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Back in June I signed up to Cat In A Flat, and 6 months later I've had the pleasure of looking after 10 other cats as well as my own fluffy two! I had a handful of enquiries about cat sitting on Christmas day, but this year after visiting my Mum in the morning we'll be heading up to Perth for the night to stay with Pete's dad and have our dinner there. So if I'm not watching anyone elses kitties, what will I be doing with my own? I thought I'd write up some suggestions for how you can best prepare your cat and your home if you don't have a sitter for them, and will be off visiting family or friends this Christmas.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
A cat burglar, their first time seeing snow, and cosy mornings in bed♥
The crazy cat lady in me feels super guilty for not being at home with these guys at Christmas. But in reality, they don't really care what day it is! As long as they're fed, have clean water and a clean litter tray, with a few treats sprinkled around the house for good measure... well they're as happy as larry and probably won't even notice we've gone. In fact, with Bronson coming up to Perth with us they will definitely notice we are gone and probably embrace some peace and quiet haha.
First up, how long will you be gone for, and do you need a sitter?
Personally, I wouldn't leave my cats alone for any longer than one overnight. We will be leaving the house on Christmas around midday, and won't be home until boxing day early evening. Any longer than that and I would have booked a sitter. Any longer than 10 days and I would take them to my Mums for a mini holiday rather than getting a sitter to make daily visits. It can be quite stressful for cats to be moved into a new environment for a short amount of time, so you should never feel bad for leaving them at home and getting someone to check on them a couple of times a day. They would be more grateful for the safety and security of their own house, rather than a car journey and moving to a new place with strange smells and sounds. It took Dexter and Binx a couple of weeks to properly settle into my Grans house when we went to Singapore, and just as they'd gotten comfortable it was time to take them back home again. Here are some (perhaps obvious, perhaps not?) suggestions to help prepare your home before you leave:
1. Adjust your thermostat to a desired temperature level suitable for your pets
2. Empty all rubbish and place outside in the bin
3. Put all toilet lids down
4. All cabinet doors closed in both bathroom and kitchen
5. Close the door to all off-limit rooms
6. Washing machine and dryer lid closed
7. All appliances off and unplugged
8. Timers on desired indoor and outdoor lights
9. All electronic cat flaps with new batteries and checked
10. All doors and windows closed and locked
As for your cats, everyone has their own routine and set up, but I would definitely recommend that you have one litter tray per cat if you don't have this already. I'll completely clean out both trays the day I leave too. Cat food wise, Dexter and Binx are only on dry food which they tend to nibble at their leisure during the day. So for this reason I'm just able to leave out an extra bowl of water and biscuits, and that does them fine over a 24 hour period. If your cat takes wet food, you could think about getting an electronic feeder which dispenses the food at set times. I've seen this being used for dry food too, and would be ideal for a cat who is more interested in gobbling up all the food as soon as it's set out for them!
Clik here to view.
Back in June I signed up to Cat In A Flat, and 6 months later I've had the pleasure of looking after 10 other cats as well as my own fluffy two! I had a handful of enquiries about cat sitting on Christmas day, but this year after visiting my Mum in the morning we'll be heading up to Perth for the night to stay with Pete's dad and have our dinner there. So if I'm not watching anyone elses kitties, what will I be doing with my own? I thought I'd write up some suggestions for how you can best prepare your cat and your home if you don't have a sitter for them, and will be off visiting family or friends this Christmas.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
A cat burglar, their first time seeing snow, and cosy mornings in bed♥
The crazy cat lady in me feels super guilty for not being at home with these guys at Christmas. But in reality, they don't really care what day it is! As long as they're fed, have clean water and a clean litter tray, with a few treats sprinkled around the house for good measure... well they're as happy as larry and probably won't even notice we've gone. In fact, with Bronson coming up to Perth with us they will definitely notice we are gone and probably embrace some peace and quiet haha.
First up, how long will you be gone for, and do you need a sitter?
Personally, I wouldn't leave my cats alone for any longer than one overnight. We will be leaving the house on Christmas around midday, and won't be home until boxing day early evening. Any longer than that and I would have booked a sitter. Any longer than 10 days and I would take them to my Mums for a mini holiday rather than getting a sitter to make daily visits. It can be quite stressful for cats to be moved into a new environment for a short amount of time, so you should never feel bad for leaving them at home and getting someone to check on them a couple of times a day. They would be more grateful for the safety and security of their own house, rather than a car journey and moving to a new place with strange smells and sounds. It took Dexter and Binx a couple of weeks to properly settle into my Grans house when we went to Singapore, and just as they'd gotten comfortable it was time to take them back home again. Here are some (perhaps obvious, perhaps not?) suggestions to help prepare your home before you leave:
1. Adjust your thermostat to a desired temperature level suitable for your pets
2. Empty all rubbish and place outside in the bin
3. Put all toilet lids down
4. All cabinet doors closed in both bathroom and kitchen
5. Close the door to all off-limit rooms
6. Washing machine and dryer lid closed
7. All appliances off and unplugged
8. Timers on desired indoor and outdoor lights
9. All electronic cat flaps with new batteries and checked
10. All doors and windows closed and locked
As for your cats, everyone has their own routine and set up, but I would definitely recommend that you have one litter tray per cat if you don't have this already. I'll completely clean out both trays the day I leave too. Cat food wise, Dexter and Binx are only on dry food which they tend to nibble at their leisure during the day. So for this reason I'm just able to leave out an extra bowl of water and biscuits, and that does them fine over a 24 hour period. If your cat takes wet food, you could think about getting an electronic feeder which dispenses the food at set times. I've seen this being used for dry food too, and would be ideal for a cat who is more interested in gobbling up all the food as soon as it's set out for them!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Cat naps, Santa Claws, and some special pressies.
Both Bronson and the cats have some presents to open on Christmas morning, and if you follow me on twitter you'll have seen the mega fail at the cardboard car I was assembling for them... aaaand they're both far too big for it. Hopefully this DJ deck scratch pad will go down better, and a tin to pop all of their Whiskas treats in as Binx isn't deterred by the packaging when it comes to breaking into a bag of tasty biscuits. As much as I am a dedicated cat lady, I'm not qualified to give professional advice so I would definitely recommend having a chat with your vet (who will also have a better idea of your cats character and what would be safe for them) if you are leaving them home alone over the festive period. However I do hope you found some of my suggestions helpful, and I hope Santa Paws is super good to you and yours this year ♥
This post is a collaboration with WHISKAS®, but all thoughts are my own. Check out their website for more information on their cat food and their YouTube channel for some super cute Kitten Kollege videos.