32 ~ Sunday, August 2, 1992 - North Shore News

TRAVEL

Coordinating your pets with your travel time

I THOUGHT (silly me!) that travel would be a lot easier
when our kids grew up. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not.

When the kids were small, we
could drop them off at the sitter’s
(always a friend), get a kid to feed
the cats and we could be gone for
weeks. The cats used their cat
door, minded their own business
and all was well when we return-
ed. .
Have you any idea what it’s like
running a feline geriatric ward?
You don’t buy a bag of crunchies,
lock the house and take off.

Two of our cats are 16 years
old. Timmy had a stroke in March
that left him feeble and blind.
Cricket is profoundly deaf.

Misty is just 13 but she has a
benign growth on her side that
slows her down. Emiiy (9) has no
teeth. Ginger (age ?) has a heart
problem.

Several have iacontinence,
meaning that a sharp eye must be
kept for mistakes, especially if it
rains or someone hasn’t attended
to the sandbox.

Our only solution is a house-
sitter, living in. This person must
= like cats, have no allergies and be

«able to do a daily nose-count. The

- sitter: must be able to cope with |

. Timmy “bumping into things.’’
_In short, quite a test of cat love.
-- For-example, you can’t leave the
.. front. door open or Timmy will

. blunder out and ‘sit on the yellow
line...

What do others do with their
pets when they travel? Our daugh-
*.: ter Suzy relies on her sisters to
feed her beloved cat, Chelsea. Not

You can have

COLORADO-BASED American

"Wilderness Experience offers city

- Slickers the chance to play cowboy
(or cowgirl). Trips vary from five
‘to eight days, and participants can
choose to do their riding, roping

and -cattle herding in one of sev-
eral-..western regions: Arizona,

‘Montana, Wyoming or Utah, or
closer to home at Fort Steele in
northern B.C. Prices, including
chow around the camp fire, start
at US$640. ©

The 21-year-old . backcountry
adventure company also has Hama
trekking, canoe, kayak, and
whitewater rafting trips, and hik-
ing. excursions in such exotic
locales as Russia, New Zealand
and Peru.

For more information: Ameri-
.can Wilderness Experience, Inc.,
P.O. Box 1186, Boulder, Col-
orado 80306. Phone: (800) 444-
0099. :

Zurich, Switzerland, a_ city

well-equipped with paths and

_. parks, has just introduced free
- bicycles for summer visitors. Typ-
ical. of Swiss quality, the cor--
. porate-sponsored, 21-gear bikes
have been designed with the aid of
computers and are worth about
$3,780 each.

From June through October,
cycles may be borrowed every day
between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.
from depots at Paradeplatz or

' Bellevue, in the centre of the
lakeside city. An identity card
must be left as a deposit. Both
cyclists and bikes are automatical-
ly insured.

“Since these bikes are unique
and have the sponsor’s name
clearly visible on the frame, we
don’t feel they will be stolen,’’
says Sylvia Reinert of the Zurich
‘Tourist Association.

For more information: Swiss
National Tourist Office, 154 Uni-
versity Ave., Suite 610, Toronto,
Ontario MSH 3Y9. Phone: (416)
971-9734.

Barbara

NicCreadie |

TRAVELWISE

only must cat be fed but Suzy ex-
pects that the feeder will spend an
hour or so cat-cuddling.

Lori and Janine leave the care
of their two dogs (Lori) and two
cats (Janine) to others in their
hiouses.

All three phone home to be re-
assured that the beloved pets are
fine.

Some people won’t travel if
they can’t take the beasties along.
Others rely on boarding kennels
and veterinary clinics to take over.
Family often gets stuck with
Mom’s dog. So many of my
friends have said to me, ‘‘My
Mom and Dad are in Hawaii. I’ve
got Miss Bitchley.’”

Judi
Lees

THE ASTUTE TRAVELLER

A warning for Denmark-bound
travellers: Danish banks and
money changers have just started
charging for each traveller’s che-
que cashed. The cost is about $4,
which is a hefty fee on a $20 or
$50 cheque. Hotels are not charg-
ing this fee directly, but they do
adjust their rates so they don’t
lose out at the bank.

Helen Bergstrom, manager of
the Danish Tourist Board in
Toronto, says the travel industry
is not happy about the change.

‘We hone this practice won’t
continue, but for the time being

Let's look at some of the cost

alternatives.
e@ Veterinary boarding: Small
animals are usually the only ones
that your vet can handle, cats
preferred as they don’t need to be
walked. You have the reassurance
that if your animal looks down,
prompt medical care is assured.

They’! eat well, be kept

spotlessly clean and, usually, be
petted and pampered by the staff
— providing Pretty Paws doesn't
bite on site. Cost: $10 a day (ap-
prox.) including food.
@ Boarding kennels: Better for
medium to large dogs than cats.
Dogs tend to make a racket which
will drive Pretty Paws off the
rails. Conditions vary and should
be thoroughly checked before you
leave your pet.

Questions to ask: Do they get
exercise, and how much? Does it
cost extra? What is the menu? Are
the quarters clean, dry and
temperature-controlled? Is a vet
on call? How do they clean the
premises? What sprays do they
use to keep the fleas down? Do all
animals require a certificate from
a vet ensuring all shots are up to,
date?

