Conference misery::feline_v1

    Hi Nancy,
    
    Almost every Holiday Inn will take cats....if you were to drive
    to Florida, I bet you could manage a stop at a Holiday Inn part
    way down...
    
    If you really want to fly, then it might cost you more, but you
    can always send the cats cargo.
    
    purrs
    cin
    

    Nancy,  I don't really have any good ideas but I know what you are
    going through.  John and I haven't taken a real vacation in 10 years
    party due to our not wanting to leave the animals behind.  In two
    weeks, we are finally going somewhere, Arizona, and I am already
    getting nervous about leaving the dog and cats behind.  After much
    thought, we decided it would be much easier on the cats if they
    were left in there own house, as they all hate to travel.  We decided
    to have someone come in once a day, feed, water, clean and give
    a little love. We have heard that travel can cause a cat great stress,
    if they are not used to it, so for us this was the best alternative.
    
    As for the dog, well, she isn't going to make out as good, she's
    going to be boarded at our vets, where she will get all her boosters,
    and heart worm testing done. I sure hope she forgives me for this!! 
    
    Jeanne 
    

    
    Jeanne - my sister has an *extremely* spoiled dog, and whenever she and
    her husband go away, they put Zelda in a kennel.  Sue feels that this
    is probably a vacation from them for the dog :^}
    
    Re. .0 - depending on how adaptible the cats are, it could be fun to
    rent a Winnebago and take them along!
    
    Sandy
    
    

    Be careful about shipping cats cargo in an airplane.  There is at
    least one note in here full of horror stories (suffocation, freezing, etc.)
    

      When I was in the Air Force, we took our two cats from Otis AFB on
    Cape Cod to Minnesota via the northern route. The "northern route" is
    from Cape Cod to the Mass Turnpike...to Buffalo N.Y......ans head north
    from there....to Toronto, north to Parry SOund, along the Trans-Canada
    highway to Seault Ste. Marie...and on to northern Minnesota. 
      Our two at the time consisted of a Siamese male and an 18 lb. tabby
    female. They made a lot of noise, howling and carrying on for at LEAST
    the first 25 miles....then they realized that they weren't having much
    success, so they found a warm nest in a pile of clothing that we'd
    purposely left for them...and proceeded to sleep for most of the
    balance of the trip....
    
      And the vehicle?????   A 1965 Volkswagen beetle!!
    
    
       We also went to Minnesota via the same route in a 28 foot mobile
    home (Winnebago type.) with three dogs. Dogs are much more trouble than
    cas are from a hygeine point of view. Cats don't need to be walked
    twice or more each day....dogs definitely do....
    
      We decided that we would NEVER leave our dogs in kennels again. We
    have checked around and found the best we possibley could, yet without
    fail we used to get our dogs bsck with:
          (a)Fleas
          (b)Smelling like a rapid-transit station.(urine)
          (c)With a cough(kennel cough)
          (d)No longer house-trained..(temporarily)
          (e)All of the above.
      Not to mention the fact that it would be prohibitively expensive now
    anyway...9 pups would make it more practical to BUY a kennel than to 
    board our herd there....
    
    JM

    We have friends who work for DEC and they are on temporary assignment
    in Italy for 9 months to a year. Our closest friends were looking for
    an apartment and the two couples worked out a deal where couple #2
    will house and dog sit for the length of time couple #1 is gone.
    
    The dogs that got left at home were two Pugs. They have acted like
    NOTHING was different from the first day their folks went away. They
    are eating fine, no bathroom problems, no shedding. We gave up looking
    for any signs of stress. Their family consisted of Pa & Ma and one set
    of twins (boy and girl) 4 years old, an and 8 month old baby. Needless
    say the whole house hold routine is different but no problems. Needless
    to say the folks in Italy are glad things are working out but made them
    think that they are not needed very much. So much for loyalty.
    
    I don't feel the same as John McD. Dogs are easy to walk at road side
    rest areas but what a pain getting the cat cages into the ladies rooms
    at gas stations, (need some place we could lock the door) and get them
    to use the litter box. Not fun for us, but like John said it certainly
    was an adventure. We went from North Conway to Cleveland, Ohio, and
    then a few years later, Ohio to Florida, and then back to Ohio a year
    later and then three years later we traveled from Ohio to NH. This was
    all done with at least two Saint Bernards, three cats, and the last
    move we added 3 rabbits. THEY WERE THE EASIEST OF ALL.
    
