Driving to France with cat - any tips?

[MarmMummy]

Hi, we are driving to France with out 5 year old cat for the first time this year. It’s about a 14 hour journey. Anyone have any top tips to share?! TIA

Just be careful she's not seduced by very sexy Fronch cats

Just be careful she's not seduced by very sexy French cats

But she doesn’t speak the language, so she’ll have no idea those suave French cats are making ‘le pass’ at her

Oh no. Don't do it op.

Chances are she'll be so stressed she'll either hide for the full holiday or bolt and you'll never see her again.

I once lost a horse in France and even though we got him back very quickly, it was one of the most stressful things I've ever done.

And that was a big horse, who we could see and follow easily.

Get a feliway plug in and leave her at home.

Remember to punch some holes in kitty's suitcase.

Lost a horse in France?

I mean, we did get him back... 🙄😂

Oh man it was awful at the time but funny now.

It's a very bad idea and bordering on cruel. Don't do it

OK, you’ve all put me off..... maybe I should have asked before spending £150 on a pet passport and eurotunnel ticket for her.
I still think she would have enjoyed it once she got there.... she is very much like a dog! She’s a huge 6.2 kg American rag doll who comes when called. She likes to lie by our feet not on our laps.
Apologies to those of you who were looking forward to tuning in to see how we got on!

Completely ludicrous. I honestly hope for the poor cat’s sake that this is a windup. 😡

We recently did 6 hours with two cats. We bought dog crates so that each was able to fully stand and sit up and there was room for a water bowl.

I bought puppy pads and put them at the bottom of the crate then a towel on top. That way it was soft for them but if there was an unexpected vomiting, peeing or worse, we could just swap everything out - take spares.

We started with one of our cats in the boot and the other on the back seat. That was a big mistake. The one in the back screamed lots. So about an hour in we also put is crate in the back so he could see us, and I could reach back and sort of stroke him through the bars. That worked well. He was pretty quite after that. We also made a point of talking to them. This calmed them a lot.
We had a litter tray in the back footwell and stopped half way to put each in in it. It was a little tricky to do but worth it so that there were no bladder infections.

The other things we did includes getting the feliway spray stuff and using it in the car, crates and towels for about a free beforehand, just a couple of sprays a day. we also used some herbal calming drops on them for about 10 days in the lead up. These the primarily valerian based.

The journey was very smooth so I was pleased to have done all thoes things. It took them about another 4 hours to choose to come out of the crates once wee got to our destination. Don't force your cat out, give them time a hiding spots.

This is really...unsettling. You thought it was funny and/or a sensible idea to take a cat with you on holiday? Why?

As for saying your cat comes when called at home - you're comparing apples with oranges OP. My cats all come when called too - when they're at home, in their own environment and on their own turf.

No way would I expect them to behave in the same way while abroad. What would you do if kitty bolted when you got there? Surely you'd not enjoy your holiday knowing the cat was missing? Or what if she bolted on the last day - how would you stay and look for her if you had to be back home for work etc?

Chances are she'd run as soon as she was let out and you'd never see her again. Or the stress of the journey would kill her. Pets die being transported (for house moves etc) don't underestimate the impact it would have on her - she's not a dog. Please don't be so cruel.

I'm just suprised people take CATS on holiday

@BarrelOfOtters

We used to take our cat on holiday on a barge. She was fine apart from getting pregnant one year, TBF this was the 70s and things were different then.

Was she the inspiration for Mamma Miaow?

User!

I travel frequently within France with my cat by car and plane when we have long stays with different family members, but NEVER 14 hours. It's far too much.

For shorter distances, you can give her skullcap and valerian as a herbal sedative, they come in drops an I travel frequently within France with my cat by car and plane, but NEVER 14 hours. It's far too much.

For shorter distances, you can give her skullcap and valerian as a herbal sedative, they come in drops and tablets but the drops are easier to get down them by when they're not cooperating.

You also need to keep them on a harness (ideally a double) which you can attach to a lead and let them out for exercise and a wee at least every 2 hours. Plus keep water and biscuits in the crate.

And invest in an enzymatic urine first, because when they piss all over your car, normal cleaners will not get rid of the smell and cat piss + hot cars is not fun.

Then when you get there, you have to walk her around on the lead to familiarise her with the surroundings, so she can find her way back to you. It's a pain in the arse if you're staying on a property with large grounds, eg a campsite, and even worse with people you don't know who might accidentally lock her in a hot car all day or decide to keep her.

