My girlfriend called me because her sister had called her in a panic. It seems she was moving from Nevada to California and had just started the 6-hour trip with her cat. (I am known as Cat-Woman by many, so I was given her cell number and asked to call her with some suggestions.)

I called her back and asked her to pull to the side of the road so we could talk. Her cat, Kitterly, was a mess. She was in a carrier, however, she had gone kicking and yowling. She now was lying in the carrier motionless. I told her the following:

1. Put a towel or something over the cage. That one thing would help. That is the first thing that you do when you capture a feral cat in a cage; otherwise they will beat themselves bloody trying to get out.

2. When she got to the motel to carry Kitterly in with the cage covered and place her in the bathroom.

3. Set up the bathroom with water, food, and her litter box.

4. THEN, after shutting the door, open the cage and allow Kitterly to come out when she was ready.

5. To sit in the bathroom and read a book, eat or take a bath talking to Kitterly.

6. Not to let Kitterly out the bathroom that night. (If she did, she would simply hide under the bed and she’d have a devil of a time getting her out.

7. To use the “scruffing” technique (I’ll discuss how to do this in my next blog) to get Kitterly in the cage in the morning. (Turns out she did not have to: Kitterly walked into the cage on her own.

8. To cover the carrier again in the morning when she put Kitterly in the car and resumed her trip.

Kitterly is now in her new home in California. during the remainder of the trip, she was covered and was fine. She did not go catatonic. So remember to cover your cat whether you are taking them to the vet or on a trip. They will love you for it.

Purrs, Frankie

P.S. For funny cat pictures, animations and other fun cat stuff, click Cats Just Wanna Have Fun and for videos, click Funny Cat Video Showcase