When I travel with Summer, I leave her in the carrier for a few minutes while I take the following hotel room precautions: 1. I check under the bed for anything hazardous that might have been left behind. The maids don’t always look under the bed when cleaning up. There could be meds (legal or illegal), razor blades or other sharp objects, strings, etc. Also check the box springs. I’ve found the fabric that covers them is often torn, which means a cat could crawl up in there. Good to know if you ever can’t find them. 2. If the bed’s on a platform, check where the mattress meets the wall. There’s often a crawl space behind there that the cat could crawl into. I try to block these areas with pillows, but you have to stuff them in really tight or the cat will still be able to squeeze in there. 3. Check for any other small spaces a cat might crawl behind or under, and possibly get stuck. This includes underneath comfy chairs and behind the dresser and nightstands. You want to know of all potential hiding spots, or danger areas. 4. You will probably have one trash can where you put things that may be hazardous to your cat, like dental floss, or things you just don’t want your cat to get into, like food trash. I always keep one specific trash can for that type of stuff and put it on a high shelf in the closet. That’s the one place your cat can’t get to. Because believe me, they will probably go everywhere else! The one alternative to this, if there isn’t a closet with a door that closes is to use a drawer. 5. Keep anything you’ve brought that may be a danger to your cat, like your meds or supplements, zipped up in your tote or in a drawer. Unless your cat likes to open drawers. Then definitely just use a zipped up bag for those items. I’ve found everything in hotel rooms from over the counter male enhancement pills to empty cat food cans. A friend who travels with cats once found a switchblade! So do check thoroughly. Once you know it’s safe, then you can let your cat out to explore. I always keep Summer’s harness with ID on when I need to leave the room without her (going to the gym or to eat). I usually decline maid service during our stays to minimize the chance of people entering the room when she’s there and I’m not. #cats #travelcat #catadvice #catsafety