Use a carrier

A wet cat is an unhappy cat

Cats and leashes

Tranquilizers for traveling

Traveling with Kitty

Use a carrier

Because cats have a tendency to climb all over the driver or hide under the brake pedal, they should be transported in a secure enclosure. Cats feel safer in a carrier, and however much they may complain about the car ride, it would be worse if they were loose. When you reach your destination and open the door, unrestrained cats sometimes jump out and run away.

Try to avoid the temptation of buying a cardboard carrier. They don't hold up well and aren't very secure. Over your cat's lifetime, you will spend a lot more money on cardboard carriers than a good one would have cost in the first place.

A wet cat is an unhappy cat

Cats that aren't accustomed to riding in the car sometimes get upset and have accidents, so pad the carrier with a thick layer of absorbent material. An old towel works fine, or use folded newspaper torn into strips. Or fill the carrier half full of fluffed up newspaper - it makes your cat's trip more comfortable and is fairly absorbent. Carriers come with a nice little water dish, but use it only for long trips. On a trip to the animal hospital, your cat won't want any water, and it will probably spill. And after rigorous scientific study, we have determined that a wet cat is nearly always unhappier than a dry cat.

Cats and leashes

Using a leash to take you cat for a walk in the neighborhood is not really a great idea, and worse for a trip to the animal hospital.  The leash provides no protection from dogs while hindering the cat's own efforts to escape them.

Tranquilizers for traveling

Once they settle down, most cats travel very well when provided with their own little space.  However, a few will holler and fuss incessantly, hour after hour.  These cats can benefit from a mild tranquilizer, available from your veterinarian

A recent statistical study indicated that cats being transported by air had an increased mortality rate when tranquilizers had been given. It seems likely that fatalities were very rare and were associated with overdosage or inappropriate use in elderly cats. 

The moral of the story is that most cats are better off without tranquilizers, but if you need them, use a dose specifically recommended by your veterinarian after consideration of the cat's age, weight and health status.