70 mile drive with anxious cat - any tips?

[thanklesschild]

Just that really. We are moving house and our anxious old cat will have to go in a car for at least 1.5 hours. When we take him for his annual check up he is really distressed and yowls all the way to the vets. Going in a car for so long will really upset him especially as a stranger will be driving us. We have tried Beaphar Calming Spot On but it seemed to have no effect. Any tips on how to make the trip as stress free for him (and us!) as possible? Thanks for reading.

Try to get there as quickly as possible! Sorry, that’s all I’ve got.

My old boy used to yowl when the car accelerated and decelerated. If we were on the motorway though he’d be fine.

It’s got to be done so just grit your teeth.

(Also, don’t feed too much beforehand and make sure he’s shut in with a tray in one room while packing etc happens. Bitter experience suggests you don’t want to be hunting high and low for him!)

Your vet can prescribe calming meds. We’ve driven 8 hours with ours (Canada)

Definitely worth asking your vet for some medication. It makes them really sleepy and hopefully the journey won't bother him.

Feliway spray in his cat carrier 15 minutes before you go may help. Also a plug in diffuser in the new house may help him settle better.

I feel your pain; I'm taking ours to the vets next week and it's about half an hour away and I'm not looking forward to it