As a girl who has traveled and moved her life more than once, I seem to face the same battle of figuring out what stays and what goes. I usually start my process by weaning out the bigger items that are less feasible to move, such as furniture and electronics, then make my way to the smaller, tedious elements in my kitchen cabinets and dresser drawers. Naturally I start throwing belongings into keep piles, trash piles and donate piles until my entire floor is covered in junk. I am not naive to the fact not everything is going to make it through the next round of my life. This drives my mom crazy, as she is the type who likes to save everything, assuming we might miss it down the road! That’s where she and I are different. Less is more, in my mind.

Don’t be fooled, though; this is not to say I do not reminisce about certain things. I admit I am guilty of shoving as much clothing in my family’s spare closets as humanly possible, as my wardrobe is my weakness! Unlike garments, however, my fur ball of a cat isn’t something I can easily trash, donate or shove in my parents’ spare closet. If it’s feasible, my cat goes wherever I go!

My cat has been on several road trips, carried in her bubble backpack to and from friends’ houses and on a jet plane to and from Michigan. She has been dragged with me places she might not have wanted to go, but at the end of the day, the thought of leaving her alone hurts me more than the anxiety of bringing her. With that said, I want my cat to have the best experience she can so I can continue to have the option to take her on journeys with me as opposed to leaving her behind.

So here are some tips I found work for me when it comes to traveling with my cat:

Car Rides

• Start taking your cats on car rides when they are young kittens.
• Let your cat roam the car freely so it does not feel trapped. If it starts crying, let it get it all out. Eventually, it will curl up in a ball on your lap or on the seat next to you.
• When traveling more than three hours, make sure to have a litter box in the back seat. I always put a seat belt around mine so if I have to slam on my brakes, litter doesn’t go flying everywhere. I guess no one wants a flying cat, either, so try to refrain from doing that!
• Play music at an appropriate volume and something that is relaxing and calms the cat, like alternative rock. Here is a playlist to check out.
• When transporting my cat on foot, I like to either have her in a bubble backpack where she can see exactly what’s happening, or I like to carry her, depending on what is appropriate.

 Airplane

• When traveling on an airplane, make sure to check out the airline’s pet carrier requirements. Unfortunately, many of them do not allow your fur baby much space. My advice is to find a carrier that has expandable sides. Here is a link to the one I use that expands four ways.
• Make sure your cat’s shots are up-to-date, or you won’t be allowed to board.
• Purchase a natural calming spray to spritz inside the pet carrier.
• Purchase a calming collar to put around your cat’s neck.
• Bring his or her favorite toy.
• Once the flight takes off, make sure to expand the pockets of the carrier so your cat has more breathing room and space.
• Sit at the window, as this allows the most freedom for expanding the pet carrier and more secrecy from a flight attendant roaming the cabin.
• Bring a portable, battery-operated fan to cool your cat down as necessary.
• Talk to your cat so it knows you are there, and try to place the carrier on your lap for certain portions of the flight.
• You can bring food and water to place in silicone collapsible bowls; however, if your cat is anything like mine, it will not eat until it is in a comfortable environment.
• For those who have layovers and the freedom to find a quiet space to let their cat roam around and into a litter box, it might make sense to purchase a collapsible one.

I hope these tips help calm your worries about traveling with a cat.

— Christyn Pek, business development executive