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-   -   Adopting cat and frequent travel. (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=88974)

Meowsara October 16th, 2020 11:07 PM

Adopting cat and frequent travel.
 
Hello all,
I have a question. For years I have wanted a cat. My kids are now old enough to not be a danger to the cat and can understand instructions- I just have one doubt....

We travel regularly to see family out of town, and we sleep over from 3-4 nights every 2 months. I feel this will be hard on a cat from being surrounded by people to nothingness. We have very sweet neighbours, who can check in on the cat 1-2 times a day while we travel. They are pet friendly and have experience with cats.

Am I being overly sensitive or will this travelling regularly be too stressful for a cat? I don’t want to adopt a cat and then stress them out. Or would it be better to get 2 cats so that they entertain each other?

Any experience is appreciated. Thank you!

hazelrunpack October 17th, 2020 08:02 AM

2 cats would probably be a good idea--and if you can find an already bonded pair up for adoption, it would eliminate the stress of having to introduce them. We adopted a 2nd stray about 3 years after we took in our first stray and slowly introduced them--took about 4 months before we were totally comfortable leaving them unsupervised together, but now they're such good friends.... So adopting a non-bonded pair can also work if you have the time to spend and a way to keep them separated until they get friendly with each other.

As for the time away, I know of a lot of people who just have neighbors check in on the cats a few times a day when they're on a trip. Cats like being in familiar surroundings, so leaving them home is often the least stressful thing for them. If you trust your neighbors, it sounds like the perfect solution, and shouldn't be too hard on your cats. If possible, you can practice--take a short, over nite trip and have your neighbor come in for the kitties just to see how it goes. If it goes well, leaving them probably won't be a problem. And there's always the option to board your kitties when you're gone if the home visitation thing doesn't seem to be working :thumbs up

How exciting! I hope you share some pictures with us when you adopt your kitty or kitties! :D

Meowsara October 17th, 2020 02:03 PM

Thank you for taking the time to answer. I really appreciate it.

We will probably begin the slow search for bonded cats at a local shelter and begin slowly catifying our home. It’s our first pet cat as a family so it will be a big step for us.

Reg October 17th, 2020 05:47 PM

Hi welcome to the forum.

Some things that we have learned over the past years from travelling with our cats might be of interest to you.
We started with our cats at a very young age travelling, and found by doing it frequently they became quite accustomised to it. The best thing was short trips to start. Trips around the block, or just down the street maybe to pick something up for the house, and take the cats at the same time. This helped to get them accustomed to the sound of the vehicle and the feeling of motion. This is something you should do a few days before and after a trip to the vet, because cats have a tendency to relate the vehicle ride with the experience they receive from the vet which sometimes isn't good.

Something else we've found is that cats have an extremely good memory, I think at times it would put an elephant to shame. Case in point our Yogi when we first picked him up and about half an hour out of town had a bowel movement in the carrier, and it was soft and he got it all over himself which meant I had to clean it up before continuing on home. This meant a dunking in the creek and washing the carrier. Ever since then he is not comfortable travelling even using Rescue Remedy or pheromones, and that was 12 years ago now.

The more you work with your cats on travelling the more at easy they will find it. Our late Missy and Shadow became very relaxed in travelling to the point that we let them have the run of the vehicle, and when we stopped and turned off the ignition they would go back to their carriers so we could close them in then take them into the house or motel, and we would travel for days like this around northern Ontario.

So if you think you might want to travel with the cats. You will have to take your time and patience to gently introduce them to travel, and if for some reason they have a bad experience it isn't easily forgotten for some cats.

I am with Hazelrunpack when you pick up your new Furbabies we would like to see some photos

meowpassion February 14th, 2021 12:12 PM

it mainly depends on a cat, but many cats like their routine and smells. You might try to take your kitty with you and also use Feliway to calm her down, and see how your cat will react. Also remember, that a cat usually needs time to feel comfortable in new environment. I would personally choose the second option, when you neighbors take care about your kitty while you are away, you can can also find a (professional) cat sitter while you will be visiting your family.


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