I travel down to visit my Dad pretty regularly (about 4 hours) and bring
the kids.  I've got a one-level cage (24 x 30?) that barely fits through
the car door, and a standard cat carrier.  The two get connected by a
length of heavy-duty clear 4" tubing, and a T-junction that leads to an
additional 10' length of tubing that drapes all over the car.  The cage
is in the back seat, and the car carrier is in the front, and the tubing
goes along the top of the back seat and along the side wall to the front
seat box.
 
This way, the kids can lie in a hammock, or snuggle in the relatively
dark cat box (which is also by me as I drive so they can come see what
I'm up to), or they can sit in the tube and watch the world go by.  Or,
(a favorite with hyperactive Missy) they can just race around and around
the 10' length of tubing.
 
Doesn't leave room for too much else in the car, but it's fun, and safe.
The only thing I worry about is if the tube is in the sun, because it
can get hot.  I bring a towel to shade whatever part gets in the sun
and adjust it as I drive, and make sure the kids have plenty of water.
Sometimes I use a spray bottle to mist water on them (works for people
too!) My car does have air conditioning, so temperature isn't that much
of a problem.
 
I've had a couple of people express interest in my tubing arrangement.
The tubing is much heavier-duty than dryer tubing.  I have it permanantly
attached to the cages to connect them, and in three years of digging, I
have yet to have a ferret damage it at all.  I use heavy-duty "blast
gates" to connect the tubing to the cages, so each cage can be closed off
from the others.
 
I've thought of making up kits and selling them on eBay; it'd be $40-$60
to connect two cages, or a cage and a cat carrier (not including the cat
carrier).  Maybe less if I can find a wholesale source for the materials.
Is this something that would interest anyone?
 
--Claire
(Sam, Frankie, and Missy; not to mention Louis and Lilo)
[Posted in FML issue 4454]