Conference misery::feline

    I think you might find some info in the old feline_v1 file,
    but what I'd emphasize is: don't trust an inch in assurances from
    moving people, motel maids, etc. that they will be careful not
    to let the cat out of the room or house.  I'd also be a bit nervous
    about leaving the cat unattended in the car -- suppose the car gets
    broken into, or stolen....  maybe they could take turns staying with
    the car when they have to do pit stops for gas, restrooms, or takeout
    food.
    

    I agree with Karen. Eat take out while on the road. Use pampers or
    something on that order (for a litter box liner) and have a bottle
    of clorox/water mixture handy along with a roll of paper towels.
    
    When in the hotel don't let the cat out of the carrier until you lock
    the door for the night or you are sure no one has to go in or out.
    This is where disposable litter boxes come in handy. (Oh yes, news
    paper to put under the litter box in the hotel,) AND don't forget
    the CAN OPENER FOR THE CAT FOOD CANS, if they don't have pull tops.
    
    Leave the cat in the carrier on moving day until everything is in
    it's place and the doors are closed. As to when to let him out, like
    outdoors if this cat is and indoor/outdoor wait two weeks at least
    and then supervise for another.
    
    Don't expect this cat to eat and drink like it did when it was at
    home. It won't.
    
    One more suggestion, a towel, throw rug from the old house that
    has NOT been washed is a real security blanket to a pet while
    experiencing a move. Don't wash it right away after you get into
    the new house as the old house smell will help with the adjusting
    period. 
    
    We use to move quite a bit. We never washed the puffs/bedspreads
    before we moved and made up the beds in the new house with the
    "old" linen and more times than not that's where you would find
    the cat, making itself to home!!
    
    Let us know how your friends make out.
    
    Barbara & her 3M's

What about using 'stud pants' to help control the spraying problem at least 
while the cat is in the carrier.  I know my carrier has holes conveniently
located at 'bum height', and I would be more than a little annoyed if my car
became a target....

    Stud pants aren't the perfect solution to spraying and they would
    probably upset the cat even more if he isn't used to wearing them.
    I would line the carrier with either hospital chuks, or diapers (tape
    them down on the inside so that they don't move around.
    
    I have travelled quite a bit with my cats, and when the weather is
    good, we have left them in the car (in their carriers) while we stopped
    for dinner.  The car is left locked, and we usually request a table by
    the window so we can keep an eye on the car.
    
    In the hotel room, you can make kitty comfortable in the bathroom
    unless you are staying at a place that has the area under the bed
    blocked off.  Otherwise, kitty may hide under the bed and you may have
    a difficult time getting him out.
    
    At the new house, I would get the cat settled into the bathroom and
    then put a huge sign on the door that says "DO NOT OPEN, CAT INSIDE".
    That may be less stressful than being left in a carrier.
    
    When traveling, carry a jug of water from home for the cat.  The water
    differs in each area and the cat could become sick on the road from
    unfamiliar water.  Carry a large supply of his usual food, a box of
    large garbage bags (for cleaning up the hotel rooms--I leave one open
    under the litter box and then just enclose the box in it when we leave
    and toss it in the trash), a roll of paper towels and a dust buster.
    :')  Oh and your normal brand of litter.
    
    Barbara's idea of unwashed blankets from home is an excellent one too.
    
    Jo

    Is there a possibility that they could have someone take care of the
    cat at either end while they are traveling to their destination.  And
    either have the cat fly out to their new destination either before or
    after they move?  It would be much less strenuous on the cat and
    owners.  It doesn't cost very much to fly a cat.
    
    Just a suggestion.
    
    Holly
    

It's been awhile since the base note was entered, but I wanted to let you 
know that the recipients of your advice were grateful to receive it.  This was 
our new pastor's family, moving out from Minnesota to NH by car; I had fun 
trying to explain Notes and how we could probably get some advice from the 
Digital family.

Margo
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
	April 9, 1992

	Dear Feline Advisers:

	Thank you so much for your expert advice on traveling with 
	a cat from Minnesota to New Hampshire.

	Your ideas were golden.  Mittens traveled like a seasoned pro 
	for four days.  We humans weren't held captive by her 
	"strong-willed" nature.  And she has settled into her new home
	without a hitch (unless we haven't yet discovered her favorite 
	"spray spot."

	Your understanding of the feline nature helped us over many a 
	would-be hurdle in the moving process.

	Gratefully,

	Mittens' mommy, grandma, and grandpa


	[note: mommy is Cindy, age 9]

    I looked for the "traveling with your favorite feline" topic but didn't
    find anything about vacationing...
    
    First, an introduction is in order I reckon:
    
    Tigger (thats Tee-eye-double-guh-errrrrr as in Winnie the Pooh fame) is
    the elder statesman, orange tabby, with kindly disposition, large
    appetite when allowed, and a built-in clock that tells him EXACTLY when
    its dinner time!
    
