Conference misery::feline_v1

    If you do decide to take your kitty along, keeping him confined
    to the bedroom with litter box and clothing laying on the bed
    that he can get up and lay on should help.  Putting him in a room
    with ALL strange smells could be stressful.  
    
    Will you have air conditioning in your car?  Are you prepared not
    to stop off at a restaurant and go in and sit down to eat but rather
    find a drive up type where you can stay in your car and eat in the
    shade?  NO WAY could you leave your kitty in the car during August
    going to North Carolina for any amount of time.  Check on hotel where
    you and your kitty will be welcomed.  A throw away litter box is very
    handy in this situation and water from home will make things easier 
    also. Take enough water to last the whole trip and then if the change
    in water causes problems he won't be in a carrier travling.
    
    Have you thought of having a pet sitting service come into your home
    while you are gone?  Lots to think about.
    
    Barbara

    We took our cat across country from CA to MA, (3000 miles)
    with no problems.  We leash trained him first, so that he
    could be walked on a leash and be used to a collar with
    a nametag, and he traveled in his own travelcage.  He was
    fine.  All you have to do is take proper care, and also
    get the cat used to going in the car.  Some do not like it,
    no matter what.  But, if your kitty does.....
    
    L

    Before we moved to Chicago we used CATNAPS in S. Berlin
    to house our two kitties.  The woman there is very nice
    (she even remembers to send our cats a Christmas card!).
    Now that we're back in MA again I will be calling her to
    take ours again when we vacation.  The two cats came out
    of there not stressed at all.  You can bring the same food
    you feed them at home and their feeding schedule and she
    will follow it.  They are let out into a play area each
    day (alone or together if that's the way they usually
    play) which has a great window seat and LOTS of toys.
    Or you can bring their favorite toys from home.  The
    cages are decently sized, not huge, but clean.  After
    4 or 5 trips there I can say honestly that they did not
    come home with any upper respiratory infections, which is
    so common, or fleas or anything.  All in all, a satisfactory
    way to vacation without feeling (too) guilty.
    
    laura

    
    Bailey would get more stressed if I left him behind than he would if he
    came with me. I'll be back there for 2 weeks and he'll be with me.  He 
    doesn't mind flying (or driving) and adapts well to new environments.
    I bring his sctratching post, his dishes, his food and toys and he's
    fine. Now, if I could only get Frequent Flyer miles for him...
    
    

most cats hate traveling in cars - vertigo like response to seeing the
landscape move the "wrong way"....and they hate change.  These facts, coupled
with the new smells, noises, temperatures, humidities, and additional stress,
can lead to personality changes, and the cat making a real effort to escape and
"get back home".  Unless your cat is an experienced traveler, it isn't a good
idea to take him/her along on vacation.  If a maid opens the hotel room door
at the wrong time...or if your mother/father/aunt/uncle/sister/brother/neice
or nephew opens the door at the wrong time...

I recommend you find a good kitty hotel and enjoy your vacation knowing your
pet is protected, safe, and while missing you, less stressed than traveling
would make him/her.

    Thanks _much_ for all your helpful advice!!

      
     It all depends on a lot of things. When I was in the USAF we took our
    Siamese and an 18 pound female tabby to Minnesota from cape Cod and
    back in a VW Beetle. We made a "nest" on the back seat for them, had a
    small litter box on the floor of the back seat, and they did absolutely
    fine. Most motels will accept a litter-box trained cat a lot easier
    than they will a dog or other pet. We had signs that we made up to put
    on the motel room door if we went to dinner or somewhere that said:
    
      DO NOT OPEN DOOR!! CATS INSIDE!! 
      
      We'd talk to the desk and they would make sure that none of the maids
    would enter our room without knocking and/or they would wait until w
    checked out. If we had to transport the cats to and from the car or to
    my parent's hose, we did so in a cat carrier. 
    
     As for the traveling....the Siamese would act up a bit and "Miaow" for
    about 2 minutes when we started out...then they'd both curl up and the
    sound of the tires humming on the road would put them out like
    lights...
    
    JM

    With two large dogs (labs), one blind and one with epilepsy, and two
    cats, TaiTai and Figaro, we have found a pet-house sitter service (here
    in Atlanta it's called "Critter Sitters".)  She comes to the house
    twice daily to give the epileptic medications and brings in paper and
    mail etc.  The cats seem more happy in their own surroundings.  I make
    arrangements with my vet that if she has to bring any of them in, we
    will take care of bill on our return.  She will walk your pets and
    exercise them if you want.  Our epileptic dog has a seizure whenever
    she leaves our yard (the dogs are outside dogs).  In fact, this month
    the vet is coming to the house to update their shots, etc.  I guess
    it's just what you and your cat would be happiest with....have a great
    trip!!

    If you put a note on the motel or hotel door, don't forget to
    use Spanish as well as English, esp. as you're heading south.
    

    Boy, you feliners think of EVERYTHING!
    
    Bonnie

      "Cats" magazine this month (which I just got Saturday) has a fairly
    extensive article on "Traveling with Kitty"... 
    
      If interested, I could copy it and send it along...
    
    
      JOhn McD

    I'd appreciate a copy.
    
      Thanks!
    
    Mike Ensley
    UPO1-4

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    Kitty hotel near Clinton.
    
    I used to live in Hudson and I used CATNAPS in S. Berlin.
    I can't remember the women's name but she has a really
    fantasic place and she just loves cats and gave my cat
    alot of extra attention.  You can't go wrong.
    
    CATNAPS - 272 Peasant St.  S. Berlin
              838-2627
    
    
    She specializes in bording cats - I just can't recommend
    her enough.
    

Over a month ago I got a new kitty.  He is now over four months old.
Chief just loves attention.  He is very talkative (i.e. always meowing for
attention).  I do let him outside when I am home for a few hours  
	Anyway we are going away for about a week.  I have a neighbor who says
they will feed and play with him every night.  I am also considering finding
someone who will take him in. He loves to play and needs lots of attention
(I have been spoiling him big time!).

	Do you think that he will be happy with much less attention and
wont try to destroy the house to get even, or would we be better off finding
someone to take him in for the week (i.e. another neighbor)?

	All thoughts would be appreciated.  I wish I could take him with us,
but that is not possible.

    I would depend on the neighbor -- cats get attached to their
    surroundings.  Also if, God forbid, he got outside, he would more
    likely be able to find his way home.  Maybe he needs a cat buddy; 
    something to think about when you get back.
    

    I would agree w/ Karen. But the depression makes this a hard decision.
    Do you really think he'll be bummed out if he's alone all day & only
    has attention at the time your friend comes to feed him? If you did 
    bring him to your friends house, is it far away from yours? If it's
    like the next door neighbor, I'd let the cat decide, but if it's far 
    away, like Karen said, Leave him home unless you suspect that he'll get
    really sick, depressed, & stop eating if he's left alone.
    
    A toughie, and I'm sure I didn't help you decide! oh well!!:*)
    
    Bonnie

Another solution, but more complicated, would be to have your friend start off
feeding and playing with him at night, but have someone else lined up as a
backup to take him in if the first idea doesn't work.  This might be more
feasible if the trip was longer than a week, but it's certainly an option.

Or, could you have another friend stop by and play with him at a different time,
to increase the amount of time he has people to play with?

I know Tigger (the lump) would be happier at home, but I could imagine other
more sociable kitties would have different opinions on the subject.

When we went on our last vacation (less than a week but more than a long
weekend :-)) we had a local "critter care" person come in to feed and check
on the kids, and it worked out well from our perspective; we will do the
same thing again next time.  But again, "your mileage may vary" :-)

Jill