This post was published in December 2013 by Marie Ann Bailey and me. Since summer travel time is upon us, maybe there will be some helpful hints here.
Top Ten Things Not to Do When Traveling With a Cat
10 When traveling with a cat by car, do not assume that your cat will not get car sick. Take it for a short spin first. Usually, five minutes is long enough to determine if you will need to pull over to the side of the road and empty the pet carrier of the results of a double-end evacuation response while keeping kitty contained in the car.
9 When traveling with a cat by car, do not assume that because your cat sleeps all day, it will also sleep through a two-day trip up the coast. At best, your cat will keep a running commentary in cat-speak, attempting to convince you to provide a release from the confining pet carrier. At worst, your cat will scream like a banshee, and you’ll end up with hearing loss as a lasting souvenir of the trip.
8 When traveling with a cat by car, and your cat is behaving in the worst-case scenario of #9, do not let your cat out of the pet carrier, thinking it just needs a little room to stretch out. At best, your cat will simply continue to howl, but now with the added advantage of doing so directly into your ear. At worst, your cat will nose-dive to the floor on the driver’s side, and you will narrowly miss a few or more accidents as you keep stepping on your cat while feeling for the brake.
7 When traveling with a cat by train, do not try to sneak your cat on board a train that you know is non-pet-friendly. Just because you’ve trained your cat to lie across your shoulders like an overfed mink stole, doesn’t mean that the conductor will be fooled. One growl from Fluffy might be enough to find yourself and your cat dropped off at the next station, if you’re lucky. If you’re not lucky, you’ll be charged with animal abuse, and Fluffy will have the satisfaction of seeing you take the perp walk off the train.
6 When traveling with a cat by train, do not think that your fellow travelers will find your cat’s antics as amusing as you do. Hiding under your seat and swiping at every foot that passes by within an inch of Smoky’s nose is, at best, annoying to passengers trying to walk the aisle unmolested. At worst, you will have forgotten to clip Smoky’s claws, and so those needle-sharp claws will snag on every sock or exposed skin that passes by.
5 When traveling with a cat by train, do not think it is okay to allow your cat to use the seat upholstery as a scratching post. At best, the conductor’ll simply admonish you to put Tigger back in his pet carrier (providing that you are not guilty of #7). At worst, you will be made to take a pair of scissors, a needle, and thread and attempt to repair the damage done by Tigger (and he will watch you the whole time with great satisfaction).
4 When traveling with a cat by plane, do not think that once the seatbelt sign has been turned off that you can let Kitty out of the pet carrier stowed under the seat in front of you. While you may think Kitty won’t bolt the second she senses freedom, in fact, she will. In the best case, she’ll get no farther than the passenger next to you who just happened to bring a chicken sandwich on board. In the worst case, she will go careening down the aisle and into First Class, lost to you forever.
3 When traveling with a cat by plane, do not assume that Felix, who had never worn a leash and harness before, will remain calm while going through the security checkpoint. At best, Felix will simply attach himself to your leg like Velcro, and the TSA will defer giving you a full body scan. At worst, Felix will make the Tasmanian devil seem meek by comparison, and you will be held financially responsible for the “pain and suffering” of the TSA agents if not tasered first.
2 When traveling with a cat on a cruise ship, well, first ask yourself why you would do that. Then, if Merlin manages to escape from your cabin, the best you can hope for is someone finding Merlin huddled in the kitchen, sampling the chicken being prepared for that evening’s meal. In the worst-case scenario, the ship’s crew will have found a new mascot.
1 When traveling with a cat on a cruise ship, don’t let the staff talk you into working Snowy as a mouser in return for a discount on your ticket. For one thing, there probably aren’t any little mice on the ship, and what she comes across may just catch her instead. For another, Snowy prefers Fancy Feast’s Beef and Cheddar Cheese Feast and will undoubtedly go on a hunger strike if she is served anything different.
Fiction Favorites 
Some good ones here.
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Thanks, Pat.
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No. 4 seems likely, John. Every one of our cats knew for a fact that they belonged in First Class.
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I think cats are born with that notion. Thanks, Dan.
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Instilled in their being when they were treated as gods in Egypt.
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Perfect history and DNA pass down.
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Let me tell you, Number 9 is quite an experience!!!!
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I took one from Indiana to California. Thought I was going to die.
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What are you nuts!?!
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I have had therapy since then
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hahahahahahaha
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😊
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All fraught with peril!
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And potential blood loss. 😀
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That, too!
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I feel like a cat is a terrible copilot.
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Maybe the worst. 😀
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Sounds like the voice of experience.
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Yup.
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Solid advice here, John. Now I’m picturing cats on a cruise ship, getting the royal treatment they deserve 🙂
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Ha ha ha. Or else taking over the ship.
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My cats only go from our house to the vet (not even 5 miles) and that tells me all I need to know about travelling with them. It ain’t happening! 😹
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Ha ha ha. Good decision.
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Same here, Lois. We’re roughly a mile from the vet and the complaining starts before we even leave our driveway to 😹
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I try to fool mine by putting out their carrier the night before so they will be used to it. I must be delusional, Marie…😹
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Ha ha ha
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😹 For awhile I was even feeding them in their taxis. That was more for our ginger cat Raji since he’s young and strong and fast. I wanted to desensitize him. Didn’t work 😹
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🤣
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😊
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HI John, you really do have a good understanding of cats.
