Posted on: June 27th, 2014 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein

Maggie is a 10-year old spayed female cat. Mom and Dad recently retired and purchased an RV to do some road-travel. They started with short trips and Maggie seemed to do fine, so they headed west for an extended trip. Maggie is their 3rd generation cat to come to A Cat Clinic over many years, so Maggie had a complete check-up prior to the trip and all seemed well.

The family got as far as Minnesota, when Maggie developed constipation. She was taken to a local veterinary hospital, but despite multiple treatments with multiple different doctors, Maggie was getting worse instead of better.

When Maggie, who normally loved to eat, refused food and didn’t want to move, a frantic call was made to A Cat Clinic. I realized that Maggie needed intensive care over a weekend; fortunately, her family was near the University of Minnesota Veterinary School, so Maggie was referred there for treatment.

Thankfully, after treatment with IV fluids, urinary catheterization, enemas and a feeding tube, Maggie is definitely improving and is well enough to travel. Mom and Dad gave up on the rest of the trip and are headed back to MD.

So, when you travel, what is best for your cat? If bringing your cat is best, give us a call before you leave and we can check for feline-only veterinary hospitals as well as specialty and referral hospitals where you will be staying. We hope you won’t need to use their services, but you’ll have the information just in case. Make sure you have current vaccination information, and let us know if you’d like a copy of recent labs (we can email to you).

If boarding is best, check early as our kitty condos, Hide-A-Ways and Rooms with a View fill up during popular times. Ask us if you would like a tour of our boarding facilities. Our technicians are in twice daily on weekends and holidays, and they confirm each visit with the doctors, so if there are any problems, the doctor can advise (or come in, if needed). And, the cats get spoiled during the week! Most love looking out at the woods behind the clinic.

Some cats do best in their own homes, and for short trips, such as a weekend, you may want to have a pet-sitter come to your home to care for your cat. Some of our technicians also do pet-sitting, so let us know if you are interested in their information. We don’t recommend leaving your cat unattended (really for even 24 hours), as a power-outage and a flipped water bowl can lead to dangerous dehydration.

We will update you on Maggie’s progress, but she seems to be on the mend. I think she will be happy to return to her own patio.