The Irish Inn is a beautiful Bed & Breakfast situated within the Shawnee National Forest. The interior is excellent. The exterior is excellent. They like cats. The accept cats. What more do you require for a cat getaway? 😉
This is what The Irish Inn looks like:
This is where it is:
This is a short discussion on taking your cat on a getaway holiday in the USA. A “getaway holiday”, for me, means a short break to get you out of the monotony of day to day living.
My internet research encourages me to believe that there are not many places where you can go for a short break if you also want to take your cat with you. Hotels and B&Bs are, generally, not pet friendly, are they? That maybe because there is not much of a demand. If I am wrong please correct me.
The 64,000 dollar question is, “do you want to take your cat on holiday?”. The Irish Inn is perfect for a break for you and your cat, provided:
- you don’t live too far away (for your cat’s sake) and;
- you think your cat is laid back enough to accept the changes.
The big problem with taking short holidays with your cat is that you are taking the holiday because you want one. Cats don’t know the meaning of the word “holiday”. Cats like reassuring familiar places, smells and sounds. Move them and they want to go back to those reassuring sensations.
People also find change difficult. Perhaps the problem with taking a cat on a holiday with you, and staying at an excellent place like The Irish Inn is that people know they are staying there for a few days. Cats won’t understand that – why should they? It can be unsettling for your cat. You don’t want an unsettled cat on holiday with you because it is going to chip away at the pleasure of getting away.
I am neither saying that getaways with your cat are bad nor that it won’t work. I am just thinking through the potential problems.
In doing this we can remind ourselves that, generally speaking, cats should not go on holiday with us. Not really. Perhaps it might work sometimes. In general it won’t. It depends on the cat, of course, and it might be convenient but…..I am unsure about the concept.
As for dogs; it is a completely different story. The Irish Inn like and accept dogs too. If your dog is a good traveller then take him. Have some fun. Reunite with nature at a place that is in the middle of it.
The Irish Inn looks a lovely place to stay…..for people.
Maybe some cats don’t mind travelling but most don’t enjoy it, they are creatures of habit who love their home and familiar surroundings and don’t feel the need to go on holiday.
If it becomes a regular holiday spot then it can work because the cat gets to know it. We used to take our cats every other weekend to my girlfriends parents country house an hour and a half away by car and they got used to it and love it. It does them alot of good because they are indoor cats back at home but there they can run around in the fields and forest all they want.
So if it’s regular it’s ok I think. The cat knows the car journey will end and knows the place and the whole routine of going becomes in itself a habit for the cat. It can work but in many other cases it’s not a good idea to move a cat around in my opinion. It’s just not how they are built – even going to the vet is sort of anti-cat.
Yes, a nice thought. If you do it regularly a cat will become settled with it Take a bit of patience.