I moved my cat from TX to MN about 1500 miles....
Our Vet gave us some sedative in case we needed it but it wasn't necessary.
Zipster had limited experience in the car.... we got a travel crate ( really just big enough for him to stand in) We sat the crate in the house for several weeks with the door open and a cat well loved towel that had our scent on it....and a cat harness... He wasn't thrilled in the beginning but he settled down ok with in about 30 min.... we just talked to him. We stopped every hour or 2 and took him out on the harness... at first we had to drag him to make him stretch his legs and tried to get him to drink some water. By the 3rd stop he was walking pretty well on the leash. We rented a hotel that accepted cats... we carried him in via the crate.. we had a "portable" cat box to set up in the hotel room.... we allowed Zipster to roam the hotel room, eat and use his box as was his normal routine at home. He was ready to get back in his crate in the morning....After every break Zipster was ready to get back in his crate....