Cat-ching the train

Travelling anywhere with cats can be stressful. Compound that with having to do said travelling by public transport? Well, that can start to feel like a bit of a nightmare.

I was faced with this particular predicament earlier in the year, and to my surprise I could find little to no advice about it from anyone on the internet. Well, here I now am. Armed with my own experience and ready to share it in the hopes that I can help to calm someone else’s nerves in the future.

Part 1: Excitement morphs into anxiety

Let’s head back to this summer. My partner and I were looking at options for a week away somewhere within the UK. Neither of us had been away since before the pandemic and we were desperate for a holiday. A priority for me though was finding somewhere self-catering which was also pet friendly, as I wanted us to bring the cats along with us too if possible.

This was actually the first time we would be going away since Teddy and Elsie joined the family (they arrived in January 2020, not long before Covid hit), and as it was going to be a UK based trip I thought it would be perfect if they could join. Whilst this was to partially avoid finding a cat-sitter, it was more-so because they are indoor cats and I thought they would appreciate the change of scenery. Not to mention both cats and owner had become rather attached during the lockdown months and neither parties would have been particularly thrilled at the notion of being separated from one another for an entire week.

Our hearts soon became set on the Lake District, with its incredible scenery and endless potential for adventure. It ended up being surprisingly easy to find some cat friendly accommodation there. We booked a lovely little cottage in Windermere and the owner was entirely fine the cats joining us, provided they were well behaved (spoiler: they were…mostly).

Once we’d booked everything up however, my mind quickly became absorbed with the journey there and back. We don’t have a car, so we’d would be making the 5 hour train journey from London (consisting of 3 separate trains). This would normally be absolutely fine, but this time we would have two cats with us. Two cats who had never travelled further than the vets 10 minutes away.

I pretty quickly became anxious about the whole thing, perhaps unreasonably so. I was just picturing being stuck on a long train journey with two yowling, pooping and peeing cats. Something neither I nor my fellow passengers would enjoy. Despite my attempts to receive some reassurance on the matter, none of my fellow cat owner friends had taken their cats on public transport before. I also hit the online forums, as surely someone else on the internet would have shared their experience in tackling this feat alongside some helpful tips. Alas though, to my surprise I found virtually nothing out there.

Part 2: Getting kitt(y)ed out

With the trip drawing ever nearer, I started to think how best I could get us and the cats ready for the journey. In truth, I was barely able to think about any of the fun things we would actually do when we got to the Lake District because I was too anxious about getting us all there in one piece. I knew I needed to get on top of this, so I focused my mind on getting properly prepared.

To begin with, I knew a pair of sturdy carriers was an absolute must. I already had a couple I’d been using for trips to the vets (pictured below). One was the original carrier both cats had shared as kittens, (on the left) and it was of pretty good quality as I’d made sure to invest in a good one. The other was a smaller and cheaper one (on the right), which I bought pretty last minute at a time I needed a second carrier at short notice (when I’d realised my little kittens had quite suddenly grown into somewhat large cats without me noticing, and it was no longer viable for them to share a single carrier for an upcoming trip to the vets).

I knew I needed at least one new carrier then, if not two. I undertook quite a bit of research online about sturdy carriers which were escape-proof over a long period of time, and also spacious enough for them to be comfortable too. I initially looked at handheld carriers like those I already owned, but I soon became drawn to a backpack style instead. My thinking was it would be much easier to carry them on our backs when we would also be lugging around our other luggage too. I was a bit worried they wouldn’t be strong enough, and that it also might look a bit silly, but after some umm-ing and ahh-ing I went for it. The reviews suggested it was in fact a sturdy option, and I managed to find one a bit more discretely designed. I didn’t want it to be entirely obvious we were carrying cats around on our backs, and for the cats themselves to be awarded sufficient privacy to not feel exposed. I ordered two and waited for them to arrive.

*Elsie trying out the new carrier the day it arrived*

They came with less than two weeks to go until the trip, and I wanted to get the cats used to them beforehand to help minimise stress on the day. I also hoped this would prevent them putting up too great a fight when I tried to get them inside on the day itself. That being said, they’re actually pretty good at going in their carriers, especially with some snack-based encouragement.

Elsie was pretty happy in it from the get-go. She’s the much smaller cat and fit in just fine. She let me carry her around the flat in it for extended periods of time without so much as a sound. She also looked seriously cute cosied up in there. All in all, the carrier seemed really secure and sturdy so I knew that I was happy to go ahead and use it for her.

