How to Travel With Cats

Last Updated on December 31, 2022 by Holly Anne Dustin

There is an increasing number of people that travel with cats as a matter of course the same way they do with their dogs.  Cat Fancy exhibitors need to take their show cats on the road. Truckers and RV-ers love traveling with their cats as companions. Cats can learn to enjoy the travel experience. And we can learn to have a great time with them on the road.

Hopefully these tips for traveling with cats will help you and your cats prepare to set off on an adventure together. Or at least make your vet trips less stressful. 

Do Cats Like Traveling?

Cats are territorial and creatures of routine. They can get stressed out when their routines are changed. But that doesn’t mean it is bad to travel with your cat. Afterall, all cats need to learn to tolerate a ride to the vet without freaking out.

Most cats can be trained to tolerate or even love to travel, especially if they are trained from a young age. Properly prepared, most cats will just sleep through a car ride or plane flight. 

Experiencing new things together is a wonderful way to strengthen your bond and deepen your relationship. The bond you have with your furbaby is one of the most important factors in successfully traveling with cats. Your cat must trust you to feel comfortable in an unfamiliar space. A cat that has a strong bond with you will be comfortable in most places if you are there. 

What Cats Travel Well?

Certain breeds, including the Chartreux, the Abyssinian, the Somali, the Bengal, and the Japanese Bobtail, are typically better travelers than average but it is really more about the cat’s personality than breed.

The ability to adjust well to new situations is the most important characteristic for a traveling cat. Cats that travel well are typically affectionate and friendly with a confident, outgoing, and curious approach to life. A cat that is open to meeting new people and other animals will have a better time traveling than a shy or aloof cat.

Look for the wildest, most outgoing, kitten in the bunch if you are looking to adopt a kitten to be your traveling buddy.

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Tips for Safe Travel with Cats

See the vet before you travel by air or go on a long road trip to make sure Kitty is healthy enough to travel. 

Train Kitty to tolerate her carrier and keep her in it throughout the trip. Make it her own happy space.  It keeps her from wandering around the car and causing an accident and from getting hurt should you have to stop suddenly. Choose a quality carrier like Sherpa, Sleepypod, and Sturdibag. A hard side plastic carrier with a top entry option is a solid, affordable option. 

Check out this link for more tips on safely traveling with cats

Label your carrier securely with your contact information. Buckling Kitty’s carrier in the center of the backseat of your car keeps her safest.

Teach Kitty leash and harness skills. Keep her harness on throughout the trip. Fasten the leash on before you open any window or doors. Consider putting a collar and tag with your cell number and local contact info on her for a road trip even if she doesn’t normally wear one. A microchip is a good idea.

Keep things as close to his normal routine during travel as possible. Feed him at the same time with the same diet. 

Don’t leave your cat in a car alone if you can avoid it. Heat is an extreme hazard but your car can turn into a refrigerator in the cold as well. Keep him safe by keeping your stops to a minimum. 

Bring a first aid kit including heat packs and cold packs. Use cooling mats, heating pads or self warming crate mats as appropriate. Bring bottles of water with you and keep them in a cooler.  

How to Keep a Cat Calm While Traveling

Focus on your cat’s needs rather than your trip. Cats like routine and consistency in their environment. So in addition to training them to be comfortable in their carrier before you set out, bring their favorite blanket or a bed that smells like home, a favorite toy, or treats. 

Spraying pheramone spray in the car can help make Kitty feel safe. Natural calming remedies like catnip, Bach’s Rescue Remedy, or a calming treat like Zyklene Calming Chews can take the edge off her anxiety.

If that isn’t adequate you can try sedatives for cat travel.  Benedryl works as a mild sedative for cats. Ask your vet for an appropriate dosage. Your veterinarian can prescribe medications. Buprenorphine, gabapentin, and alprazolam are the typically prescribed medications to keep a cat calm while traveling. Don’t use medications if you are traveling by plane, combined with the high altitude it could mess with your cat’s respiratory system. 

Environmental conditions can make a difference. A lot of this is trial and error. Some cats are calmed if their carriers are covered to reduce stimulation, others prefer it raised so they can see out the windows. Classical music, natural sounds, and apps for cats help some. At very least keep your music low. Remember Kitty’s ears are more sensitive than yours. Cooler or warmer temperatures may reduce motion sickness and make kitty more comfortable and less anxious.  Thundershirts work for some cats.

For more tips on keeping your cat calm in the car, click to read this post

Car Travel with Cats

Get her used to riding in the car after your cat is comfortable with her harness and leash and her carrier. Start small, get Kitty used to the sights and smells of the car while sitting in the drive.  Then turn the car on so she learns the natural noise that goes with a road trip. 

Drive around the yard, then up the block. Take him to get a cup of coffee at your local drive-through.  Take him on errands. Walk around cat friendly stores. 

For more tips on car travel with cats click this link.

Keep building up the length of your trips until your cat is comfortable no matter the distance. Even if he cries for the first 15-20 minutes as long as he’s not hysterical, keep working. Usually they calm down.

If you are traveling under 6 hours, Kitty will be fine in her carrier.  Cats can go longer than that with no litterbox break, but you can put a pee pad in the carrier in case of accidents.

