Would you travel with your Pets?

Hi everyone,

According to a survey from BlueCross 76% of holiday makers in the UK are choosing this year to go for “staycations” with their pets in the UK.

But do do they know how to travel safely with their pet? There are many things one needs to consider before taking their pet on a holiday even if it is in your own country. And while much of the below may seem common sense to most of us animal lovers it’s never a bad idea to remind people of these important tips.

Big thanks goes to Blue Cross for putting these together.

As the nation sets off on their summer travels, national pet charity Blue Cross reveals that 76% of UK dog or cat owners have chosen a particular holiday in the UK so they can take their beloved pets on away with them more easily.

When asked about the barriers to travelling with pets, the survey commissioned by the charity showed that 47% of cat or dog owners consider travelling abroad too expensive with a pet and more than half (54%) say they are worried their pet would get hurt travelling on a plane or ferry. A staggering 84% of people who’ve taken their pet on holiday with them have chosen to travel via car.

Blue Cross advises pet owners who wish to take their furry friend with them on holiday to avoid aeroplanes and ferries, unless the ferry company allows pets to stay with their owners. Pets should never be left unattended in a car or anywhere else when travelling no matter how short the journey, dogs and cats can deteriorate in minutes and risk fatality.

Mark Bossley, Chief Vet at London’s Victoria animal hospital said: “We’re a nation of pet lovers so it’s no surprise that lots of people choose to go on holiday with their pets. We need to make sure that the four-legged members of the family are travelling safely and are happy, as there can be risks involved when travelling with them.

“All pet owners must make sure their dog is safely clipped into a car harness seatbelt or in a travel crate and cats in a secure cat carrier. Always make sure you have lots of water for yourself and your pets, take breaks if on long journeys, and never leave your pet in the car unattended as this can be fatal very quickly. One of the biggest threats to pets is heatstroke when in a car so stay with them, lots of ventilation is key and keep an eye on them to make sure they’re looking happy and healthy so everyone can enjoy the holiday.”

On average, amongst dog and cat owners who have chosen a holiday because they could take their pet, countryside holidays with pets proved to be the most popular (60%).

There are lots of lovely walks to take your dogs on in the countryside however there are also things to remember including the danger to livestock. Blue Cross advises dog walkers to keep pooch on a lead at all times near farm animals as by law dog owners are obliged to keep dogs under control so they don’t disturb animals or wildlife. Dogs also need to be on a short lead on most areas of open country and common land, known as access land, between 1 March and 31 July when birds are nesting.

To keep your pets safe when travelling, follow Blue Cross advice and speak to your vet ahead of any journey. Make sure your pet is in good health before embarking on adventures with the four-legged members of the family.

For more advice on travelling safely with pets in summer and general pet summer safety visithttps://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/summer-survival-guide-pets, or to make a donation towards caring for sick, injured and homeless pets visit www.bluecross.org.uk

Don't miss out!
Subscribe To Newsletter

Receive top cat news, competitions, tips and more!

Invalid email address
Give it a try. You can unsubscribe at any time.

33 thoughts on “Would you travel with your Pets?

  1. Léa says:

    I’ve experienced a few felines that enjoy getting in a car and going somewhere. The divas, however, do not appreciate such bumping and bouncing about. Their human is trained to be sensitive to their needs and what makes them comfortable and would never subject them to travel. That ride to the Vet is traumatic enough. We; have dear friends that are, of course, trained well by their own seven cats that we can call on should this human have a need to go somewhere. Likewise, if they are away, this human takes a book and spends time in both houses. Happy cats make a happy home.

    • Marc-André says:

      Oliver doesn’t like car journeys either. Freya and Rennie on the other hand love going to see new places. ?

  2. snowfox66 says:

    I take my fur babies with me as much as possible. Since both are adopted with abandonment issues. One of us are always with them. Hey, they ARE our babies after all!

  3. helentastic67 says:

    Jamima travelled very well for 3.5 hours in the car to get home for Christmas. I’m hoping. Mika my new fur-baby from the Neko Cat Lounge in Melbourne will cope just as well. St the other end she might even hang out with her 2. Rotherham from another mother. But she won’t be going outside. Snakes! Just saying………..hells no! Cheers,H

      • bettylouise31 says:

        We saw many cats that were living in the RV with there Owners. And a couple walking on a leash. An older cat while she travel with us okay but she didn’t like change of places much. Since she was not happy we found her home. We waited to start with a kitten. Kato never knew any other way.

        • Marc-André says:

          If you’ve got any photos from the RV traveling time would you be interested in doing a follow up post on traveling with cats? 🙂

          • bettylouise31 says:

            I have been wondering about this. I assume you want Kato thoughts.Most of the pictures I have been sharing were taken by my husband as we travel. How soon do you want t it. No pictures of other cats as it was usually a his upon seeing them. To be safe the walk went they other way.

          • Marc-André says:

            Whenever you can will be fine. 🙂 i can also create you an author profile. And it could be out of Kato’s view or your own – whichever is easier. 😀

  4. subodai213 says:

    We take one of our two cats camping! She loves it, but she doesn’t like traveling in the truck, so we put her in the camper. Once in camp, though, she’s DEMANDING the harness and the leash, Let’s Go WALKIES!!!! I cannot count the number of times I’ve had people stop us and want to know how we trained her to go camping, go on a leash, etc. They all say the same thing…I wish my cat liked camping.
    The other one, though stays home and is happy. (we had an animal communicator talk to them both and this is what they want. )

    Every once in a while, though, you meet a real traveling cat. I met a young man in Seattle who was hitchhiking..to Michigan. He had a sign that was all icons: a face + a cat’s face= Michigan.
    I stopped (he wasn’t begging for money, still I gave him a $5) and his cat, a very polite tuxedo cat, said “Roww?” and the young man said, “No, buddy, it’s not our ride.” I believe he had a kennel but the cat was perfectly happy in a harness and a leash.

  5. soyvirgo says:

    I’ve traveled with my kitty and she hated it. She cried a lot in the plane, but I only did it because I didn’t want to leave her to my mom (who doesn’t know how to care for animals) for 6 months.
    I had another kitty who was taken to california with my boyfriend and she pooped and threw up in her cage, but didn’t cry. :/
    Luckily she lived with him in Cali for about a year until they came back to live with me.

    I will do my best to avoid taking my pets on vacation because I’m worried about my cats having a heart attack. It’s something I heard about happening in an article once.
    I worried so much for my cat so I took her out her cage for a while in the bathroom and she felt better. But it was such a mess. If the plane ride is shorter, I might take her. Animals are so fragile, but there’s definitely some pets who LOVE to travel!

  6. Pingback: Would you travel with your Pets? – Jeanne Foguth's Blog

  7. andreeavalerie says:

    I hate leaving my cat at home. But he doesn’t enjoy travelling that much, so it’s very difficult for me…

    • Marc-André says:

      We luckily have someone stay with them most of the time. So it’s less daunting to us. Rennie and Freya tho like travelling. 🙂

  8. simon7banks says:

    Would I travel with my pets? Yes, because I wouldn’t trust them to travel safely without me.

    Practically, no at present because the kind of holiday I go for (walking long-distance routes, birdwatching, group eco-tourism) rules it out. Also I’m lucky to have a caring and reliable cat-man to visit and feed the cats and they’ve got used to him

  9. simon7banks says:

    Well, Suzy likes watching the sparrows and pigeons. She hasn’t caught one yet and doesn’t seem too bothered about trying. Emma’s another matter, though she does prefer rats.

Why not meow a comment to fellow readers?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.