I would be very concerned about placing a cat in the trunk of a car.  If the
trunk is closed, there is the possibility of suffocation or carbon monoxide
poisoning.  Even if the trunk were open and the carrier secured within the
trunk, you would not be able to see it to monitor the situation.  I had
friends who had a large carrier built that would fit within the back seat of
the car.  However, a 10-hour trip really isn't all that long.  I think your
better option would be to use two standard carriers in the car.  Spray the
inside of the carriers with Feliway (a behavior modification spray that can
reduce stress) about 20 minutes before you place the cat in the carriers.
Your "anxious" cat is likely to cry for about 45 minutes and then will
probably settle down.  If there is room in the car, place a small litter box
on the floor of the back seat and stop a couple of times (with doors and
windows tightly closed) to let the cats out, one at a time.  Also have a
bowl of water and a little food available.  However, I suspect that they
will not drink, eat, or use the litter box until you arrive at your
destination.

Good luck with your trip ... and don't worry too much.  I have traveled many
times with cats in my cat, and all settled into their new "quarters" without
any problems.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly:      >'o'<
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

I apologize if this appears as a duplicate.  I was going to post a follow-up
to my own message, and I appear to have inadvertently hit the "delete" key
... my message instantly disappeared from my view.  Therefore, I am pasting
my original message here, along with the follow-up information that occurred
to me:

I would be very concerned about placing a cat in the trunk of a car.  If the
trunk is closed, there is the possibility of suffocation or carbon monoxide
poisoning.  Even if the trunk were open and the carrier secured within the
trunk, you would not be able to see it to monitor the situation.  I had
friends who had a large carrier built that would fit within the back seat of
the car.  However, a 10-hour trip really isn't all that long.  I think your
better option would be to use two standard carriers in the car.  Spray the
inside of the carriers with Feliway (a behavior modification spray that can
reduce stress) about 20 minutes before you place the cat in the carriers.
Your "anxious" cat is likely to cry for about 45 minutes and then will
probably settle down.  If there is room in the car, place a small litter box
on the floor of the back seat and stop a couple of times (with doors and
windows tightly closed) to let the cats out, one at a time.  Also have a
bowl of water and a little food available.  However, I suspect that they
will not drink, eat, or use the litter box until you arrive at your
destination.

Good luck with your trip ... and don't worry too much.  I have traveled many
times with cats in my cat, and all settled into their new "quarters" without
any problems.

(That was my original message.  What I *intended* to add as an addendum was
this:  It appears that you are considering the possibility of placing the
cats' carrier in the trunk of your car.  In addition to the problems I
already mentioned, you would probably be exposing your cats to a great deal
of wind and road noise.  I think that would be incredibly stressful for
them.)

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly:      >'o'<
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

...

...

Ten hours is a long time to drive, unless you have two people and can split
the driving time.
I'm not sure what you mean by boot or trunk.  In the U.S., the trunk is the
enclosed area in the back of the car and the cats would not be able to see
what is going on. Maybe you have what we know as a station wagon where there
is an open area behind the back seat?
The cats should be fine with the length of the trip, but should not be put
in the trunk, if that is an enclosed space.  Put your luggage in the trunk
and your cats in travel carriers on the back seat.  If you put your cats in
the trunk, they may be exposed to dangerous exhaust fumes and will not have
temperature control.  They would be better off in the dreaded cargo hold of
the airplane than in the trunk of a car.
When we drove with three cats from Washington State (U.S.A.) to Texas, the
trip took several long days with stops at motels along the way. We had a
Suburban, which is a large version of a station wagon layout. We did get
larger size carriers, one for each cat.  Because the back area is open to
the rest of the car, we could keep an eye on them.  The cats complained at
first, but quickly settled down to the routine.
Good luck with your move.
Annie

froogly@hotmail.com writes>i

but it's a long trip of about 10

I don't know the travel restrictions of airlines in the UK. Is there any
airline that allows bringing your cat on with you (not as cargo)? Even if there
is no direct flights, it would be less travel time that the car.  Good luck.

Hi all

Just to avoid confusion about the cats being in the boot/trunk - it is
an estate car so I meant the "rear" behind the back seat which is open
to the rest of the car. I wouldn't put the cats in an enclosed trunk
!!

Anyway - thanks for all replies.

Claire

10 hours is a piece of cake.  Withold food and offer water half way
through the trip.  I suggest housing them separately as they will
likely fight.  Ask the vet for some tranquilizers just in case.  Good
luck!

-L.
(Moved cross-country three times (US), the longest trip was five 12-14
hour days...)