Question
Whenever we need to take one our cats in the car (usually to the vets, but not always), the in-car drama is quite intense with a yowling and even vomiting (rare for short durations). Why do cats, unlike dogs, hate riding in cars? Is there a way to make this a better experience for them?
Answer
Anecdotally, I have to first say that not all cats hate riding in the car. I've known at least one cat that was perfectly content to ride in the car. This cat started as a kitten going for rides to all sorts of different places, which is probably directly relevant to what follows in this answer.
I believe that the main difference between cats and dogs in this regard involves differences in how the two species remember information.
While I was unable to find specific research covering this, my own experiences and some insufficiently referenced articles indicate that cats have the potential for some degree of long-term memory that works in a fashion fundamentally similar to humans.
Dogs, on the other hand, seem to have generally less ability to remember specific things or events.
Perhaps most relevant, though, is that cats have significantly better retention, both short-term and long-term, than dogs:
Researchers have discovered that there is not much difference between how a cat, a human, or another animal’s brain utilizes certain cues to assist in the creation of short and long-term memories. A cat’s brain functioning has been compared to that of a two to three year old child and, when compared to a dog, a cat’s memory is almost 200 times more retentive. Without repeated and reinforced training, a dog’s memory span is about 5 minutes. Cats, on the other hand, averaged about 16 hours, only IF the activity benefited THEM.
So unless the car ride to the vet, and the wait to actually see the vet, is less than 5 minutes, your dog probably forgot the series of events of:
- Get in the car
- Drive
- Arrive at the vet
- Wait to see the vet
- Get poked, prodded, restrained, and possibly stabbed with one or more needles
- Get back in the car
- Go home
In particular, #4 generally provides a lot of distractions to a dog, such as a novel environment filled with new smells, or a variety of other pets also waiting.
Cats, on the other hand, seem to recall quite well that step 1, get into the cage, most likely leads to step 6, get poked, prodded, and possibly stabbed with one or more needles.
Certainly some dogs can, and do, form an association with car rides and going to the vet, but for most dogs a trip to the vet seems to be less frightening and unpleasant than it is for a cat (a cat is far less likely than a dog to look upon a room full of new smells and strange animals as a positive).
Furthermore, dogs are more likely to have travel experiences that don't involve a trip to the vet (e.g. a ride to the dog park, going to a pet-friendly pet store, hiking, hunting, or even on family vacations), and less likely to be confined to a cage during the ride (and of those dogs who do ride in a cage during a car ride, many of them have probably been specifically crate trained).
With regards to how you might improve the experience for your cat:
You can try to reduce the negative associations your cat already has with being in the car (and probably being put into a carrier prior to the car ride). It is certainly easier to do this when they're young, before they've formed the negative associations (such as the kitten I mentioned earlier in my anecdote), but you may have some luck by taking your cat on "joy rides".
Start by bringing your cat out to the car, and let them explore (closely supervised! You don't want the cat to get wedged under a seat where you can't get them out) the car while it sits parked, with the engine off.
Do this every couple of days (or even every day), until the cat seems comfortable in the car.
Then progress to short trips around the block.
If your cat handles strange animals (particularly dogs) reasonably well, you might eventually try a trip to a pet-friendly pet store, but for most a nice quiet park where they can walk while on a harness would be a better choice.
Once your cat becomes accustomed to these pleasant (or at least, not unpleasant) trips, you should (hopefully) see a reduction in anxiety during car trips in general.
Answered By - Beofett