If you have ever traveled with a cat you might have noticed that your cat was drooling the entire way of the trip. Why is this exactly? The reason why cats drool while riding in the car is usually do to motion sickness a common thing that cats go through when they get into a car or travel in general.
How can you prevent this from happening? Well, lets go through everything that you need to know.
Symptoms Of Motion Sickness
To fix this problem first you need to see if your cat has motion sickness in the first place. The most obvious sign of your cat having motion sickness is vomiting but there are other symptoms as well. The most common symptoms include:
- Heavy Drooling
- More quiet than usual
- Meowing more often than usual
- Anxiety
- Urinating or defecating in their carrier
If your cat has any of these symptoms they most likely get motion sickness while driving with you.
What Causes Motion Sickness In Cats?
The reason why cats get motion sickness is due to a super sensitive inner ear apparatus. This is what regulates equilibrium and balance. Other factors that go into their motion sickness the stress from traveling and being in their carrier.
If your cat hates traveling and has done it before they can associate traveling with nausea and this can make them more sick as a result.
Cat Motion Sickness Remedies
There are some ways you can help your cats motion sickness. Some ways you can do this are:
Give Them A Light Meal: Giving them less food before the car rides can help a lot with car rides. If there is less food in their stomach it will make them feel better while on the road.
Get Them Used To Their Carrier: cats can be adjusted to feel fine in their carrier. Just leave your carrier around the house and let them explore it on their own accord. Then close the door and leave them in their for a short time and increase the time each time. Eventually your cat should feel ok being in the carrier and as a result they won’t feel as sick while in the car.
Get Them Used To Car Rides: This is also another thing that you should do while traveling with your cats. Take them on short car rides then gradually take them on longer ones. If you do it enough times your cat may grow accustomed to riding with you.
Motion Sickness Treatment
Usually when cat owners go on car rides with their motion sick cat they will use a medicine called Dramamine. This is a medicine used for humans for a lot of things including motion sickness but it is very commonly used for motion sickness in cats as well. It can also be used to prevent vomiting in cats.
If you can’t get your cats motion sickness under control this will help them feel better while being in the car and they won’t drool anymore. If you don’t feel comfortable giving your cat medicine a trip to the vet might be wise to do.
Will Dramamine Make My Cat Sleep?
When you give your cat Dramamine one of the most common side effects you will notice is drowsiness and most cats will usually fall asleep as a result.
Other Causes Of Cats Drooling
If you feel that your cat is not drooling due to stress there may be other reasons why they are drooling as well.
Oral Cancer: If your cat drools even when not in the car you might want to get them check out at the vet because though not likely to be the cause this can be due to a possibility of oral cancer as this can cause drooling.
Happiness: Though rare, some cats will drool for the opposite reason of stress related to traveling and do this simply because they are happy.
Why Is My Cat Foaming At The Mouth?
If you gave your cat medicine and they are all of a sudden foaming at the mouth don’t be concerned. Cats don’t like the taste of certain medicines due to them being very bitter and they will foam at the mouth as a result. Wipe off the foam and your cat will eventually be fine.
Conclusion
Motion sickness can be a big problem as your carrier can get messy but if you take the right steps to get it under control it shouldn’t be an issue when you go on your next car trip with your cat.
