I might as well have a couple of monkeys

After driving for 6 days across the country with a dog and two cats, I would be comfortable calling myself a pro when it comes to lodging with pets. I would highly recommend the La Quinta chain of pet friendly hotels. They by far have the best policies, as they do not charge any fees or restrict the type or weight of any pet. Some of them, however, do ask you how many pets you have with you.

Now, I suppose the normal amount of pets for a family to have is two. At least two dogs, and no one in their right mind would travel with a cat. We are not in our right minds most of the time. The couple of times we told the front desk men that we had three pets, they would usually say that their limit was two animals but it's fine, they're just cats. They obviously don't know our very bad cats.

Now I know that their are destructive dogs, Thunder the pig dog for example. But except for the occasional accident in the house, Persie is an angel. More often I will see her correcting the bad things that the kitties do, especially that Iggy. The cats could mess up a hotel better than any dog. And they tried to. Every morning, without fail, we would be cleaning up spilled cups of water that, no matter where we put them, would always have run into the drawer with the Bible or onto the telephone. The "litter boxes," also known as tin turkey pans, would be mostly clean, and Julian would have decided to just use the tub instead. Iggy on the other hand would try his hardest to use the little pan, but his big butt would always peek over the side and on to the floor everything would go. That didn't stop him from trying to cover it up, thus spreading the pine pellets across the floor. Oh and how they love to climb curtains and pull up carpets. Those two cats are lucky I didn't make them find their own ride to Oregon.

Julian just moments before we took away her freedom for 10 days. 

My stripped man Iggy.

In the hotel, Iggy's on the cornice box, and Julian is looking to join him.

The little cage where Iggy was confined for the majority of his days.

So to sum up, I have a few recommendations and tips for traveling with your cats, should you ever need to.

1. If you can avoid it, don't take them on long car trips.

2. If you will be using a litter box in the hotel, try to use one they are accustomed to and don't change litter brands. Use whatever litter they are used to or else chaos and confusion will ensue. 

3. Bring lots of treats.

4. Try to feed them at night and limit water intake during the day so they will be able to hold it until you get to the hotel in the evening.

5. Use a carrier with lots of openings so they can see out to the road, but also be able to cover it if the sun starts to become a nuisance. 

6. On extended trips, they will adapt and get used to the routine of being in the carrier, but make sure to let them out in the hotel room as soon as possible once you do stop for the night. 

7. This may be obvious, but don't leave them in the hot or cold car, and try not to have the windows down. The noise and wind will upset them.

8. They won't be happy. Some may take it better than others, but it is very stressful and should be avoided. They will take a while to get back to there old selves again.