The holiday season is prime time for travel. If you can’t take your cat with you, who watches him while you’re away? See tips on holidays and cat care here.
Marilyn Krieger | Dec 17th 2018
The holiday season often involves people traveling and leaving their cats for a few days or longer. People who share their homes with kitties face the dilemma of how to best care for them while they are away. In rare cases, cats accompany their people on holiday. Most, however, either stay at home or are boarded at a facility. Unfortunately, some cats are left alone without care — their people think the cats will be fine and will “fend for themselves” if left with “plenty” of food, water, and a couple of litter boxes. Here are some tips on how to handle the holidays and cat care — properly.
Ask yourself: What is best for the cat?
You can’t just leave a cat home alone to fend for himself. Photography by lkoimages/Thinkstock.
In a perfect universe, cats are cared for at home while their people are away on a holiday or traveling for work. Cats feel more secure at home. They are territorial, and they have established routines, favorite places to nap, windows to look out of and favored toys. They are used to specific smells and sounds and are accustomed to eating meals on a schedule. Although in most cases home care is ideal, it is not always possible. The next best option is to board them at a facility that can provide great care.
Leaving cats at home to fend for themselves is never an option. They need someone to tend to them every day, ideally twice a day. Unexpected stuff can happen — acts of nature or medical problems. Cats need fresh water, food and their litter boxes scooped at least once a day. Also, some become stressed and develop separation anxiety when left alone. Cats are not OK alone.
Here are some tips for making the holidays and cat care easier on both your kitty and you:
Holidays and cat care: Have a cat sitter come to your home
When possible, arrange for your cats to be cared for at home. The perfect solution is enlisting a cat sitter or a friend who loves your cats to stay in your home while you travel. Because that is not always feasible, schedule the trusted someone to visit the cats twice a day at the same times every day. Twice a day is much better than once a day. The sitter can feed and interact with them and observe changes in habits that might indicate there is a medical problem. In addition to feeding and maintaining the litter box, the sitter should spend quality time with the cats — engaging them in activities they enjoy.
Be prepared! Before leaving on your trip, write out detailed instructions for the cat sitter. In addition to feeding and litter-box maintenance details, include each cat’s treat and toy preferences. List their favorite activities along with any specific behavior concerns. Note how your sitter can contact you and your veterinarian while you are traveling. Just in case something unforeseen happens, hide an extra key outside your home or give one to a trusted neighbor.
Leave a small part of you with the cats. Before leaving on your trip, place small towels and other articles of clothing that have your scent on them in sealable plastic bags. If you are traveling for three days, place three scented items in three bags and tightly seal them. Ask the cat sitter to place one scented item every day on the cat’s favorite hangout place. Your smell will help your kitty feel she is not abandoned.
Phone your cats. Cats know their favorite people’s voices. If you have an old-fashioned landline phone with a recorder, call the kitties and talk to them. Recordings of your voice will also work.
Make it fun. Provide your cats plenty of fun things to do in your absence. Tall cat trees placed next to secured windows provide hours of entertainment. Toys such as ball and tract toys and puzzle boxes double as hiding places for cat treats. Ping pong balls a
Commentaires
Enregistrer un commentaire