Last month, I posted snippets about the Cat Writers Association/Blog Paws Conference I attended. I reported on some of attendees who brought their cats, dogs, even ferrets and a rat, many of them dressed up and being pushed around in pet strollers. It was interesting to see so many animals in such a snazzy resort. In fact, I rarely see pets when I travel—especially cats.
I blogged about missing the opportunity to meet the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska when I was there because he is elderly and ill. Why would I want to meet the mayor? Because he’s a cat.
Some people, I’m told, plan their travels to include cats. They book rooms that come with a cat, stop in at restaurants with free-roaming cats (like the one I visited in Big Sur once), and they shop where there are shop cats.
I found a list of Bed and Breakfast inns with cats. In case you’re in any of these cities, you can meet Allie at the 900 Inn in Asheville, NC; Mingtoy and Muffin are the resident cats at the Holden House in Colorado Springs, CO. Meet Maxine at the Maple Hill Farm in Hallowell, Maine and Smokey and Tinsel are the official greeters at the Mulberry Bed and Breakfast in Wareham, MA. Other cities where you’ll find inns with cats include Newport, OR; Parkville, MO; Key West, FL; and Wabasha, MN. There are, of course, numerous cat-friendly hotels across the nation if you want to travel with your pet.
Travel with your cat, you say? Seems like a strange notion considering most cats hate, 
hate, hate going for rides in the car. Can you imagine your cat warming up to the idea of a plane ride with dozens of strangers and all that noise and activity? Mine would certainly cause havoc on a flight. However, there are cats who adapt well to traveling such as Edward Webster’s cat, Felicia. He and his wife, Marguerite opted to take their 16-year-old cat with them when they spent a year touring Europe. Read their story, A Year of Sundays, published by VanderWyk and Burnham. You might also enjoy the memoir Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost by Judy Howard.
Our neighbor traveled for several weeks cross country (Connecticut to California) with two cats and arrived none-the-worse for wear with the two cats alive and well—even seemingly relaxed. It can be done.
I’d love to hear some of your stories about traveling with your cats. The longest ride I’ve ever taken one of my cats was about forty-five miles. I had to stop once to clean an awful mess out of the carrier—a result of fright, I’m sure. But I know you can prepare a cat for travel. Here are a few sites with tons of great information. The first one is about traveling by car and the second, air travel in the cabin.
http://www.wikihow.com/Travel-with-a-Cat
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/tips-traveling-cats-cabin-plane-103688.html
Tomorrow I’ll post places all over the world where you can go for your cat fix while traveling. You don’t want to miss this—it includes entire islands full of cats, meow parlors, and more.
