I lived in Alabama 3 years. I hated driving through the state because the roads were horrible. I love your cat. Nova has a beautiful coat. My tuxedo cat Vicki has been to over 19 states on road trips. We never put her on a lease though. Once she escaped into some woods after 12 hours of driving. She had fun making me chase her through thick brush for an hour. lol.
The three we traveled with in the past are all familiar with a leash. The other two? We're not so sure about. We're gonna work on getting them to walk on leashes and with harnesses and get them used to car rides. That way, if we do have to travel in the future, it won't be just one giant nightmare of a learning experience for all of us.
Alabama roads are a lot like Missouri roads, and better than 2/3 of Oklahoma roads. So it wasn't that bad for us.