Problem Solving & Advice by Pam Johnson-Bennett Cat Behavior Expert & Best-selling Author
Whether it’s that eight-hour drive to spend the holiday at Grandma’s house, or that long-awaited summer vacation, you’ll need to make arrangements for your cat. For some people, kitty will go where they go and for others, reservations are made at the local boarding facility. If your cat could make the choice though, I’d bet he’d prefer to stay in his own home while you go traveling off to various parts of the globe. Your cat, being a territorial creature who takes comfort in predictability, is just as happy to sit out the holidays as long as it means he gets to sleep in his own bed and the dinner schedule doesn’t get interrupted.
Home Alone Kitty
Unless your cat has been well socialized to people, travel, and new experiences, the best option is to have a pet sitter or a trusted friend/neighbor come in and care for your cat. Don’t believe the things you may have read that cats can do just fine by staying home alone as long as you’ve filled up a mountain of food and a big bowl of water. Things can go wrong in a house with an animal left alone – whether it’s a major medical emergency, fire, flood, electrical failure or just a minor medical problem, and you wouldn’t want your cat suffering because no one checked in during your weekend spent out of town. Additionally, it can be very stressful for a cat to find himself completely alone in a quiet home when he has been used to you returning each day at a certain hour and also being in the routine of interacting with you several times a day. If you work from home or if there are multiple family members in the household then to have the house suddenly become empty and quiet can cause lots of confusion and anxiety.
Too many people view cats as low maintenance and get them mainly because of the perceived convenience of not having to interrupt their lives too much. These cats are left alone for anywhere from just one night to four-five days. Imagine the risk these cat parents are taking with their cats’ health and safety. Now also imagine the anxiety these cats endure. Cats aren’t low maintenance substitutes for dogs and their health and welfare shouldn’t be compromised just so we can spend the weekend at the beach.
Boarding Facilities
There are good ones, great ones, and terrible ones. If you choose to place your cat in a boarding facility, go there yourself and take a tour. For a cat, being placed in a cage, surrounded by unfamiliar animals, sounds, smells, and sights, can cause the stress-o-meter to go over the top. Facilities that have condos with hiding places and elevated options inside each cat’s area can make a big difference in how secure your cat feels. Keep in mind how sensitive your cat’s senses are and inspect the kennel from your cat’s point of view.
- How does it smell?
- How loud is the environment?
- Are cages facing each other? This can be very stressful.
- Is the cage/condo big enough so the food bowl isn’t right next to the litter box?
- What type of staff interaction is there?
- Do the cats get played with, petted, and held?
- What is done to help reduce anxiety and fear?
- Is there a veterinarian on-call for emergencies?
- How is the facility monitored at night?
- What type of enrichment is done?
Some boarding facilities have great enrichment protocols and others are stark and depressing.
The Comforts of Home
Hiring a pet sitter or having a friend come over to care for your cat is a great way for you to have the security of knowing your cat remains the most comfortable in his own surroundings. It’s bad enough that from his point of view the family has run off and disappeared without warning but at least kitty hasn’t lost territory. Just having that security can make a big difference in whether your cat freaks out during your absence or whether he takes it in stride with minimal stress. For some cats, being placed in a boarding kennel, no matter how well run, is terrifying. Don’t get me wrong, there are some state-of-the-art boarding facilities that look better than many of the hotel rooms I’ve stayed in, but typically for a cat, nothing beats the familiarity of home. So if it’s in the budget, consider hiring an experienced pet sitter or work out an arrangement with a trusted friend or neighbor.
Photo: Pam Johnson-Bennett
You have to do your homework when planning to have someone come in to care for your cat. Don’t just ask the kid next door to drop in every day to toss food in the bowl. You need someone who will make sure your cat is safe, clean the litter box, feed, monitor how kitty is eating and using the litter box, interact with your cat (if the cat enjoys this) and try to minimize the stress of your absence. A pet sitter who takes the time to play with the cat or interact in whatever way that particular cat enjoys can make a big difference in keeping that kitty stress-o-meter at a manageable level. The pet caretaker who bolts in the door and is back out in mere minutes isn’t going to notice your cat maybe hasn’t urinated all day or has pulled a patch of hair off a hind leg, is limping, or maybe scratched an eye and is squinting in pain. The “drive-by” pet caretaker isn’t much better than you filling up the food and water bowl and taking your chances nothing bad will happen to the cat. Hire a pet sitter who cares deeply for the welfare of every client, or if you’re choosing a friend/neighbor to help you, choose someone who can take the time to ensure your cat’s safety and security.
How Often Should the Pet Sitter Visit?
By now you know my preferred method of caring for a cat while the family is away is by hiring a top-notch pet sitter or using a very trusted friend. Now we come to another question though – how many visits per day are needed? Many people think a single visit to the home is adequate but really, you need at least two visits daily.
If your cat is used to scheduled meals, you need to have the pet sitter come at those times to maintain the normal schedule. It can be very stressful for a cat who is used to eating three or four times a day to now have to deal with just one or two meals on top of the fact that the entire family has up and gone. It’s also not healthy for digestion to gulp down in one meal what kitty normally would eat over multiple meals.
Photo: Pam Johnson-Bennett
It’s also important that what’s happening in the litter is monitored. If there’s any diarrhea, constipation, bloody urine, or lack of any evidence of litter box activity whatsoever, it’s better that it’s noticed right away. The twice-daily pet sitter visit will also help ensure good litter box hygiene. If your cat is used to having a pristine box then having to navigate over mounds of soiled litter won’t go over very well.
More than one visit per day also provides activity for your cat which can make a difference in maintaining minimal stress levels. A visit in the morning to open curtains and do a little playtime in addition to the normal feeding and litter box cleaning, and then an evening visit to close curtains, adjust lighting, and spend some time petting or doing a play sessions, can provide comforting predictability. Just having some normal household sounds can provide a sense of security. For example: the television, radio, or music through the smart speaker.
Last, but not least, is the fact that if there’s any medical issue with your cat, wouldn’t you rather it not take 24 hours before getting noticed?
When planning for your cat’s care during your vacation or holiday travel, the extra precautions you take to minimize stress and help ensure safety and security can make all the difference in whether this is a positive or negative experience… for everyone.
Need More Information?
For more information on cat behavior and training, refer to the best-selling books by Pam Johnson-Bennett. Pam’s books are available at bookstores and online. We’ve included links to Amazon here on our website.
If you have a question regarding your cat’s health, please contact your veterinarian. This article is not intended as a replacement for your cat’s veterinary care.
