Cat - Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals and Holiday Homes

Pets are an integral part of ones family, especially for all pet lovers. So, when a family goes on vacation it is considered that the pet goes along. All vacation planning thus includes the pets and pet friendly vacations and travel planning make more sense. According to statistics, 60 million households in the USA are proud pet owners. About 15 million or 25% of these pet owners travel on vacations with their pets and stay in pet friendly lodgings. For the convenience of these pet owners pet friendly hotels, vacation home rentals and condos are available across many locations. The following are a few tips to keep in mind while traveling with a pet. 1. While making your vacation rental or hotel reservations, make sure you double-check that pets are permitted. Make sure that you get the "pets allowed" receipt for your reservation either online or through normal mail channels. Verbal assurances cannot be relied upon. 2. The next step is to get your pet acquainted with traveling. One can achieve this by using the car. Get the pet into the car and make sure you play with it to make it relax. After a while, take it for a short drive. Increase the length of the drives bit by bit, so that the pet gets used to long drives that you may take on most vacations. 3. Keeping the safety factor foremost in mind, make sure you get your pet to get used to being secured inside the car. Securing harness can be bought from the local pet stores. 4. Make sure you pet is properly tagged with the identification containing the pet's name, owners name and the phone number, preferably your vacation rental's or cell phone number. This will ensure that the pet is returned to you easily in case it wanders off in new surroundings. Make sure you have a photograph of your pet handy, so that in case of a loss, enquiries are easier. 5. Always check with your vet before the vacation, if any vaccinations are needed to suit the environment of your destination. If your pet is a dog, make sure you carry the up-to-date rabies tag on its collar. It could be required in many places. 6. Upon arrival at the pet friendly vacation rental always inform the check-in person or staff that you have a pet along with you. Make sure you understand and follow the rules of the place regarding pet restricted areas in the vacation rentals. 7. Never let the pet use the furniture in the pet friendly vacation rental for sitting or sleeping unless covered with your own sheet. Use the bathroom for placing water and food containers over an old newspaper to facilitate cleaning up. 8. Avoid leaving the pet unattended in a pet friendly vacation rental. If you have to do so, please inform the clerk or the rental agent of the same. Make sure you pet is secured while doing so lest it may surprise or hurt the vacation rental staff. Traveling and vacationing with pets can be fun, if you use a little commonsense and care while doing so. About http://arrangeyourvacation.com: Pet Friendly Vacation Rental - Holiday Homes and Vacation Rentals where you can thake your dog or cat with you - leader in luxury vacation rentals worldwide, with an extensive portfolio of luxury villas and homes. To place a Pet friendly holiday home free listing or find the perfect lodging for you - visit http://pet-friendly-vacationrentals.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milan_Matchev Cat - The Gift I spotted him in a large metal cage in the cat room lying on his back, drooling. He grinned, as only a cat can, exposing his toothless gums and cat food breath to all as he uttered a pathetic "meow". I was immensely impressed with this orange heap of fur that rubbed against the cage and I neared the fascinating creature in an attempt to make friends. I was afraid that somehow he would sense my anxiousness about how incredibly marvelous he appeared to be even though he was obviously lacking in traditional cat beauty. Bright green eyes stared into my small blue ones and begged for a touch, just one touch, like a death row inmate wishing for letters from anyone, just anyone to pass the time. My hand neared his head which I soon found out was dirty and oily from being neglected and I gently pressed my fingers between his striped ears. Purring, he squirmed for more, rubbing his head back and forth against the cage bars and "meowing" when I stopped for even a second. He was unlike the other cats in the cat room that day, a unique face and eyes like a lion, staring me down. The other cats just played blissfully, unaware that I held the key to their freedom. This cat knew, he knew that the people who came in and out of his room everyday were not just there to pet his head in between glances at the other cats with whom he shared his space with. He somehow knew that I was there for a purpose and he wanted to be that purpose. I let my eyes wonder to the other cats, young and old, that occupied the other kennels in the cat room but none of them even compared to the old, ragged bundle of joy that I had come across. This orange cat was different, he watched me fixatedly as I sauntered from cage to cage, eyeing up every cat that I touched. I just knew he was the one and that he would be the best birthday present I would ever receive. Money can't buy friendship, or so they say. Although how else was I to get this creature into my arms if I didn't buy him first, we couldn't be friends through a cage. He seemed to belong on the great plains of Africa stalking Impala with a pride of lions, not trapped between bars in an enclosure so small that it could only have been fit for a mouse. Although I couldn't give him Africa I could at least give him an area larger then a cage to claim as his own and fifteen pounds could do just that. I immediately raced over to my mother, ecstatic that I had found a friend so perfect in every way that all my other friends had been swept aside in my search for a soul mate. My mother seeing the smile which broadened across my whole face handed over the money that I needed in order to purchase this lonesome creature. I raced over to the counter in the main entrance to the shelter without a second thought and quickly shuffled my new found friend into my mother's car. While driving down the M4 and into London I ordered my mother to drive slowly, careful not to upset my companion who occupied the passenger seat in a sturdy cardboard carrier. After spending what had seemed like a lot longer than an hour traveling, we finally arrived home and as soon as his box had been opened he peaked out at his new surroundings, sniffing the air, then looking at me as if he was unsure of this new and exciting place. I mixed him up a plate of food in hope of offering a gesture of friendship and placed it on the floor near him. He made a few circles around the plate and several sniffs later he tucked into his first meal at home. I now felt that he was officially part of the family. Sharing our days together is one of my most vivid childhood memories. With this friend there were no complaints about the world and its problems or arguments about what radio stations to listen to, just complete enjoyment of each others company, the whole purpose for friendship, without a single word. Regrettably, some day all friendships have to come to an end however strong they are. Unfortunately for me our friendship ended exactly five years after it had first begun, on my eleventh birthday. I came home from school one day to find my mother wasn't there to meet me. I remember thinking that it was incredibly impolite of her to desert me on such a special day. It wasn't until she returned home a couple of hours later that I found out she had spent the day at the vets and that my cuddly, fluffy friend had tragically passed away. Sadly I have never been able to find a cat that could replace him. All the other pets that I have looked at over the past four years haven't even compared to him. Perhaps in the distant future I will be able to find a cat which possesses similar qualities. He may not have been the cutest or the most adorable pet at the animal shelter that day but I certainly couldn't have a cat which would be more perfect than he had been.