Category Archives: Traveling With Cats

New Apps For Cats | CarePods & A Litter Box That Uses AI

Cats And Electronics, New Cat Products, Traveling With Cats

Snapping a picture of your cat while he’s taking care of business in the litter box may not be high on your list of things you want to do. But Hachi Tama, a Japanese startup, thinks it should be. And its app for cats will take the picture for you. Among the other new apps for cats is one that lets you monitor your cat as she flies, all by herself in a CarePod, on Delta Airlines.

Most cats don't have access to a smart phone like this one does. But if you do, you can monitor your cat's litter box usage with a new app for cats.

Is this cat checking his litter box usage with a new app for cats?

If there’s room for still more apps for cats on your phone, here’s one worth having. Toletta, a litter box that uses the Internet of Things and AI, monitors your cats’ contributions to the box and sends updates to your phone. That may not be what you want to see in the middle of your lunch hour, but at least you don’t have to wonder who just did what. The update includes a picture of the contributing cat’s face.

Although you’d probably rather not look at it too closely, your cats’ litter box can tell you a lot about their health. Clumps of litter that are smaller than normal could be a sign that a cat is having trouble passing urine. Larger than normal clumps could indicate hyperthyroidism, diabetes or kidney disease. Diarrhea … well, that could be just about anything, from nothing to worry about to irritable bowel disease or lymphoma.

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No More Free Rides For Some Emotional Support Animals

Traveling With Cats, Purrpourri
Bad news for emotional support animals. There are no more free rides on United unless they’re cats or dogs.

 

There are no more free rides for emotional support animals on United unless they're cats or dogs.

There are no more free rides for emotional support animals on United unless they’re cats or dogs.

Was your emotional support animal hoping for a free ride? Unless he’s a cat or dog, that’s not going to happen on United Airlines. And even cats and dogs will find their wings clipped by tighter rules that went into effect earlier this month.

The flap over emotional support animals apparently began when a woman tried to board a United Flight in Newark with a peacock named Dexter on her shoulders. 

Nothing against peacocks, the airline said, but Dexter was way too big to ride in the cabin. He and his human drove to California.

Ruffling Everyone’s Feathers

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Pets On Trains
Amtrak Gives Cats A Ticket To Ride

Traveling With Cats

Pets on Trains legislation gives cats a ticket to ride on Amtrak.

 

This cat is all packed up and ready to go, thanks to Amtrak's Pets on Trains policy

Thanks to Amtrak’s Pets on Trains policy, your cat can be your new best travel buddy.

Maybe you’re not wild about our elected officials in Washington, but here’s a reason to send a little love their way. The Pets on Trains provision buried deep into the 1300-page five-year highway appropriations bill approved last year instructs Amtrak to allow cats and dogs on many of its trains.

Amtrak started giving animal companions a ticket to ride on some routes in the northeast and Midwest last October. The pilot program ended earlier this month, and Amtrak is now on the fast track to expand its Pets on Trains policy. Cats and dogs under 20 pounds are now allowed on the Springfield Shuttles, Northeast, Downeaster,  Virginia, and Illinois regional routes and all cross country routes except the Auto Train. Animals can also travel on the Acela Express, but only on Saturdays and Sundays.

To travel with your cat, all you have to do is get on board with Amtrak’s rules. Among them: The cat must be in an approved carrier that will fit under your seat, and your trip must be no more than seven hours long. Oh, and just one cat is allowed per passenger.

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