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Less-Stressful Car Travel with Pets

Car travel with your pet doesn't have to be stressful - here's how to make your next holiday safe and easy.

Blog / Pets / 2019 December 16, 2019

There’s this one family friend who bundles his cat inside a pillowcase to help her relax on long road trips. Another older relative mentioned that she once gave Valium to her dog to prepare her for a car ride.
 
My traveling tricks for pets, on the other hand, are not as controversial as theirs. But what I do know is that my cat displays his displeasure on trips by not eating his food and looking for substitutes to his usual litter tray.
 
Listed below are several golden rules that experts swear by to make car travels with pets much easier.

Get them comfortable gradually

There’s a huge possibility that your animal friend has a negative connotation with cars whenever they act anxious just by the sight of it. This might be due to a boarding kennel and previous visits to the veterinarian.

According to  Sandra Barnard-Nguyen, who is a vet based in Sydney, the solution to this problem is to gradually allow your pets to get used to riding the vehicle.

"You pop your dog in the car when it's just parked in the driveway, give them a couple of treats, get them out again. Then you increase the amount of time they're in the car — take them to the shops and back again,” she said.

“Even if the park is two minutes down the road, put them in the car and drive them to the park so they learn the car isn't scary," adds Anne Chester, who is a chief veterinarian at the RSPCA

Richard East claims that this simple method works perfectly with feline friends as well. This comes from his personal experience since he frequently travels across Australia in a campervan with Willow, his beloved cat. He shares his expertise in this area through his book Van Cat Meow which is published under the ABC Imprint.

"You can spend time with them in the car while it's stationary, giving them lots of pats and lots of treats. It might be a case of enticing them into the car with treats," he adds.
Medical options

Pets suffering from anxiety can greatly benefit from sedatives as prescribed by their veterinarian. It’s important to get proper guidance from your vet instead of doing by yourself and getting from your Xanax stash. More importantly, you need to be extra cautious when giving sedatives to your pets for the first time on a long road trip in case of any negative or allergic reactions.
 
"You might want to have a practice run with those when you're closer to home," Dr. Chester says.

However, Dr. Barnard-Nguyen warns against giving your pets antihistamines that make them drowsy. A better option could be to use pheromones which is a natural product.
"It can be worn on bedding or the collar or a bandana around the necks, for both cats and dogs,” says Dr. Chester.

The above-mentioned products can help calm your pets throughout the car ride and upon arrival at your destination.

Packing for pets

Familiar items and smells will soothe your pet during your travels, so consider laying the pet's blanket and a favorite toy in its crate for the trip.

When packing for your pets, you need to include familiar items such as their everyday blanket and favorite chew toy. These can help them calm down during the travel.

"And if they're particularly attached to you, you can put a T-shirt you've worn in there," says Dr. Barnard-Nguyen.

Those items will also help your pet feel at home once you reach the destination.
Plus, those items can also make them feel more relaxed and at home even though your destination might be completely new and unfamiliar to them.

"We take a blanket and cover the couches with that because we know it makes the property owners feel more comfortable, but it makes the cats more comfortable too because it's familiar," says Hasara Lay, who is the founder of an online-based community for individuals who are fond of travelling with their animal friends.

Don’t forget to pack the types of food your pets normally eat rather than trying out new brands at your destination. Unfamiliar treats and meals can make it more difficult for your pets to settle. Another great tip is to lay a couple of liners at the bottom of the crate and pack a few extras as well. Garbage bags, a spare blanket, and a paper towel can also come in handy in case of toilet accidents inside the car.
 
For cats, if you'd rather not have a kitty litter in the crate or you don't have the space for it, you can also take a litter tray or a large container with a lid, and give your cat a chance to relieve itself during rest stops.

For those who don’t want to put a kitty litter in the crate or don’t have space for it, you can opt to take a large container that has a lid or litter tray. Make sure to allow your cats to take a pee break during stopovers.

