Trish Conrad, a corporate technology trainer, spends more time on the road than in her Boston home. To keep her company while traveling for work, she brings along her cat Julie.

"I travel so much for work that I get lonely on the road," says Conrad, a 55-year-old, divorced mother of four. When she first started traveling with Julie, an American Shorthair, her children thought she was crazy. "My kids -- who are all cat people -- couldn't imagine traveling with a cat, she says.

According to the Travel Industry Association (TIA), this is not necessarily the case. Fourteen percent of all U.S. adults, or about 29 million Americans, travel with their pets. Fifteen percent of those travelers take their cats along.

THE RIGHT STUFF
Because Conrad travels with Julie by car and plane, she says that the keys to easy traveling are preparedness and the right supplies. She purchases easily available brands of cat food and litter, keeps Julie on her regular feeding schedule and offers her bottled water to avoid stomach upset. Conrad brings appropriate toys to the hotel room, such as a scratching post, and is always present when the room is cleaned -- with Julie confined to her pet tent to ensure she does not get frightened and slip out the door.

"Julie is very much like a child, Conrad says. She likes people, but is overly cautious around strangers.

**For the full article, pick up the June issue of CAT FANCY**