    One thing I will say before I sign off, They will either MAKE OR BREAK
    your vacation.!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Barbara 

    Weeeell.....   I once went cross-country with three preschoolers,
    a Keeshonden dog and my (at the time) two Siamese. By day the cats
    were in the back of the station wagon in an extra-large sized dog
    cage complete with shelves and litter box. By night they (and everyone
    else) were in the small Starcraft tent trailer with add-a-room.
    The cats got lots of hugs and attention at rest stops and walked
    on leashes while we were in the campgrounds. We were gone about
    two months and inspite of the kids (human) injuries and illnesses
    it worked out great...
    
    ....as long as you don't count the time TiJai opened the trailer
    and add-a-room and went roaming around the campground and nearby
    woods ...(to return safely)  ....and the time in Colorado Springs
    that he climbed out the small hole in the unseen window (inside 
    the shower) and we were in our pj's chasing him up the main road 
    to Denver at 4 a.m. (while the passing truck drivers "beeped" their 
    appreciation for the "entertainment" we were unwittingly providing.
    ...(he returned safely that time, too.)
    
    Linda
    

    Nancy,
    
    I have the same problem when I go on a Holliday. I hate to leave
    them behind without somebody in the house. 
    So what I always try is, to ask a friend, who really loves cats aswell,
    to stay in my appartment durring my vacation.
    
    And if you know that cats get more used to there homes then to there
    hummans, then you would proberbly leave them at home. Why else do
    you get these stories from cats walking hundreds of mls to there
    previous homes after the hummans moved to an other city and took the
    cats with them. 
    
    If you want to take my advise and can find somebody who is very
    fond (?) of cats, and is able to stay at your house during your
    vacation, I would leave them at home then. You can always call that
    person as many times as you want then to ask how your cats are doing.
    
    Think about this before you make the desicion to take them with
    you. If you do that than it is just for yourself, not for the cats.
    
    (what if they escape and you can't find them ?)
    
    
    Loes, Candy and Spooky
    
      

    I definitely second .8.  I would never forgive myself if I took
    my four babies (1 dog, 3 cats) and lost one or all of them just
    to please myself.  I went away a few years back and my babies
    survived nicely.  In fact, they were definitely in better condition
    than I was.
    
    The only mishap was when my 100 LB Sammy fell in the pool.  I would
    have loved to have seen that.  Do you realize HOW MUCH A 100 LB
    DOG WEIGHS WHEN WET?????
    
    Sandi (Lightning, DejaVu & Thunder's mom)*(and Keisha's too)
    
    

    I *know* cats are supposed to be happier when left home.  I
    did take my first cat camping with no problems - except that she
    got out of the tent at night and climbed on top of it.  She had
    figured out how to undo zippers!  Scared the living daylights
    out of me - or maybe it was living nightlights since it was in
    the middle of the night that I awoke to the sounds of scrabbling
    on top of our 8x10 cabin tent!
      In all seriousness tho, I will keep your notes in mind when we
    consider alternatives.  I had thought a cottage would be a good
    idea since they would get a chance to settle in someplace for
    a week or two. Don't forget - my cats are indoor cats who only
    go out on a leash.  This is not to say that they could never get
    away (they also all have id tags on), but I think its less of a
    problem with indoor cats.
      Thanks for the all input!
       Nancy DC
    
    

    I know most people leave their cats at home, but we have friends
    who always bring theirs with them to their cottage in Maine.  I'm
    not sure what arrrangements they make in the car, but they say the
    cats LOVE going with them.  They started going when they were 
    little, so they're used to it.  And apparently the cats consider
    it as much a vacation as the owners do.
    
    Karen, Tristan, Tenzing and Max.

    This probably sounds silly, but I find that I miss the cats
    so much that it really decreases my enjoyment of my vacation.
    Its not so much that I'm worried about them as I miss their
    company.  I really look forward to coming home to them in the
    evening.
      Nancy who's_more_than_just_a_little_cat_crazy DC
    

    Nancy,
    
    If your cats are indoor cats, and you can keep them inside,
    it could be a lot of fun for them in a cottage. There are proberbly
    a lot of new things to discover and play with for them. 
    
    But make sure you keep them inside.
    
    My father always takes his whole household to the camping (always
    the same). Three cats two dogs, some birds and a rabbit (he even
    takes his wife and daughters). He took them since they where young, 
    so they are used to it, and you can see they enjoy it. But one cat
    'Truusje' walked away someday, they searched everywhere for her, but
    couldn't find her. So every weekend they went back to the camping,
    left notes there and searched for her. They never found her back.
    
    I don't tell you this to scare you, but just to warn you, to keep
    them inside, especially because they're indoor cats. 
    
