Okay, my son got a job 750 miles away and we will be bringing him his furniture and cat. I've never traveled with a cat before. I've always owned dogs. I've borrowed a pet carrier but that's too small for it to be over night in a motel room, etc. I do have a good sized dog cage that I can take along but it will have to be in the trailer because it won't fit in the vehicle we're driving. Do I put the litter box in the cage and put the cat inside when we stop? I'm at a loss..... and this cat doesn't really know me at all. My sister-in-law was keeping the cat for my son until we could take it to him. I really want to get the cat and my son back together so I'm going to do this but any suggestions would certainly be helpful. You all always give me good advice when I'm asking about a quilt...... so I figure some cat lover/quilter will help me out with this problem.

check with your vet and get some ideas from him or her.

Egads. Has the cat ever traveled? Mine goes beserk when I put her in her carrier once a year to see the vet.

Earplugs. Get some earplugs.

I agree check with the vet!

You travel in the car with the cat in the carrier. You stop & let the cat relieve itself in the greens at travel stops. Use a leash. In the motel, put familiar bed, food/water bowls, litter box in the bathroom, with the cat loose in the bathroom.

I suggest a drive of 30 min to "test" the cat. If it never calms down, get a tranquilizer from the vet. (Valium or whatever.)

I hear they can give the cat a tranquilizer for the trip. Most cats do not like to travel. Even a trip to the vet is an adventure. Cries all the way. Mine do better if they can hide in the dark somewhere. that carrier is prob perfect for when the car is moving. Cats are usually very adaptive. If she is used to using the litter box, she will use it most anywhere. It's getting a cat to pee on demand. Not sure that is even possible, but I have seen my cats hold it for a very long time. Good luck. You ARE a good mom!!!

My daughter traveled across the country with her two cats. She had a metal dog kennel that fit in her back seat. She put the litter box in the bottom and hung hammocks for the cats to lay on. She then let them run around the hotel at night. She said they did not really use the litter box during the day and did not eat alot on the trip but did just fine.

I've only traveled with a kitten and they'll just curl up on my lap or around my neck. The one time I did have to travel with a cat she had just had babies and we only moved about a mile or so away, so I put Ms Kitty in with her babies and brought her over here..
Talk to your vet and see what they suggest.

I like the leash idea.... I'm afraid the cat will run away. I have a small leash for my dog when he was a puppy. I think calling the vet is a great idea... don't know why I didn't think of that. My son says she's a good rider so I'm hoping I won't have 12 hours of cat crying.... don't know if I can handle that.

I say check with the vet to get some happy pills for the cat. When my daughter moved and finally took her cat it did not like the carrier at all; she let it out and we laughed as we were following her, as it crawled into the back window and spent the entire trip there watching the cars pass by.