How Long Can A Cat Travel In A Car?
Have you ever wondered how long can a cat travel in a car? This is a legit question if you need to travel frequently with your cat in a car. I had the same question. So, I spend hours on the internet researching on it. Here’s what I came up with:
The length of time a cat can endure inside a car varies from cat to cat, age, gender, and many other factors. However, as a general rule of thumb, experts recommend not to keep your cat in a car for more than 2 hours at a time. If you are going on a long road trip, then take a short break after every couple of hours. This will give your cat the chance to release itself from nature’s call as well as stretch its body a bit.
Why Do You Need To Take Break?
Cats are animals of comfort. They don’t like being outside of their comfort zone. Going on a trip outside the home is a completely mind-boggling experience for your cats. It is something they are not comfortable with. So, it is natural for them to be stressed out while in a journey.
Also, during a long journey, like humans, cats also need to release themselves from nature’s call. Stretching out the legs is also important for them.
For these reasons, it is important to take breaks after every 2-4 hours while you are on a long trip with your cat. These breaks will keep your cat stress-free and calm during the whole journey.
Ensuring Your Cat’s Safety
Whenever you are taking a break during a long car ride, there are some things you need to do for ensuring the safety of your cat:
- Whenever you are taking your cat out of the car, it must be on a leash. Leashes are a must whenever you are traveling with your cat. They ensure that your cat doesn’t run away or get lost. The journey is not a comfortable aspect for cats. Being outside of their comfort zone, cats can do unexpected things like try to run away because of being nervous. That’s why it is an absolute necessity to keep your cat under a least, for its own safety.
- There are some more things you can do to further ensure the security of your cat. One of them is microchipping your cat. This is the ultimate fail-safe way to find your cat in case it runs away. Also, don’t forget to keep an Up-To-Date identification card on your cat’s collar.
During Night
If you are traveling at night, then there is no need to stop every 2 hours. Just make sure the cat is secured and comfortable inside the carrier. However, if you are traveling with a kitten, then it is necessary to stop at least a couple of times during the night.
During the day, if your cat is an adult, then you can do fine for up to 4 hours without taking a break. However, in the case of younger cats, 2 hours is the limit.
Things You Should Do For A Pleasant Journey
The above recommendations are based on the assumption that you have done everything you can to ensure a comfortable journey for your cat. Here are the things you should do:
- Never take a cat without a carrier while you are traveling. Carrier is a must. It keeps your cat safe, secure, stress-free and comfortable. Also, when you are traveling outside, everything will be unfamiliar to your cat, except for the carrier. So, it will be a place of safe retreat for her. Before even hitting the road, take the necessary steps to make your cat comfortable inside the carrier.
- Make the carrier as much comfortable as possible. Place a blanket inside the carrier, preferably the one your cat is already using for sleeping. It will have your cat’s smell on it, which will work awesome for keeping your cat calm. Also, take some of your cat’s favorite toys, treats etc. for keeping her busy and happy.
- Make sure the car is ventilated and cool. It is better if the car is air-conditioned. If it is not, keep the windows open so the environment inside the car remains pleasant and cool.
- Never keep your cat unattended and alone in the car. Even if it is for a few minutes. If there is absolutely no one around you and you need to be outside of the car for some reason, then keep the air-conditioner ON. Also, finish your business as early as possible.
