Hi Guys! I figured I’d update since we all safely arrived in Arizona. Here are some things that did/didn’t work.
1) We had one single vehicle just for the cats (Which I realize isn’t always feasible). My sister drove her WV with the back seats and hatchback filled with a huge mesh/net playpen we got off Amazon. That was probably the best purchase of the trip because the cats can still use it and it was big enough to carry all of them. All three cats and the bunny were kept together which I think really helped because they’re all so bonded.
2) I had all of my pets looked at by a vet before we left, and had all of their records in a binder. This was super helpful when my cardiac cat starting yowling, open mouth panting and having resp issues when we hit 5,000+ft elevation in New Mexico. That being said, I wish we had looked a little bit better into the trip in that sense. The elevation messed with all of us and we probably could have avoided a $700 emergency vet trip if we just avoided Albuquerque. Lesson learned.
3) I asked my vet if I could give SQ fluids before the start of each day and I think that really helped, if nothing else, alleviate my stress about that cats getting dehydrated. I obviously couldn’t give it to my heart cat but even the bunny loved it.
4) We used VetriScience ComposurePro calming chews, Gabapentin (for all of the cats) and window shades on the car to help calm things down. We also had a power inverter with a Feliway diffuser plugged in.
5) Surprisingly, all of the cats used the litter box. But the bunny wanted to lay in it because he’s used to having a box of some sort and the cats were all on top of each other in the bed - so even if it’s a small thing - we put an extra, empty litter box in the playpen so he had his own spot.
6) When shopping for a moving truck, we basically did what other people on here did and made the moving companies compete with each other. I don’t know how, but Penske quoted us ~$1,800 for a 16’ truck and car trailer, while U-haul quoted us ~$3,100. So definitely look early and if you get a great price - commit to it!
Thank you guys SO much for all of your help and advice. This forum really made it so much less stressful and let me tell you - it was probably one of the most chaotic/emotional things I’ve done.
!