Pet Boarding During Family Vacations | Tips and Essentials

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Pet Boarding During Family Vacation

We have a busy house full of family pets so traveling comes with a long list of added planning. Before my husband and I had children we both traveled often for work. Some of our most fun adventures were while we coordinated our work travel to be in the same cities. Years later as we decided to focus on beginning our family we also adopted our first puppy together, Sophie. Travel plans slowly transitioned from only planning for the two of us to be away from home to also planning for dog boarding and traveling with children. Now with two daughters, three and nine years old, we also have to consider our family pets when planning for time away from home. Our Siberian Husky (Sophie) and two cats (Delilah and Toby) are all incorporated in our options for family travel. After years of coordinating boarding and family members petsitting we have a great action plan when it comes to taking care of our pets during vacation. When boarding pets like our dog and cats, using protection against new flea and tick infestations is important. We use FRONTLINE® Plus for Dogs for our dog and FRONTLINE® Plus for Cats for our cats from Walmart because they work for a full 30 days. FRONTLINE® Plus for Cats Flea and Tick Treatment is an essential to our family for boarding because we have multiple indoor cats that rarely are exposed to anything outside of our own home. My husband has previous vet tech experience prior to switching career ambitions to work in diagnostic healthcare, so he has provided our family with excellent pet care knowledge. Click on the image below to purchase FRONTLINE® Plus for Cats online at Walmart. 

Up until recently, we have always believed keeping our cats at home with a family member checking in on them occasionally while we traveled was best for us. Our two cats, Toby and Delilah, have very different personalities. While Deliliah isn’t very friendly, she is also very consistent with her favorite spots in the house and routine. Toby is our big friendly cuddle cat. He loves people and company so when our oldest daughter goes to school, he spends most of the day calling out for her while he waits for her return. Last year while we traveled to Florida for a family beach wedding and vacation at Discovery Cove, we came home to a scary situation making us reevaluate keeping our cats home alone while we travel.

Our cat Toby had accidentally shut a bathroom door and we was trapped in a closed room while we were away. He is a very large cat and his long reach helped him eventually open the bathroom door but it was obvious it took many efforts to eventually open the door on his own. The bathroom trim near the door handle and the door itself had marks where Toby had tried to jump up to open the door. While he had no physical injuries and we’ve seen no behavior changes, we will not be leaving Toby unattended again while away on a family vacation. Some of his favorite toys and FRONTLINE® Plus for Cats are part of our pet boarding essentials during family vacation.

Our family travels all throughout the year so just because summer planning is almost over, that doesn’t mean we’re not already planning ahead for fall travel. 

Pet Boarding During Family Vacation Tips

Location

There are many different pet boarding options and you must select the one that works best for your pets and family. Leaving a family pet for the first time sometimes feels hard but finding a location you trust will ease the process. Some options for boarding you may consider are your local vet, animal hospitals, friends and family, or pet boarding facilities.

Essentials

To help with the initial anxiety caused with boarding your pets, you may want to bring along a photo of your pet during vacation. I know my daughters appreciate being able to see their favorite pets in a photo while we are away from home. Regardless of where you are boarding your pet, it’s important for them to feel safe and comfortable. Favorite toys, blankets and their regular food should be provided in their temporary home. Hover over the image below to shop online for pet boarding essentials. 

Flea and Tick Protection

FRONTLINE® Plus for Cats is the #1 name in flea/tick control has been trusted by vets for nearly 20 years. It works for a full 30 days and it doesn’t just kill adult fleas and ticks but also slays the next generation of fleas. The product can be used in kittens as early as 8 weeks old and weighing at least 5lbs.

Using FRONTLINE® Plus for Cats is easy and it should be reapplied every 30 days. While our cats stay indoors, we definitely do not want them to bring home any unwanted visitors from boarding after family vacations.

FRONTLINE® Plus Brand Products:

  • Kills fleas before they lay eggs
  • Kills ticks
  • Has 2 killer ingredients that work together all month long – 1 ingredient to kill adult fleas and ticks; 1 ingredient to kill flea eggs and larvae before they can develop
  • Is approved for pregnant, breeding, and lactating cats
  • Provides fast-acting, long-lasting treatment & control

Proper Documentation

Every boarding arrangement will be different but most facilities do require proof of vaccination and that your pet is up-to-date on all their shots. Call your vet for these records to be faxed directly to the facility if you are behind in your travel timeline. Our dog Sophie usually stays with family during extended travel but occasionally is boarded at her favorite doggy daycare facility. They require flea and tick treatment and we always take the option of doing this ourselves at home with FRONTLINE® Plus for Dogs.

FRONTLINE® Plus for Cats and FRONTLINE® Plus for Dogs are found in the petcare aisles at Walmart.

How do you prepare for pet boarding during family vacations?

FRONTLINE® Plus for Cats Flea and Tick Treatment from Walmart is an essential to our family for boarding because we have multiple indoor cats that rarely are exposed to anything outside of our own home. Check out these tips and essentials for pet boarding during family vacations.

15 thoughts on “Pet Boarding During Family Vacations | Tips and Essentials”

  1. Ooh, thank you for the info! I don’t have a cat here in the US, but I have cats back home in the Philippines. We let them board at a local pet shop when we’re on vacation!

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  2. You can write that again! leaving my dogs is the hardest when I go on vacation. I always worry if they are ok I am most happy when we are able to leave the boys with family or close friend.

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  3. Some of my friends who have pets usually asks relatives to look after them. Pet boarding is a great idea both for the owner and pets.

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  4. Glad to hear that you are a responsible pet owner that also think about them before going on vacation. I have one dog and 3 cats and my relatives will usually take care of them if I needed to be away for several days.

    Reply
  5. These are all super important stuff to consider. The tips and suggestions are indeed helpful. Sometimes we focus on our selves and family so much that we miss ot remember important things about our pets.

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  6. These are amazing tips for those with pets. My relatives that own pets, taking them to Pet boarding. It’s peace of mind.

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  7. These are great tips for anyone who has pet(s) and is curious as to how to send them to pet boarding! We always took our pet with us, but only because we didn’t have very many options to send our pet to boarding. 🙁 BUT we always enjoyed his company during our travels, so it worked!

    Reply
  8. Funny thing about Frontline, they don’t REPEL ticks/fleas. Many pets have severe adverse reactions to it. Ticks still have to bite a cat or dog in order to fall off and die, and the animals can still come down with Lyme as a result. Natural repellents that actually work, like Wondercide or Alzoo, are far more effective, in that they actually repel so that bugs don’t jump on at all.

    Reply

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