*Elsie practicing being in the carrier, no surprise that she likes being carried around like a princess!*

Then there was Teddy. The much bigger sibling who took up the entire backpack with not an inch to spare. Once he’d been in the first time and experienced being carried around in it, he also refused to get put back in it again. A nightmare! After a few days of getting Elsie used to it, and trying and failing to get Teddy on board, I decided that I would have to accept that I could use it for Elsie but Teddy would have to stick with the larger and more secure of the two original handheld carriers. Elsie would be on my back when we were on the move, and Teddy would be held by my partner. At least that part was now sorted.

*He may have been to big to travel in the backpack, but that didn’t stop him using it as a new bed!*

My other concern was around keeping both cats from getting too stressed. Primarily I wanted to avoid having them yowl the whole time, but my real fear was them spontaneously going to the toilet in their carrier mid train journey.

I usually use Feliway Classic cat calming spray for our trips to the vets, and they had always been really quiet and calm on those occasions. I never knew if the spray was actually the root cause of this or it was just a happy coincidence, but I wasn’t about to test that theory so I bought another bottle and decided I would spray both carriers with it at the beginning of the journey and throughout if needed. My solution for if there were toilet accidents within the carriers was just to bring a couple of small towels with us, along with two big rolls of tissue paper. I also opted to bring the second backpack carrier as well, so that if was any accidents I had a backup.

I was starting to feel a bit calmer about what was to come. Or at least, I felt I’d prepared for the aspects I had control of, and the rest would have to just play out on the day.

In the days leading up to the trip, I also had confirmation of our train seats and I was pleased to see that we were seated at the back of the carriage near the entrance and toilets. There was also social distancing in place on the trains at this time, so luck had it that it would probably be a fair bit quieter than usual. In this time I also had a last minute panic as to whether we were actually allowed to bring cats on all of the trains, but after double checking I quickly remembered I’d of course already looked this all up before we had even confirmed the Lake District as our chosen destination. Pretty much all of the main UK rail companies are fine with small pets (including cats and dogs) as long as they are kept within their carriers.

Part 3: Time to cat-ch the train

On the morning of the trip, both Teddy and Elsie were their usual playful selves, jumping in and out of our mostly packed luggage as we got the last little bits ready. I put out both their carriers in the middle of the living room a couple of days prior for them to become fully accustomed to them (as I always do ahead of vet visits too) and so they weren’t too shocked when I nudged them inside when the moment came. I also bribed them with a couple of Dreamies too once they were in. A bit of positive reinforcement never hurts.

*Both cats freshly in their carriers before we left the flat*

The main portion of our journey was going to be the train from London Euston, which would take us all the way up to the periphery of the Lake District itself. There was however going to be a 20 minute train for us to get from where we live first. The night before though I’d actually made the last minute decision for us to skip this train, and get a taxi straight to Euston instead. We’d already need to get a taxi to our local London Overground station anyway, and it was pretty much the same time for us to just get the taxi straight there as it would be to get the train anyway. It cost more, but I felt a lot less anxious taking them in a taxi than on the train, so I thought this would be a nice way to cheat away the first part of the journey.

The cats were pretty well behaved in the car. Teddy was quite vocal towards the beginning of the ride, yowling away in his carrier, but he soon calmed down and the taxi driver seemed to find it pretty endearing. We soon arrived at London Euston train station, and it was super busy. I will admit it did also feel very bizarre to be in Central London with the cats at our side. We ended up with about 15 minutes to wait until our platform was ready to access, so we set up camp in a quiet part of the main station hall behind some stairs. I was constantly checking on the cats at this point but they both seemed okay, though pupils were permanently dilated! It felt quite funny having Elsie in the rucksack on my back, but most people didn’t seem to notice I had a furry friend in there.

Our train was soon ready to board. This was when both Teddy and Elsie started becoming very stressed, and they made sure I knew it. I think it was a combination of the huge throngs of people rushing around us, and the obnoxiously loud noise of the whirring train as we hurried down the platform to our carriage. I began feeling really guilty, but as soon as we boarded they suddenly became completely silent. We settled down in our seats and I let out a sigh of relief.

*The cats and I when we first boarded (this picture makes me laugh)*

The carriage was super empty, so much so we were actually able to relocate to a different seat nearby us with a large table. This meant we could put the carriers on the table if we wanted to, so both cats could easily see us and each other.

