4 min read

How to Make a Cat Comfortable in the Car

By · Updated November 7, 2024
How to Make a Cat Comfortable in the Car

Pet transportation

During the transport our teams will ensure full care, well-being and friendliness as if they are our own.
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Are you familiar with the struggle of getting a cat into the car? From hiding under the bed to hissing and scratching, most cats dread car travel. Of course, it’s understandable. Cats rarely take car rides. With the exception of annual veterinarian visits and maybe a weekend getaway, our feline friends rarely hit the road.

When they do, fear, anxiety, endless meowing, and nausea are all common side effects.

No wonder travelling with a cat is so stressful!

Luckily, Wise Move is helping thousands of people like you to find professional pet couriers across NZ. Today on the Wise Move blog, our pet transportation experts go over how to make a cat comfortable in the car, so you (and Whiskers) can both enjoy the trip!

8 Tips for Cat Car Travel

Whether your journey is 10 minutes or 4 hours, all car rides can be more “kitty-friendly”. To reduce the stress associated with road trips, do the following:

1. Let Your Cat Sniff and Explore

First, introduce your cat to the vehicle. If they haven’t been inside a car since they were a kitten, the loud noise and vibrations will probably be scary! Keep the engine turned off. Roll up the windows. Gently carry your cat to the car and place them inside – with you there for supervision, of course.

Give them time to sniff, walk around, and become familiar with this new environment.   

2. Use a Cat Carrier

Secondly, invest in a reliable cat carrier. Leave it open inside the house so they can enter and exit freely. Once they go in and out calmly, close the door and practice walking around with them inside. This will help prepare cats for the day of the big move.

Preventive Vet also says to never let a cat roam loose while driving a car. Not only is this a dangerous distraction, but it’s also possible your cat will jump out a window or sneak out the door…and get lost! Or worse, injured in traffic. Yikes.

Better safe than sorry! Use a cat carrier.  

Pro tip: feed yummy treats in the carrier to increase your cat’s positive feelings towards their carrier.

3. Add a Soft Bed

A ginger car sleeping peacefully on its cat bedSpeaking of kitty psychology, did you know? Cats are territorial animals. Their sense of smell is 14x stronger than humans. By putting a soft bed, blanket, or towel in the cat carrier, their scent will transfer, thus helping them to relax. 

4. Buckle Up

In New Zealand, it’s illegal to drive without a seatbelt. Keep your kitty safe (and comfortable) by buckling them in! Cat carriers should be either a) secured with a pet-safe seat belt or b) placed on the floor of the vehicle to minimize sliding, jostling, bumping, and flipping.

At Wise Move, we know cats are cherished members of families across the country, so their welfare needs to be the highest priority too.  

5. Turn on the AC

High temperatures can be deadly for pets. Sadly, every year cats and dogs die after being left in hot cars. Plus, there’s nothing worse than feeling carsick…except feeling carsick on a hot day!

Keep your kitty comfortable while driving around New Zealand and turn on the air conditioning.

6. Practice Going on Short Trips

Practice makes perfect. Teach your cat to tolerate – and hopefully, enjoy – car rides by incrementally increasing lengths of drives. Begin with a quick loop around the block. Slowly build up their tolerance with longer trips, always watching for signs of discomfort.

7. Reward with Treats

Hooray! The cat car rides are going swimmingly. Be sure to praise your kitty and reward good behaviour with their favourite treats.

8. Talk to Your Veterinarian About a Cat Sedative

Lastly, if all else fails, talk to your vet about medications for cats who hate car rides. Most cat travel sedatives are given orally. Or you can spray calming pheromones, like the ones suggested by Excited Cats. Both will lower a cat’s anxiety and help them sleep during car rides.

Planning to move with a cat? Follow these tips and tricks to guarantee a smooth, comfortable, and cat-friendly car ride.

Looking for Pet Transportation in New Zealand? Wise Move Would Love to Help!

At Wise Move, we are pet parents too. Our staff understand that when it comes to New Zealand pet transportation, your cat is precious cargo. That’s why we’ve created the first-ever pet courier NZ online platform to connect domestic pet transport NZ movers with the customers who need their services the most.

For trusted, safe, and secure pet transport within NZ, go with Wise Move. 

What do our customers say?

Read reviews of Wise Move to learn stories from our customers.
$225
8 week old puppy
Rangiwahia, Manawatū-Whanganui Region
Whangaparāoa, Arkles Bay
10
Kerry
Reviewed 1 day ago
Shaun picked up our 8 week old puppy and took great care of him on his adventure from from Fielding to Auckland. Great communication and service all round. Highly recommend. Thanks Shaun.
$180
Hastings, Flaxmere
Normanby, Taranaki Region
10
Hayden
Reviewed 1 week ago
Yous are brilliant ,good to work with ,communication one of the best , everthing was soo easy and affordable . Your the man Nick .
$280
Border Collie 4 years
Christchurch, Hillmorton
Whangārei, Onerahi
9.0
Sandra
Reviewed 1 week ago
A little bit of a hiccup when originally booking. I still don’t understand what the dates referred to.
$550
Christchurch, Canterbury
Aokautere, Manawatu-Wanganui
10
Jenny
Reviewed 1 week ago
Thank you, Kirsty, for being so accommodating, and responsive, professional and caring enough to ensure the sheep had a comfortable, well provisioned travelling space. Your driver deserves a special mention; he was able to tell me about the food and water intake and efficiently completed a complicated transfer. Jenny If you publish this review, please do not include my email address.
$225
3month puppy
Aongatete, Bay of Plenty Region
Lower Hutt, Naenae
10
Sandra
Reviewed 3 weeks ago
Shaun picked up my 3 month old puppy from Katikati and delivered him to my door the same day in Wellington . There were great communication between Shaun and I. I even got a picture of my baby on collection . I would recommend Shaun to any one that needs their dogs to be transported between Auckland to Wellington. The price was very reasonable compared to other pet transporters and delivered the same day .Thank you Shaun for looking after my baby .
$360
Hamilton, Nawton
Martinborough, Wellington
10
Michelle
Reviewed 09 June, 2025
Fabulous experience 3 cats Hamilton to Wairarapa. Door to door service. Thank you for looking after my babies with great care.

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