Pet owners of all kinds are always wondering the best way to travel with their furry friends. For many, traveling with pets is limited to veterinary visits, either in their own vehicle or via public transport, but for many others, traveling can entail long hours on the road or in the air, which requires planning so that neither their pets nor themselves are uncomfortable during the journey.
In this blog, we’ll discuss what we think are the best tips for planning a road-trip with your pet. Learning how to travel with a cat in the car or how to travel with a dog in the car doesn’t have to be impossible. With just a little bit of effort, a road trip with pets can actually become something fun and memorable for years to come. Keep reading if you’re interested in tips and tricks for traveling with pets.
Get Your Pet Acquainted with Your Car
The first thing owners should do is get their pets comfortable being in their car, even if that just means putting them inside the trunk or back seat while the car is parked in the driveway. Pets can be very particular about their space, and adapting to the limited space available to them in the car before owners get started on their journey is extremely important. A pet that has not been allowed to acclimate to their car space is likely to feel extremely frightened while on the road, meaning excess noise and maybe even an accident, which is going to be pretty inconvenient to deal with while driving.
If you’re one of many pet owners wondering how to travel with a cat in the car or how to travel with a dog in the car, we can’t recommend enough letting them feel out their space in the car before the road trip starts. Once the cat or dog seems like they’ve figured out the space while the car is stationary, move on to making small trips around the neighborhood. Driving at low speeds with the pet in the car will let them observe the moving environment around them without inducing too much fear. Remember that vehicles are unnatural environments for pets, and taking things step by step is the best way to make an animal feel comfortable in moving vehicles.
Plan for Frequent Stops
When taking a road trip with pets, keep in mind that frequent stops will go a long way in making a cat or dog feel comfortable. Even if the litter box is made available to a cat in the car, they may not feel comfortable using it while you’re speeding down the highway. And in the case of dogs, frequent bathroom breaks and breaks to let them breathe and walk around is going to let them release energy that may be growing unhealthily while cooped up on the drive. Don’t wait until the road trip starts to look for places to stop. Plan ahead and understand what sort of rest stops or exits are available to you on your route. Think of traveling with pets as traveling with needy friends or family members. And keep in mind that the fresh air will do both an owner and their pet a lot of good while they make their way along the road.
Have Treats & First Aid Handy
If you are taking a road trip with pets, it is important to have their favorite snacks near at hand, that way you can reward them for good behavior or ease their nerves when they begin to act up. Sometimes while on the road it is not possible to stop and give a pet a full meal. This is why having nutritional and tasty snacks can be useful to pack before getting on the road.
