‘cross country cat

The first phase of our move or relocation to Australia involved a long drive from Cincinnati, OH to Moses Lake, WA...with a cat! Let me introduce you to Cosmo; The most laid back, 13-yr-old, very fluffy, probably part Maine Coon, snuggle buddy.

The debate was “How do we drive 2200 miles over 4 days with a cat without both us and him going crazy?”. I wanted to try allowing the cat a little bit of freedom in the car rather than the constant confinement of a cat carrier. Of course, my husband was highly skeptical and imagined a scene out of Lampoon’s Vacation. You know, where the cat is clawed over the driver’s face and the car is swerving all over the road. I convinced him that we should just try it. Plus, Cosmo was going to ride in my car with me (he was driving his truck separately). So, he relented and said, “Okay, your call!” With a serious shake of his head, of course. It was settled then. Cosmo would be strapped into the rear, center seatbelt with his harness and leash. We also set up the litter box just behind the driver’s seat.

Cosmo did amazingly well. While he spent some time looking out the window and watching vehicles pass, he spent most of his time sleeping under the passenger seat in front of the AC vent. He was a bit nervous going in and out of hotel elevators but a real trooper overall.

Included below are some maps and additional photos of Cosmo from our 4-day drive from Ohio to Washington State.

Everyone gets out to stretch their legs in South Dakota.

Relaxing in the hotel after a long day of driving.