Top 10 hilarious traveling cat photos

When I took my cat Pistol on the airplane for the first time, it was a pretty crazy experience. From clutching her fearfully through the metal detector to meeting all the kids in the airport lounge, we had a fine — if somewhat stressful — time. Pistol did an outstanding job, and managed to remain adorable throughout the process.

It’s Friday, so I decided to focus my energy on writing about what really matters: traveling cats in their cases. Here are the top ten I found.

Top 10 Traveling Cat Photos!

1. Stitch, by ASurroca

Stitch looks a little less than thrilled about the prospect of travel.2. Truman, by John Morton

Truman is all ears and ready for action. He will wait patiently until you are ready to go spelunking with him.

3. Pirate and Kilgore, by Firepile

These two have been commiserating in their carrier and have decided to let you live if there’s a cheeseburger in it for them.

4. Maine Coon Cat, by Rockmixer

This little geriatric looks like he wants to tell you all about his back problems and make up stories starting with “When I was your age …”

5. Artemis, by A.M. Kuchling

This glamorous feline will continue pouting until she gets her martini and kibble at the hotel.

6. Gus, by Cjc4454

Gus may look like a cautious traveler, but get a little catnip in him and he’ll be the first one to suggest bungee jumping.

7. Mac, by Ewen and Donabel

Mac is king of his carrier and wants to know what time he should be ready for the opera.

8. Molly and Sydney, by SomeToast

Molly and Sydney are travel pros. Molly wishes you’d picked a nicer hotel, but she’ll try to be polite about it.

9. Pajamas, by Bochalla

Pajamas doesn’t know if you knew they were going to put her in the belly of the plane, but she has her suspicions.

10. Meatwad, by Allygirl520

Meatwad wants to tell you how many frequent flier miles he has.

[Top photo by Annie Scott. Additional photos by Flickr users as credited.]

Four tips for traveling with dogs – Road trip tips

Traveling with your beloved pooch often takes the same careful planning as hitting the road with young children. Utilize these tips to ensure a smooth ride:

  • Give your pup a thorough brushing before loading him into the car, greatly reducing the amount of flying fur.
  • Pack travel necessities for your road trip like water and a bowl, treats, paper towels, and cleanup bags.
  • Unless your dog requires specialty food, don’t try to squeeze a bag of food into your already packed car: stop and purchase a bag once you arrive.
  • Identify places to stop prior to leaving to assure your doggie can relieve himself and strech every few hours.

Bon voyage!

[Photo: Flickr | emdot]

D.C. area airports pet relief areas – fake fire hydrant included

I am not a pet owner – so I never thought about the challenges involved in letting Fifi or Mr. Bigglesworth relieve themselves during a trip.

Apparently, the Washington D.C. airports did consider these challenges, because they just opened several designated pet relief areas.

At Dulles, two of these areas are actually inside the airport. Each of these fenced in areas has a fake fire hydrant, artificial grass and bag dispensers. To keep things clean, these locations also have special ventilation and a flushing system. Three other locations at Dulles are pre-secruity, outside the main terminal building.

At Reagan National, all the relief areas are outside the terminal buildings. They are located at Terminal A, B and C. A map of the locations can be found here. The relief areas were originally intended for service animals, but traveling pets are also welcome.

Don’t let your pet over drink – Road trip tip

Boarding pets while you’re on vacation can be costly. So why not take them? After all… they love a change of scenery, too!

If you can take your pet with you, avoid letting him or her “over drink” on the trip, as a result of stress. This can lead to vomit spells. (Of course, be sure to let your pet get enough liquids during the ride!)

One way to prevent your pet from over drinking is to get a kid’s sand pail; fill it with ice; and let the ice melt. As it melts, the pet can drink from the pail — but because the ice melts slowly, your pet can’t over drink!

When traveling with pets, read the fine print – Hotel tip

If you’re traveling with a pet, make sure you read all the fine print about pet fees and policies when booking a hotel room.

Many hotels require that pets must either be kenneled in the room or not be left alone at any time. Pets may also be banished from lobbies and other public areas. Some hotels place size restrictions on pets. Still others even have “breed restrictions” in place.

Finally, some hotels place pets and their owners in the same rooms or floors that are designated for smokers, so if you have allergy issues, call or email ahead before checking in with Fido or Fluffy.