Travelling Cat advice please.

[reservoirdawg]

Has anyone had a cat in two places? Ddog is very elderly, travels happily between London and rural Scotland, most weeks a couple of 7 hour journeys by car or train.
When his time comes is it at all feasible to do the same with a cat? I have sharp memories of a stressed mewing cat in a carrier on a long train when I was delivering it to a relative who had moved, (we looked after it during the move)

I don’t think it’s a great idea. Cats attach more to places than people and usually do just fine being left when you go away so long as someone is feeding them and they won’t be fussy who. Then when they’re in a new place they need to be kept in for a month so if you plan to do this regularly you’d be forcing your cat into being an indoor cat, which their temperament may not agree with. I’ve never met a cat that’s happy in the carrier for more than a few minutes. Mine has done 2 transatlantic flights and was mighty pissed off afterwards. I wouldn’t get a cat planning to regularly inflict 7 hours in a carrier on it.

No, not ok for a cat.

Euff
I’m a good dog owner but a cat lover at heart. Haven’t had one for 30 years 🥺

We took one of our cats on a few long journeys. We did get a collar and lead so we could stop for a toilet break (for the cat) without losing it. Can't say he loved it, but he was OK. We kept him as an indoor cat at the other end because we weren't there long enough for him to get to know it there. It will depend on the cat, they are very individual. My DM had a cat that would positively hide in cars to get taken for a ride, he was a bit of an exception! Visitors would drive away and then come back to return the cat that had emerged from hiding.

Sorry no I don’t think that’s fair to a Dcat. My Ddog is glued to me and would thrive, my Dcat wouldn’t be well with that amount of disruption

No, you can't do that with a cat.

Think about looking at breed type cats eg my Devon Rex’s love a trip out in carrier/cat buggy. They will all pile in when the carrier comes out and vet is well used to opening carrier to find more than one in there. My DS cat regularly comes ‘home’ (8hour journey) to us to visit ‘Granny’.
Lots of desensitisation as a kitten, lots of short trips etc etc. DD uses a dog crate in back seat of car with soft round bed, coop cup for water and a small kitten litter tray. Her cat is also lead trained.
It can be done but depends on individual cats personality.

We take our cats regularly with us on a 4-5 hr car journey and then a 4 hr ferry. They're absolutely fine with it. We stop every couple of hours and let them use a portable litter tray in the car and have some food/water, and leave them loose in the car when on the ferry so that they can use the litter tray whenever they want. They mainly come out to explore, wee, and then curl back up together in the cat carrier and sleep for the rest of the journey.
They are much happier with us even with a lot of travelling than being left in a tiny enclosure in a cattery or home alone with a catsitter.

This thread is a rollercoaster!
What breed is yours @PrideoftheThames?

no the cat would be very stressed and miserable.

I think the issue is that while some cats would be absolutely fine, others would be totally stressed and miserable - and then what do you do?

Current ones are Korats. But I've always travelled with my cats, various breeds including a Birman (slept the whole way) and various moggies (bit more vocal but got used to the regular journeys).