    Gizmo (so named because as a kitten she looked EXACTLY like the gremlin
    of the same name in the movie Gremlins - later shortened to Gizzi) is a
    medium-sized gray female with a totally Type-B personality.  Absolutely
    NOTHING bothers her as long as a suitably positioned, properly sized
    lap is available when she wishes to recline and be scratched!  She
    tolerates everything with equanimity EXCEPT being ignored by the person
    on who's lap she has deigned to perch!
    
    Mimi (short for SCREAMING MIMI which she acquired because as a 15 oz
    kitten she had already grown a full-sized voice and absolutely no
    patience) is a small jet-black female, youngest of the 3, and thinks
    she's in absolute charge of everything!  When she was a 1 pound kitten
    she walked in and immediately started bossing around the 16 pound
    Tigger, who tolerated her with amused indifference - as he still does!
    Had we known then what we know now, we'd have named her Sybil because
    she has AT LEAST 42 personalities - some of which are NOT BENIGN!
    
    We just got back from vacation that went 3600 miles, 3 weeks, 1 21' RV,
    2 people, AND 3 cats!  Yup, this year instead of leaving them home and
    having to worry that they were being properly fed, watered, and
    receiving the necessary attention, we just decided to load the fur
    faces up and take them with us...  The totally pampered, spoiled,
    indoor-only, cry-like-a-baby when they wander out of the house, like to
    sleep on the warm waterbed cats have now seen (or slept through) the
    wonders of Glacier, Waterton, Banff, Yoho, and Jasper National Parks!
    
    But, don't fret, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.  We started
    in May with a single overnight close to home to see how it would go. 
    Then in June we expanded to a long weekend with a 4-hour drive, and
    another in July.  This got them used to the RV, and us trained in what
    to take, not take, do and not do with them along! :^)
    
    We never had a problem!  They moved right in and decided the warm, dark
    space under the driver and passenger seats were the PERFECT place for
    an all-day nap when driving (the engine, exhaust, and skirts around the
    seats keep it nice and warm under the seats).  Well, this accomodated 2
    cats - Mimi (the schizophrenic) took the driver seat, and Tigger the
    passenger.  Gizzi, disdaining such wimpy accomodations from which it
    was impossible to view the passing countryside took over the end of the
    bunk above the driver area, from which she could recline in comfort,
    take a nap on the blanket thoughtfully provided by my wife, and/or took
    out the window conveniently provided at supine cat eye level!
    
    The only problem we had was that if we fed them immediately before we
    took off one of them would get sick and vomit up the meal.  But, this
    turned out to be no problem.  We'd just feed them breakfast before
    doing anything else and they had plenty of time to digest before the
    rocking started.  
    
    They quickly learned the difference between stopping for a photograph,
    gas, groceries, a hike, or whatever, and the ACTUAL end-of-day stop no
    matter what time it occurred (we often stopped by shortly after noon). 
    As soon as we'd actually stop for the end of the day, the missing cats
    would appear, investigate the whole interior of the coach as though we
    might have made some major change while they were sleeping, then resume
    their normal activities of wandering around and getting in the way,
    trying to cadge an extra meal, taking another nap, or just sitting on
    the bed over the driver area and watching our activities.
    
    From their various perches they got to see (in some cases up VERY
    close) ground squirrels, magpies, gray jays, mountain goats, bighorn
    sheep, and elk...  For some reason the jays, squirrels, and such
    interested them MUCH more than the elk even when the elk were only
    3-feet outside the window in the campground.
    
    One of the positive things that came out of the trip was that the cats,
    especially Mimi who has always been a little aloof, became friendlier.
    At times both of us and all three cats would be squeezed onto the
    couch, my wife and I attempting to read, and various cats attempting to
    convince us to pay attention to them by butting our books with their
    heads, sticking a cold nose into an underarm, or simply licking my
    wife's elbow until she surrendered and provided the demanded scratch!
    
    Tigger (you remember, Mr. built-in-dinner-alarm-clock) found a new way
    to let my wife know he was unhappy.  Dinner time is normally signalled
    by a series of loud complaints from him.  In this case, when ignored
    for longer than he was willing to tolerate, he'd climb onto the shelf
    behind, and at the same level as the back of the driver's seat (my wife
    does virtually all the driving) and meow in her ear.  If this STILL
    failed to produce the desired effect - stop for the night, and FEED ME
    - he would lean forward and BITE her on the back of the head.  Not the
    skin, he'd grab a little chunk of hair and pull it.  I'd have played
    the disciplinarian but the sight of this activity had me laughing too
    hard to really yell at him...  BTW:  He was never annoying enough to
    distract her from driving so there wasn't any danger of having to
    explain to the highway patrol how we ran into the ditch because the cat
    bit the driver!
    
    Anyhow, it worked great, and we didn't have to worry about them while
    on vacation OR endure the days of total disdain, anger,
    nose-in-the-air, we're-mad-because-you-left-us reception we've gotten
    on our return in past years...

    That sounds great!  I'd like to pack ours into the camper too, but with
    10 cats in a 22'er that might be a bit much!  We take them out into the
    camper one at a time sometimes while we are getting it ready to take a 
    trip, but boy do they cry.  They say they would rather stay home -
    lucky we have a super sitter who spoils them lavishly.  But still I
    wish we could take them with us.....