Koshka passed away peacefully lying in my SIL’s lap. The small black kitty was rescued by D and SIL when they lived in Australia.
Have just one cat left. (There were 3 cats living here in March. 
My sweet brown tabby passed in mid-March. ) Remaining cat will be 19 yo in June. She’s diabetic, arthritic and has early signs of dementia.
D and SIL are talking about getting a kitten to raise alongside their German Shepherd puppy, but I’d prefer to adopt an older cat who needs home.
So sorry about the loss of your kitty.
I wonder if any of the cat lovers here had a recommendation for a carrier that could be used for a long distance car ride? We have an elderly Persian cat thinking of taking him on a 3 to 4 day journey…
I don’t really have a suggestion, but we like “hard” carriers rather than soft carriers, and I do suggest you make sure there’s something the cat can lay on/grab onto in the bottom of the carrier.
Also think about if there’s a place you can put the carrier so it’s pretty flat on the bottom. The one time our cat had an accident in the carrier was when somehow the thing on the bottom got all wadded up and she couldn’t “get a grip” - literally, and the carrier was slanted so she was freaked out.
I second a hard carrier for the car. They’re often bigger than the soft ones. Cats have more room to sit up, turn around , stand.
I use an old towel or blanket piece to line the carrier and put a chux (disposable bed pad) over it and partly up the sides. The chux makes cleaning up any accidents easier since you can just wad it up and toss it.
If you are putting the carrier in the rear luggage area of a SUV, try to find some way to anchor it. If it’s in there alone, it can slide around when the car turns or you brake hard. I had a carrier tumble upside down once when I had to brake hard. Not only did it freak out the cat, she vomited and the vomit went all over inside the carrier. Made quite the mess.
There are various tethers that you can attach to the carrier to keep it from sliding/flipping. Or you just pack stuff around the carrier to keep it from sliding.
We drove cross country with 2 cats in separate wire kennels ( they weren’t the best friends). The kennels allowed them full movement, and some visibility outside the car - definitely allowed them to see us.
The car was packed solid, so the kennels were also fully secured.We would stop occasionally and let them stretch and roam in the car. There was a travel litter box in the car outside the kennels, but they never used it until we stopped at a hotel (and most drives were at least 10 hours each day.)
This was all for a move during Covid, so quite an experience. Many hotels were closed, and even fewer accept cats - so all pre booked in advance. (If you’re staying in hotels, make sure “pets accepted” includes cats.
Many years ago when we drove cross country with our cat, we learned she was much much calmer and quieter in a leashed harness laying on my lap or the floor. We had a large hard carrier for when we couldn’t do that. Sometimes I would hold her up so she could look out the window.
We also used the cat calming spray (Feliway) in the carrier.
Thanks so much for these tips!
I am a little concerned that the stress of the whole trip might be too much for our kitty - who seems much frailer lately. Good to know about the calming spray. I was thinking of asking the vet for some relaxing type med (and only give him a fractional dose).
I would like to keep him in the passenger part of the SUV if we go- I think he’d like the comfort of petting. Wish I could keep him loose in a harness! I carried him once to the vet that way and it didn’t go well (let’s just say the interior required multiple cleanings and sanitizing!)
Did anyone else use some calming meds with their cat for a long journey?
I did when I flew my sweet brown tabby between my then home and California. On the way out I gave him the dose the vet prescribed. He was very quiet & strangely passive the entire trip. When I arrived at my destination, he was still pretty out of it and had real trouble standing and walking for about 30-40 minutes after I let him out of the carrier. It took him a while to recover.
I might ask your vet for some meds in advance and try out a couple of different dosing levels or even a couple of different medications to see how your kitty reacts to the drugs. Older cats are slower to clear the drugs from their system.
Airlines generally discourage medicating pets because the altitude (cabins are pressurized but not at sea level) can cause unexpected reactions. For road trips, I’d follow Wayoutwestmom’s advice above to try anything new at home before the trip.
Very good tips about the meds! I know the elderly can be impacted more from meds (presuming cats also). I will now plan to try anything sedating out at a very low dose before we go - while still near our local vet.
Kitty is already sleeping most of the day in his senior years so cautious about further suppression of functioning … will def check.
That’s so funny. We too have the sweetest cat who can look absolutely evil in photos 
! If I can find a picture I will post!
lol:
My tabby cat loves to mess with my hair when I’m doing my core exercises on the floor.
That’s so funny/cute! (nice headline too)
My cat runs over as soon as I start my floor exercises and licks my face and rubs up against me. Floor = Funtime
Soo cute. The second pic is giving a little “I’m judging you” vibe while the first is just “let’s connect” 
I’m babysitting my son’s cat while he’s in Spain for 3 weeks. She spent the first week hiding under the bed but now she won’t leave me alone wanting neck scritches and back scratches. She really misses him. I’m allergic so it’s a sacrifice but she’s a sweetie.
Both my cats freak out when I get on the floor to do the floor exercises, coming to my face and sniffing to see if I’m alive. They really think I’m hurt or dead!
Even before we got our younger cat, who terrorizes our older cat, you could tell the time of day by which bed she was hiding under. She’s been with us over 6 years now, and I swear we don’t beat her. We feed her pretty well too…
Allogrooming in cats, according to the new study, is not always a display of friendliness! Apparently, cats can use licking to annoy each other. A few annoying licks are safer than a full blown cat fight!
Same article for NYT readers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/science/cat-grooming-licking-research.html
