If you want to see how we travel—

by | Jun 10, 2012 | Journal | 20 comments

link to Jane’s page

Jane’s got a new Shu slide show up. 😉 They’re going to be a pair…

20 Comments

  1. WOL
    WOL on June 10, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    Do you have problems finding lodging that will take pets? Do I understand that you also carry a larger cage where you keep them in the hotel? Does this make a difference when you are trying to find lodgings?

  2. zette
    zette on June 11, 2012 at 12:11 am

    That seriously made me laugh. What a wonderful little show!

  3. CJ
    CJ on June 11, 2012 at 6:45 am

    AAA has a booklet (for sale) that lists all current hotels that take pets. Chains that do: Motel 6—all. Motel 8—some. La Quinta—all, but pricey. Sheraton—some, pricey. We have 2 large cages, one a wire-and-webbing foldup kennel with only one level, and the one we actually use, which is a foldup wire cage for ferrets, on rollers, with a plastic no-leak base: we put a rug down in it; it has 2 doors, one low, one high; we install an ordinary covered litter pan in it, the water, the food; it has 2 sitting shelves high, and the top of the litter pan is a convenient hop to the shelves. It’s about chest-high when set up, about that long, about 2 1/2 feet wide, and folds down to fit in the rolling base, which is only about 3″ high. Anyone who travels with small animals, *that* is one very good cage/kennel, particularly for cats, because there’s that second level to use for comfy napping.

    We find that many fancier hotels have a pet deposit required, with inspection as you check out, and refund if there’s no damage. Some few assess a 25.00 cleaning fee, which I don’t truly blame them for as in the case of the Sheraton we stayed at in Dallas: —this had those poofy satin duvets, which we immediately sent back to Housekeeping, as impossible to keep safe. We cover the chairs with spare towels, in the case of chairs whose texture might attract scratching (open tabby-weave and fancy textures) and we generally carry a small dustpan and whiskbroom to take care of any stray litter bits. But all the same, where there’s no fee, we leave at least a 5.00 for the chambermaid, so there won’t be grumbling to the housekeeping supervisor. We were several days at the Sheraton, and if they *hadn’t* assessed a fee, we’d have left more than that for the maid, poor woman, who probably won’t see a dime of that fee, as is.
    We don’t let the kittehs out except when we’re there, and we hang the Do Not Disturb on the door. We also have a veil of Halloween spiderweb cloth we throw over the cage in case any chambermaid violates the sign on the door. This means they really have to move the veil and struggle to get fingers anywhere near our cats—who might decide to defend their privacy and nip a finger.

    We’ve even taken this rig into the hall—it rolls—and into function space, in little cons where we think the kittehs would appreciate the trip. But not in big snooty hotels. 😉

    We’ve also gotten some small independent motels to take us in where choices are limited and they say no-pets. We explain about our cage, explain they will at no time be out except when we are there, and we explain that the only damage we ever had them do was a single 10.00 sheer curtain which we took to the desk ourselves and paid for. This song and dance got is a room in Carlsbad, when there was no other to be had. We were scrupulous about clean-up there, and tipped the maid, so we hope other travelers similarly in a pickle will benefit.

    One indie said they had no real problem with cats, but large dogs were a no: they’d had a frantic Shepherd crash through a window trying to get out. Poor dog! And poor hotel owner!

  4. tulrose
    tulrose on June 11, 2012 at 10:44 am

    I hate to be bitchy but can you find another colour for the links? I can’t make out that fluorescent green at all.

  5. CJ
    CJ on June 11, 2012 at 12:10 pm

    I can do that. At least, however, ya knew they were there!

  6. CJ
    CJ on June 11, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    Better? I thought the grey ones were hard to see.

  7. WOL
    WOL on June 11, 2012 at 2:25 pm

    You have the same ferret cage I have — I got it to integrate a new 6-week-old kitten into a two adult cat household. The kitten stayed in the cage until everybody had hissed and made up. I had no qualms about the safety of the kitten during the night, or when I had to leave the house. The big cats couldn’t hurt the kitten, and the kitten couldn’t get itself into places where it might get into trouble. They’re great cages — the plastic base is very easy to keep clean. I rolled it from room to room with the kitten inside as we went about our daily routine — into the bedroom for sleep, into the living room for TV, into the office when it was work time, etc. I love that it completely collapses for storage. I’ve used it for two kittens so far. It’s also nice to have in case I have to quarantine anybody – haven’t had to so far (touch wood!).

  8. CJ
    CJ on June 11, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    Awwwright, let’s try this color. It’s hard to find one that doesn’t blend in!

    • tulrose
      tulrose on June 11, 2012 at 4:48 pm

      OK… the blue is better than the orange which was marginally better than the fluorescent green.

    • chondrite
      chondrite on June 11, 2012 at 6:57 pm

      Much mo’ bettah! I can find linkies now!

      I am mighty (although not as mighty as CJ and Jane)! I just finished replacing my disastrous front door. The previous owner apparently thought that an interior door would suffice. Then the termites came, and after years of being exposed, it was a race between termite damage and wood rot! Luckily, the frame escaped significant termitage, and I found a lightweight fiberglass laminate door. The rough part was getting the 2 locks to set properly (mumble mumble router mumble installed upside down) but alles ist gut.

      • CJ
        CJ on June 12, 2012 at 11:15 am

        Lol! We know whereof you speak, re hanging doors!

  9. mrgawe
    mrgawe on June 12, 2012 at 4:53 am

    Can you tell us which ferret cage this is? I might have to get one, and I don’t see anything online that looks quite like what you’re describing. Mercy buckets!

    Re: door repair. My sister discovered that her door was fine, but that the frame was holding it to the house by six nails. And not the big ‘uns either.

    The blue is way better than the green, although I personally didn’t have trouble with the gray. The blue is nice and traditional. 🙂 The green made my eyeballs vibrate, so thanks for changing it!

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