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I’ve had four in my lifetime and did require moving them.
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Eeek, we have never had to move ours.
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Once was a Hurricane evacuation.
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These are funny and good suggestions, John. Other than the dreaded and highly vocal trips to the vet, the only long distance trip we took with cats was when we moved from California to Illinois. We sedated them and that worked for three days. Then they set up howling from the back seat of the car I was driving. My husband, driving a U Haul truck, said he saw me get out of the car and try to choke one of the cats!
But we all survived!
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Good advice for traveling cat owners, John.
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Thank you, Tim. 😊
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No cat here, but I imagine some of these suggestions would apply to dogs as well. For Monk, especially #10. He’s NOT a road warrior, so that’s why he doesn’t get to enjoy traveling far from home.
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Yes, and in the back of my memory, I think I did one for dogs. Thanks, Debbie.
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When traveling with a cat…DON’T🐳
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Ha ha ha. Great summary.
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I love this list, John. It was so fun to put together … and also served as a good reminder of why I should never consider traveling with our cats. The only problem now is if we ever have to evacuate before a hurricane 😬
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We had to evacuate due to Hurricane Harvey. Poor Stella never got over it
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I once entertained letting my cat out of the pet carrier on the way home from the vet because he really hated the pet carrier. Then I imagined losing him in the car and being trapped because I didn’t want to open the door and watch him run away so nope!
And yes, what WOULD possess someone to bring a cat on a cruise? Heck . . I really don’t think I would have brought my kids on a cruise.
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Cat on a cruise was a huge piece of fiction. I’m with you on the kids. Hell, I’m not sure I would want me on a cruise.
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Bahahahaha!
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🤣
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What could possibly go wrong? 🤣
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🤣
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I’ve travelled with dogs in cars and planes but never with cats, or snakes, or any other animals. It was usually not a problem but our current dog Rollo starts barking and screaming when he sees another dog outside the car.
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Ha ha ha. Very typical. Thanks, Thomas
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Having made a fourteen hour hurricane evac trip with a cat in the car, I understand all too well where the term “caterwauling” came from.
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I did the same during Hurricane Harvey. It was only four hours, though. Great term caterwauling.
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No. 2 ~ “first ask yourself why you would do that” Right! lol
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😀
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All good tips. My dog cried so long and loud on every vet trip, I switched to a closer vet. He still cries, but it’s only 5 minutes.
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Smart of you. 😀
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Oh my gosh…this was too funny. I suspect many of these tips apply to canines as well. Luckily I’ve been blessed to not have a pet who wasn’t a good car traveler. That photo made me chuckle out loud. Such a sweet innocent face.
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My cats hated the car. They never let me forget it either. 😀
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I suspect cats never let their owners forget ANYTHING! 😆
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So true. 😀
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Does this indicate an addition to the family?
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No. All our felines are happy in the afterlife. No need to disturb them. We had four and loved them, but now it is dogs only.
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Really funny, John. Proof that dogs are wo/man’s best friend.
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That is for sure. 😊
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Still, when God created the cat, He definitely used grace and artistry. … So very many people with cats experience the emotional benefits of their presence. Of course, those qualities, especially an un-humanly innocence, makes losing that pet one day such a heartbreaking experience.
Cats have a beneficial influence over humanity that many people still cannot fathom; and their precious positive effect on their human hosts can also be beneficial to the pets themselves.
There’s an actuality of healthy reciprocal relationships — some cat lovers would even go as far as to describe it as somewhat symbiotic — between felines (many of us see them as family members) and their loving and appreciative human hosts, especially physically and/or mentally ill hosts. And I read more than once that people with ASD typically prefer cat company/pets over that of dogs.
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All very interesting. Thanks
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I guess what you’re saying is: “just leave Fluffy home.”
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Yes, just leave fluffy home.
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Oh, dear John, travelling with pets is a horrible adventure! Poor Felix in the cruise! In fact, why should he travel by sea?🤔🍻🍤🍤🍤
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I would never.
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Our black cat, Mr. Simon, really enjoyed an enthusiastic talking-to while being firmly stroked or his ears scratched, which usually induced him to purr loudly and appreciatively. He’d also slightly whine, quite like a small child, when wanting something, for example as he, with great expectation, stood next to his grooming brush. He’d also have much to say (via loud trilling or an adorable combination of meow and trill) and would hesitate or refuse to eat food we’d drop to the floor while we ate at the table. …
Cats are indeed beautiful — and maybe even more precious and innocent than humanity collectively deserves. More so, felines, especially the sleek and silky black ones, are a very graceful animal — the way they walk, especially. Definitely God’s graceful and artistic side went into the feline creation.
Priceless yet often misunderstood, prejudged and unjustly despised animals, cats are. Only when their overpopulations are greatly reduced in number by responsible owners consistently spaying/neutering their felines, might these beautiful animals’ presence be truly appreciated — especially for the symbiotic-like healthy relationships they offer their loving owners — rather than taken for granted or even resented.
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I had four cats and loved them dearly.
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[…] our travel experiences, making them worthwhile in terms of time and money. I found a blog called “Top Ten Things Not to Do When Traveling With a Cat” and another called “Solo Travel Hacks Every Girl Should Know”. Both blog posts were put together very well, great […]
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Thanks for sharing
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Thank you for the share.
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