Jannette

My husband and I are moving to Co. Mayo permanently. I have 2 Bengal cats. We live in the East of England and so the journey moving to Mayo is long. We will be driving in order to get our car there. Not sure how my cats will cope with this. Has anyone any advice?

TrishP

Sedatives - ask your vet for them. Additionally, when I moved my cats from Scotland to Canada, I bought Vetbeds for them, a cushion/bed for inside the cat carrier that provides comfort, but wicks away any pee.
Don't feed the cats for a few hours before travelling, or they may throw it all up, but make sure they have the opportunity to drink before leaving.
If your cats aren't familiar with being in a cat carrier, give them a week or two to become accustomed to being inside it - I put my cats' regular beds inside them and left the door open, so they could get used to coming and going and sleeping in it.

deadshoppingmalls

Don't use sedatives when traveling with cats...it's really not healthy for them.

See if you can get a product called "Feliway". It's a synthetic pheremone that mimics their facial pheremone and marks the "place" as known, so it calms them. We've done transatlantic with this and it works like a charm

jenny-laurel

I brought my elderly cat from London to Cavan in January. Make sure they have as large a carrier as you can get in car including litter trays and dry food and bedding and water for stop offs. Cover the carrier 3/4 with blanket so they feel secure. Use Feliway, it is very good, plus some for your new home. Do not sedate. It can be dangerous and vets ( good ones anyway ) do not advise this. Good luck!!

TrishP

Sedating a cat for a road trip is not dangerous if you ask your vet for advice and for a medication that is appropriate for the cat's weight - your vet is a professional and their advice is best. Many vets do prescribe sedation for road trips and to suggest that those who do are not professional or good at their job is incorrect. If the cat is not a good traveller (and many of them aren't), it is kinder to allow the cat to sleep through a good chunk of the journey. Sedating cats for travelling by air is indeed dangerous, as blood pressure can drop.