    Have a nice holliday (with your cats)
                       
    Loes
    
        
    

Thanks for the warning Loes - believe me, if we take the cats with us
    they will be STRICTLY supervized.  They are not outdoor cats, except
    on leashes.  I do have id tags on them, but if they got away
    far from home the tags wouldn't do much good.  
      My husband likes the winebago idea.  Of course, we have absolutely
    no idea of cost so I don't know if its even affordable.  But it
    sounds like a fun idea to me.  He's even talking about going away
    for two weeks which will be the longest vacation we've ever taken
    together........
      I'm starting to get excited about the idea!  
      Thanks for all the suggestions.
       Nancy DC
    

    Hi Nancy,
    
    I know what you mean about just plain missing them while your gone.
    When I go out of town to a show and take a couple of the cats with
    me, they seem to enjoy it.  But, part of their enjoyment might be
    in the fact that they don't have to share me with 17 other cats!
    They have me all to themselves when we are out of town.  I don't
    find traveling with the cats to be a problem.  I have only taken
    a long car trip with four or more cats one time.  
    
    That trip was last October.  My husband, myself, and four of our
    Birmans drove from Morgan Hill CA to Portland, OR for our Regional
    Qualifying Show.  The drive took us about 12 hours and we only 
    stopped a couple of times (once to drive through Wild Life Safari).  
    This was accomplished in a Honda Accord Hatchback with a portable 
    litterbox.  No problems.  We stayed at the Ramada Inn.  The only 
    mishap was when the waiter delivered our room service dinner and 
    Lyscentia decided to take a stroll through the hotel.  The waiter
    helped me chase her down.  We caught her waiting for the elevator
    to the lobby! ;^)
    
    Jo

    I didn't know that your could bring pets to a hotel!
      N
    

    Yes, you can bring pets to a hotel, but, not all hotels let you.
    Sometimes you have to pay a deposit that is refundable when your
    room checks out, sometimes you have to pay a pet fee.
    
    If any of you have the 365 cats calendar, the picture and caption
    are about a 133 year old Inn in Wabasha Minnesota that will give
    you a cat to keep you company during your stay.  This is what I
    was thinking might be fun for you Nancy DC.  It is called the Anderson
    House, it has 51 rooms, the owner is John Hall.  He says that the
    cats love it as much as the guests.
    
    Jo

    One of my co-workers gave me that page out of the calendar and
    I'm holding on to it.  I think its wonderful!  Boy, I love animals
    so much I ought to figure out a vacation that would put me in
    contact with animals alot.  Heck, I ought to have a job like that!
    Too bad it don't pay as good as 'puters.
    

    Last April the wife and I finally decided to buy a motor home, in
    part, because we wanted to be able to take our three cats along
    with us.  Over the year we went from Colo Spgs to Seattle, to Phoenix
    and Tucson twice and to Los Alamos, plus some local Colorado
    travelling.  In all, we put over 9000 miles on the RV.  We have
    a 27' Winnebago SuperChief and I can't think of a better way to
    travel.  The cats love it, even though the two girls, Ada and Doobie
    usually get "car sick" about two hours out on the first day.  After
    that, everybody is fine.  We got one of those covered cat litter
    boxes and it goes under the dinette on a big plastic bag while we
    are travelling and then moves up sorta under the passenger side
    dash when we are stopped.
    
    You'll find you *MUST* keep the litter box scrapped out frequently
    as the smells in a fairly closed space can get pretty bad.
    
    If you'd like to try the idea out, I suggest you contact U-Haul
    as they rent Southwind brand RV's at fairly good rates.  Rates vary
    a lot all over the country, so I can't suggest an appropriate range.
    If you check the yellow pages you might find other dealers that
    specialize in RV rental.  Try for a fixed rate per week with a fair
    number of "free" miles (like 1000 or 1500).  A low fixed rate plus
    mileage will usually work out to be more expensive.
    
    Let us know if you try it.
    
    Chuck

    Thanks for the input!  I'll be sure to let you know if we
    give it a try.  Right now its beginning to look like the
    house is going to eat our vacation on us.
      Nancy DC
    

Consider:

if your cats get out somewhere far from home, how will you feel?  It is
not wise to take pets to new and unfamiliar territory on vacation, etc.
because they don't travel well, have no resistence to the local "bugs",
and can become the focal point for fleas and ticks and the diseases they
carry.  Besides, cats generally HATE to travel so they wouldn't have
any fun...it would be stressful and potentially bad for their general
health.  Better to find a kitty sitter or quality kennel where you know
they are safe and you will not lose them.