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Driving with your cat can be a real pain because they don’t like riding and they make a lot of noise. Well, luckily there are some products that you could use to take the edge of a car ride for them. Here is a list of some of my favorite products when my cats have a problem calming down during a long trip.
Why Do Cats Get Anxiety in the First Place?
There are a lot of reasons why a cat can get nervous but the most common reason is because they don’t like a change in routine. They also don’t like new environments other animals or anything else they consider unknown to them. Playing with them and teaching them things can help a lot with this as it make them feel secure.
Types of Calming Products
Pheromones: Pheromones are something that comes from mother cats that induces a calming effect. There are also many products that have these infuses into them including collars and sprays.
Herbs: There are many food products that you could also use which is really great for traveling. They generally use ingredients such as
- L-theanine
- Thiamine
- Ashwagandha
- Melatonin
- Catnip
- Valerian
- Chamomile
- Hops
I have tried all of these ingredients and they generally do a good job at keeping your cat calm. If one doesn’t work for your cat I would suggest trying others as it might work for your particular cat.
Anxiety Jackets
These are really useful to have while on a car ride. They are a vest or jacket that your cat wears that comfortably wraps around there body creating a calming effect. The “ThunderShirt Anxiety Jacket for Cats (click here for the amazon link)” claims that their jacket is 80% effective in calming pets down.
Even if you don’t ride in the car they are also useful for hyperactivity, thunder storms and other things your cat is scared of. In my experience with using these usually work to some extent. If you want a list of my other favorite jackets you can go to my article on them here “Best Anxiety Jackets For Cats: Some Of My Favorites“.
Pheromone Sprays
These are also very useful with calming your cat down. They work by giving off a synthetic version of a mother cats pheromones that help calm their young and also work on adult cats. You can not only spray your cat but you can spray the entire area of your car or even your home. They are also really useful for spraying in cat carriers so it adds even more of a calming effect.
The one I really like to use is the “Relaxivet Natural Calming Spray for Cats (click here for the amazon link)“. This one not only works on both cats and dogs but it also works very quickly and take only 15 minutes for your cat to feel the effects. It also has all natural ingredients which include catnip, rosemary, and geranium. If your cat has an aggression problem this spray can also help with this as well.
Cat Calming Collars
If you don’t want to use a spray you could go with the collar form of pheromones. Just like the sprays they give off a synthetic version of pheromones that mother cats give off which in result help calm your cat down when it is necessary. The best collar to go with in my opinion would be the “Sentry Calming Collar for Cats (click here for the amazon link)“.
I like these because they are scientifically proven to work the way that they should. The only problem with collars like this is that you might have a bit of a problem putting them on your pet and they might not work for every cat.
What you want to do is introduce the collar to your cat and associate it with positivity. For instance giving them a treat. Once they are familiar with it then you can put it on them. If you don’t do this it will cause stress and defeat the purpose of wearing one in the first place.
Cat Calming Wipes
Another form of pheromones that you could use is through wipes. You use these in the same way as sprays but you wipe the area rather than misting it. The best ones that I have used are the “Feliway Health Wipes (click here for the amazon link)“.
Plug In Diffuser
Sprays are available but you can actually get a plug in diffuser in your home so you don’t have to waste you time spraying your house all the time. These can be useful for car rides because your cat will be calm from being around it all day. The ones I use is the “Feliway MultiCat Calming Diffuser (click here for the chewy.com link)“. These are great and do a really good job at keeping my cats calm and anxiety free.
Cat Toys
Cat toys can be a great thing to use because it not only keeps their mind off of things but a lot of toys are infused with things like catnip. Catnip make your cat hyperactive but eventually it will tire them out and will cause them to be calm.
Dry Food
There are certain dry cat foods such as “Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Cat Food (click here for the chewy.com link)” that are specifically designed for cats that have anxiety issues and is great for cats that are picky eaters as well. Cat foods like this usually contain ingredients such as tryptophan which is a chemical in turkey that helps promote sleep.
Treats
You can also give them treats from time to time that can help anxiety. There are many types of treats that have all sorts of ingredients that help with calming cats.
The ones that I use are the “VetriScience Composure Behavioral Health Bite-Sized Cat Chews (click here for the amazon link)“.
Drops
Drops are another way you can help your cat calm down a lot. All you have to do is put the drops inside of their food or water and it makes your pet a lot more at ease. You may have to play around with the amount of drops you cat needs however. I generally will put this in wet food and not dry food.
The one that I like to use is the “HomeoPet Anxiety Relief Dog, Cat, Bird & Small Animal Supplement (click here for the amazon link)“. This one is nice because you get up to 450 drops.
Gel
Gels are also a great way to get your cat feeling more calm about car rides. These are treats your cat can eat but its in the form of a gel instead. The one that works best for me is the “ThunderWunders Calming Cat Paw Gel, 3-oz bottle (click here for the chewy.com link)“. If your cat likes eating this sort of thing it can work very well for you.
Conclusion
If you use any of these types of calming products your cat will most likely feel a lot better about traveling but not all cats will benefits from them.
