Tips for Traveling With a Cat

Traveling with a cat can be a lot more stressful than traveling with a dog, especially if your cat is not used to car rides or does not do well in changed environments. 

If you plan to travel with a cat, whether once for a cross-country move or full-time in an RV, there are very specific details that will make your time on the road a lot more comfortable for both you and your furry friend. 

We’ve been traveling with two cats since 2017 and added a third cat to our pack in early 2024. Traveling with three cats, sometimes for weeks at a time, can be a handful. We’ve learned all the lessons of traveling with cats. Cat sickness, litter boxes, cat farts, rest stops...we’ve been through it all.

Tips for Traveling With a Cat

1. Take a Trial Ride 

The first step to traveling with cats is figuring out how well your cat does in the car. Take them out for a ride. How did they do? Are they comfortable in the car? Did they sh*t their pants out of fear? These are some big details to figure out before traveling with your cat. 

If you have the time, start taking them on short car rides a few times a week. If they are kittens, they should adapt to the road fairly quickly. Adult cats might take some more care and love. I started training our newest cat, Tortilla, by bringing him with me to go grab coffee a couple of times a week. 

2. Buy Calming Gummies 

If your cat does well traveling, you likely won’t need calming gummies. But if your cat is having a hard time adjusting or gets car sick, buy some calming gummies. I always keep these ones on hand, even if we rarely need them for our cats. Cats can also get car sick! The first time it happened to one of our cats, I was worried they somehow got into a poisonous plant or something because it looked like he was foaming at the mouth. It turns out that car sickness can do that to cats! And it sometimes hits suddenly on a road they’ve been on dozens of times before, so always keep something on hand. 

Cats don’t like sudden change, so if you need to travel with them quickly without training, calming gummies will be essentially for both your sanity and your cat's sanity. 

3. Get a Tractive Collar

I’m sure your cat is part of your family, and you hate to think about that worst-case scenario. What if they jump out at a rest stop? What if I can’t find them at camp? That’s why a Tractive Collar is one of my top recommendations for traveling with cats. It’s a GPS tracker that attaches directly to their collar. If something does happen, you’ll be able to see their exact location via GPS on the app and find them without worry. 

Tractive works as long as you have cell phone service, so we also use Tile if we are camping out of service. It doesn’t have GPS and is a little harder to track, but it rings their collar and tracks them in a similar way to the Tractive even when off-the-grid. 

4. Reward Trips with Treats 

If trying to train your cats for road trips or traveling, you’ll need to focus on positive reinforcement. After every car ride or trip, reward your cat with a treat. Our cats love Temptations lickables. We only give them the lickables when traveling or rewarding them for positive behavior. Your cat will start associating car rides with treats, which can help train them to do better in the car. 

Another great way to get your cat excited about the car is pup cups! Or grab a bag of cat treats to leave with your local drive-through. When you come through, your cat will receive a treat from the window, and they will start associating car rides with treats. 

5. Figure Out a Litter Box Solution 

This is probably one of the biggest logistical issues when it comes to traveling with cats. Unlike dogs, which can easily be trained to go to the bathroom outside on a leash, cats are a little more difficult. When it comes to a litter box, I have a few key points: 

• Get a litterbox that is top-entry. We have this one from Amazon. It takes up a decent amount of space, but the top entry aspect keeps the mess of the litter contained. This works great in an RV, car, or camper if you have the space. 
• Buy a big dog crate big enough for a litter box. For the first few years that we traveled with cats, we used this crate, which was big enough for both a litter box and the cats. We still own the same crate but no longer bring it on road trips as much since we custom-built our truck camper to have its own litter box. 
• Don’t use cheap litter. Cheap litter will make your car, camper, or van smell quite horrendous quickly. Invest in a litter that is high quality & scented, or better yet, go with an all-natural solution, like this sandlike litter or pine litter. If your cat has a hard time adjusting to the new litter, keep trying until you find one they like! 

For a long time, we traveled in a car with cats using these litter strategies. Now, we have a truck camper, which means the cats ride up front in the cab for periods of time, and then I put them in the back every few hours for a bit so they can use the litter box if needed. 

6. Crate vs. Non Crate 

This is a hot topic when traveling with cats and I’ll likely be a bit controversial here. Our cats are not crated when we travel. Is it a risk? Absolutely. Do our cats hate traveling in crates? Also yes. If your cat has been crated in the car and does not do well, try letting them out of the crate. Our cats travel in cars like most dogs do, with free range to sleep, lie down, and hang out wherever they want. It makes them more comfortable and less stressed and makes road trips a lot more enjoyable for all of us. 

7. Don’t Stay at Crowded Campgrounds 

If your idea of traveling with cats includes camping with cats, I have an entire guide dedicated just to camping with them, but one of the most important aspects is to keep them away from crowded campsites. Campsites with a lot of people typically mean a lot of dogs and not much safe room for cats. Cats also prefer quiet, wooded campgrounds. Instead of booking state park campgrounds or RV parks, try dispersed camping or national forest campgrounds. Your cat will thank you! 

8. Carry Other Essentials for Traveling With Cats 

You shouldn’t ever leave without the following items: 

• Cat Harness 
• Collar w/nametags on each cat 
• Tractive Collar 
• Pet Food Bowls 
• Cat Treats