sun is out, sometimes Nofuratu naps in the back window and we put his food and water dish there with him. But most of the time he ends up crawling back into his "sleepy pod" because he likes it! I never have to close the lid, he just stays in on his own.
Im planning on blogging about the sleepy pod on Nofuratu's blog, Adventures of a naked cat, because I think its the best thing Ive ever bought for him as far as safety and functionality go. I thought it was too expensive originally until I heard about the dog dying from the air bag....and decided I"d rather pay a couple hundred than go through the same horrible experience. We travel with him so often, that eventually we are bound to have an accident, especially if Im driving...LOL.

 

[LLevenson]

Arias goes in the carrier. he usually cries at first, but he gets the idea pretty quickly that he's not coming out so he settles down. I hate putting him in there b/c I feel it's so boring, especially on long road trips. But he has TWICE bitten the leather seats when I let him free roam, so that is no longer an option (little stinker )
I purchased one of those elevated foam dog seat things that you attach a harness to...I figured it was cozy and elevated so he could see out the window. Instead he crawled up on the back dash and lounged there the entire 4 hours. Wouldn't even sit in the seat for 2 minutes! So I returned it. The carrier I have has a little zippered window on top that is big enough for his head to pop out, so sometimes i let him stick his head out. Usually I just try my best to ignore his cries, and he eventually calms down...

 

[Gizzymom]

To EVERYONE WHO DRIVES WITH THEIR PET ON THEIR LAP!!!
I used to sit in the front passenger seat with Nofuratu on my lap but stopped doing this last year when a coworkers mom's little dog died in a small fender bender from the air bag!! Her mom always drove with the little dog in her lap and had a little accident with no damage to car or drivers, but the airbag was triggered and killed the dog. Her mother was devastated. Scared the crap out of me!!!
Since Nofuratu was used to sleeping on my lap, and I didnt want to change his routine because he travels so well... I got a "Sleepy Pod" (google it, its super cool).
When Im a passenger I ride with the sleepy pod on my lap. I leave it unzipped so he can get out if he wants to, but usually doesnt. On the sleepy pod web site it says it is crash tested, and made from ballistic grade luggage material. So if the airbag does go off when the carrier is on my lap I know he will be ok!
If I am driving I put him in the passenger seat, in his sleepy pod. You can buckle the car seat belt around the pod. It comes with a heater that hooks up to your car cigarette lighter adapter, and removable fur liner, and hammock for summer travel that allows air circulation under his body!
I paid over $200 for it but I totally think its worth it. Nofuratu travels in the car AT LEAST twice a week with me, and Im a horrible driver...so it puts my mind at ease.
My stepmom found a sleepy pod at the store "homesense" for only $75!!! which is a great deal. She loves hers too.
On long trips when the sun is out, sometimes Nofuratu naps in the back window and we put his food and water dish there with him. But most of the time he ends up crawling back into his "sleepy pod" because he likes it! I never have to close the lid, he just stays in on his own.
Im planning on blogging about the sleepy pod on Nofuratu's blog, Adventures of a naked cat, because I think its the best thing Ive ever bought for him as far as safety and functionality go. I thought it was too expensive originally until I heard about the dog dying from the air bag....and decided I"d rather pay a couple hundred than go through the same horrible experience. We travel with him so often, that eventually we are bound to have an accident, especially if Im driving...LOL.

What a great idea, Nofur!!

Here are some pics in case anybody wants to see the Sleepy pod:







Will keep looking... but saw them advertised from $110 to $160... the heater and plush bedding come separately, though.

Thanks again, Nofur!

 

[Nofuratu]

Re: Sleepy pod
Their slogan is "Its not just a carrier, its a lifestyle" LOL....great marketing....like a pet limosine....
I would also keep an eye out on ebay, and kijiji...not sure if you have kijiji in the states, but Ive heard its like craigslist..

 

[tessblack]

Yeah I have to say that we have let them roam free in the car but I am always worried about the airbag or them getting in the pedal box area. The one vet I got to is 5 minutes away so I don't worry as much but you just never know, it can happen so quick.
I need to start putting them in there carrier all the time.



As you can tell from this pic the husband is not good with this either

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Nofuratu it cracked me up how you admit your bad driving

 

[sphynxie]

I like the sleepy pod idea but I wonder if it will fit 2 kitties in it? I definately don't want to lose them in an accident and I want them to be happy so maybe this sleepy pod is the answer. I take Nudie with me everywhere and have had her in my lap but after the Nofuratu story and the fact I'll have 2 kitties soon- I think I need to change my habits. Thanks to all for the feedback

 

[Inferno12]

Johnny LOVES LOVES LOVES the car and I also am a bad mom and let him wander. He hates being confined but he does so well about not getting down by the pedals. He as started a bad habit of stepping on the auto window button while I am driving down the freeway. I has scared he **** out of me and it need to come to a stop so I have been thinking of getting him a carrier too. He just hates being confined but I dont want to loose him. Someone posted this on facebook the other day and I am wondering if he would go for it. I think it might be worth a shot???

 

[tessblack]

One thing I forgot that really scared me is we were driving along and Tux hit the window down button. We put the child locks on but if I was along it could have been bad. I think they will be in carriers from now on.

 

[Gizzymom]

Johnny LOVES LOVES LOVES the car and I also am a bad mom and let him wander. He hates being confined but he does so well about not getting down by the pedals. He as started a bad habit of stepping on the auto window button while I am driving down the freeway. I has scared he **** out of me and it need to come to a stop so I have been thinking of getting him a carrier too. He just hates being confined but I dont want to loose him. Someone posted this on facebook the other day and I am wondering if he would go for it. I think it might be worth a shot???

ooooooo... I love that!!! Do you know who makes it??

