About Today: Home Alone: Pet and Plant Care

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Today I'm getting the best present for the holidays this year: No traveling. I win! Since not everyone is as lucky, let's figure out how to keep your pets and plants happy and healthy while you travel. Should Your Pet Go With You or Stay Home? I am fortunate (or unfortunate if you are a non-lover of kitties) to have a cat named Mr. Peterson. He's not a good traveler. When we go to the vet, oh does he cry and cry. That leads me to wonder if we'd ever bring Mr. P. with us if we went away for a long time. But if you've decided to bring your meower or woofer along, check out these recommendations. Traveling With Your Cat Traveling With Your Dog See More About:  traveling with pets  pet sitters  boarding pets Preventing Frozen Pipes OK, we got the pets taken care of. Now let's hit the pipes. If you are going to be away, you need to make sure your home is all set for anything. One of the more worrisome issues is pipes. If they freeze and then burst you're gonna be in a world of hurt (well, it'll be messy and sorta spendy to get it all sorted). Easy Home Winterizing Checklist Prepare Your Car for Winter Travel See More About:  avoiding burst water pipes  risky locations for water pipes  Watching Over Your House Since I've never taken Mr. Peterson with us when we've vacationed, I usually have a friend cat sit for us. Bonus: she also watched over the apartment. Even if you don't have a pet you may want to consider getting a house sitter. Here are some steps to take if you are considering it. Tips on Choosing a Pet Sitter or Kennel Home Security Tips See More About:  trip planning  house sitters  pet sitters Don't Come Home to Dead Plants So, you come home from vacation and the house sitter didn't get the note about watering the plant or maybe the cats had their wicked way with the Christmas Cactus. Consider replacing it one with of these hard-to-kill plants. Mother-in-Law's Tongue Spider Plants See More About:  foliage plants  flowering plants  orchids Today Ads Indoor Plant Plant Care Tree Care Plant Pruning Palm Care Featured Articles Fish Care While on Holiday Basics of Holiday Home Safety Dog Separation Anxiety Do I Leave My Teen Home Alone? Christmas Flower Gift Baskets Winter Lawn Care Tips   More from About.com Living with Depression By obtaining the correct medical intervention and learning better coping skills, you can not only live with depression, but live well. More> 9 Symptoms of Depression If you have experienced five or more of these symptoms within the same two week period, this could be indicative of an episode of depression. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Today newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2011 About.com     Follow us on: Advertisement