Long distance driving with a dog or cat

Can you drive your pet a long way yourself?

Yes. A healthy dog or cat that is used to the car can manage a long drive with planned breaks, a secure place to ride and someone to keep an eye on it. It works best when you are driving to the new home anyway, your pet already travels calmly, and you have the days to do the trip at an easy pace.

It is harder when you are flying to start a new job, the car is full to the roof, two adults are not available to share the driving, or your pet gets anxious or car sick. Those are the moves where people look for help.

What are the best tips for a long drive with a dog?

Plan the stops before you plan the miles. A dog does best with regular breaks, the same food it eats at home and a secure spot in the car.

• Stop every 2 to 3 hours. Water, a short walk on a leash and a bathroom break. Keep the leash on at every stop: a rest area is a bad place to lose a dog.
• Keep your dog secured. A crate or carrier strapped down, or a car safety harness clipped to a seat belt. A loose dog can be thrown forward in a hard stop.
• Never leave your pet in a parked car. Not on a warm day, not on a cold one, not for a quick stop.
• Feed light. A smaller meal a few hours before you set off, and the usual food on the way. A new food on a travel day often means an upset stomach.
• Book pet friendly places to stay ahead. On long empty stretches, a late search for a room that takes dogs can go badly.
• Pack a pet bag: food, water, bowls, any medication, the vet records, a spare leash, waste bags, paper towels, a towel and a recent photo of your pet.
• Update the ID first. A tag with your cell number on the collar, and your new address and number on the microchip record.
• Check the weather and the passes. Heat in the car and winter roads in the mountains both change the plan.

If your dog gets car sick or very anxious, talk to your vet before the trip. Do not give any calming medicine without your vet's advice.

How do you travel with a cat in the car over a long distance?

In a closed carrier, every time. Most cats are calmer when they cannot see much and cannot get loose, and a cat that slips out of the car at a gas station may not come back.

• Leave the carrier out at home for a few weeks with a blanket inside, so it is a normal part of the house.
• Belt the carrier in, and put a towel over part of it if your cat settles better in the dark.
• Only open the carrier with the car doors and windows shut. A small litter tray on the floor of the car, or in the room at night, covers bathroom breaks.
• Offer water at stops. Many cats eat little on a travel day and catch up once they arrive.
• At night, let your cat out in one closed room, and check under the bed before you leave in the morning.

Moving a cat with our help instead? See cat transport.

1. Tell us about the move. Both addresses, your date, your pets and anything we should know. Tick the vet visit if you want us to arrange it. Road moves are priced by hand: we prepare your quote and email it to you.
2. Papers. We tell you which papers your pet needs for where it is going, such as a rabies certificate or a vet health certificate, and when to get them.
3. Pickup at home. An adult hands your pet over at your door, with its things and its papers.
4. The drive. Stops for water, food and a walk where your pet needs them. On a hot day the trip is planned around the heat.
5. Delivery. Your pet is handed to you, or to an adult you name, at the new door.

Owners do not ride along on the rides we arrange. A run can carry more than one pet. How long the trip takes depends on the distance: shorter drives often arrive the same day; longer ones can take until the next day.

Moving between Seattle and Canada? The border papers come with the move, and we arrange customs clearance through a licensed customs broker. See pet relocation between Seattle and Canada.