While you’re asking questions,
keep your eyes open — and your
nose! Is there an off-odor? Is it
from unclean premises or is it
disinfectant? Are the sleeping
quarters dry? Many kennels
routinely hose down the area, but
are the animals removed?

I experienced this when we
boarded our two dogs, many years
ago. We arrived home early to

a truly western experience

we're advising travellers to ex-
change cash for kroner, and to
take’ traveller’s cheques in $100s
rather than §:

For more information: Danish
Tourist Board, P.O. Box 115,
Postal Station N, Toronto, On-
tario M8V 3S4. Phone: as
823-9620.

Air Canada and Greyhound

-have two programs designed for

seniors. ‘‘Ride and Fly,’’ available
on the Calgary/Vancouver and
Edmonton/Vancouver routes, lets
passengers take the bus one way,
enjoying the scenery and making
stopovers en route,
home by air (or vice versa).

For moze information, tele-
phone Air Canada in Vancouver:
688-5515.

The Air Canada seniors’ pro-
gram, ‘‘Freedom Flyer’’ (for those
60 years of age and up, plus a
companion of any age), offers a
seven-day unlimited bus travel
pass for $99 with the purchase of
an Air Canada domestic ticket.
The pass is valid anywhere in
Canada on the Greyhound net-
work, which serves 1,100 Cana-
dian cities and towns.

For more information: Freedom
Flyer Program, P.O. Box 8157,
Station A, Toronto, Ontario
MSW 188.

AUGUST '92 ONLY

*Cannot be combined w/other offers

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then return.

find both soaked and shivering. It
took me two baths before 1 could
get the smell of disinfectant out of
both.

Watch the attitude of the
handlers. Watch as they exercise

the animals. If you sense some- —

thing isn’t right, it probably isn’t.
Is your pet going to be a dollar
sign or treated with loving care?

Look carefully at the resident
pets. Are they listless? Are their
food dishes clean and their water
dishes full?

What is the night security? Is
there someone on the desk to
monitor fire? Are there fire
alarms?

Are the kennels big enough for
your animal to sleep in comfort?
What is the bedding?

Talk to other pet owners. Do
they have a kennel that they
recommend? Ask your vet. Many
vets only board small animals but
will have a list of good kennels,
perhaps ones that they service.
Cost varies ($12-315 per day,
average, extra for walking.)

Once your aniimal is booked,
ask what you may bring from
home — bedding, toys, chewy
things to reassure him.

Before booking an animal,
especially a large dog, into a ken-
nel for an extended stay, I’d leave
him for a weekend. You are the
best judge of your animal’s state
of mind and you may decide that
this kennel — or, perhaps any
kennel — isn’t for Bowser.

Pet lovers are clearly nuts. If
the baby they leave behind isn’t
happy, and they know it, 1
wouldn’t give two pins for the
vacation. ;

Travelling with a pet is another
option. Both dogs and cats can be
good travellers if they start young,
are comfortable and are not left
alone for long periods

No animal should ‘be left in a

car on_a hot day under any cir-
cumstances. I applaud the actions
of municipalities who regularly
break into cars, remove the pets
to the SPCA and fine the owners,
Don’t tell me you left the win-
dows open four inches — try it
yourself on a hot day and you'll
find it unbearable. Don’t think

parking under a tree will help —
the sun moves.

Switch your pet to evening.
feeding to save car sickness.
Water your pet every couple of
hours and take a dog for a walk.

Travelling with cats is more
complicated. Having -done it,
here’s my best advice. Don’t try it
with an old cat, for starters. Get
your kitten used to being in the
car, using a large, wire mesh cage. -
Later you may find, as we did,
that our cat was perfectly safe
roaming the car. Yes, I know

seatbelts are ideal, but I haven’t .”

figured out how to fit the cat in
one.

We carried a sandbox ii ina r tight-
ly sealed plastic bag, changing. it
daily. We didn’t stop for lunch at -
restaurants but picnicked in rest

areas. Slowly, we came to let the’ ._

cat out with us but only after
checking the area for dogs, stay-
ing away from trees and learning

to respect our cat’s common. © --

sense. It was Timmy, by the way.

. In motels I alerted the staff-that : -

a cat was ‘fat home?’ and ‘rein-
forced this by a note on. the door
for maids.

Timmy adapted well, probably -

because we had the dog "along too. |

And three or four kids. We stayed

in. condos with balconies ‘so the
animals could wander outside: .
To tell the truth, though,. cats |”
are better at home unless you have
no alternative. If we were to travel ©
with. a cat today, I’d look into :
harness and one of: those expan-
dable leashes. “
’ Another tip: "bring. your
dog food . from. home..: ‘
animals are used to one ‘brand and =.

Remember, all animals’ reed :
current rabies. vaccination certi

cate for crossing the U.S. border. : an
Never travel with a pet whose."

shots aren’t-current, and ask yo
vet about © additional -. shots:
areas you may‘ cross where’ local-" *
ized infections occur.) ~

And, as our vet. commented; |
“You can: afford to have -your
carpets cleaned with: what you'll a
pay for a kennel. Get a sitter!” ”

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