11 Cat Travel Accessories You Need For Safe Travel With A Cat Long Distance In A Car | Afternoon Tea Reads (2024)

Traveling can be stressful. When you travel with a cat doesn’t exactly make it any easier! To make car travel with a cat long distance easy and safe for both of you, you’ll want to pick up these 11 cat travel accessories.

We drove with our cat in the car for 26 hours from Montreal to Florida. We crossed the Canada-US border, and stayed overnight in 2 hotels with him. This was the longest he’s been in the car, and his first hotel experience.

The journey couldn’t have been more successful and we made it to Florida with a very happy cat!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

11 Cat Travel Accessories You Need For Safe Travel With A Cat Long Distance

You want your kitty to be as comfortable as possible when you travel in the car long distance…right? There are a few must-have items you can get to make it the least stressful trip possible for them.

I had all these items on our 26 hour long car ride with our cat. Even if I didn’t end up using all of these cat travel accessories, I was happy that I had them just in case I needed them.

1. How To Travel With A Cat: Get A Safe & Roomy Cat Carrier

This is the most important thing you’ll need for safe car travel with a cat long distance. It isn’t safe to have your cat roaming around in the car. They can go places they shouldn’t be and distract the driver. More importantly, you want them to be safe if anything should happen while driving.

So, you want a cat carrier that’s roomy enough so they can sit up, stretch, and move around a bit. Remember, they’re going to be in there for a long time.

We bought a Pet Design dog carrier although I don’t think it’s available anymore. This one from PetSeek seems very similar (and maybe even better!). On top of the large size, what I really like about the PetSeek Carrier is the metal frame. This will help protect and keep your furry friend safe! P.S. It also collapses flat for when you aren’t using it. (See prices on Amazon)

If you have more room in your back seat this double cat carrier on Amazon is even bigger! It gives your kitty PLENTY of space and can even hold a litter box if that’s something you’re looking for.

2. A Cat Backpack For Easy Transport

Depending on the cat carrier you buy, you may want to invest in a way to easily transport your cat from the car to the hotel depending on how long your road trip is. The large carrier will stay in the car, and you don’t have to lug it anywhere.

We like the Pecute backpack for this. It was super convenient to bring our cat into hotels and collapses for when you’re not using it. I love all the extra features as well, like the pockets, a leash to attach him to, and it expands so your cat can even sleep in it. See the Pecute Backpack on Amazon.

It’s also convenient for when you can’t leave them in the car (for bathroom breaks…etc.). This way you can easily bring them with you!

Another option is to use a duffel bag for cats. We liked the idea of a backpack better because it frees up our hands to open doors and carry more luggage into the hotel.

3. A Cat Travel Litter Box

When you have to go you have to go. A cat isn’t like a dog where they can go on any grass anywhere. You can bring any litter box, but I recommend getting a cat travel litter box.

That doesn’t mean it has to even be a litter box though. All you really need is something that you can close – for the smell, and easy transport to and from the car.

There are cat travel litter boxes (like this one on Amazon) but instead, we used a plastic container and filled it with litter – it worked perfectly! You also want to make sure to use and bring the litter your cat is used to. It’s all about making them feel the most comfortable as possible during car travel.

Keep in mind your cat can hold their pee for up to 48 hours. So they most likely won’t need to go while you’re driving. But you will need a cat travel litter box if you’re planning on staying overnight somewhere.

4. Pee Pee Pads Are A Must To Travel With A Cat In A Car

Accidents happen and it’s best to be prepared for when they do. Pee pee pads are typically used to when training puppies to pee. But I lined the bottom of the cat carrier with them. This way, just in case my cat couldn’t hold it in, or threw up, it would be easy to clean up and replace. See pee pee pads on Amazon.

We thankfully didn’t need these in the end, but I’m still happy we had them. I read horror stories about car travel with a cat long distance with cats gets nauseous driving through the mountains and throwing up everywhere.

The point is that you never know how your cat will react to such a long drive, and the different (potential mountainous) terrain you’ll be driving on. So this is a good safety net.

