I want to say that traveling with your cat is not all that easy! Or should I say that not all cats love to travel! Some cats largely prefer to stay at home, where they have their routines, their habits, their olfactory landmarks among others. So if your cat does not support travel by train or car, do not panic, it is not abnormal! The best, if it’s your case, is to get well prepared with various cat accessories before traveling.
But as all cats are different, others are stimulated when they go on a trip! Exploring a new space can be very stimulating for them. So here’s how to travel with your cat pleasantly!
Here are some items you need for your vacation;
Cat transport carrier
The transport case will preferably be plastic, washable and solid. The cat should ideally be able to stand in and be able to turn around and lie down. The best is to put a towel in the bottom so you can absorb the urine that the cat could not hold.
Wicker crates are not recommended (they are beautiful, but impractical because they are difficult to clean properly), as are metal crates with screened walls. Indeed, the cat does not like drafts during movement, and the metal, even plasticized, eventually rust over time. For short trips, you can also consider a cat carrying bag.
I use the ”IRIS Medium Deluxe Pet Travel Carrier”, you can check the current price on Amazon here.
Toys for cats
From the battery-powered mouse to the punching bag, there is an incredible amount of cat toys in specialty stores. The feathers or balls hanging on chopsticks and the baubles attached to the elastics that are fixed on the latch of the door are also well appreciated; not to mention fabric tunnels marketed as a children’s course, but highly appreciated by cats.
The important thing is to stimulate the cat with these cat toys so that it plays with them. It is also necessary to change the location often to prevent the cat from getting tired. We can separate the toys in several sets that are distributed in turn over the week, the new set always replacing the previous one.
It is very important specially to have your cat play at least twice a day with a feather duster or a fishing pole to allow him a real chase after a moving toy. This will stimulate him daily and allow him to maintain physical and mental fitness.
I’ve purchased almost 5 sets of Youngever’s toys, they have a set called “24 Cat Toys Kitten Assortments” on Amazon and It’s very cheap. Check the current price on Amazon here.
Scratching Pad
There is also need for a scratching pad. This will help the cat feel at home at his new place for the vacation. A curve scratching pad allows your kitty to exercise his claws on an arched surface. This facilitates comfortable stretch behavior and it is reversible for two configurations and wide enough for an adult cat to rest on.
Save your carpets, furniture and money by offering your cats a better alternative to dig their claws in. The scratch pad is designed to appeal to your kitty’s natural instinctive need for scratching. Created with premium pressed cardboard. Well made scratchers are dense enough to be able to withstand your cat’s beating and lasts longer than others. Your kitty will love it!
The curved scratching pad from 4CLAWS is an ideal pad that cats love. The pad only measures 17.7″ long, 10″ wide and 1.6″ thick, which makes it perfect for making your cat free to scratch their claws even when their on the road. Check the current price on Amazon here.
Already, if you have just adopted your kitten and you intend to take it with you on vacation, it is important to help it get used to you as soon as possible before you travel. Moreover, even if you take your adult cat for the first time on vacation, I recommend you follow the advice to get used to the harness and the leash!
Whatever the type of trip, by train or by car, I always recommend you to put a harness and a leash to your cat, it will prevent it from leaving you, with too many difficulties of finding it. And then there are cats who will also be calmer during the trip if they are lying outside the transport crate. So the important thing is that he does not wander around the car, or on the train.
If the journey is very long, do not hesitate to take breaks (besides once again the breaks are desired for you too!). But be careful before opening the doors! Do not open the doors without being sure that your cat is well locked in his carrying case, and/or that you hold the leash connected to the harness well fixed on your cat.
There is too much accident due to a lack of vigilance… One can think that his cat will not flee, because he has never done it before.
During the breaks, take the opportunity to offer fresh water to your cat. Even some kibble, even though many cats tend to restrain themselves during the whole trip.
Traveling with your cat means having a bag or a transport case. But for the trip to go well (and it will be useful for all your travels, especially at the vet!), It is important that for your cat, entering his transport case is not an absolute tragedy!
You can also slip a little candy from time to time, so you can serve it from the mash not too far away. You can also play with your cat by making it jump over the carrier, or if it opens on both sides, you use it as a game tunnel! The idea is that his transport bag becomes his reassuring nest when he is out of his house…! So the more he sees it at home, the more he can put his odors on and in, and it will become a familiar object, and therefore reassuring when he is outside. Which means: a little less stress!
If you are on a public transportation, put an absorbent pad (sometimes called a mat) in the crate. If your cat is relieved, it will be easier to throw this mattress and put a new one! It will be more pleasant for you, for your cat, and for the whole travelers.
Neva Breeder:
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