Kitty needs a bigger space for a long distance car trip.  A dog crate, an expandable carrier, or a show shelter that you can buckle in a backseat works well. If your kitty’s crate isn’t big enough to fit a litterbox, offer him the opportunity to use it when you make your own pit stops. Offer kitty water breaks on your stops as well rather than putting a water bowl in his carrier or crate. You don’t want Kitty to get soaked if you hit a bump or stop suddenly.  Some people teach their cat to drink from a rabbit bottle when traveling; but in my personal experience cats aren’t really interested 

Don’t feed Kitty 5 hours or so before you leave on your trip. He’ll be okay if he has to skip a meal for the days you travel. He’ll make up for it at dinner. Most cats don’t want to eat while riding anyway.

How to Fly with Cats

Be sure you know the rules and regulations for flying with cats. There are size requirements for your carrier. The specifics differ airline to airline. It must be able to fit under the seat.  Soft side carriers are more forgiving. Your cat and his carrier must meet the weight limit for your airline. Make sure you have the correct paperwork.  You will need a current health certificate, likely within 10 days of your flight, and a current rabies vaccination. Check with your airline and the rules of your destination to be sure the timing is correct.

Read our article for more tips on flying with cats.

There are fees to fly with your cat and only a limited number of pets are allowed per flight.  Make sure you ticket your kitty on the flight as soon as possible. Book as direct a flight as you can. You don’t want to get halfway to your destination and find out you can’t get Kitty on your connecting flight. 

Your cat is your carry on baggage.  So you get a purse, backpack, or laptop bag that will fit in the overhead compartment. Check everything else. Keep it simple, you want to focus on Kitty when you go through security. You will need to take her out of her carrier to pass security. Consider joining the pre-check program to skip some steps in the process. 

Only one pet can fly per seat.  If you are traveling with multiple cats, you’ll need a traveling partner or have your cats fly in cargo. Overseas flights also require your cat to fly cargo. Animals travel in a pressurized, temperature controlled compartment. It is still best not to travel at the height of summer or depth of winter. If you have bonded pets, some airlines will let you fly them together in one crate.  A hard side crate is the only option for flying cargo. Be sure to bolt it together with metal hardware.  Zip tie the corners for extra security and mark it with “live animals” stickers.

Traveling with Emotional Support Animals

Emotional support animals do not have the same public access as Service Dogs. You can not take your cat into public places even if he is your ESA. 

The regulation about flying with an ESA, the ACAA, is undergoing changes. Due to abuse of the system, airlines are no longer accepting them. Even if your cat is your ESA you may end up paying for Kitty’s plane ticket as any other pet.

ESA regulations also do not allow you any special access to hotels. Kitty can stay in a pet friendly hotel whether he is or is not an Emotional Support Animal. Some hotels that normally don’t accept cats might be willing to accept your cat if he is an ESA. You may also be able to stay without paying any pet fees; but there are no laws requiring it.

Staying in a Hotel with Your Cat

Finding a place to stay is the worst part of staying in a hotel or Airbnb with your cat. Pet-friendly doesn’t necessarily mean cat-friendly. Call ahead and speak with the manager. It is even better if you can get something in email or writing. Understand the terms of your stay. Some hotels charge extra fees, others won’t allow cats on the furniture, not all hotels allow pets in the room alone which can make meals a challenge.

Click for more on how to find a cat friendly place to stay: The 14 Best Hotels for Traveling with Cats

Once you find a place to stay you’ll want to keep your furbaby safe and comfortable. Inspect the room before you let your furry friend out of his carrier.  Check for open windows, holes in walls or cabinets, broken tile, anything that could cause harm. Document any damage you find and report it to the manager so you don’t get charged for it. Look under the bed to make sure there is nothing dangerous like dropped medication or cords that a cat might chew. 

For more tips on staying in a pet-friendly hotel click here

Set up your room with all the essentials from home. The closer to home you can make it the better. Set up a litter box where kitty can’t make too much of a mess. I use a disposable box so I can just bag up the whole thing when we leave. Never make the hotel staff deal with our cat’s waste and mess. We want to be good ambassadors for traveling cats!

Same thing with their food. Put a pee pad or placemat under paper plates for no mess and easy clean up. 

Prefer to stay at an AirBnb?

AirBnB is a little more complicated than locating a cat friendly hotel but in the end it is the same idea. You can filter the listings to just the pet friendly rentals. Then contact the lister directly to make sure Kitty can come along with you.  

Follow these steps to find pet friendly listing. Then read the House Rules to see what restrictions might apply. Confirm with the host that Kitty will be welcome. 

• Go to airbnb.com and click on Homes
• Click more filters at the top of the page
• Scroll to the bottom of the page on the more filters page, 
• Under house rules, check the Pets allowed box
• All listings that appear specify that they allow pets (but be sure to double-check)

You also want to review the house rules to determine if the host has cats or other pets already living there. Especially if your cat doesn’t get along with other animals.

Follow the same steps you would in a hotel to keep Kitty safe. This can be harder when staying in someone’s home. Be a good guest, clean up after Kitty. Like it or not we are ambassadors for the traveling cat population. 

Enjoy Traveling with Your Cat.  

Traveling with cats can be a great experience if you take the steps to prepare for it. Sharing new experiences with your furbaby can deepen the bond you share and enrich his life. You will also open doors and creating a demand for more cat friendly accommodations, activities and events.