I bet he'll exhaust himself after those first 20 minutes and spend the next 3 days sleeping, with periodic wake-up periods to yowl and come crawl on your lap for petting nd reassurance.

I just made the thousand mile trek from San Diego to Portland, Oregon with 2 cats who'd never been in the car longer than the 5 minute trip to the vet. I was extremely nervous about it, but did a few things that more experienced cat owners taught me:

1) Let your cats out of the cage! They will more than likely find someplace dark and quiet to burrow. If they come up to the driver's seat, allow them on your lap to pet them, but be careful not to let them down by the driver's side feet - there are weird holes up under the dash where the gas/brake pedals go and you don't want them up there. They will be far less traumatized if they're not stuck in a tiny cage for hours on end.

2) Make your vehicle as cat-friendly as possible. Create cubby holes and burrow places, beds and caves. Put some litter in a shallow tray that's easy to get to. Have a bowl of food and water within reach. Chances are they will be too nervous to eat or drink, but it's soothing to them to know they have the option.

3) Prepare for the strong possiblity that your cat will indeed piss everywhere but in the litter box. Put out old sheets or clothing that you don't mind getting peed on. It's a natural nervous reaction for cats to piss when nervous - if you prepare for that and aren't too freaked out about throwing away or washing whatever they peed on then it's no big deal.

4) Did you see my post about Felaway? Check it out: it's this Glade plug-in type thing especially for cats! It exudes a scent that's similar to the pheromones lactating mama kitties give out and TOTALLY CALMS THEM DOWN. You can get a car lighter adapter with a house plug extension to plug it in during the drive, or do what I did: plug it in at hotels along the way and in your new home when you get there. Ideally, you'll get it a week or so before you leave and plug it in at home - so they get accustomed to the smell and associate it with good things on the road. Plus, no doubt you'll be packing and moving before the big drive, so it will go a long way toward calming them down then, too.

Anyway, this is all just from my own experience and the experience of friends...

I drove from Arizona to Minnesota with two cats, one of whom does have car sickness issues. That may be what prompts your boy to throw up and otherwise panic, so please talk to your vet about remedies for that before you go. My cats get along pretty well, so we got a German Shepherd sized carrier for them to share. It was big enough for them to move around, lie down, and for there to be a small covered litterbox inside. We also had a smaller soft-sided carrier so they could be separated for a while if need be. We gave them Rescue Remedy, the liquid not the cream, and it really seemed to help. You can get that at a health food store, and you put 4 drops into their food, or in their fur on the back of the head behind the ears. It seemed to help for a few hours then needed to dose them again. It is safe for cats, and for humans too.

I advise NOT letting the cats out of the carrier. That may be simply my worry-wort thinking about car accidents and such like. But if you do let them out of the carrier, make sure not to open any car doors until they have been put back inside the carrier and the door of it secured. One of my friends lost a cat at a rest stop when it got out of the car and ran. I thought I was being smart and safe with mine by keeping them on harnesses and leads at rest stops so they could get out and stretch their legs. Then a family with toddlers came too close to us - the kids screamed in delight, "KITTIES!" and started running toward us. Both cats ran. The boy cat got to the end of his lead and stopped. The girl cat got to the end of her lead and flipped out. She flipped and flopped around at the end of the lead in a terrible panic, until the harness loosened up and she got out. Three years later, and I still cry about what almost happened. She ran full tilt toward the highway. There was no way I would have been able to catch her or find her. Fortunately, there were angels in that rest stop parking lot that day. She was headed right past a man who was just getting out of his car. He saw what was happening, and blocked her route to the highway. So she turned around and at least was headed toward some corn fields. Other people saw what was happening, and they were able to make a circle around her, so I could catch her. I had nifty new ID tags made, but the tags were on their harnesses, and would not have done a darn bit of good to help us get Sammie back. So two lessons from my story - one, cats need to be in their carriers when there are open windows or open doors, and two, get 'em microchipped as well as have ID tags.

One other little note about the motion sickness issue - it may ease up after the first day as the cat get accustomed to the movement of the vehicle. So subsequent days may be better.

I've never traveled quite so far, but I have made a few trips in the 200-300 mile range, with my favorite old boy who does not like cars - at all! The first time I took him on a long trip, he started hyperventilating, foaming at the mouth and all that you described. I rushed him to an emergency clinic, who told me it was just an axiety attack.

The giant crate sounds like a good idea. Give them room to move around, maybe a tiny litter box inside of the crate.

Depending on your cats, I don't think I would recommend either the harness or leaving them roam free in the vehicle.

First, as my boy Casey so gracefully showed me, a harness means nothing to our feline friends. I often leave my boys in the yard on a harness and check on them every few minutes. I was horrified to go out and find one lead hanging over the neighbors chest-high fence. I was trembling as I approached, only to find that it was empty. He wriggled right out of it and I was left holding the empty harness, ugh! (I found him two blocks away near a busy intersection!)

Next, it's just as futile to restrict their comings and goings in a vehicle. During one of my long trips, I had a VW camper. Lots of room, right? Let the boys roam, so they'll feel more at home, right? Well, I stopped to refuel and about a mile later went into a panic as I realized Bandito was missing. It turned out that he was hiding under the fold-out bench, but still... I really thought I lost him there. (BTW, he's going on 19 now and still kicking butt.)

I would also avoid tranquilizers, especially without a vet's okay. Cats just don't do well with drugs like that and I hate to subject my boys to the extra risk unnecessarily.

Finally, you need to check with the airline about bringing them as carry-on. As a professional travel agent from years ago, I know that the airlines previously had rules about how many pets on each flight. I have no idea what the new rules are since Sept. 11th, but think about it, you can't even take a bottle of water, so you never know. Be sure to find out what the restrictions and rules are in place when you'll be traveling... and do this in plenty of time in advance.

And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! Do not place your animals in cargo. I was on a flight to Cleveland once (yeah, skip the jokes :-) But anyway. I heard a poor cat mewling pitifully throughout the entire flight. It was heartbreaking. I even volunteered to let the cat have my seat and I would ride in the hold! It was the most terrible thing I've ever heard. For the entire flight, I silently cursed the person who did that to such a beautiful creature! (Okay, not always silently.)