A Different Type of Zoomies: Cats and Car Rides
There are a few things you need to consider before you hop in your car and start zooming around town with your cat. It takes time for most cats to feel comfortable within cars as the loud motors and constant moving can cause anxiety. Cats that are anxious are also more likely to suffer from motion sickness. If you want your cat to be accepting of car rides, then you need to work at your cat’s pace. This often means you need to have a great deal of time and patience to build up your cat’s tolerance for lengthy rides. It is best if you begin to teach your cat earlier in life as an adult cat can be harder to work with, especially if they have already established a sense of fear towards car rides.
How to get your cat more comfortable with car rides:
Prep the car by filling it with familiar scents or using calming sprays
Practice getting into the car with your cat
Allow your cat to become accustomed to the sound of the car engine
Let your cat explore inside the car and become somewhat familiar with the space
Provide your cat with a safe and familiar space within the car; it’s best to use a cat carrier, backpack, or car seat that they already enjoy using
Give your cat tons of encouragement and treats so that they can begin to perceive the car as a safe space
Begin taking your cat on very short drives (as short as down the street and back to start)
Continue to provide treats and encouragement, and slowly start to increase the length of drives
If your cat is showing signs of distress, you may want to take things slower or go back a step; forcing things will only make it worse
When we were training Reinhardt, we would often take him for late night drive-thru runs or have him tag along for quick grocery trips where someone would stay behind in the car. He adjusted quite quickly as we started training when he was just 3 months old. It was about the same for Perseus, although it took some extra effort to stop him from trying to steal Reinhardt’s “safe” spots (truthfully, he still does this today but now Reinhardt is more willing to compromise).
Other Considerations
Be cautious of letting your cat free-roam while you are driving as this increases the chances of a car accident. It’s especially important to train your cat to stay away from the foot pedals, console, and dashboard. If your vehicle has automatic windows and doors, I would recommend setting the child lock for the backseats to ensure that your cat does not accidentally step on a button and open a window or door while you are driving (we’ve had this happen and panic ensued).
Another tip would be to harness your cat for all of your car rides. This can help to set the expectation that wearing a harness = adventure time and also could help in the event of an emergency. Even if we are only going on a short car ride, we try to harness the cats before leaving the house.
In the summer time, be especially cautious of taking your cat for a drive as it can get very hot very quickly. Cats lack ways of cooling down, and so even if you are blasting the air conditioning, your cat may still be too warm or take longer than you to feel comfortable. Never leave your pet unattended inside a hot vehicle, even if you are just popping into the grocery store to grab a few things. You can cause your cat great distress and it can be dangerous for their safety.