Many people are aware about the fact that most cats behave poorly during car rides. If you are a cat owner, you are familiar with this behavior and know how to deal with it too. But still you don’t want to put your cat through this stress all over again. Cats are not like dogs and a ride in the car is not a play trip but more than often, a trip to the vet. Cats don’t get in cars too often and thus they are not comfortable with it.
To answer your question, No, cats do not like car rides. There could be multitude of reasons for it but the best one that comes to mind is that cats can’t associate their car rides to anything pleasant, it always results in a trip to the vet, which bring s about more stress for your cat.
there are a number of things you can do to assure that your cat has a pleasant ride in your car. It is also important to know where this dislike originated from or what’s the reason.
Reason why cats hate car rides
There are many reasons available for why your cat doesn’t like car rides but all of them depend highly on your kitty’s behavior and instinctual characteristics. Cats are very strict about their daily routine and are not fond of changes. It takes a lot of time for a cat to adapt to new surroundings or changes. Being in a new confined space with no way of out is enough to scare a cat and make her a poor travel companion.
Another reason involves that your cat does not have any good memories to associate with a car ride. We usually only take a cat for a ride to the vet, where she is tested and checked. Cats hate that experience, no wonder your cat doesn’t like the car ride.
Some cats also suffer from motion sickness and this could be another potential reason why your cat hates car ride, but it is not that common. Car sickness can cause your cat to vomit or defecate in the car, this is a very common thing you might have heard from many cat owners.
But not all cats behave that way, and why is that? Maybe a cat is trained from the start to travel in a car or there are other techniques helping a cat stay relaxed and happy. Let’s find out.
Techniques to help your cat enjoy car rides
- Preparing the cat
By this we mean getting your cat ready for a hard ride in the car. If this is your first time taking your cat on a car ride, we suggest you allow your cat to get accustomed to the car, you can do this by taking your cat in the car and letting her sniff around and get a feel for the surroundings. It is also important that you put a collar or a tag on your cat in case she jumps out the car in case on panic.
- Getting used to the crate
Cats should only travel in crates. This is not inhumane in any case and is entirely safe for your cats. Cats are easily spooked, and any noise of the car or traffic can cause her to leap up or jump around causing a distraction for you while driving and in the process, she can also injure herself.
Getting a cat used to a crate is very easy but requires a lot of patience. All you need to do is make the crate as inviting as you can for her. Try this at home, add treats in the crate so she actually uses it. You can also add cushions or blankets to make it cozy. Once your cat starts enjoying the crate, she might not think of car rides as a stressful and bad experience.
- Getting him settled in the car
Now this is the tricky part. You have to take the crate and cat to the car now. And this process might take more tan a few days. As we said above, a car is a new setting for cats, and they won’t respond positively to it immediately. You need to get your cat used to the car, for this you can take your cat in the car everyday for a few minutes and let her sniff around and play. You can also give her treats or her entire meal in the car so she knows this is another place she can relax.
- Taking short trips
Don’t rush, start slow. Make this a mantra in your head. Once your cat is settled with the crate and the car, its time for a test drive. Make sure you started with small rides, like around the block or just in and out of the driveway in the beginning. After your cat seems okay with moving car, start taking longer trips. Also avoid trips to the vet only, so that your cat doesn’t get scared anytime she is near a car. If you see any signs of distress from your cat, we suggest you repeat step 3 again until she is okay with it.
Conclusion
Cats are creature of habits and they don’t like changes at all. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that cats don’t like car rides. Cars are a total new surrounding for a cat, and they are not accustomed to it. The only thing they remember is the terrible trip to the vet and thus they get stressed. A little patience and practice can greatly reduce your cat’s stress and actually make her enjoy a car ride.