Transport a very high strung cat

[lpkshop]

My daughter has to transport her cat several hours to its new home. The cat is a 7 year old feral cat.she was rescued when she was 2 years old. We do not know her history but she is calm until you try to put her in the carrier or any box. Cat has never been in the house. She gets so terrified when we try to put her in a carrier she becomes the CAT from HELL. The vet comes to our house to check her to avoid the trauma.
Has anyone transported such a pet? We are meeting with the vet next week but wanted to learn from you

[redwitch]

I transported three cats from California to here. One was so terrified, she'd poop in her carrier before I even got her out of the driveway. Another was somewhat like your daughter's in that she loathed carriers. The third was okay with anything. For the fraidy cat, I had to tranquilize her the first day. She was fine after that. The second was a bigger problem -- no carrier, no collar or halter allowed. Finally discovered that she could semi-tolerate a soft carrier so long as she was freed within five minutes.

My guess is that the vet will recommend a trank for this cat. Sounds like it may be the best solution. Wish your daughter luck! Traveling with a traumatized cat is no fun.

[yamma3]

We transported our two cats from Michigan to The Villages in a Pak n Play. I bought a mesh cover - designed to keep out bugs when used outside - put in a short bench and a litter box. I was amazed at how well the cats traveled. The only hitch was our arrival in TV was during a thunderstorm - which freaked out one of the cats! Any kind of box or cube would do as well as the bench - the cats just laid underneath. The pak n play was obtained free from Freecycle; I asked for one in any condition since it was for the cats.

[pbkmaine]

We have an emotionally needy male cat, 8 years old. He hates to be caged. Our vet recommended Feliway, which is a pheromone spray for cats. It seemed to help. We also dropped a towel over him before stuffing him in the cage. Saved cuts and bruises for both of us. We found a hotel that takes cats, stayed over night, and got here in two days from Maine. He loves it here.

[DruannB]

We have a mesh barrier that attaches behind the two front seats. It's designed to keep dogs out of your front seats, but we use it for the cat. We fold down the back seats, line everything with plastic, then cover it all in blankets. We then put one or two cardboard boxes on their sides with towels in them. The cat squirrels herself away in one of those boxes as we travel. We can put other luggage in the same area, but she has room to move around as well.

[lpkshop]

Thanks all!
I'll pass the info on

[Sable99]

I'm lucky. I've traveled a lot over the years with my cats and they've always traveled well. When I lived in VA, I would take my two cats back and forth to Michigan a couple of times a year. They are both in kitty heaven now.

But I have to tell you a funny story. I now travel with my 90 year old mother who is more nervous about traveling with the two cats we have now. One time when we were traveling from our condo on St. Augustine Beach to our home in Michigan, Mom got in the van and said a prayer for our travels and for our cat, Kaylee! What can I say, Kaylee was in her terrrible twos! On the first day, Kaylee slept all the way to our hotel in northern Georgia. On the 2nd day of our trip, Kaylee slept from Georgia to Michigan but did get up once to use the litter box. Nothing rattles our other cat, Torie, who is the most laid back cat I've ever seen!

When I get a new kitten, I take them on short car rides so they get used to being in the car. I think that has helped.