5. Car Travel With A Cat – Keep Them Calm!

If your cat is stressed in the car, or may get stressed sleeping in a new place for the night, get them something to calm them down. There are a few options for how to do this. It’s all about finding the one that works best for your cat.

The first option is Feliway spray that mimics the natural pheromone that sends calming messages to cats. You can spray this in their carrier for the drive or there’s also a diffuser you can use for when you arrive at your location. This will help calm them down and prevent unwanted behaviours. This was recommended to get by my vet.

Another option is to get calming treats or speak to your vet about getting a prescription if you know your cat is a nervous traveller.

I also like to give my cat silver vine sticks to chew on. I wouldn’t recommend this for the actual drive when you travel with a cat in a car because as you have to keep an eye on them to not eat any large pieces. But you can try giving it to your cat before putting them in the carrier, or once you arrive at your destination to calm them down.

6. Collapsible Bowls For Car Travel With A Cat

Of course you don’t need bowls to collapse when you travel with a cat in a car, but it makes it a lot easier while you’re on the road and saves you precious space.

I just have one and I would swap between food and water throughout the day – although my cat didn’t end up touching his food or water when travelling in the car. But it made it easy to always give him the option at stops. They also clip on to his carrier which makes for easy access.

7. Cat Travel Accessories For Safety: A Harness And Leash

You may not need think you need this if you aren’t planning on taking your cat out of his carrier. But I think it’s a good back up item to have just in case you need to.

Like I said, you don’t know how your cat is going to react with being in the car for long distances.

After a few hours, they may need to leave the carrier. Or they might need to use the cat travel litter box while on the road. A harness and leash is the safest way to let them do that. Buy a harness and leash on Amazon.

8. Special Treats For Positive Reinforcement

There are a few treats my cat just LOVES and because of that, he only gets them on special occasions to really show that he’s being a good boy. You’ll want to bring these types of treats with you.

My cat didn’t want to eat his food in the car, but he did eat his favourites treats. At least this way I wasn’t starving him all day.

Plus I also bought a new food topper for when you arrive at your destination – some chicken in water. He didn’t drink all day and was too excited when we arrived at the hotel. I was nervous about hum being dehydrated so this was the perfect thing to give him.

Cat Travel Accessories For Overnight Stays Travel With A Cat Long Distance

When travelling with a cat long distances, you may or may not need to stay somewhere overnight. These next few must-have cat travel accessories are key for how to travel with a cat long distance when you need to stay in a hotel.

9. Extra Blankets Or Outdoor Couch Cover

Depending on your cat, you may want to bring some extra blankets with you to cover anything scratch-able where you’ll be staying.

Instead a blanket, we bought a large outdoor couch cover to bring with us. Our cat doesn’t scratch but he tends to bite and make holes in arm rests of couches.

It’s large enough to cover a big couch in a hotel room. Plus, when we runs around he ends up moving the blankets so we needed something that will fully cover the couch and not risk it falling off.

10. Bitter Spray To Prevent Damage

To go along with the blankets or couch cover, we also brought bitter spray. This is for the things you can’t cover with a blanket.

We’ll spray the bed frame to not scratch it. Or there may be something in the hotel room (like a dangling wire) that is tempting for your cat to chew on.

11. A New Toy For Entertainment

Your cat will be sleeping in their carrier all day long! You’ll need a good way for them to release all their pent up energy once you get to your destination for the night.

A new toy is the perfect way to do that. Our cat gets bored of toys very quickly, so getting him a new toy always keep him engaged – at least for a little bit!

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Quick Links – What You’ll Need To Travel With A Cat

Read More Guides

• 13 Useful Cat Road Trip Tips To Know Before Travelling With A Cat In A Car
• 15 Important Cat Road Trips Tips For Staying In A Hotel With A Cat
• Honest Cat Backpack Review: Pecute Cat Backpack
• Everything You Should Know Before Travelling With A Cat: Is It Worth It?

Last update on 2024-02-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API