What to Do When a Cat Does Not Like Car Rides

Unlike dogs that like travelling by car, the majority of cats are not fond of travel; even when it comes to short trips to the veterinarian. They do not like a sound of a car engine, hate traffic, and are afraid when the ground beneath their paws is moving around. They do not feel better even when the opportunity to watch the moving landscape through the window is offered. It seems that the moving background does not only removes their fear, but also increases their confusion and uneasiness. To help the cat calm down during car rides, experts suggest to put them in a carrier with familiar stuff and smells that make it comfortable. If the cat prefers to explore its environment, it is highly recommendable allowing it through supervision. And the most important thing they warn us about is that the cats usually hide under the seat and stay there. For cat owners, it represents an almost impossible task – to draw the cat out there. To find out what to do when the cat does not like car rides, the article “Reducing Cat Stress During Car Rides” suggests taking the following steps.

Prepare your cat for the car ride
Make sure your cat has current identification tags before he leaves the house.

Your cat should be secured in the car
Keep all traveling cats in a carrier. This is for your own safety as well as your cat’s safety. It is not safe to have your cat roaming freely in your vehicle while you are driving.

Get your cat acclimated to the carrier before the trip
Can you imagine being awoken from your afternoon nap by someone grabbing you, and then cramming you into an unfamiliar box while you are kicking and screaming? Well that might describe how our cats feel when we put them in a carrier to take them to the vet. It’s easy to see why cats might hate going in a carrier. So instead of sneaking up on them and forcing them into the carrier, we should strive to make the carrier a more positive experience.

Take short car rides with your cat first
Practice makes perfect. Start by sitting in the car with your cat in his carrier for just a few minutes, then go back inside and reward your cat with a treat.

A good idea to make the cat more relaxed while travelling is to calm down ourselves first, and then petting the cat and speak to her/him gently. Maybe this approach will not remove all the cat fears, but it will alleviate its uneasiness and soothe her/him. Many cats feel comfortable if they have a chance to gain better control of their environment. That is why feline experts recommend building a cat’s seat near the window, or help the cat explore the car’s interior. Some cats need litter tray close to them during a trip. For that reason, approach to the litter box should be easy for the cat. For an outdoor cat, the better solution is to stop the car and take the cat outside on a leash. If, after all, the cat stays consistent in its aversion to travelling, we should keep car rides with cats to a minimum. Certainly, we cannot avoid taking a ride to the vet or a cat sitter, but we can miss every other occasion and not travel with the cat. This will make us both feel more comfortable.