The holiday season is a fun and exciting time, but it also may involve traveling and leaving your cat at home. This can be a stressful time for your animal; therefore, it’s always wise to plan in advance for how you plan on making sure your cat is going to be fine.

Cats and Their Home

An interesting fact about cats is how independent they are. Cats can be left alone for a day or so without being affected; but if you are thinking of leaving for an extended period of time, this can be hard on your feline. Cats enjoy being in their own space and having their own special places they enjoy sleeping or relaxing. If a cat is taken to a boarding facility, it can be very hard on the cat during the adjustment period and you might even be back from your vacation before your cat even gets acclimated to its new environment.

Getting Your Home Vacation-Ready

Believe it or not, this is very important. Not just for cats, but for dogs, too. When you are thinking about going on Thanksgiving vacation, you can do different things that will make your cat and even dogs much better off. The installation of a doggie door or cat door is great for your pets that do go outside. There are a wide variety of sizes and the installation process is fairly easy. Your cat will be able to go in and out at their leisure.

Food and Water

It is VERY important to make sure you have everything well handled. Be sure to have plenty of food when you go on vacation. Also, some automated feeders don’t work. Some of them feed the food as it’s eaten, but not all food is going to fall down correctly. Be sure to test out your feeder before you leave just to make sure the food drops. Also, any automated water machines: test them first!

Finding An Animal Sitter

The wonderful news about finding a pet sitter is this is becoming a career for millions of people. Now, you can find someone who will come to your home daily and spend time with your animal. This is wonderful for a cat to have some companionship during the day. You also might be able to negotiate rates, because if you’re planing on a longer Thanksgiving vacation it’s a steady client for a pet-sitter. See if you can designate an hourly wage for your pet-sitter to hang out a few hours with your animal. Also, check for references to make sure your pet-sitter is well recommended. Do you think your animal would be friendly to a stranger?

Make A List

Another important step is to make a list of things to remember for your pet-sitter. It’s great especially if your pet sitter has plenty of clients to see each day. Be sure to list any medicines or special foods your animal might need. Never forget the name of your veterinarian, either, just in case of an emergency. Plus, figure out a payment method just in case there is an emergency where your pet needs to get treatment while your gone.

Cats are part of the family and should be treated as such. Having a secure plan for your cat while you enjoy your holidays is being a responsible pet owner, but also taking great care of your pet.

What are your Thanksgiving plans for your cat?

Comments

comments