Mama Diaries

Thursday, May 9, 2013

How to Move a Cat

As most of you know, my family and I are preparing to move to Atlanta, Georgia.  This means we have to move all of our pets - including our cat.  This is going to be a good trick, because Bootsy is an outdoor cat who absolutely hates being confined.  Even crating him for a five minute trip to the vet is traumatizing. He's never going to survive eleven hours in a crate!

We've debated about what to do with him.  My husband got on the phone with his dad to get some fatherly advice on the situation.  Here's what the two nutcases came up with:

1.  Catapult Bootsy.  They are certain that Bubba will come up with a great contraption for doing this.

2.  Duct tape Bootsy to the roof of  the car.  He'll enjoy the wind blowing through his fur.

3.  Hang Bootsy from the differential on the moving truck and let him dangle for eleven hours. What cat wouldn't like that?

4.  Throw Bootsy in the back of the moving truck and let him cook.  My husband says this will show us exactly how strong the cat is.

Right.   These are the brilliant suggestions from the men in my family. 

Here's my vote:  We get Bootsy some kitty Prozac and let him sleep through the whole thing.

What do you think?

35 comments:

  1. Drug the cat.
    Or drug yourselves.
    But, that option probably wouldn't be safe from an automotive perspective.

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    1. Maybe I'll drug myself and let the cat drive. ;)

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  2. Welcome to Georgia! We had two cats when we drove from Utah to Georgia. Three days in the car. We ended up putting food and water and a bowl of litter inside the cat crate but leaving the door open so they could go in or out and sleep where they wanted. This worked great for one cat. The other cat who was scared of her own shadow and usually hid even from us kept trying to burrow under the break pedal. Not a good situation. I say go with the kitty Prozac.

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    1. Yes, I could see where burrowing under the break pedal could be a problem!

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  3. I was going to say, "Tranquilizer." Definitely the way to go. And hey, you're going to be my neighbor! *waves hello from Florida*

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    1. Excellent. I'll wave hi from Georgia when I get there!

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  4. I put my cats in carriers when we moved a few hours away. When we moved across country, I flew with the cats and they got drugs then.

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  5. I had a cat that was diabetic , after I was widowed I used to take her to our trailer each week-end. It took three trains and a cab to get there but Tabitha loved traveling so that wasn't the problem. One particular day I packed our bags got on train one, in my shopping bag was the cat's insulin and hyperdermics . We arrived at one station and about 6 police came on asking everyone to empty all bags. Tabitha was in her carriage unaware of this. Well I took most of the articles from my bag as I overheard it was a drug raid. I left the insulin and needles inside, but the police noticed there was still things inside, I got the needles and insulin out and their faces was a picture, thought they had their drug haul, I explained about the cat and luckily I had the vets treatment card on me. Boy was my face red.
    Yvonne.

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  6. Kitty Prozac. I recently had to move daughter's cat and could hear him kitty-grumbling all the way. That was just to a new place a few blocks away. Moving is not fun for most animals.

    If your cat is given a drug, he may be groggy afterward. Good luck with this problem.

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    1. Thanks! I'll talk to the vet and see what he says.

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  7. Take mine to and fro for 2 hour trips every month or so, they hate it but they make do. Although beware he may pee, throw up and poo. Just to show you, so go with the drug, or amuse him with a bug.

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    1. I'm afraid of the bodily excrements that will result in an eleven hour car ride. Just thinking about the smell makes me sick!

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  8. Hah! As entertaining as the men's suggestions are, I definitely think your plan is the way to go!

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  9. Uh, you have some interesting ideas, Sherry. We moved four dogs and two cats from Maryland to Illinois (we accomplished this feat in a large rented van). They all took chill pills obtained from the vet. They came out of their drug-induced stupor just as we arrived in the city near our new home.

    Love,
    Janie

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  10. I'm with you. Best of luck, Sherry. :)

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  11. Kitty Prozac is my vote too! Good luck with the move. :)

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  12. Good luck with the move. Our cat, Kitty was a feral cat and my girls had just started feeding her outside our house right before we moved. We started bringing her inside to get used to it, and then she made the 1400 mile move just fine. Now she's a happy house cat. :)

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    1. I'm glad she made the adjustment well. We'll see how Bootsy does.

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  13. Replies
    1. That seems to be the general consensus on how to go.

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  14. It looks like I'll join the majority on this one-drugs sounds like the way to go. Poor Bootsy. Hope that works. I don't think he'd enjoy any of the other options.

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    1. Really? You don't think he'd enjoy flying via catapault? LOL!

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  15. I think the kitty prozac will be the best and he will awake in his new home very rested!

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    1. Sherry, of course your suggestion is the best! :-)

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    2. Of course, it's going to be a trick to get him to take it!

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  16. Those males!! I vote for the prozac! LOL!
    No matter what it is going to be traumatic for Bootsy. Keep the container covered and dark, too.

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  17. Although the guys have some interesting ideas, I think your idea is the best and safest for the cat. Good luck with the move.

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