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Cats•Lifestyle•Travel

Do Hotels Discriminate Against Cats?

January 14, 2017

When booking a hotel, some of us dog and cat lovers will oftentimes check to see if they’re pet friendly. We’ve already covered service animals (dogs) and they fact that they’re allowed in all public places; be it hotels, restaurants etc., I’ll link that article here. However, for those of us who have an ESA or non-ESA pet, we have to search long and hard for hotels of our choosing that will allow our little furry ones. 

As a cat ESA owner, I have to search extra long and hard because most of the “pet-friendly” hotels are actually only “dog-friendly” and upon calling to clarify what “pet” means (dog and/or cat), they 90% of the time always tell me “dog only”. But why? Let’s do a little research to find out.

First of all, let’s get the obvious reasons as to why hotels wouldn’t allow cats

  1. Cat’s can scratch furniture
  2. They can be loud with their meowing
  3. Male cats can spay, causing a distinctive odor that is tough to get out of carpet and furniture
  4. Cat urine can smell and be tough to remove should they go on the carpet
  5. 15% of people are allergic to cats (source)
  6. Cat’s are a liability for the hotel in case they die or get lost
  7. Fear of infecting the hotel room/other guests with fleas or worse, rabies
  8. Cat’s shed, and therefore can leave behind hair everywhere

Those are all of the reasons I can think of. Now let’s get the obvious reasons as to why hotels wouldn’t allow dogs

  1. Dogs can chew up furniture
  2. Dogs will dedicate and urinate on the ground if not taken outside to do so by their owner in time
  3. Many types shed, leaving behind hair everywhere
  4. Loud barking
  5. Various breeds that have been known to be aggressive, such as PitBulls, which in turn could cause a liability unto other guests
  6. Hotel liability if the dog becomes injured, dies or is lost
  7. 15% of the population is allergic to dogs (source)
  8. Male dogs can spay if not neutered, leaving a challenging residue to remove from carpets
  9. Dirty dogs can leave behind an odor that is difficult to remove
  10. As with cats, fleas and rabies is always a liability and issue to other guests

Okay, now let’s come up with the solutions:

CATS

DOGS

  • Cat’s can scratch furniture
Don’t leave cats unattended in room, or place a sheet or plastic wrap over the furniture to prevent scratching. Kishmere (my cat) doesn’t scratch furniture anymore, but when he did, whenever we’d travel to a cat friendly hotel, I’d always cover the chairs with the plastic that the extra blankets for the bed were provided in, as well as a few towels to prevent him from doing so.
 
And let’s not forget, human children can ruin furniture as well – spilled food/drinks? Knocking down lamps? etc.
  • They can be loud with their meowing

Cat meows aren’t loud, especially when considering them to a dogs bark. But the best thing to do to reduce the meows, are to listen to your cat – maybe he/she is hungry? Maybe he/she needs water? Maybe he/she needs their litter cleaned? Needs a play? Place an article of clothing or towel under the crack of your hotel door and the connecting door to your neighbors room, to mitigate the noise. 

And let’s not forget, there’s nothing more loud than a babies crying or child screaming next door…

  • Male cats can spay, causing a distinctive odor that is tough to get out of carpet and furniture

I would not recommend traveling with an un-neutered cat. And I understand why hotels would not want un-neutered cats in their establishment for the above reason. Hotels should require, I believe, the same required paperwork that an airline would require, and in that paperwork is their neuter certificate, in order to prevent any unwanted odor.

  • Cat urine can smell and be tough to remove should they go on the carpet

This is a tough one. After the first 6 months of my cats life, he never urinated or dedicated on the floor again. So I do not personally have to worry about this – he goes in the litter every time, and I always make sure it’s available – it’s the first thing I unpack when I travel somewhere. With that said, hardwood flooring is best if they do urinate, and if it can be quickly cleaned up (another reason not to leave your animal unattended in your hotel room). Hotels should allocate rug-free rooms to their guests with pets, cat or dog for these reasons.

Children pee the bed. I did one too many times as a child, including in hotel rooms on vacation…

  • 15% of people are allergic to cats (source)

A couple of my good friends are highly allergic to cats. They take medication whenever they are going to enter an establishment with cats. One of my good friend works with dogs and cats and is very allergic to dogs, so she takes preventative medication. Anyone who is allergic to cats and/or dogs and is going to willingly enter a hotel establishment that allows pets, should be prepared with medication. I believe they should also sign a release form. With that said, cat dander seems to be the main concern something that hotels can easily remove with a deep cleaning, which should be done even if a human infant stays in that room as their feces, urination and vomit can be dispelled anywhere just as much as a cat or dogs can. You can read here that it is possible to completely remove dander from hotel rooms, and it doesn’t take a lot of work. 

  • Cat’s are a liability for the hotel in case they die or get lost

If a human baby or child dies or get lost, it is also the hotels liability. No different, except children are obviously more since they’re human and somehow more important than animals in society. Either way, a release form upon booking should be necessary to cover the hotel in both occasions.

  • Fear of infecting the hotel room/other guests with fleas or worse, rabies

Again, this is something that can be mitigated by providing proof of rabies vaccination within 6 months and flea vaccination whiten 30 days.

Humans get lice, too. Don’t forget. At least cats/dogs can get preventative medication for fleas. Humans won’t make an effort to give themselves or their children preventative medication for lice… 

  • Cat’s shed, and therefore can leave behind hair everywhere

Some do (like dogs and humans as well), and this is the reason why vacuum’s were invented. If you come to my apartment after I deep clean it once every couple weeks, you won’t see a cat hair anywhere.

  • Dogs can chew up furniture
I love dogs, but I don’t have one. I did, however, grow up with many different dogs.  Still, not leaving them unattended and ensuring proper training prior to arrival is key.
  • Dogs will defecate and urinate on the ground if not taken outside to do so by their owner in time

Take them out often. Everything is preventable with a liability form, deposit, and proper owner etiquette.

  • Many types shed, leaving behind hair everywhere

See cat response.

  • Loud barking

See cat response.

  • Various breeds that have been known to be aggressive, such as PitBulls, which in turn could cause a liability unto other guests

This is the reason why hotels should have a policy. I’ve known many PitBulls and they’ve been very sweet. But hotels need to have a policy in place with a liability waiver, just like parents have to sign when their child goes to the doctor.

  • Hotel liability if the dog becomes injured, dies or is lost

See cat answer.

  • 15% of the population is allergic to dogs (source)

See cat answer.

  • Male dogs can spay if not neutered, leaving a challenging residue to remove from carpets

See cat answer.

  • Dirty dogs can leave behind an odor that is difficult to remove

One word: deep cleaning.

  • As with cats, fleas and rabies is always a liability and issue to other guests

See cat answer.

Now that we’ve established that cats and dogs have nearly equal reasons for hotels and non-cat/dog owners to be afraid of, we also now know how to mitigate those issues. The question still stands. Why do hotels discriminate against cats?

Let me know in the comments below why you think hotels discriminate against cats.

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