One of the hardest things about traveling is leaving the pets. We are fortunate in that we have amazing friends and family who will serve as pet and house sitters. Both the house and the animals will be properly occupied, watched over, and secure. But still, it makes it hard to leave the “bubs”, aka “Smith Family Zoo” behind. Granted, I think the cats may have an easier time of it then Riley the Pug.

The cats, Milo Patrick Alexander and Nieve-Sol, are quite independent and they don’t need constant attention. But we’d like to think they will still miss us. Even so, my good buddy Jodi and Tim’s dad will take turns house sitting and Trish and Travis will check in on them periodically.

Nieve is the first to greet me in the morning and the last to say goodnight. He’s a lap cat and can hear even the slightest stir. He knows that’s his time to cuddle and greet. Milo is not a lap cat but likes to stay near by and create mischief.

We’ve left plenty of toys for them, plenty of window viewing areas, and lots of back up food. We also read that it can be helpful to leave things that smell like their family so they don’t feel abandoned. I bagged up some clothes that can be strategically left out for them now and then.

The harder one to leave is Riley the Pug. He’s our little buddy that follows us everywhere we go. My sister will watch him at her house with the exception of when Ken will take over for a weekend. Trish has known Riley since the day we adopted him so he will be in safe and recognizable hands.

My guess is Riley will enjoy his time with Trish, Travis, and niece Cora. However- Cora, being 19 months, seems to exhaust him and vice versa.

We left pillowcases that smell like us for him, food, his bed, and lotsa toys. Hopefully he’ll be a happy boy.

Ah the joys of travel. While most of it’s exciting, the logistics of leaving things behind is difficult. Especially our little critters that we adore. I’m taking a stuffed pug to sleep with since Riley tends to sleep at the foot of the bed. Of course the stuffed pug doesn’t snore…that may be a slight blessing.

I guess the one thing about leaving these little critters is that we will have a wonderful reunion upon our return. We just can’t wait to come home and see, cuddle, and tell them all about the wildlife we visited.