Recently I traveled by jeep from south Florida to Indiana with my three pets; two cats and one large Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix. I’ve traveled with pets many times, but I’ve never traveled with three pets at the same time and I’ve never traveled multiple days by vehicle with multiple pets. To complicate the trip further I made the drive alone.
The Facts
• 3 Days
• 3 Pets
• One night in a pet friendly hotel.
• One night with friends at their home.
• One animal on medication and sometimes ill.
• 2 elderly cats
To make this trip with my pets I began planning and organizing three weeks before I departed.
The supplies and diaper bag I used for our trip.
Things I did to prepare ahead of time.
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• I purchased a diaper bag to keep all pet supplies organized. Myscha Theriault at Trekhound gave me this excellent advice. She and her husband have traveled extensively with their pets. She made my trip far easier with this pet friendly tip. For additional tips for traveling with pets check out some of the other pet posts on Trekhound.
• Vet visits to have pets checked over and pet prescription medication refilled.
• I purchased pet travel supplies ahead of time to keep my trip running as smoothly as possible. (Below you’ll find the entire list of supplies that kept my trip simpler
• I made several short drives with my pets in carriers as a test run.
• I made certain to have two sets of keys available to use when leaving the car running with pets inside (a/c or heat on).
Tanner on our trip.
Pet Supplies I chose to carry for our trip
Wet pet food with pop- top lids and small portions.
Dry cat and dog food in pre measured Ziploc bags. This kept my feeding simple.
Dog treats
Cat treats
Pet medication
Cat litter
Portable cat litter box
Rags
Towels
Paper towels
Large jug of water for animals
Eco friendly wet wipes
Aspirin (For me, knowing three days in the jeep with three animals would give me at least a few headaches.) These were used gratefully on the journey.
Hand sanitizer
AVID microchip information on my pets
Pet hair roller
Portable water proof/canvas food and water bowls
Poop bags
Trash bags
Pet carpet cleaning spray (This was for potty accidents in the jeep and at hotels.)
Pet brush
Pet carriers
A large sheet to cover the carpet in the rear of the jeep to keep the dog cool.
Money Cat in the front seat.
Tips I’ve Learned from Traveling with Pets
*Ask for help when traveling alone with Pets.
People will be very helpful about watching your locked, running vehicle when you need to go into a restroom. Use a second set of keys and choose a populated area.
* When you are traveling alone and in a pinch with pets try a prescription drive through window to purchase an unexpected supply.
Because I had one elderly, ill cat traveling with me I used many more wet wipes than anticipated. So in a moment of real need I pulled in to the drive up window at Walgreens and explained my dilemma. They could hear my meowing cats and see my dog and were very kind to assist me.
*Keep hotel key cards with you at all times.
I was grateful to get all the animals settled in our room without a hitch, their bag of gear, food and medication all accounted for. I left my carry on bag for last and headed out the door with my keys to get it. Seconds after I shut the hotel room door I realized my enormous mistake. I had my jeep keys in my hand but both room card keys were inside the room. It was 11:30 at night and I had to go and ask for an additional room card key.
* Know your pets and plan accordingly.
Wait to let dogs out of the vehicle when you are certain you wont be driving around to another spot at the hotel. Animals get cranky and tired after hours of travel just as we do and sometimes they flatly refuse to get back in the vehicle.
When you have a 115 lb dog as I do getting them back in when they refuse can be both hilarious and frustrating as I learned my first night at the hotel. After five frustrating minutes and an angry exchange with my dog I boosted his front legs unto the jeep rear door opening and pushed his butt up into the back of the jeep. Neither of us were too happy.
My cat Pippy is a Houdini wannabe so I should have known better than to trust her with the cat carrier unzipped on the front passenger seat. She was a model cat for a few hours, knowing she could have the cat carrier open if she only put her head out. When she tried to climb out I closed it. My lesson zip up the cat carrier when faced with heavy traffic where you can’t pay attention to the cat… My cat ended up hanging out in the back of the jeep, face plastered to the passenger window, sitting on top of a carry on suitcase for a good 40 minutes meowing while I was in traffic on an interstate. I’m sure the passengers in the vehicles next to me were surprised to see her.
Litter Box Stops
To allow the cats use of the litter box a couple times a day I would stop at a rest stop and set up the portable (smaller sized) cat box and allow the cats (one at a time) out of their carrier to go potty while I walked Tanner. I understand that not all animals listen as well as mine and opening the vehicle door to get back in does involve the danger of a cat leaping out the door. I took care each time I did this and neither cat ever tried to get out. As an added precaution I scouted out their location prior to opening the door. Each time we made a litter box stop I scooped the litter and poured the remaining clean litter back into a plastic bag to use later that day.
Rotate Locations
I discovered on this three day journey that both cats preferred the front seat, so I took turns having each of them in front with me. This made for happier cats and a quieter journey.
Houdini Cat Pippy
* Carry at least one large jug of cold water for your self and your pets in case you’re stranded in the heat.
On our first day my jeep overheated and had to be serviced. The jeep dealership in Crystal River Florida was unbelievably kind to us. They went out of their way to take care of my pets and to make us comfortable for the hours we waited. From the moment they took the jeep to be looked at two service employees helped me carry cat carriers, food and my leashed dog into the air conditioned service lounge. I was offered water for them and they found us a quiet corner table where we could settle and rest with minimum disruption to the other customers. Within a short time Tanner, my Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix was making fast friends with all the employees and all three animals were enjoying periodic visitors to our corner of the service lounge.
Tanner and the kitties waiting in the service lounge at the Crystal River Jeep Dealer
* Be Prepared for the Unexpected.
In all we were stranded about three hours at the dealership. Once it was determined my jeep needed a part from another dealership we were given a rental car for the night while my repairs were completed. The rental agency picked us up; three pets and all our gear and drove us to the agency office where our rental car waited to get us on the road to my family’s home an hour away. They too were very kind considering they were faced with two frustrated meowing cats in carriers and a large dog in their rental agency office and in their rental vehicle.
Our journey for all it’s unexpected twists and turns was successful. We all made it safely to our destination and everyone got along peacefully on our trip. Each pet is different and each trip is slightly different. I’ve tried to offer tips that will help make your travel with pets simplier.