Summertime means longer sunlight hours, travel, more things to do, and of course, Summer Fridays. For us cat owners, that often means leaving our little furry one at home with a relative or cat sitter while we go on vacation. However, with more transportation becoming available to pets (like JetBlue's JetPaws program), it's never been more possible for you to bring your cat or dog with you. However, it's important to keep in mind the safety precautions you'll need to take if you do decide to travel with your pet.

Here, the Canadian Animal Health Institute gives us some tips on traveling with animals.

If you're thinking of having your family pet join you on vacation, you'll need to think about what you need to do to make sure their trip is safe and comfortable. Familiarize yourself with the requirements to allow your pet entry to your destination. Some common requirements include:

• Rabies vaccination
• Tapeworm treatment
• Tick treatments
• Microchip
• Blood tests to prove your pet is free from disease-causing agents such as rabies, Leptospira, Leishmania, Ehrlichia and Brucella.

The USDA offers a comprehensive database of countries and their requirements for pet entry into the country. In addition to meeting the destination country's requirements, you'll also want to make sure to meet the airline's specific requirements.

You'll also want to make a trip to your pet's veterinarian to make sure that they're healthy enough to travel, and while you're there you can make sure you get the vaccinations and treatments required for travel. You'll also want to research the country you're traveling to and find out what health risks are native to that country. This includes parasites, viruses, bacteria and diseases. Your vet should be able to advise you here as well.

The CDC also recommends researching the airline's pet travel rules. Only small animals can fly with you in the cabin. Larger animals can ride in the cargo area, however there have been some instances of unsafe handling and conditions for pets when flying in this manner. Do the research and make your decision to the best of your ability.

The CDC offers a list of resources on various topics related to traveling with your pets, including:

• Crate size requirements
• Preparing pets for travel
• Feeding during travel
• Dealing with airlines
• Laws for importing animals to the US

Traveling internationally with your cat(s) is a big deal, since most of us have never done it. For a first-hand account of traveling domestically with your pets, check out Burton the cat's tips for travel.

Have you traveled internationally with your pet? If not, would you ever consider it? Let us know in the comments!