January 2, Pet Travel Safety Day and Happy Mew Year
Traveling with pets in the mountains (and almost everywhere in winter in the Northern Hemisphere) requires focus on safety, warmth, and hydration, using secure crates or harnesses for restraint, bringing blankets and extra food/water, keeping trips short if needed, protecting paws from road salt with booties/coats, and crucially, never leaving pets unattended due to rapid temperature swings and the risks of hypothermia or frostbite.
Always have an emergency kit with essentials, and ensure your pet is comfortable and secure, even for short stops.
During the Drive
Secure Them: Use a secured crate or a safety harness/seatbelt tether; never let them roam loose or sit on your lap.
Stay Warm & Hydrated: Provide water at stops, bring blankets for warmth, and ensure the car's heat is adequate.
Paws Protection: Use pet booties or paw wax to protect against ice and salty slush; avoid letting them drink from puddles. Especially near the roads! Most road clearing now uses chemicals too and these are poisonous.
Short & Sweet Breaks: Take frequent, short potty and exercise breaks, but keep them short to minimize cold exposure.
Never Leave Unattended: A vehicle's interior can quickly become dangerously cold or hot, even in winter.
Emergency Preparedness
Stuck in Traffic: Pack extra food and water, plus blankets, in case of unexpected delays or getting stuck.
Know the Signs: Watch for shivering, lethargy, or disorientation, which can signal hypothermia.
The above tips are from the BC SPCA, BCAA (BC Automobile Association).
This is a TERRIFIC Video about cold weather travel!
AND it's MEW YEAR!
As far as I'm concerned, EVERY DAY is My day! And I don't know too many cats that don't think that!
Happy Mew Year on January 2nd makes it EXTRA SPECIAL for me! After all yesterday - New Year's Day - seems to be all about the Peeps! Mom says on Mew Year we get 3 wishes each!
Today, I expect my Peep to make the day ALL ABOUT ME! And I want:
A NEw Nip Nanner!
A nice box of Oat grass from the health food store
And Kozmo to feel more like his happy-go-lucky self! I miss my play buddy! I can't remember the last time we played "Great Thundering Herd" or "Bed Monster"!
The new medicine he got from the vet for his joints has not been successful. He can't have pain meds as they react with his Thyroid meds and He has found the cold and wet purrticularly hard this winter. He spends his time sleeping on the sofa or on the bed...
Hari OM My goodness that lass talks fast - but a lot of common sense! Happy Mew Year, Marv... and I'm sending some extra special POTP vibes for Kozmo... hugs and whiskeries, YAM-aunty xxx
Dear Marv, we wish Kozmo felt better too. As humans know what it's like not to feel good and no medicine makes it any better. We just don't like that for fur babies. We are hanging in there waiting to get over the shock of leaving home and coming back. Now we wait to see if the iodine really works or not.
Happy Mew Year to all of you! I hope Kozmo can get a medication to help his joints. Have you tried Arnica? It can be bought as pills or a gel for rubbing in to the painful areas. It doesn't work for everyone, but it worked for my horse, and for me too.
so sorry Kozmo is feeling so bad, and thanks for the oat grass, I can get that for Beau, drought has taken away his natural grazing... thanks for the info on traveling with pets, we don't travel but wow is our state full of travelers that have no clue how to travel with pets. that entire list needs to be posted in Publix place and BOLD the lines Do Not Leave Your Pet Unattended and doing that will help avoid a lot of the things listed. In Florida it is so dangerous for pets it is against the law to leave your pet Unattended in a car. Happy MEW Year and Beau says joking him in his Happy BEAU year....
Java Bean: "Ayyy, these are great travel tips! I hope our Mama and Dada read this and then take us somewhere so they can practice them!" Chaplin: "We're sorry Kozmo isn't feeling better. We send lots of purrs for him to be back to his old self soon." Lulu: "And we dogs send lots of tail wags!"
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteMy goodness that lass talks fast - but a lot of common sense! Happy Mew Year, Marv... and I'm sending some extra special POTP vibes for Kozmo... hugs and whiskeries, YAM-aunty xxx
Dear Marv, we wish Kozmo felt better too. As humans know what it's like not to feel good and no medicine makes it any better. We just don't like that for fur babies. We are hanging in there waiting to get over the shock of leaving home and coming back. Now we wait to see if the iodine really works or not.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mew Year to all of you! I hope Kozmo can get a medication to help his joints. Have you tried Arnica? It can be bought as pills or a gel for rubbing in to the painful areas. It doesn't work for everyone, but it worked for my horse, and for me too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great video with lots of great advice. We hope the vet finds something that will help you out, Kozmo!
ReplyDeleteso sorry Kozmo is feeling so bad, and thanks for the oat grass, I can get that for Beau, drought has taken away his natural grazing... thanks for the info on traveling with pets, we don't travel but wow is our state full of travelers that have no clue how to travel with pets. that entire list needs to be posted in Publix place and BOLD the lines Do Not Leave Your Pet Unattended and doing that will help avoid a lot of the things listed.
ReplyDeleteIn Florida it is so dangerous for pets it is against the law to leave your pet Unattended in a car.
Happy MEW Year and Beau says joking him in his Happy BEAU year....
Happy Mew Year. We hope Kozmo feels better soon.
ReplyDeleteJava Bean: "Ayyy, these are great travel tips! I hope our Mama and Dada read this and then take us somewhere so they can practice them!"
ReplyDeleteChaplin: "We're sorry Kozmo isn't feeling better. We send lots of purrs for him to be back to his old self soon."
Lulu: "And we dogs send lots of tail wags!"