Travelling With Pets in the Car

Yes, you can go travelling with pets, you can go travelling with cats, you can go travelling with dogs etc, they are after all part of the family.

We have always taken our pets with us. We have always had dogs and they always come with us on our vacations including our adventure tours. (We stayed at Pemberton (town in Western Australia) once and we went on a bush walk for 20km and our dog came with us, but that is another story). When you go travelling with pets in the car they need plenty of ventilation. On all but short journeys they also need an adequate supply of food and water. Excesses of heat and cold, loud noises and flashing lights distress animals so try to avoid this as much as possible when you travel with pets.

An animal can easily be injured if the driver is inconsiderate. It is unable to anticipate changing road conditions and is not able to brace its body if the car corners or brakes suddenly. Before travelling, make sure your dog, cat or other pet is wearing an identification tag showing your name, address and phone number. A cat collar should have an elastic section to prevent strangulation.

When your pet is young, take it on short trips to get it used to travelling. Associate trips with something it enjoys - such as a walk. A pet that is used to travelling is unlikely to get car sickness.

When you are travelling with pets in the car, it is dangerous to travel with the pet loose in the car. A dog should be harnessed and kept in the back seat under the charge of a passenger. In a station wagon a dog is safest behind an animal guard fitted between the luggage and passenger compartments. If you are travelling with a cat it should be caged or carried in a station wagon with a pet guard modified so that the animal cannot squeeze out between the bars. Unless the cat is a very placid traveller, it should not be allowed to travel on a passenger's lap. Animal travel sickness products are available from most pet shops if you need it.

For safety's sake do not let a dog put its head out of the window – even though they love it. How often do you see a dog in a car with its head out the window? It has always amazed me that dogs hate it when you blow on their nose/face, but love having the wind blow through their face in a car.

Stop the car regularly to exercise the dog. Keep the dog leashed during exercise, as it will be very excited when first allowed out in the open. If possible, turn off the main road before exercising the dog. Do not let your dog disturb stock in properties or at the roadside.

Do not abandon a dog or cat in the bush - it will instinctively prey on wildlife to survive. If a pet has to be left on its own in a parked car ensure it has sufficient fresh air.

Hopefully some of these tips and hits will prove useful in planning your family vacation if you are travelling with pets. Of course not all information could be provided on these pages so feel free to visit some of our other pages for more hints for your family vacation.

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