Sometimes you can’t travel and leave your pets at home. If your hotel allows it, you can bring your pets with you the next time you’re traveling. Of course, pets aren’t usually well-suited to long journeys and hanging out in hotel rooms. Here are a few tips to make it easier on them.
Stay With Them
Your cat or dog could quickly become irritated and anxious if you just leave them alone in a hotel room after you arrive. They could decide to shred the furniture, tear up the drapes, or other destructive acts of pet anxiety.
Food and Water Bowls
Make sure you also bring food and water bowls for your cats. You might not be able to find appropriate-sized bowls at the hotel, for one thing. For another, your pet will feel more relaxed and more at home if you bring things they recognize with you.
Flea Treated
Make sure you don’t travel with animals who are carrying fleas. It’s rude to take them with you to a hotel because the fleas will get into the carpet and furniture. Then, any future guests who bring their pets will have to deal with fleas! Treat them for fleas first.
Noise Complaint
Make sure your pet doesn’t bark or meow often before you take them to a hotel. If they’re quite talkative, you could find yourself getting on other guests’ nerves and you could get thrown out for noise complaints. Look into a few ways to keep your cat or dog quiet.
Research Pet Fees
Some hotels might require a deposit or other pet fees before you bring a cat or dog with you. Research these and make sure you’re prepared to pay any fees that could result from your pet causing damage to the room.
Bring Toys
One way to keep your pet entertained and calm is to bring some of their favorite toys with you. This can help them feel at home and calm even as they get acquainted with their new surroundings. Playtime is also a great way to keep them from barking or meowing and bothering other guests!
Bring Their Bed
You should also consider bringing your pet’s bed or favorite blanket with you to the hotel room. This will make bedtime much easier for you, as they don’t need to get acclimated to weird-smelling bedding or sheets. They can just curl up on the “right” bed or blanket and doze off.
Housetraining
Don’t bring a cat or dog that isn’t house trained with you to a hotel room. Be prepared to take your dog outside for bathroom break, and make sure you bring a disposable litter tray along for your cat. Don’t leave pet messes in the room for housekeeping to deal with.
Don’t Wash Them There
Don’t use the hotel bathtub (or sink) to clean your cat or dog. This can leave a lot of pet hair in the drain and can be a huge nuisance for housekeeping and future guests. Just give your pet a bath before and after the trip! They’ll be okay for a few days.
Don’t Sneak Them In
Whatever you do, don’t ignore a hotel’s policies just because you feel like you should be entitled to having your pets with you. Sneaking a pet into a hotel would be stressful and you’d be constantly worried about getting caught and thrown out. The last thing you want is to have you and your pet looking for a new lodging late at night in an unfamiliar city.
