Bumpurr
RESPECT The- Star! | 
 | | Purred: Thu Jun 18, '09 3:43pm PST |  | |  | | Instead of typing this for each post, thought I would just
do one post. 
Bumpurr and the kittens are show cats. They travel up to
7 hours, one way to a show, the norm I travel is 5 hours.
They sleep the whole way, unless I stop for bathroom or
tolls, then they get up, and say, are we there yet, nope,
not yet, they go back to sleep.
The key is to get them used to travel ahead of time, and
that they are comfortable during the travel.
They started learning, as 8 week old kittens. But its never
to late to teach them.
They eat in their carriers, so they associate the carrier as
a good thing. When I load to go to a show, I open the door,
they walk right in.
As time went on, I increase the amount of time, they
spent in their carriers, after they ate, so they learned, to
be in the carrier for an extended lenght of time.
I also put in 2 soft clean towels, and toys, they travel with
the same toys to shows, and the toys are put in their
bench cage. They are comfortable during travel, and the
toys are a scent from home. I also use a hard carrier,
that is large, so they have room to stand up, walk around.
stretch out and sleep. Bumpurr's carrier is rated for a
30 lb dog, he can stretch out and sleep.
I also started them out by taking short rides, and over
time, increased the ride time, so they got used to riding
for a long time.
Never feed an hour before you load, or an hour after you
get there.
I tried putting a cat box in the carrier, they never used it,
and ending up just making a mess, and had litter all over
them. But some that do travel to shows, do put a small
litter box in there, about the size of a cake pan.
Some put what is called, wee wee pads, under the towel or
blanket, just in case.
Always carry baby wipes, unscented, just in case.
Never take the cat out of the carrier, until you get where
you are going, ie, the show, or the hotel room, and the
door is securely locked.
Pet friendly hotels are Red Roof, Motel 6, Motel 8,
Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, La Quinta, and some Holiday
Inns. Some charge a pet fee, some do not. Some say they
will refund the pet fee, upon favorable inspection, the
next morning, mostly this is Holiday Inn. They hate me.
I "insist" upon an inspection "now", as he is not going to
be blamed, for damage, already there, and believe me,
there always is, so insist upon an inspection, now.
Some hotels require the cat be confined in a carrier or the
bathroom, this is mostly Holiday Inn. If the cat is very
well behaved, I wouldn't worry about it.
Put the cat box in the bathroom, that way, any litter, or
accidents, are easier to clean up, than on the rug.
Be respectful of the room, so its not ruined for the rest of
us. Sweep up any spilled litter, they have a small dustpan
and brush, at the dollor store. When you pick the cat
box or have to dump the whole thing, put it in a plastic
bag, like you get at the grocery store, tie it up, and then
put it in the trash.
Always, always, always, before you let the cat loose in the
room, check under the bed, ya would be surprised at
what you find under there, behind the dressers, check
that there are no holes in the walls, in the entire room and
the bathroom. Look for rodent or insect bait under the
bed, this will kill a cat if they should get into it.
Call ahead, to make sure the hotel does take pets, and
what their pet policy is, forgot, Microtell is another one
that takes pets.
If you get the cat used to travel, if you get the cat used to
being in the carrier an extended amount of time, if you
make the cat comfortable during the travel, it will all
go well.
The kittens first show, at 7 months old, was 5 hours one
way, they slept the whole way.
p.s. always make sure your cat is utd on shots, and has
a rabies shot, if the state your going to, or thru, requires
it, and make sure you carry the records and cert with you.
**if** the state requires rabies, and you don't have the
shot, or the cert, and something happens, they may
seize and quarrintin the cat, at your expense.
Hope this helps, and best of luck in your travels. |  |  | |  |
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