It seems there's a lot of money to be made convincing cats they are turtles in order to take them traveling. Although no one will deny the excruciating pain of watching an anxious, terrified dog hiding under the couch at the height of a thunderstorm or other stressful event, only a cat owner can know the true apocalyptic horror of handling a cat under pressure.
These lovely feline lads and lassies who smile and purr and nap quietly in your lap, who reach out their paw and touch your cheek as if preparing for the ultimate 'I love You' speech, if only they could - will rip your face off in less than 2 milliseconds if confronted with anything remotely resembling a threat. Thus is born the cat calming industry.
There is a reason you don't often, if ever, see a cat happily hanging its head out the window of your neighbor's Jaguar - they are too busy throwing up on the floor. Cats are generally not good travelers and the cat calming industry is lining up to make them so with the pop of a pill. The warning labels on many of these products are many however, "may cause side effects, addiction, drowsiness or impair motor skills".
Well fine, that's describes most of us with a glass of wine - no big deal, it will wear off. Not sure about the addiction part, but whatever, kitty can't exactly sell mommy's Dolce and G. bags on the streets for drugs, can he. Warnings about changes in personality begin to worry me though. Exactly what are they putting in these things, do they come with a straight-jacket, and can I have some please. For research, of course.
Don't let the 'all natural' claim on the label make you feel any more at ease, I'm pretty sure Valerian and St. John's Wort are found in the depression section of the local people pharmacy and are all natural. They are plants and plant extracts, and they are drugs, and you are still drugging your cat - just more naturally. For heaven's sake they're even recommending these things for parties! Not the pharmacy... the cat calming people.
Okay, so on the plus side you can get them in fun shapes (believe me, this is for your benefit not your cat's - despite how adorable he may look chasing goldfish across the television screen in HD, he will most definitely not associate it with a minute, inanimate object in the general shape of a fish lying in your hand). You can also get them in a sugar-free variety (believe me, sugar is not the reason your cat is fat or hyperactive, or sinks its claws six inches deep into the skin of your forearm at the mere site of a pet carrier).
My thinking is, if you absolutely must have your travel hating cat along, if he or she needs any assistance calming down during your trip perhaps it is best left to your vet to decide how to handle this situation and plan well ahead of time. Bring along a few favorite toys, yours or the cats, and a few non-medicated treats.
