When we decided to adopt our cat, we knew he would be traveling. He had a harness since he was a kitten. He is strictly an inside cat. I didn’t harness train him to go outside because I anticipated him to go in the litter box and he did. Here are some helpful tips that I used to prep my cat for travel.
At the time of travel, our cat was over a year old. A few months before the move I started putting him in his carrier on short trips to Starbucks or to the drive thru. I would take the long way back home just to give him more time in the car. It’s important to bring your cat to more places than just the vet. Your cat will not like going in the car if every time he does he gets poked and prodded at the vet’s office.
I bought him a backpack as well as a regular carrier. I found it was very heavy on my arm to try and carry him when we made stops. If you decided to invest in a backpack, then make sure you get one with plenty of ventilation. Also, note that the cat is getting his heat and your heat from your back so make sure to check on him. We like to play Pokemon Go around town so this was a way to get him used to the back pack. The back pack I use has a strap to clip his harness to it so he can’t jump out.
Food wise, I bought foldable travel bowls. They were perfect because they fit inside the backpack pockets. It’s important to note that our cat didn’t want to accept water or food while on the road. If he was nervous about an area, he didn’t want anything. One day he was getting hot so I pulled him out of the backpack and dipped my fingers in the water and he licked the water off.
Hotel wise, I took him out of his carrier and immediately showed him where his litter box was. I used litter box liners because I didn’t want to waste litter everyday. After each stop, I would tie up the liner after scooping. Our cat looked and explored the room before settling down and using the litter box. He also liked to sit on the window sills.
Packing wise, I had his carrier, backpack, travel bowls, food in a ziplock, treats, favorite toys, stratching post, and feline way. Make sure you lock up the toys at night so else you have to try and find them all in the morning. Feline way is a plug in to produce happy cat pheromones. I’m not sure if it calmed him down or not but I used it anyway. I also bought toys with catnip in them to help him relax while in his carrier. The catnip pillow ended up his favorite and he cuddled it the whole trip.
I did a lot of prep work for my cat to travel and it paid off. He was very good on the trip and is now happy in his new home! I hope our experience can help you!
Happily Ever Hodges 