Your Cat’s Home Away From Home

Gone are the days of leaving out an extra bowl of food for Fiffi von Fuzzy Paws before departing for your cruise. Now, options for ensuring your precious cat is cared for in your absence are endless. And, choices run the gamut from bare essentials to putting your cat up in accommodations that rival luxury spas.

Keeping it simple

While your cat may scratch your eyes out when he sees you pull up to the vet’s office, the standby of boarding your cat there is still a possibility and the option that frugal cat owners swear by. With medical care at paw’s reach if an emergency arises, your cat will be adequately supervised and safe. But your vet, while an adoring animal lover, is busy and only able to promise basic care to the plentitude of boarders he’s got residing at his facility, many of them sick and recovering from surgery. Your cat may not get the love and attention he gets at home and it’s possible he is cage-bound all day, reason enough for many cat lovers to choose a different option.

There’s no place like home

If there’s one thing your cat loves, its home. When you go away, leaving him where he knows his favorite hiding places, his spot by the window and where he likes to do his business is probably where he’d prefer to stay. A pet sitter is an ideal solution. Searching for one by zip code through the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters ensures that you will get one who’s passed their certification process. (www.petsitters.org) Depending on what you require, rates will vary. But, on the whole you will be hiring an individual who likes cats as much as you do and will be willing to pet, play with and fed your cat. They’ll also probably bring in your mail, water your plants and haul in your trash cans on garbage day. You will want to check that your pet sitter is bonded and/or insured.

The lap of luxury

If you are willing to shell out the extra cash, up to $40 a day in some cases (and potentially more depending on multiple cats), your cat can stay in accommodations that are comparable to the finest resorts. Adjacent to, separate from, or on separate ventilation systems from dog boarding facilities, these cat boarding facilities promise to provide the most serene and calm environment possible for your feline friend. They are usually privately owned by cat enthusiasts but even the big chain brands are getting in on the action, with PetSmart having opened a chain of PetsHotel franchises in multiple locations across the United States and Canada.

These accommodations focus on your cat’s independence. Cats are given free reign of larger spaces, rather than cages. If you are checking multiple cats into a space, your cats may even be given an adjoining suite at PetsHotel. Of course, you can always pay for extra services, like lap time, playtime, extra grooming and brushing and specialized diets. And, if you are worried about your cat while you’re gone, many facilities offer check-in phone calls and even the ability for you to “speak” to your cat on the receiver.

What to know about any accommodations

Hiring a pet sitter that isn’t certified is a risky undertaking. It’s asking a stranger into your home to care for your animal in your absence. Mull that over for a minute and run through the risks of letting a stranger into your unattended home. A certification process has at least vetted out a few of the undesirables and ensured that people who have gone through the process are people devoted to and knowledgeable about animals.

All boarders should be licensed and be a member of the American Boarding Kennels Association (www.abka.com). This paperwork should be clearly posted and current. Any business not clearly posting this paperwork or not willing to show it upon request is likely not current on their licensure, or has failed a recent inspection.

Every boarding facility or sitter will have different requirements for shots and vaccinations and it’s important to check on what you will need to have accomplished and have documentation of before dropping off your cat. Some facilities will treat your animal for fleas or other incidentals and charge you accordingly if you do not have proper documentation. Plan ahead.

Leaving your cat is never fun for either of you. Treat him well with a good boarding plan and instead of snubbing you upon your return, he may greet you at the door with purring and rubbing against your leg.