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Traveling with a cat isn’t as easy as just putting them in a carrier and everything is said and done. You have to prepare and plan everything out to a certain degree. Otherwise you are going to have a bad time when getting into a travel situation with them since cats are prone to getting nervous when traveling.
Having certain accessories is definitely part of this and can make it much easier. Here are some things that I recommend taking with you when traveling with your cat.
1: Cat Calming Spray
A really nice thing to have while you are on your trip is a cat calming spray or a pheromone spray. These sprays use a synthetic pheromone from mother cats to induce a feeling of calmness and security. Best of all it isn’t drug based and has no side effects. These sprays also can reduce spraying, aggression and overall bad behavior.
The spray that I recommend for travel is “Feliway Travel Spray (Click here for the chewy.com link)“. This is the most notorious pheromone spray you can get and is veterinarian recommended and this is the one that I use myself. These sprays will also last about 4 to 5 hours.
To use it you simply just spray it inside of their carrier it will do its job. It also wouldn’t hurt to spray the inside of your car as well. Keep in mind that it isn’t guaranteed to work with your cat but there is a good chance that it will and based off my experience with calming sprays I have had no issues with it so far. “Best Cat Calming Sprays For Home And Travel“.
2: Anxiety Jacket
Another great tool to use when traveling with your cat is an anxiety jacket. They are a special type of jacket that your cat wears and it induces a calming effect. It seems like these would be some sort of scam but they work great. They prevent anxiety from fireworks, thunderstorms, seperation anxiety or anything that may scare your cat.
In fact the “ThunderShirt (click here for the chewy.com link)” has an 80% success rate and is why I suggest using one of these if your cat can’t seem to feel relaxed. From my experience I have never put a cat in one of these and it didn’t work to some extent. For more information on anxiety jackets here is my article on that here “Best Anxiety Jackets For Cats: Some Of My Favorites“
3: Portable Litter Box
A normal litter box can be fine in travel situations but if you want something that’s not only reusable, washable and foldable as well a portable litter box would be a good choice to go with. Not only that you don’t have to dispose of a plastic cat litter box once every year.
One of my favorites to go with is the “Pet Fit For Life Collapsible Portable Litter Box and Bonus Collapsible Water Bowl (click here for the amazon link)“. It also comes with a free water/food bowl as well. Id rather have a non spill style but its a nice touch. You can also get the cat carrier bundle here which comes with a load of accessories.
You could also go with the disposable kind which takes the hassle out of cleaning it afterward and you can simply just throw it out or use it when you get home as these last up to a month. If you want a suggestion I would Go with the “Frisco High-Sided Disposable Cat Litter Box (click here for the chewy.com link)” If you want more info on these check out my article here “Best Portable Cat Litter Boxes For Travel“
4: Cat Window Perch
These are typically for inside of your home for your cat to sit on but you can actually get ones that are designed for your car as well. They usually come in a boat style shape and they have three suction cups that stick to your window to keep the sill up so it allows your cat to enjoy the view while relaxing in the car. You however have to get your cat used to the car ride at first otherwise this experience will probably just scare your cat.
The best one you can get is the “K&H Pet Products EZ Mount Kitty Sill Cat Window Perch (click here for the chewy.com link)“. I would only recommend getting one of these if your cat is already very comfortable with car rides. You can go to my article “Best Cat Window Perches For Your Car” for more info.
5: Cooling Mat
If its summer time or you live in a very hot area of the world a cooling mat can be a very useful thing to have while traveling with your cat. You can easily slip them in their carrier or just on the seat in general and it helps them cool down during the ride. Best of all they don’t run on electricity and you don’t need to refrigerated them. They simply recharge automatically.
These mats are also non-toxic so you don’t have to worry about your cat getting sick if they happen to break it open (which they will have a hard time doing). The one that I use is the “The Green Pet Shop Self-Cooling Dog Pad (click here for the chewy.com link)” and it works very good for what I need it for. If you want more info on these you can go to my article here “Best Cooling Mats For Cats: Mats Worth Your Time“
6: Cat Calming Collar
If you don’t want to mess with sprays you can go the easier route and just use a cat calming collar which gives them the pheromones that way. A good collar to go with is the “Sentry HC Good Behavior Pheromone Cat Calming Collar (click here for the chewy.com link)“. It does a pretty good job at what it does based on my usage of this product, its scientifically proven to work and its priced very well.
