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quit a traveling cat?



Mon, 16 Oct 2006 01:10:50 -0400 rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
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avalanche*...
When I put Bert in the (roomy) carrier, then in the car, it's one
constant meow til he's unloaded. Well maybe not costant - he does seem
to forget and shut up occasionally. I've had this with prior cats, so
maybe it's natural - but why?

Any calming/silencing tips? Food/toys/music/lady cat/?? in the
carrier. Or pick the right view - outside/inside/curtained/... ? I
don't want to feed him Valium.

Sure enough - we got to the beach house, and he didn't come home til
next day. I was only a little worried (occasional coyotes - never
figured how they could catch a good cat), but I kept rememberinng a
few years back -he disappeared at my neice's big loud wedding
reception in the yard. I had to leave; kept calling my brother who
lived nearby, went from frantic to sad and resigned.

Bro Borden called almost three weeks later - "Hey, Bert's here"!!
Wish I could put a GPS tracking tag on him:)

MaryL...
*Please* don't leave your cat outdoors in a strange location. You are just
lucky you haven't lost him so far. And, yes, cats are common prey for
coyotes -- "good" cats, or not.

When traveling, try draping a towel over the carrier (just the opposite of
what you described). Many cats do better in an enclosed "private" carrier.
It can actually frighten them to see the outdoors "rushing by." Try
spraying some Feliway in the carrier about 20 minutes before you place your
cat in a carrier each morning.

avalanche*...
Thanks,, I'll try it. Soon as I find out what Feliway is.

And Bert wasn't recently or back at the wedding in a strange place.
He'd been there many times before. And apparently likes it. But I
agree about not letting a cat loose in a new strange place. (Which I
guess makes it hard to explain why he was let loose the first time he
went there. Trust based on past behavior, I guess, and it's a pretty
quiet place and, if I can judge, interesting to a cat. Not to mention
that he's used to going out and would be a pain if he were kept in:)

MaryL...
Feliway is used for behavior modification and can be very useful in reducing
stress. It is available in plug-in diffusers (with refills available) and as
a spray. The spray is excellent for an occasions when you cat may be under
stress, such as spraying the carrier about 20 minutes before you take your
cat to the vet. The plug-in diffuser is better for long-term use because it
releases premeasured doses. Refills can be purchased for the dispenser. One
bottle lasts a little more than a month.

Feliway is available from a number of online sites. You could check

Here some information from an Ohio State University study on this type of
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