Purrr, allow us to introduce ourselves
We are Pewie and Patches, black and white cat sisters and born on August 8, 2021. We were found together on a property in Noordwijk in The Netherlands. Since we were all alone, we were taken to an animal shelter. From there, we ended up with a foster family. We were probably only about three weeks old at the time. When we turned four months old, we found our furrever home in Noordwijk.
We've known our human staff, Chantal and Louis, for two years now. The best thing about them is that they take us everywhere. We enjoy going on vacations, weekend getaways, walks in the woods, and even going to cafes. At home, we get to explore to our heart's content which is nice since there we're spoiled with cuddles and tasty treats.
You can describe Pewie as very laid-back. The interesting thing is that she lets her humans know when she wants to be cuddled. Pewie is also playful and enjoys everything. Patches, on the other hand, has an incredible amount of energy. She is always up to something. Both of us love going on adventures and exploring everything. It's just normal for healthy cats.
How we learned to travel
Our humans already had a camper when we came to live with them. Before us, they also had two sister cats, but they were already quite old. Those sisters lived to be 19 years old, which is incredibly old for cats! Taking them on the road was a bit too ambitious.
When we came along, our human staff, Chantal and Louis, quickly introduced us to car rides. We cautiously went on a weekend trip with the camper. Our humans were afraid that we might have to go back home after just one day. Surprisingly, we did so well that we ended up staying away for four days. That was just the beginning of many camper trips. At first, it was just a week, but during our last vacation, we were away for a whole month.
What we recommend for cat travel
To travel across borders, you need a real European pet passport. This passport has to contain the necessary vaccinations. For example, a rabies vaccination is mandatory. Our chip registration numbers are also included.
We recommend always checking in advance if the country you are travelling to has any additional rules. You can obtain a passport from a veterinarian.
Thanks to our passports, we have already travelled to six countries. We always stay at campsites, and it is never a problem to bring our two humans along.
There was one time when our humans rented a house for us. They made sure to ask the landlord in advance if we were welcome. Being pet-friendly sometimes only means being dog-friendly.
What's incredibly fun is that we often go to cafes with our human staff. We simply sit there and enjoy ourselves. Nevertheless, indoors at the cafe, we always ask if it's okay to bring our own humans. The people at the cafes are usually quite surprised, but luckily, we have never been turned away.
Things we came across
Walking around with our humans abroad usually comes naturally. However, we always check if it is an area where dogs must be leashed, just like in the Netherlands.
Once in Spain, though, we were surprised to find out that as cats, we were not allowed in certain areas. Only dogs were allowed. They could not explain why. We think it was due to ignorance.
It is a good thing we had not been seen in the area two days earlier when we were happily exploring there. The visitors in the area were very excited to see us, and we have never been photographed so much.
We have never been on a plane. It has always been the camper or the car for us. We have many Dutch adventure cat friends. We have even met some of them during two Dutch adventure cat meetings 😺
Outdoor cat meetups
We enjoyed the meetings where cat Floortje from Hilversum, who also shared her story on CatSwoppr, participated. Both times, the cat meetings went even better than expected. A group of cats is quite different from a group of dogs. Besides a few hisses here and there, everything went super well.
For cat meetups, a somewhat quiet place is important. That way, the cats can do their own thing. As cats, we get along great as long as we keep a bit of distance from each other and don't scratch.
It is also nice if all human staff members bring their own backpack for the cats. By doing so we can rest if we get tired or find things a bit too exciting.
Besides hiking, we are also planning to go boating at some point. We are curious to see how we will like it, and if our humans will enjoy it too.
Did you enjoy our story? Then you can follow us on our Insta Pewie and Patches 😺