7: Cat Carrier Liners
It always nice to have liners because you never know if your cat might urinate, have a bowel movement or even vomit in their carrier. If you have a liner in their carrier you will have a much easier time cleaning it out.
The ones that I like using are the “DryFur Pet Carrier Insert Pads (click here for the amazon link)“. I’ve used many of them and these are my favorite to use as they work the best.
8: Food/Water Travel Bowls
When I’m going somewhere with my cats this is one of the first things that I think about. You could probably just use a typical food or water bowl that you use at home but there are better options that you can use that are designed for travel use.
There are silicone ones that collapse, disposable bowls and there are even travel sets that you can get. I usually will take the “KONG Dog Travel Bag (click here for the chewy.com link)” with me when I travel as it has everything to not only hold my cat food and water but it has bowls to serve it in.
9: Odor Blocking Litter
If you are in a small area and you have a litter box along with it the smell can get very bad very quick. That’s why you should have very good odor blocking litter when traveling with your cat especially if its a particularly long trip you are going on.
The best odor blocking litter that I have used is the “Ever Clean Everfresh Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter (click here for the chewy.com link)” Out of all the litter that I used this one does the best job and it lasts a long time at that.
10: Cat Car Seat
Cat car seats are just that a car seat but for your pets. They aren’t really like car seats for children but they look more among the lines like a carrier but with the ability to keep the top off and has a tether to hold your cat in place during the ride. They also usually have a lot of pockets usually so you can put travel accessories that your cat uses inside of them. The one I currently use is the “PetSafe Happy Ride Booster Seat (click here for the chewy.com link)” If you want more information on cat car seats you can go to my article “Best Cat Car Seats You Can Currently Buy“
11: Cat Sling
Another great product that I like using with my cats is cat slings. They are basically a bag that you have over your shoulder and your cat sits in it as you walk, hike, bike or whatever you are doing throughout the day. My cat really likes sitting in these things for some reason. The sling that I use currently is the “FurryFido Reversible Pet Sling (click here for the chewy.com link)” Here is an article that I wrote on these products that I think you will find useful “Best Cat Slings: My Top Choices”
12: Hair Brush
Shedding can be a huge problem because it can get all over the place. If you’re in a car cat hair is the last thing you want all over the place. That why hair brushes are a smart thing to bring along just incase they start shedding or if they already are shedding. You definitely want to get a hairbrush that suited for you cat hair length as some of them might not work good with your cats hair.
If you want a brush thats suited for all lengths of hair use the “Hertzko Self-Cleaning Dog & Cat Slicker Brush (click here for the chewy.com link)” Its the one I use currently. It works really well and collects all the hair at the end of the brush so things don’t get really messy. If you have a cat with short hair I have an article on that here “Best Cat Brushes For Short Hair That I’ve Used“
13: Cat Harness
Cat harnesses are a great tool for getting your cat around and in some incidences they are necessary like for instance when walking them. They are basically a vesy or a strap depending on the style you get and i has a d-ring that you can hook onto things like a leash or a pet seat belt. The one that I use is the “Kitty Holster Cat Harness (click here for the chewy.com link)” and its the best one that I have used. If you want more info on cat harnesses you can go here “Best Cat Harnesses You Can Buy“.
14: Cat Carrier
And finally the last thing I recommend that you get for your cat is a really good cat carrier. If you plan on going through airports, hotels, vets etc. then a cat carrier is a must when you are traveling and going to places. The carrier that I recommend for long trips is the “Pet Fit For Life Cat Carrier (click here for the amazon link)“. Its fairly large and you can hold a litter box in it as well (which it comes with).
If you want something for a single cat and want something for very typical use I would go with the “PetEgo Jet Set Forma Frame Carrier with ISOFIX Latch Connection (click here for the amazon link)“. Its CPS verified and is one of the safest cat carriers you can own currently. If you want more info on cat carriers you can go to my article “Best Cat Carriers For Long Distance Travel“.
Conclusion
You don’t really need all of these to have a great ride with your cat but a lot of them will help you out in the long run and avoid problems like I did in the past when I was treveling with my cats.
