A Day in the Life of a Travel Cat
“What do your cats do all day when you’re travelling?”
I get a lot of questions regarding the cats’ daily lives and what an average day might look like when we’re travelling together. Much like any other “influencer”, Reinhardt’s life may seem fabulous due to the curated highlight reel presented on Instagram, but the reality is he lives a pretty typical cat life for most of the time, but sometimes he’s just doing it in a different country. Perseus lives an even simpler life as he’s less fussy and part of his routine consists of thoroughly bothering Reinhardt.
One thing I want to note is that if you ever plan to travel with a pet, then you need to prioritize their needs and safety over your own wants. To accommodate the cats’ needs, I try to ensure that they have ample time to rest each day, plan around their typical washroom schedule, and stay mindful of environmental conditions like the weather or the expected crowd intensity at a given location. Ultimately, I tend to plan our schedule based on this pattern when we explore a new city with the cats: early morning walk, afternoon rest period, evening walk, cat care and more rest.
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5AM to 9AM: Early Morning Exploration with the Cats
For a travel cat, early mornings are the optimal time to start exploring and you’ll find us watching the sunrise at a famous lookout point or sightseeing at major landmarks. Thankfully, sunrise is also a great time to capture photos as the sun isn’t as harsh, there’s less pressure to rush your shot, and you can get unobstructed views.
Prior to leaving the accommodation, both cats are reminded to use their litter box but usually they won’t need it until later. Some mornings the cats get to live in luxury and will be whisked off to their first destination via taxi as public transportation sometimes doesn’t start running until later in the day, but more often than not they simply enjoy a 10-15 minute ride in their backpack as I purposefully try to book our accommodations in central locations so that sightseeing spots are within walking distance. If we need to drive somewhere, then I typically bring a portable litter box as this means we’ll be out for longer throughout the day as the cats are perfectly happy to nap in the car between destinations.
Although waking up early isn’t easy, early morning walks mean the cats are more free to explore as they please, whether that means walking on the road or zigzagging on trails. We don’t have to worry about blocking anyone’s path when Reinhardt decides to chew on some grass for ten minutes or if Perseus flops down to roll on some concrete. The cats are also free to ekekek at birds or hop onto ledges without having to worry about other tourists crowding around them.
Most of our adventures are quite weather dependent and there’s generally no set time for how long we go for a walk each day. Our morning explorations can range anywhere from 30 minutes to a whole four hours depending on what we did the day before, how the cats are behaving, and whether we have set plans afterwards.
10 to 11AM: Breakfast
Around 10AM is when the cats like to have their breakfast, so this is typically around the time we try to return to the accommodation. This is also around the time where other tourists start to explore and temperatures may begin to rise, so it’s perfect timing for everyone.
The cats will often use their litter box after getting back from an adventure or after they’ve eaten their first meal. Both cats will take some time to inspect the room and then find a preferred spot to settle down for an afternoon nap. Typically, Reinhardt will find the optimal spot only to inevitably have to surrender it to Perseus, and so then he might grumpily move to a window to stare outside for a bit.
12PM to 5PM: Cat Naps & Sightseeing
Cats spend a lot of time sleeping, and this is prime nap time for both Reinhardt and Perseus. Both cats get to nap throughout this part of the day while the humans head back out to enjoy sightseeing opportunities that aren’t pet-friendly.
Depending on the location and the weather, there are times when the cats will go for their walk in the afternoon rather than in the morning. For example, when we were hiking in the Dolomites it was constantly overcast and the temperatures were actually too cold in the mornings, so afternoon hikes were much more optimal. The same can be said when we go on winter adventures. When this happens, then we usually head out when it is warmest and head back before sunset where the cats can then spend the entire evening and night resting.
6PM to 8PM: Sunset Chasing with the Cats
Golden hour is one of my favourite times to take photos and conveniently this is when the cats awaken from their slumber. A bonus to taking them out in the evening is that it helps ensure they stay asleep throughout the night rather than getting the zoomies at 3AM.
Occasionally, the cats will get to join us for dinner if we can find a pet-friendly restaurant or a spot with outdoor seating. When this happens, the cats stay zipped up in their carrier for the majority of the meal, often napping, although occasionally I try to sneak them a few bites or let them sniff some of the food.
9PM to 11PM: Dinner and Winding Down for the Day
The rest of the night is spent relaxing at the accommodation and for whatever reason this is the time when the cats are most likely to snuggle up together without getting into a tussle.
I also like to use this time to take care of any daily cat tasks such as combing or food preparation. At around 10PM the cats get to have dinner and then most likely one of them will use the litter box sometime afterwards. We might spend a little bit of time playing with a wand toy if it was a low-activity day, and then everyone is (ideally) asleep by 11PM.