In any case - a holiday for you is NOT a holiday for a cat. Please don't do a 14 hour ride with her. The maximum I would do with mine is 4 (not including stops) and I've been doing it for years, she's used to it. Still shouts her head off the whole bloody way though.

Oops my copy and paste seems to have a life of its own there...

"I once lost a horse in France" - that is just the best line ever to drop casually into a conversation somehow!

The sight of said horse's fat white arse merrily trotting down the road is seared in my brain. Its a long story but basically the horse box had broken down and we were moving the horses onto a replacement. Now ideally you don't want to unload on the side of the road but we had no choice because the box had masses of black smoke coming from the engine.

I was holding a young horse and my boss's good show horse (who was also a bit of a git and will be known as Great White Show Horse). Boss had her dog and a third horse. Boss told me to tie said horse to the new lorry while I loaded the young horse (she spoke French and was talking to the police/fire service who had the road blocked off and were hurrying us so they could get it reopened)

Now I knew the horse wasn't the most reliable at tying but didn't see that we had much choice because the young horse was properly wound up and would likely have hurt himself. So I tied the older horse to the box and loaded the youngster. Came back out to see GWSH trotting down the side of the road and into a field.

It was dusk, and it was raining but he was big dressed in a Newmarket rug and was a light grey so I could kinda follow him but there was a ten minute bit where I couldn't see him at all and it's still one of the most arse clenching things I've ever lived through.

QMouse I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe! It's like something from Some Mother Do 'Ave 'Em

Sorry it was stressful, but that's a great dining out story!

You know your cat best.

We've always taken our cats on longer holidays (although not to the South of France). They've been stressed when left with sitters coming in twice a day, and have got out twice. We also had one sitter (from a very reputable company) neglect to empty the litter tray for a whole week. That was not pleasant to return to, and I suspect not pleasant for the cats either.

We also know our cats, and although they don't particularly enjoy the journey, they much prefer to spend the time with us. We don't let our current cats out, as they're not as reliable, but previous cats have gone for a wander and always returned.

Advice if you decide to do it - A large carrier, so they have room to shift about. We always put a pillow on the bottom for comfort.

A medium sized, shallowish plastic box with a clip on lid. Put a cat litter liner in the bottom and half fill with litter. We put it in the foot well in the back seats, on top of a spread of newspaper, so when we stop for a break we can open it up for them to use. If you've got a big dog crate, you may be able to put it inside, although I wouldn't open it unless you're at a stop.

Same with food and water. Have a small airtight put with water you can put down when stopped. Don't forget that cats won't use the litter tray if it's anywhere near their food and water, so you need to put that somewhere separate.

We do let ours out of their box when we're having a stop, but we're always VERY careful to make sure that they can't get out while opening their crate. This is the only nervous bit of the process, but as some of our trips involve a 4 hour boat crossing, they have to be let out. (By the way, if you do a boat crossing, put towels on all the seats, just in case it's a bit rough).

As I say, you know your cat the best. If you think they'd prefer a few hours discomfort to being stuck home alone with the occasional stranger, or worse, being stuck in a tiny cage in a cattery for 2 weeks, then go for it.

After all, you're not going to be able to from next year.

The longest journey my Cat has done in the car is an hour when staying at my cousins for a few days. Didn't want to leave him at home as EXH was working and he was a kitten at the time and my Cousins Cat's are his Mum and Brother. He hated every second of it and yowled all the way there and all the way back. Pooped and peed all over himself and got travel sickness. Going back home I wasn't going to feed him till we got back home, but he managed to sneak down and eat his Brother and his Mum's food. Even a 15-20 minute journey down the road to the cattery is enough and very vocal to say the least. Never wants to come home though gets spoilt far too much with cuddles, treats and food. Plus occasionally he's allowed into the actual house to go lay by the fire place in winter. Taken across in his carry case and all doors and windows firmly shut. I usually have to drag him out of the cattery kicking and screaming and stuff him arse first into the carry case with someone ready to quickly slam the top on afterwards. One time they had to take the part of the cage wall out because he was adamant he was staying where he was.

When I adopted my cat in May, she had to travel halfway across Germany by train in a dog basket. She was absolutely fine during and after the trip.

Can see that you’ve decided not to but please don’t, saw this post earlier 😔 www.facebook.com/428924590809755/posts/1188137034888503/?d=n

Should add this little cat was taken on a camping trip too