Taking childhood pet(s)

[KitCat]

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I am driving from Michigan to Alabama this Saturday or Sunday to settle in before school starts and am wondering if I should take my two cats? The only animals in my life are two cats and two dogs who live with my dad. All came into our family before I was 17 (I am 23 now). All are at least 8 years old. I don't think I would take the dogs because they are partial to my dad. One cat I am partial to, she is about 12, she likes to sit on the porch every now and then (I am considering only taking this cat). The other cat is younger and seems as if she has withdrawals if she isn't able to troll the yard for hours a day. The two cats "tolerate each other" (nothing violent, but a moderate amount of bullying).

Concerns-they (or if I take just the one) won't be happy, the drive will be too much, I will be living in a 2014 travel trailer my dad is letting me borrow and I can't have them scratching things (neither is declawed), guilt if I leave one or both (I think this is because my parents got a divorce last summer and I feel bad if they have to go through another family member leaving and my dad's friend/girlfriend is not someone I want in my life and it bugs me out the thought of my pets being left with her), guilt separating the four of them.

Sorry if this seems petty, but it really has been bothering me.

Have any of you been in a similar situation?

 

[Filly Bay]

I took the family cat with me when I started vet school. She was always technically "mine" since my parents got her for me in 4th grade but she loved everyone in my family and we all took care of her. She was 13 when I moved to vet school. She handled the move and the drive fine. It was little less than 3 hours so nothing near the trip you're taking. I had a little litter box on the floor of the passenger seat but she didn't use it.

I moved to school a few weeks before my roommate and she adjusted to apartment life quite fine. She was used to being about to roam around outside at home but didn't seem to care that she can't do that here. I now live in a house with a yard and she enjoys the occasional stroll in the backyard but doesn't ask to go outside nearly as much as before vet school. The only behavioral issues I had was with my roommates rabbit who loved to chase my cat and hump her. She didn't appreciate it (dont blame her) and began marking around the apartment...we did our best to keep them separate, used feliway diffusers and eventually she was back to normal.

It I think if its okay with your dad and you want to take the one cat that would be fine. It doesn't sound like if you take one cat it will miss the other cat too terribly.

 

[StartingoverVet]

Seems liked separating the cats is a good thing...not a bad thing.

And driving is a one/two day thing. Your cat may not love it, but it will be fine. We drove from CA to PA with our cat...left her in a carrier all the time in the car and she was fine, She also never used the litter during the driving part.

I really don't see any downside here.

 

[Felixor90]

Take them! I was considering leaving my cockatoo at home because I thought the drive from South Florida to Michigan would be bad for her and she'd have a hard time adjusting to the north. As my friend told me, it might take them a few days to adjust to a new home, but it will take them much longer to adjust to being with someone else. Miko loved the ride up and enjoyed the scenery up until we had to cross the mountains of Tennessee/Kentucky. The altitude really got her anxious. I'm really glad I brought her with me.

 

[WildZoo]

I'll be taking one of my cats (might bring the other one later, but she's older and my roommate has a puppy so it would be more of a chore to get her settled), and the drive for me is 7-8 hours. I'm thinking every time I stop to use the bathroom I'll see if he needs to use the litterbox. Otherwise he'll be in his carrier. I wouldn't worry about the driving part unless your cat(s) get really anxious in the car. Mine doesn't care one bit and likes his carrier.

If they don't necessarily like each other, separating them might actually be beneficial. In my case the younger one loves the grumpy old lady but she just barely tolerates him. Having him out of the house will probably make her happy.

 

[LetItSnow]

I don't think there's a right/wrong answer here. Taking none, some, all .... every choice has pros/cons. And vet students do all of those things. Just need to decide what's best for you, your family, and the animals.

I agree with SOV; I wouldn't worry about the actual drive part of it. It will be stressful, particularly for the cats, but they'll get over it once stability is re-established.

 

[pp9]

I think you should take one of the cats as well. They might be better offer being the only cat around, and having a furry friend can only be good for you 🙂 Especially since a cat is a good pet for a student's schedule. I did a Florida -> Michigan drive not too long ago with a rabbit. A little different, but I was super stressed since he didn't eat anything until maybe the last hour or two of the trip. Everytime we stopped for a break, he got a few minutes to hop around. I got a lot of weird looks, but whatever. If the cat seems super stressed during the drive, maybe break for the night earlier than you planned or whatever. Perhaps try buying a bottle of Feliway spray for the road, I've heard good things.

Aside: Since a lot of you have driven with cats, how do you manage bathroom breaks? My cat hates his carrier and seems to defecate every time he gets a car ride, even the 10 minute ride to his vet (although his first car trip was an hour and a half and he didn't do it then). Do you guys let your cats sit in the front seat with the litter available? Will your cat actually use the box in a moving car? I have a 6 hour trip coming up and would hate for my cat to be so upset that he soils himself multiple times.

 

[KCgophervet]

I just drove a 7-8 hour drive with my cat. Usually she rides in the carrier but because the trip was so long, I instead put her on a harness attached to a seat belt (so she had some freedom of movement but not enough to go through a windshield in an accident). I had a litter pan that she had access to during the breaks but she never used it. At first she seemed a little terrified but after awhile she was trying to climb up the dashboard and looking out the windows, seemed like she had a good time.

 

[Felixor90]

I did a Florida -> Michigan drive

Whyyyyyy?!? It took me 25 hours and I did it all in one go (with bathroom/gas stops of course) and it was torture for the second half. If I ever move back to Florida, I'm having my car shipped and I'm taking a plane/train. NEVER AGAIN!

 

[pp9]

Whyyyyyy?!? It took me 25 hours and I did it all in one go (with bathroom/gas stops of course) and it was torture for the second half. If I ever move back to Florida, I'm having my car shipped and I'm taking a plane/train. NEVER AGAIN!

Haha I did it twice in 7 months. Both times I drove straight through, too. I had my Disney internship and then moved back home!

 

[Felixor90]

Haha I did it twice in 7 months. Both times I drove straight through, too. I had my Disney internship and then moved back home!

Nope nope nope nope. I will learn to summon magical car-lifting unicorns before I ever do that drive ever again.

 

[KitCat]

Just wanted to thank everyone for your responses. I ultimately did take the one cat that is about 12. The drive took a little longer than normal since I was following my dad who was towing the travel trailer (16-18 hours). She did way better in the car than what I expected. I did use Nature's Miracle Calming Spray so that may have helped. She got her first nail trim before we left for Alabama so other than a few snags on my piano cover there are no signs of her scratching things. She seems happy and is acting her old self (minus her sprints she used to do around the house after she ate) and has little interest in going outside which is fine by me since I was terrified she would bolt out the door at any given chance.