Traveling with Pets
Part One: It's All in the Timing, and Ours Is Phenomenally Bad
Can two retirees go camping in their new-to-them used RV with freshly adopted pets? Or are they setting themselves up for chaos and disaster?
I write mysteries with cats, dogs, horses, donkeys, you name it. I was feeling slightly hypocritical to write about worlds tied to animal companionship while not having so much as a goldfish in my life.
My husband and I had not enjoyed animal companionship in over fifteen years, when Tyger the cat passed away from old age. I was determined not to replace her quickly. Time flew by. Somehow, I never got around to finding a new kitty.
My husband is a dog lover. He lost his last pooch before we married over twenty years ago. He declared his intention to get a dog many times, finally deciding it would be a great retirement gift to himself.
If my husband got a dog, I required a cat. Because I really can’t stand dogs. And he doesn’t care for cats. We had to declare a truce. Retirement came, first mine, and then his. Neither of us acquired the proposed animal companions.
Enter Strider, an English Springer Spaniel with a pedigree. We picked him up in Montana. A timid five-month-old, left behind when the rest of the litter was adopted, he was already twenty-five pounds. My wise daughter predicted I would be the one to fall in love with the puppy. She was half right. We both fell head over heels for the sad-faced little guy.
Soon after we made him part of our family, I saw kitten photos posted by a friend who fosters cats. The mother and three babies were tuxedo cats. I had indicated interest in adopting one of her fosters over a year ago, but the timing was never right. I couldn’t miss out this time.
The kittens were born at the end of December. They needed a couple months to “finish baking.” In the meantime, Strider grew. And grew. And grew. I began to worry he might be too big and aggressive to introduce a kitten into the mix.
We decided last year to start acting like retired people. After a spectacular fall trip to Alaska (before adopting Strider), we were in danger of losing our momentum. I reserved camping sites for two 2026 trips, and we made plans to potentially crew for a RAGBRAI bicycling team. Now we were committed.
The dog would learn to travel. We would make it work.
Then the kitten was ready for adoption. He is a rescue from the Humane Society, via foster cat mom and author Fleur Bradley. The timing was going wonky. The kitten became adoptable days before our planned trip to the Grand Canyon.
I considered scenarios. 1. Leave the kitten with our older daughter’s family. They were adopting the other two siblings from the same litter. 2. We could arrange for someone to kitten-sit at our house. 3. Delay adopting a kitten until after our travels, and hope another this cute came along later. 4. Or, we could take him with us.
We brought the tiny boy home and named him Legolas. The first nights were rough. I wanted to keep the itty bitty kitty and large puppy separate until we were certain Strider wouldn’t eat Legolas. Or accidentally step on him. It was tricky letting the kitten learn his new home, while avoiding feline-canine contact.
Frankly, as our road trip approached, I was getting exhausted. Strider didn’t seem to identify the kitten as a chew toy or rodent. He’s a sweet-natured boy. Almost at the last minute, we decided to take the kitten with us.
Timing: not ideal.
Lesson learned: get the family dynamics functional before going on a major trip.
Questions: Would this pet-friendly trip even work? Or end in some horrible tragedy we could have prevented by being more sensible?
Find out in the second installment of Traveling with Pets.
Novels with animal companions by Catherine Dilts:
The Body in the Cattails, available from Harlequin Worldwide Mystery
The Body in the Hayloft, available here
Co-authored with Merida Bass: Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation, and Grandma’s Valentine Abduction
YA series co-authored with Merida Bass (jungle animals): Frayed Dreams, and Broken Strands
The entire Rose Creek Mystery series, the Tapestry Tales series, and the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries, are available at Basecamp Books and Adventure located at 3918 Maizeland Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909