 

[JacksMom]

Well, as careful and mindful as I am about Jack, I never really thought about the dangers of him free roaming. I take Jack ALL OVER THE PLACE ALL THE TIME. Now, I just tell him, "common lets go bye bye" and he gets up and walks toward the garage, i open the door and he goes to the car. He loves riding and I have let him free roam. He rides so often that he rarely gets on me. He starts out every journey in the back on his hind legs looking out the window, then realizes its the same ole thing and either comes to the front passenger seat, or hangs out in the back. He NEVER tries to get down to the foot pedals, thank God! I always keep his carrier open in the back seat, and if he's really tired after a long day out and about, he'll always go in his carrier to sleep. For our longer journeys accross town, I keep a rubermaid shoe box size box lined with a walmart bag and litter in it in the back of my SUV just in case he needs to go. Thankfully, Jack's VERY easy and not picky about litter type or size of the box! He will go in the shoebox size box! I keep a bag of really cheap litter just for our little travels. If he doesn't use the box on that journey, I put the lid on the box and leave it in the garage for our next journey, if he does use it, I pull out the Walmart bag and throw in the trash! Traveling with him is that easy.

However, I surely don't want to loose him to an accident, so I need to think about safer alternatives.

 

[LLevenson]

UPDATE:
so this morning I took Arias to the vet for a check up. He was in his carrier, cried a little but settled down. On the way home, I opened the top zippered "hole" and let him stick his head out (he was a good boy at the vet so I was "treating" him). I thought that he could only stick his head out. WRONG! So there I am driving along and I see in the back seat his head sticking out, then 1 arm. then the other. At this point I am realizing that "crap, he's working his whole body out." And sure enough, he was out! Got up in the front passenger seat, was sitting on the seat looking out the window, we were 5 minutes from home so I figured it was ok (while also thinking about my post on this topic last night).
Well, the car in front of me slammed on the brakes b/c a woman w/ a stroller decided to cross the street when there were all these cars on the road (on a side note, I don't get why people who have a kid like to cross the street when there is heavy traffic. I understand that pedestrians have the right away, and they are in a crosswalk, but really, why not wait until there aren't cars flying down the street? I just don't trust other drivers enough to think that they will see me or stop in time). So I had to quickly put on my brakes, Arias went flying into the floorboard (where luckily I had my purse and sweatshirt, so his fall was padded) but still, I saw instantly how easy it can be for our kitties to get hurt even just from stopping quickly! It scared me, especially b/c we had just left the vet with a good report and then I almost hurt him b/c instead of pulling over and getting him contained, I thought "oh, we are so close to home, it will be fine" REMEMBER PEOPLE: MOST ACCIDENTS OCCUR WITHIN A FEW MILES OF YOUR HOME!!
He will from now on be completely locked in his carrier!!!

 

[Gizzymom]

So glad Arias is unhurt.... Started shopping on-line for a "car seat".

 

[klreese]

wow!! scary!! glad to hear Aries is safe and sound- see big purses are useful!
Have to admit the sleepy pod is VERY cool and love how airy it is however a $200 carrier will not fly with the old man. i'll keep an eye out for sales though.

 

[apete89]

To EVERYONE WHO DRIVES WITH THEIR PET ON THEIR LAP!!!
I used to sit in the front passenger seat with Nofuratu on my lap but stopped doing this last year when a coworkers mom's little dog died in a small fender bender from the air bag!! Her mom always drove with the little dog in her lap and had a little accident with no damage to car or drivers, but the airbag was triggered and killed the dog. Her mother was devastated. Scared the crap out of me!!!
Since Nofuratu was used to sleeping on my lap, and I didnt want to change his routine because he travels so well... I got a "Sleepy Pod" (google it, its super cool).
When Im a passenger I ride with the sleepy pod on my lap. I leave it unzipped so he can get out if he wants to, but usually doesnt. On the sleepy pod web site it says it is crash tested, and made from ballistic grade luggage material. So if the airbag does go off when the carrier is on my lap I know he will be ok!
If I am driving I put him in the passenger seat, in his sleepy pod. You can buckle the car seat belt around the pod. It comes with a heater that hooks up to your car cigarette lighter adapter, and removable fur liner, and hammock for summer travel that allows air circulation under his body!
I paid over $200 for it but I totally think its worth it. Nofuratu travels in the car AT LEAST twice a week with me, and Im a horrible driver...so it puts my mind at ease.
My stepmom found a sleepy pod at the store "homesense" for only $75!!! which is a great deal. She loves hers too.
On long trips when the sun is out, sometimes Nofuratu naps in the back window and we put his food and water dish there with him. But most of the time he ends up crawling back into his "sleepy pod" because he likes it! I never have to close the lid, he just stays in on his own.
Im planning on blogging about the sleepy pod on Nofuratu's blog, Adventures of a naked cat, because I think its the best thing Ive ever bought for him as far as safety and functionality go. I thought it was too expensive originally until I heard about the dog dying from the air bag....and decided I"d rather pay a couple hundred than go through the same horrible experience. We travel with him so often, that eventually we are bound to have an accident, especially if Im driving...LOL.

oh my gosh! I just went to the web site and I love these! I MUST have one! I know lemon would love the ultra soft bed and the warmer.