What's best for my old cat: Long travel or finding a new home?

You may be surprised at how well he will take the move. If he becomes car sick, you may want to discuss anti-nausea medications with your vet that will ease this stress. Supplements like Zylkene or Comfort Zone Feliway Diffuser Kit for Cat Calming can be used during travel and when he gets to his new house to help with the transition. I would recommend keeping his food, litter, and litterbox the same. Give him plenty of attention. If he has any specific behavioral concerns once you move, post a new question and we would be happy to help again!

If Shakira stresses very easily, I think the best thing to do is have her seen by her vet before she goes on this trip, and discuss using medication to help ease her stress during it. The medication would be safest to use on a long car ride, not a flight. Make an appointment with her vet to discuss options. I hope this helps!

Stress can affect a senior cat's health, but it is possible to take Rainbow with you to college. A one hour flight will be much easier for her than a 12 hour car ride, and I'd recommend taking her that way. You can talk to your vet to see if they feel she may need any medications for the trip, but I personally flew my cats from the US to New Zealand when I moved here without medication and that was a 12 hour flight from Los Angeles to Auckland. Cats do handle flights well, and one hour is a short flight. I think that having her there with you will help with your transition to college, and she will like being with her owner. I would consider taking her with you.

Once you get to the new house, it is recommended to restrict her to one room for 2-3 days and it is also recommended to not let her outside the house for two weeks. keep the cat carrier open in the new house as it will be a comfort zone for her during the first 24 hours. try bringing as much from her stuff as you can to the new house (water and food bowls, scratching polls...).

Wow, exciting move! Very thoughtful of you to be thinking about what's best for Selena. In my experience, animals are quite resilient and adaptable. While I'm sure the day or two of travel will not be her favorite thing, my personal feeling is that 1-2 days of stressful travel is worth it if it means she gets to stay with the human she's attached to. Of course, you'll need to get a health certificate from your vet saying she's fit to travel - and I recommend giving your primary vet a call before that and chat with them in case they have additional input based on her specific temperament and medical history. However, my input would be that as long as your vet thinks she can handle the trip, you should take her with you. I hope this helps!

Hi. It sounds like you're trying hard to do what is best for Daisy. Some of it depends on her personality, some cats enjoy traveling and new places. I've known several that travelled the country in an RV! That said if you do bring her with you there are certain things you should do for her health and safety. First make sure she is up to date on vaccines and parasite prevention. This is to protect her as she may come into contact with other animals on travels. I would also ensure that she is spayed, as an intact female will try to get outside every heat cycle. She could get lost or injured if this happened someplace she was somewhere unfamiliar. Also, please make sure she has a collar with your cell phone number and I would recommend a microchip as well. If she doesn't enjoy the new places, consider someone to come to your house while you are gone to care for her and keep her company. In these cases, sometimes a companion cat helps ease boredom if people are absent for long stretches. I wouldn't recommend leaving her for more than 24 hours without someone checking food, water and litter boxes.

Most cats do best in familiar environments, and since you will be gone short term, it is probably better for Olivia to stay at home and have a sitter or neighbor come in when your husband can't be there. That way she isn't dealing with the stress of a new place in addition to being away from you. I highly recommend adding in some calming devices such as pheromone diffusers that can help her relax some while you are away. Leaving behind a shirt or blanket that smells like you that she can also snuggle may help as well. Some cats may also respond to voices via phone or voice chat, but it depends on the individual cat.