Motion Sickness in Cats

Recognizing Motion Sickness

When it comes to driving in a car, some cats may actually experience motion sickness. It can be a problem for cats with a sensitive inner ear apparatus (the one in control of balance that ensures cats always land on their feet) or be triggered by Typical symptoms of motion sickness in cats include the following:

  • Excessive vocalization (meowing, yowling)

  • Munching on nothing and lip licking

  • Drooling

  • Vomiting 

  • Diarrhea or urinating

Reinhardt is very accustomed to going on drives with us whether it be a quick midnight drive-thru run or an eight hour drive to a vacation destination. Most of our trips he’ll just be napping or staring out the window with Perseus, but we now know that he is more sensitive to very windy roads with elevation changes.

Trust me when I say that you should listen when your cat is being extra vocal. When we were less-experienced, we once ignored Reinhardt’s cries because we didn’t want to be bothered with stopping when our destination was only another 45 minutes away.

This was a huge mistake and we soon found ourselves confronted with a miserable, drooling mess.

It was incredibly alarming to see and we didn’t understand what was happening at the time. Prior to that trip, Reinhardt had been totally fine on all our adventures, even for the trips that were double in length.

When we visited the same location at a later date, we noticed he started to complain at the same particular stretch of road, so we made sure to make plenty of stops which drastically improved his experience. Interestingly, Perseus had no problems both times which just goes to show that cats will react differently even with similar adventure experience.

Dealing with Motion Sickness

To ensure the happiness of your cat, consider doing the following when taking a road trip:

  • Examine the route beforehand and note where there are viewpoints, rest stops, or parks for you to stop

  • Take breaks for longer trips 

  • If your cat is happily snoozing during the ride, don’t wake them up for your own temporary entertainment 

  • I know you packed snacks for yourself, so make sure you also pack a few for your cat

  • Do not yell or scold your cat if they show signs of distress as this will only stress them out further and may cause them to perceive car rides negatively

  • In some cases, you may be able to ask your vet for anti-nausea medicine. This is particularly helpful if you need to move homes and haven’t had time to train your cat prior to the car ride

Motion sickness can be increased or caused by stress, so if you want to hit the road with your kitty, it’s important that you spend some time getting your cat accustomed to car travel. I provide some tips on how to encourage cats to ride in cars in my post A Different Type of Zoomies: Cats and Car Rides.