What to do with a cat when you’re going on holiday?
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with cats. These mystical creatures are bound to a place, very strongly. And they also handle changes very badly, mainly the changes of environment.
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with cats. These mystical creatures are bound to a place, very strongly. And they also handle changes very badly, mainly the changes of environment.
Some cats can get used to a new home. I know some that go with their owners to cottages. But it needs quite a lot of work, patience and attention. But we can get deeper into this in another article.
So what can you do with your cat when you’re leaving? If you are leaving for a weekend, a cat is an independent animal and can be at home alone. We do that every weekend. We put enough bowls with water in the flat, refill the feeder for dry food and she gets a generous portion of meat right before we leave. And we don’t forget to leave some toys there for her to amuse herself. She barely realizes we are away for a couple of days. Or at least she looks like she doesn’t when we come back.
But what should you do when you are leaving for a longer period of time? It’s perfect if you have a friend or a relative who will go to your place to look after your cat and feed it. But not everyone has that option. In such case, you can order a professional caretaker. You need to choose wisely, you still let a stranger into your home; moreover, when you aren’t there. The best practice is to rely on reviews and others’ experience. My friend offers this kind of services so I know a thing or two about that.
Her advantage is the fact that she has a shelter for abandoned cats at home so she is really experienced in keeping them as well as treating them. She can take a quality care even of a diabetic cat. Your relatives may find it difficult to inject the cat or the cat itself could be the cause of troubles (we know how cats can behave sometimes). She can also properly react in situation when treatment is needed.
And what does this cat-sitting at your own place look like? Before you leave, an introductory meeting will take place at your home. During that, a person who is going to look after your pet will explain everything and you will describe him/her the character of your cat and agree on what his/her visits should be like. These usually include feeding, refilling water, taking out cat’s toilets, cuddling and playing with the cat. You can also agree on other potential tasks.
This introductory visit shouldn’t be skipped so you could meet the person who is going to take care of your pet. That’s why I recommend you pick a company that doesn’t employ part-time workers so you can be sure that only the one person you met visits your home. The caretaker should be interested in information you are giving him/her about the cat and also potentially ask questions on his/her own. He/she should want to know where the food for the cat is, where its bowls, toys or toilets are, where the litter is, what the cat’s favourite spots are, what toy it likes most and other things. He/she shouldn’t be looking around the flat and its equipment too much.
In the case you have no friend to look after your cat and you don’t want a stranger in your home, you can make the use of an animal hotel. But as I’ve already mentioned, most cats don’t like this and will be unnecessarily stressed. Some may even get sick because of that. But there is also the advantage that your cat is being watched over around the clock. If you decide to choose this option, rely again on reviews, go check the hotel in advance and you may also talk to its employees. They should be willing to explain everything to you. When handing over the animal, the same applies as for cat-sitting, they should be interested in your pet – how healthy it is, how it likes to spend time, what it doesn’t like and so on.
What do you do with your cat companions during holidays? As I’ve mentioned, my friend offers cat-sitting services so when noone from my family can take care of Míca I know where to turn to.
Doing yoga with a dog, or doga in other words (the combination of “dog” and “yoga”), has become popular in the United States of America, but it has not become so popular in the Czech Republic yet. What is it about and what benefits does this sport have...
Earlier, this heart disease was attributed only to certain pure-blood breeds. Nowadays, it can even occur in cross-breeds. Another disease which reminds us of how important regular preventive check-ups at the vet are.
Days are getting colder and it is time again to prepare our furry friends who live outdoors for winter. All cats (whether they live outdoors or only go outside occasionally) need our greater attention in this season.
A Somali cat is a long-haired version of Abyssinian cat, one of the oldest cat breeds in the world. But it does not have an interesting or long history itself. Even though it is named after an African country, first Somali cats were born in the United...
Until recently, Cairn terriers were the most popular terriers in Great Britain (until they were overtaken by Westies). It comes from Scottish island Skye and it used to hunt foxes and otters here already in the times of Mary, Queen of Scots. That’s...
A team of Swedish athletes one of whom is Mikael Lindord regularly attends one of the most difficult races in the world to challenge other teams – the Adventure Racing World Championship. When Mikael and his friends stopped in the middle of an...
Each dog is an individual and has different needs. When it comes to diet, it depends on its health condition or physically demanding activities. However, we can generalize these needs to a certain degree according to a breed, age and mainly the size of...
Adopting a dog senior might save his life. They also need stable home and love which unfortunately can never be fully provided in the shelter. Nevertheless, most people who are considering adoption as an option automatically look for a puppy or at...
The International Rabbit Day is celebrated on the fourth Saturday or Sunday in September. This year, it was 22 September. This annual celebration of a cute mammal with long ears, short tail and a velvet coat is not only meant for the million of rabbits...
Do you also follow the recent trend which encourages us to come back to our roots and mind our planet more? I am personally very happy about that. More and more households live according to zero-waste and non-toxic principles and we don’t forget about...
Cats enjoying themselves in a doll house are a hit on Iceland. Their creators probably didn’t expect so much fame and first of all, they didn’t create the whole project for money, fame and for a short-time amusement. There is a much more noble purpose...
Your furry friend might get poisoned in a minute, only a few seconds of carelessness or a slow reaction is enough, especially if your dog is similar to mine and “eats everything he finds on the way”. Fortunately, my dog hasn’t been poisoned yet but I’m...