"We let them walk around the car while it’s still stationery and if they need to go, they can go then," Hasara says.

Restrain your pets

It’s important to have your pets restrained during travel. More than a safety measure, it’ll also help avoid demerit points and fines.

The exact provisions and fines can slightly differ in each territory and state, yet the generally-accepted rule is that drivers are not allowed to maneuver the vehicle with a pet on their lap or for animals to hinder the driver from having complete and uninterrupted control of the car.
Several laws specifically disallow individuals from transporting unrestrained dogs on the back of utility vehicles or other open cars.

Although it might seem that your canine best friend enjoys the wind whipping on their tongue as they stick their heads out the window, veterinarians strongly disadvise such.
"It's a safety issue, and also it's just going to irritate their eyes. Letting your pet ride in the front seat is also a no-no because exploding airbags can cause terrible damage to dogs or cats if you're in an accident,” says Dr. Barnard-Nguyen.

“And in case you were wondering, the cat-in-a-pillowcase trick is "totally inappropriate" and probably terrifying for cats. Your best bet for restraining traveling dogs: a crate, or a harness that connects to a seat belt. Cats should travel in a crate or carrier, ideally with a lightweight sheet covering three of the sides,” says Dr. Chester.

It’s highly recommended that you bring a crate that larger than what you normally use to fit water, food, and cat litter tray for longer trips.
 
Richard also recommends to use "a little container, with a little circle cut in the lid — the hole's just big enough for my cat to put her little snout in" to prevent spillage.

A simple solution to car sickness

Pet can get a little woozy and car sick too. Here are a couple of great tips that can help avoid that.

"You can fast your pet, so if you're going for the day don't give them their morning meal. You can also get anti-nausea medication from your veterinarian to help them feel less travel sick and make their journey easier,"  says Dr. Barnard-Nguyen.

Hasara also highly recommends having stopovers to allow your pets to breathe and have a break. Her cats, Noxie and Lumos, are not fond of windy roads. This is the reason why their rest stops are typically away from the road.

Pet-friendly areas

Finding the right accommodation for you that is also pet-friendly can be quite challenging.
“Many hotels or bed and breakfasts advertised as "pet-friendly" actually require you to keep your pet outside, which isn't suitable for all pets,” Hasara says.

This is why it’s important to read through the fine print to prevent accidentally booking a room at a place that cannot completely accommodate your animal friend.

Some Airbnb properties allow guests to travel with their pets. However, it’s always better to double-check by communicating your concerns with the owner.

"I'll also let them know we always come with a mini scratching pole, a kitty litter, and the cats are harness-trained," she says.

Historic sites, aboriginal areas, and national parks are a few pet-friendly places that you can always count on. For cat owners, be sure to keep your feline friends inside to preserve the local fauna.

"If you're taking a cat into an unfamiliar environment you've got a responsibility for the safety of the cat but also to the environment — you don't want them roaming around and hunting animals," Richard says.

Make them feel at home

One of the first things that you should consider doing upon arrival at your destination is to look for potential hazards.

“You'll want to keep your pet away from insecure fences (or fences built on sand that a dog can dig under), and objects that might pose a danger including old bones from past pets, chemicals or rat poison. For older dogs, consider bringing a kiddie gate so you can block off stairs that might hurt your pooch,” Dr. Chester says.

Putting a GPS device on your pet so you can track their whereabouts is another great idea to remember. Just don’t forget to check that its microchip details are always updated if they escape or get lost.

"It doesn't have to be expensive, it can just be one of those key tags."

As for your feline pals, it’s ideal to put them first in a secluded room as they get familiar with the new surroundings. Set up a bedding that they typically use and bowls that are filled with food that they are familiar with. You can even place a few boxes for them to hide and play in.

Cats must remain inside the isolated area "as long as it takes for the cat to calm down. Sometimes it will just take a couple of hours," says Dr. Barnard-Nguyen.
 



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