Traveling with a Cat

by Celeste
(Bryn Mawr, PA)

QUESTION:

My cat Sammy gets extremely nervous when traveling in the car. It is hard to even get him in his crate. He pants excessively. What can I do to get him into his crate more easily and to calm him down when travelling in the car? Thank you.

Hi, Celeste,

Benadryl works nicely and safely to sedate cats for travel as does Dramamine. However, not having examined your kitty, I couldn't say you should give it or give you the dosage. You should talk to your vet who could also prescribe actual tranquilizers if needed.

Also, the easiest way to get a cat into a carrier is to have two people, one to hold the carrier upright on its end and the other to lower the cat into the carrier, hind feet first.

Good luck. Many cats have this problem and can be helped.

Thank you for writing,
Dr. Neely