Most of the tips in the post “How to keep your dog cool when traveling“, could be applicable on cats too. The big difference in dogs and cats is that you often can’t decide over the cat as you can with the dog. The cat might not listen to your commands. Here comes the differencies outlined and some other alternatives how to keep your cat cool.

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Generally I would not recommend traveling with your cat, but sometimes it’s necessary and also some cats may cope very well with it if getting use to it from an early age or not getting motion sickness/having any diseases. They are individs just like us. Check by doing some minor roadtrips before you leave on your longer one.

The biggest problem you probably will face is to get the cat to drink water, so you can try to help your cat putting water drops around the mouth – or tongue if it’s hanging out – if possible. Be sure to bring your own tap water with you, because the cat might not drink from bottled water – you know how picky they can be.

Put a wet towel over (or in a part of) the cat carrier to keep it shady and cool. Try to find a small fan driven by batteries and place it in front of the carrier to use if needed, but not not directly to the eyes of the cat to avoid drying the cat’s eyes out.

Except for the belly and the paws which is the same as for the dogs, also keep their outside of the ears and the armpits cool. Since it might be more difficult to cool down a cat with water, try using a misting spray instead. If the cat want to play, try throwing a couple of icekubes.

Cats generally are better at finding cool places to lay down at by themselves than some of the dogs do. Place some cool bottles and see if the cat want to lay around them. You could also freeze them before you go travel to keep them cool during the trip, but don’t let the cat lay beside them when they are frozen without anything in between.

If you need to make a stop and park the car, use extra windshields for the windows to keep the car cool or don’t put the cat back in the car again until the AC has been on for a while and the air in the car is cool again. (What ever you do: don’t let the cat out of the carrier, it will escape!)

To keep a cat cool at the hotel room, test if the bathroom is cooler than the rest of the room which it use to be. Also make sure your hotel room have airconditioning when you book it and check that it is working the first thing you do when you arrive. If not you have bigger luck when asking for a room with a working AC if you do it at once.

Cats have a habit of finding all bags, boxes or suitcases to hide in, so look out that you won’t lock in your cat in your suitcase

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When it comes to travel with other transport like buses, train or air, always ASK about all the conditions for the cat before booking anything and make sure you book with a responsible carrier.

How do you know if your cat is dehydrated and overheated? Look out for the signs: unusual panting and drooling, lethargic, fever, vomiting, Diarrhea and muscle tremors among other signs. Wrap the cat in a wet towel, place the cat in cool place, put on a fan and try to get the cat to drink water but don’t force it.

If you suspect your cat have had a heat stroke, even if you got it out of the primary danger, always let a Vet check it up, since there can be damages to inner organs if unlucky!

©Lifecruiser Love Cats