Chattapets: Tips to help keep cats and dogs at ease while spending time alone

TRAVELING PETSLooking for an enjoyable vacation? Take your dog. In an Associated Press-Petside.com poll, 75 percent of pet owners who have vacationed with their animals in the last two years said their pets made the trip more enjoyable. Nearly 90 percent of those people said they would be extremely or very likely to take another trip with their pets. The poll, conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications Oct. 13-20, revealed there aren't a lot of cats on the road -- 74 percent of cat owners said they were not at all likely to take their pets on vacation.-- The Associated PressHome alone pets

If you're heading out of town for the holidays and leaving your pets at home, there's a new product called the Potty Patch that may help them feel more comfortable.

"Make it easy on your dog-sitter with an indoor bathroom alternative," said Rachel Bronson with Trent & Company. "The [clean and rinse] Potty Patch can be left inside your home as a bathroom alternative. This will keep your pet comfortable while your away, especially if your dog becomes anxious when you're gone."

Bronson offered the following tips to help keep cats and dogs at ease while spending time alone:

* Leave your cat or dog with plenty of water. When leaving your pets with a pet-sitter, make sure they are told to continuously check on their water.

* Cats are very sensitive to their surroundings, so if you have to travel out of town try to get a cat-sitter rather than boarding your cat.

* Let your cat-sitter know where your cat hides. Cats will tend to stay hidden or run, especially when their owners are out of town.

* Leave detailed instructions regarding feeding, medication and walks. Have your pet-sitter keep the same routine you follow.

* Make sure your pet-sitter knows where all of the appropriate pet supplies can be found and leave phone numbers for you and your vet.

Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@times freepress.com or 423-757-6396. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/karennazorhill.

Upcoming Events