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...
Until a few years ago, we travelled...LOTS! Mom did NOT work in Midway - she worked in cities that were at least a 6 hour drive away. Queen Nellie, Kozmo, Jo Jo and the Hairy Slobbery Sisters, Cinnamon (and before her Bob and Sam). All travelled to where Mom worked and back to Midway many times during a year (they also used to go camping, but that is a different post). All the cats were leash and crate trained and they were furry good. Training your cat to walk on a leash with a harness is particularly important if your pet travels frequently, especially long distances. Here are some tips that Mom has found especially helpful when taking your pets on road trips. Flying would be a whole other post.
Microchip your cat and/or dog and ensure your cat and/or dog is up to date on their rabies vaccines (with a current & valid rabies certificate). Mom puts all of our documents from the vet in a folding case in the glove compartment of the car. That way they are always available (and up to date). Mom keeps the receipts there too, that way she has a record of when the shots happened. She also has a current photo if each of us in the case.
Prep your pet for a long trip. Get your pet geared up by taking them on a series of short drives first, then gradually lengthening the time spent in the car.
Keep your pet in the crate or carrier. The crate should be large enough for your pet to stand, sit, lie down and turn around in. Secure the crate so it won’t slide or shift in the event of an abrupt stop.
Bring food, a bowl, leash, waste bags, grooming
supplies, medication, a first-aid kit, can opener and any pet medications. Bring lots of paper towel for emergency clean up and an old bath towel for dust, dirt and rain cleanup. We also recommend a pair of heavy duty gloves. (Trying to put a mad cat back into a carrier can involve cat bites and claws) Also pack a favorite toy or pillow.
Give your pet bottled water. Tap water from a different location could upset your pet's stomach
Don't leave your animal alone in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, even with the windows open, a parked vehicle becomes a furnace quickly, and heatstroke can develop. In cold weather, a car can act as a refrigerator causing the animal to freeze to death.
Dollar or craft store tie on labels or tags and a felt pen. When travelling or camping, you can add one of these to your pet's collar with the current address, hotel/motel room number, campsite number in case they "escape".
If you are travelling across the Canada/US border you must also satisfy the following:
Your cat and/or dog should be at least six months of age
Your cat and/or dog should be Healthy
If you are bringing a Pet into Canada look at this site: https://inspection.canada.ca/en/importing-food-plants-animals/pets
If you are bringing a pet into the US look at this site: https://www.cdc.gov/importation/dogs/index.html
Mom has bought us some primo treats! AND we are getting a new scratcher! Mom thought that the boxes and the wrap kept us occupied, and they did! But now is our special day!
