I love my pets. I have two cats and a dog who travel with me. I also have four horses who do not.
I can’t imagine travelling without Lightning, my dog. The cats, Patches and Twinkle…I have imagined leaving them with friends.
Once I found a travel friendly litter though, things got much better. (For the record, what works for us is Dr. Elsey’s Senior Cat Litter. Patches and Twinkle love the smooth sand-like texture and I love the lack of smell and that it biodegrades in a month.
Patches and Twinkle actually seem to love travelling. They love looking out the windows, snuggling in blankets and sunning on the dashboard.
Sunning on the dashboard gets us some attention from folks who are worried about pets in cars. Most of the people who reach out to me about it have never travelled long term with their pet, lived in their van, or even spent days and days themselves in their vehicle.
Having driven across the country several times, in winter and summer AND having spent years working as a taxi driver (sitting in my car 12 hours a day) I KNOW how hot/cold it gets.
It’s true, your car can get dangerously hot/cold inside, even if the temperature outside is not dangerous.
It is also true that simple measures can be taken to prevent the problem.
When you are staying in the vehicle…park in a spot with both shade and breeze. Shade cast by big solid objects, like buildings. Or deep in the forest. Not by that one tree at the mall parking lot, that shade is not going to last and the sun on the pavement around it means its not actually cooler there.
Take your pets with you!
Pet strollers are wonderful inventions. I have never been stopped from taking everybody into a store. (on the other hand, I don’t try to take them to Walmart…) They are all zipped up in the stroller, I pile whatever we are getting on top. When we check out, Lightning comes out to walk and new purchases go in the bottom carrier.
How do you keep your pets close and safe on the road?
When Everywhere Is Home 