Chip and Grace in the truck

We delayed moving from Memphis towards Cleveland until yesterday, Sunday April 3rd. We make it a point to not travel on rainy days, or windy days. Yesterday was our window of best weather to go east towards Nashville and then head north towards Cincinnati. We are only 500 miles from home - but we can't travel more than 200 miles a day with the cats. Chip gets pretty upset and if we are longer than his 5 hours of acceptance in the crate, he begins to get sick. Not barf, just upset, crazy meowing, a real headache pain to us. And by the time we get him into the RV once we set up, he usually has diahrea for a day, doesn't eat much, his nerves are shot. Grace? She is a trooper and if she thinks I have forgotten she's in her cage in the back seat, we will hear her little high meow and she's staring right at me. I'll talk to her to sit down, be quiet and she does. Chip on the other hand will talk back to me, meowing louder, and start scratching at the mesh even though he has no nails. We have tried relaxers from the vet to calm him - which makes him more crazy and wired. Nix on that in the future. He is an older cat so we are very sensitive to him and try to make our travel day as short as possible. Once we have the RV opened up, Dave brings in Chip first and I immediately release him out. Then Grace follows. Chip heads for the poop box in the bedroom, Grace heads for the windows to look out. Then they both grab something to munch on, then begin to relax as Dave continues hooking up the water and electric. I am inside setting the RV up, bringing everything back out, opening up windows, etc. Dave's and my travel days is typically 1 1/2 hours before we actually leave the camp site, disconnect water/electric/sewer, plus travel time, then 1 1/2 hours once we are at the site to set the RV up and clean the outside from bugs and gunk. The cats time traveling is 1/2 hour before we actually leave the camp site - we put them in their crates and into the truck before we close the slides on the RV. Then actual travel time in the truck, and once at campsite another 1/2 hour before slides are back open and cats are inside RV. So in all they are usually in the crates in the truck for 5 hours. Dave is typically exhausted by the time he comes in - takes a shower and relaxes. If we traveled any longer on the road, the day becomes unbearable as it did yesterday. A separate blog will explain why we were 'on the road' for 8 hours.