Before the train took off I gave them both a couple more Dreamies as a well done for behaving so well. Teddy had however now rolled himself up into a ball with his head buried under his tail, and refused to take it (that’s how you know things were rough!). Elsie was keen to hoover her’s up though. It was funny how the roles had reversed. Teddy is usually the loud and boisterous one, and Elsie the more timid of the two.

This particular train was a long one, so we settled down for the next few hours. I was at first obsessively checking to see how they were doing, with towels and tissues on hand for any accidents, but I quickly realised everything was fine. Teddy didn’t move from his ball the entire time, and Elsie was in fact being rather curious. We actually opened up her carrier door for large portions of the journey as she was enjoying being fussed over and getting a better view of what was going on. She didn’t try to run off once.

*Our table set-up with Elsie on the table and Teddy on the chair next to me*

Time flew by and we arrived at Oxenholme Lake District station where we needed to catch our final train to Windermere itself. We had a 20 minute wait on the platform itself, and again both cats were fine. No yowling this time. We caught our final train which was just 16 minutes long, and then we’d arrived at Windermere. A quick five minute taxi journey later and we were at our new home for the week. What a wonderful sight it was!

Part 4: Enjoying the Lake District

The first thing I did once we were inside was to open up the carriers. I was sure they would be raring to get out, but to my surprise they both required some encouragement. The look of bewilderment on both their faces once they emerged was pretty priceless. They had a bit of an exploration of the main room of the cottage (we’d closed all doors to the other rooms at first so as to not overwhelm them), but they soon found a hiding place in a cupboard and camped out. To their horror they had now realised that after their mammoth day out, they weren’t even going home.

*Their temporary hiding spot in the cupboard*

They had no intention whatsoever of leaving that hiding place anytime soon, so we headed out for a short walk to explore the immediate area before it got dark, and once we came back they were still in the same place. I did notice some things had been knocked around within the room though while we had been out, so they fooled no one.

They soon became quickly settled into their new surroundings and over the course of the week they seemed to relish exploring every nook and cranny of the old cottage. It was incredibly cute coming home each day and seeing them through the big windows all curled up on the bed or sofa. Normally we don’t get to see them until we’ve already opened our flat door and they are at our feet welcoming us home.

Part 5: Returning home

I didn’t even think about the journey back until the last day. I guess the journey out had been stress-free enough that I no longer deemed it an issue, and thankfully the journey home was indeed the same. Teddy and Elsie were really reluctant to get in the carriers when we were ready to leave the cottage, but they soon settled down. Teddy hiding under his tail, and Elsie spying her surroundings with utmost interest. The only two memories I have of an otherwise arduous and uneventful journey home was it starting to rain somewhat at Windermere train station and an unimpressed Elsie loudly letting me know that she was getting wet, and then at Oxhenholme Lake District train station catching a couple pointing excitedly at my backpack once they realised it contained a very fluffy cat inside (the only time I consciously noted anyone taking any notice of my funky new rucksack).

So, all in all, the whole thing was rather a success. How did I come to that conclusion? Firstly, there was no poop, and no pee. Secondly, all cats and humans in the party made it there and back. Finally, We’re already planning our next UK trip with the cats around Christmastime. And yes, we’ll be going by the train again.

*A very chilled out Elsie once we were back home*

Part 6: Top tips from one cat dad to another

Make sure you have a carrier (or carriers) that you are comfortable with. Both in terms of you being confident that it is sturdy and comfortable enough for your cat, but also for you to be carrying around with you in potentially busy stations and trains. I was really happy with my choice to go with the backpack for Elsie, and sticking with the larger handheld carrier for Teddy. It worked perfectly for us but of course something else might work better for you.
Research as much of the journey’s logistics as you can beforehand. This way you can focus on just one potential stress: your fur baby! I knew our itinerary like the back of my hand in terms of things like platforms and transfer times, and it really helped on the day to not get too overwhelmed.
Be prepared for mishaps, but don’t expect them! By this I mean bring those extra towels and tissues incase of an accident, but don’t spend all your time worrying about whether you’ll need to use them or not. You might, but you also might not.
Enjoy the journey! It was actually really lovely seeing Teddy and Elsie out in the real world, traversing the country in style without them even realising it. I smile when I look back on it all, and hopefully you will too.

Good luck, and thanks a bunch for reading!

- Tom