I have cats and they stay in crates. I have considered leaving them uncrated but I worry that they are going to get sick everywhere. If anybody has experience with cats in the car I would love to hear how you do it.
I drove with three cats from Michigan to Florida when I moved down here. The trip was a nightmare for a lot of the time. The constant crying because they are scared of being in the car. Eventually they kind of got use to it, but then they'd get up on the dashboard and in the rear window and would get in my way. It wasn't fun staying in the hotels with them either. Sneaking them in and picking up after them. Never again!
My dogs have free reign of the car, but I don't take them for drives any more now that they are elderly. When they were younger, they loved being in the car. My oldest, a poodle/chihuahua mix, used to curl up on my lap and would ride for hours without a peep. The other two would curl up in the backseat and sleep the whole trip.
Dogs are so much better to have in a car then cats. We had a dog a long time ago and he got so excited to go for a ride in the car. Sometimes when I'm driving I see a huge dog taking up the whole back seat of a car. It looks funny. I once saw a Mastiff in the backseat of an SUV. Those dogs are massive!
When I had my dog, I used to let him just sit in the passenger seat. He was pretty good about staying put in the car though. I think as a safety issue it is probably a good idea to crate them or at least strap them in to the seatbelt.
For cats and the puppy (still under a year old) we crate them all and then seat belt them down. For the larger dog (he is about 70lbs.) we harness him in with a 3 point system, doggie belt and a seat belt.
I let my dog roam free but I do crate the cats. The cats don't like to ride so I'm not taking any chances of them ending up on my head while I'm driving. My dog loves to ride!
My dog loves riding in the car. Since he's very small, he jumps up and lays in the spot behind the seats, under the window. He thinks it was made for him. Of course, he does like to look out the windows, too, and there are always snout prints all over them!
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How do you transport your pets?
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