Constantly moving my cat

[PrettyKitty1]

This is the story:

My parents live in Miami.  I live one hr away from them.  Every month I get 7 days off from work.  During those 7 off I stay at my parents’ with my kitty.  When I adopted him, I was still living with my parents.  He has toys there, the litter box he used when he was months old, same old food and water bowls and the house has not changed meaning furniture is the same etc...

He doesn't complain when I put him in his carrier and travel with him in my car.  He is such a nice kitty he'll fall asleep until we've arrived.  He has not changed. His mood and playful self is still there.  I figure he isn't stressed due to the fact that the entire house has his smell still, including my parents, so he is able to "tell" that he has been there before and he is familiar with that territory. He immediately bites his toys and throws them at us to play fetch.

My concern is I have heard cases where the cat gets diarrhea and starts peeing everywhere because cats HATE changes, being that they are creatures of habit.  There are people constantly moving with their cats and it is always the cat that gets psychologically affected.  My cat cannot stay home alone for 7 days. I cannot leave him by himself, alone in the house for 7 days with no fresh water or food which I constantly supply.  On the other hand, I am the only “kid" so I want to see mom and dad every month.  I notice that he gets all perky and happy when he finally gets out of the carrier at my parent's house. He immediately starts checking everything out.  He knows where the litter box and food and water bowls are.  He has his favorite places to sleep in my house and in my parents' house. So far he is just a normal kitty who doesn't mind the traveling.

Do you think it'll ever get to a point when he'll start showing signs of stress or something? Am I doing the wrong thing by taking him with me? He sleeps on the bed with me and whenever I am not home at night he starts looking for me and meowing like crazy, and that is why I don't want to leave him alone. As long as he stays with me he is fine, but I'm scared that this may affect him in the future, causing behavioral problems and God knows I would hate to see my cat stressed out and unhappy.

What should I do? Really I have to visit my parents every month.  My current situation demands that I go to Miami as my husband works there.  With this gas crisis it is best if I stay in Miami so he doesn't have to travel everyday for more than 1 hr.  These constant trips my husband has to do are really taking its toll on us.

[Kate883]

I do the same thing with my kitty for a year and without any problems.  I take him to my parents house every weekday to play with his brother (my mother's cat) while I ride into work with my mother.  He falls asleep as soon as the car starts and doesn't make a sound the whole way.  Of course, I started doing this since he was a tiny kitten and I think he's become accustomed to the routine.  I would think as long as he doesn't start getting anxious that he'll be fine.

[PrettyKitty1]

Thanks for your help.....again!

I am not planning on going back to Miami.  My job is 1 hr away from this city and I cannot commute everyday, plus I work 12 hour shifts, so it is technically impossible to go back to Miami closer to my parents.

I am so glad you are giving me this input.  Every time I hear of someone traveling with their cats it is always a bad experience for the feline. The cat stresses out too much and it gets sick and depressed. I don't want my kitty going through that.  He does like it when he stays at my parents' house because, like I said, his toys, litter box, bowls are there and those things have his smell.  I assume he doesn't mind being there, even the furniture has his smell and I can tell because he is always rubbing his neck around everything, making sure he is marking stuff at home.  He even has a scratcher which he uses a lot even though he is declawed.  Basically he acts normal when he is at my house and at my parents'.

If I start seeing a change in mood and behavior I will immediately stop this; but really, he even falls asleep when I turn on the radio in my car, it's like he is calmed by the music or something.  When he wakes up, still in the car, he just stares at me with those big eyes but doesn't meow or seem bothered by the fact that he is still in his carrier.  I have been doing this for 4 months now and I not only do this once a month, I do it up to 3 times in a month because I get lots of days off besides those 7 days.  That's why I'm so concerned.

[Savas]

Cats do hate a change in pattern, but it sounds like this monthly trip has become a part of his pattern.

I'm sorry but I'm not clear on one thing; are you planning on changing something here? It sounds to me like you're considering moving into Miami closer to your husband's work and your parents?

regardless it sounds like your cat is accustomed to the idea of car/carrier travel... as long as you're with him. I wouldn't worry about him getting stressed over the trip. If for some reason that changes in time (not likely, but possible) then you'd have to reevaluate the situation at that point.