Hotel Tips When Traveling With A Cat

This is Molly, the cat that owns Kathy, and I have a gripe: dogs get all the fun and excitement of going out to places. I’m not even sure if I want to go where they go but these four walls and windows get boring sometimes and I don’t always like having to sniff the air through a screen. I’m not even going to get into the fact that I can’t chase a bird.

Anyway, the other night Kathy was on the phone with a friend of hers talking about things and from what I gathered her friend had taken the family (including the dog) on a trip. Kathy never takes me or my brother on trips. She has gone away for a few days and left us food in our bowls and extra water. The only trips we get to take are to the vet… yuck!

Guess what? Cats are allowed in hotels too. You just have to ask. It’s not as common for people to travel with their cats but some do. I don’t know if I’d like spending hours in a car in that horrible carrier but I may like checking out a new place. I’m not shy. I’m not scared. My brother on the other hand…

So I’m posting tips for you humans on what to do when staying in a hotel with your feline.

6 Tips To Make Your Stay In A Hotel Easy With A Cat

  1. When making the reservation ask if they allow cats and what the policies and terms are regarding extra fees, rules, and so on. Is there a way the cleaning staff will know to not enter the room and let the cat out accidentally?
  2. When you get settled into your room, let your cat out in the bathroom first. It’s a small enough space that your cat can explore and listen, smell, and become familiar with the new place without hiding behind a dresser or under the bed. New places can be a little scary… but like I said, I’m scared of nothing! No, really.
  3. Leave the carrier out with the door open. It’s the one place cats will know is “safe” and can retreat into if something startles them.
  4. When going out, you may want to leave the cat in the bathroom with food, water, the litter box, and the carrier. It’s also a good idea to use the same ones you are using at home. The things that are more familiar to us, the better we feel. Some of us also relax faster if there’s something of our humans too with us like a sweatshirt we can snuggle up with. It lets us know that things are stable even if the environment is new.
  5. Make sure we have our collar and tags on at all times and please make sure we are wearing cat collars that can break off if we get caught on something. We freak out as it is when we’re stuck in a box, hook our claw in the rug, or lost. Being stuck by our throats definitely is terrifying.
  6. Bring our doctor records. Sometimes we may eat something we shouldn’t and get ill on vacation. It’s important to have our medical history at your fingertips for the emergency vet (blech). If you have one of those fancy smartphones, you can often load .pdfs on it or email them to yourself. Also, the hotel may request a copy of these records to make sure we’re up to date with vaccines and not spreading sickness to other cats who may staying in the hotel.

There are some cats (like my wimpy brother) who won’t enjoy taking vacations. If that’s the case, then yes, leave them home and make arrangements to ensure they are cared for.

Happy travels!

Image from Life of Luxury

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