F
or many people, the holiday
season is a whirlwind of travel.
But what about your pet?
Ideally, animals should stay where
they're most comfortable, says
Louise Murray, DVM, author
of Vet Confidential: An
Insider's Guide to
Protecting Your Pet's
Health (Random
House) and Director
of Medicine at the
ASPCA. Unless you
plan on being away
for several weeks,
it's best to leave your
cat or dog behind.
Animals, especially cats,
are creatures of habit and
don't adjust well to unfamiliar
environments or conditions. "A cat who is
stressed about being in a new place might
stop eating," says Murray.
Consider hiring a pet sitter to check on your
animal while you're gone. Cats should be
looked in on at least once a
day and dogs should be
walked three times a day
and fed twice. Some pet
sitters will even stay at
your house and provide
overnight care, and
may offer to pick up
mail and water
plants.
To find a
qualified pet
sitter, ask
your vet-
erinarian for
recommen-
dations, says
Murray. See if
any of the office's
licensed vet techni-
cians — who have ex-
tensive healthcare knowledge
and a guaranteed love of pets — offer sit-
ting services. Just like a job interview, ask
candidates about their experience and get a
few references. You will want to invite a po-
tential sitter over for a meet-and-greet so
During the Holidays
Critter Care
