As a pet sitting company owner, I‘d considered opening my home’s second room to cats needing boarding.
While I have always felt strongly that boarding cats at a facility is really not the best option for cats, in my mind I thought providing care for them in a comfy room with someone they knew would be OK. An experience this past summer changed my mind.
The air conditioning died at the home of one of our pet sitting clients while we were caring for his two cats. With the indoor temps reaching well over 90 by late afternoon, we knew we could not ethically leave the cats in the home with no AC, even though the cooler evening temps were coming. So, we did what any professional service would do. The sitter brought the two cats to my home until it could be fixed.
The second room had a nice cat condo with two cubbyholes and perches. It also, of course, had a litter box and fresh cold water. Additionally, the sitter brought the girls food and their favorite toys. I should mention I’ve personally pet sat for this client before, so his one cat knew me well. The girls were relieved to be out of the cat carrier, and, at first, were rubbing against me to say hi, but that was short lived. When they realized they were not at home, they began to sniff around, eyes dilated, bodies tense and tails twitching furiously at all the strange smells. The cat condo didn’t get a second glance.
I let the girls sniff around, talked to them softly, and got them some wet food, so they could be additionally hydrated from the few hours in the warm house. Despite most cats loving wet food, neither ate it. In fact, for the rest of the evening, neither cat ate or drank much. I visited them twice more, but they were tucked in the attached bathroom in a corner, eyes dilated, clearly unsure what was going on. They always had come to say hi, but then would go hide in the bathroom.
The next day was the same. The one cat seemed to relax very slightly, but her sister was becoming more stressed. She would hiss and growl at her sister—something she had never done before, as they are very close, usually sleeping snuggled up to each other. Her sister started giving her a wide berth, no more consoling snuggles.
Despite visiting multiple times throughout the day, and trying to engage her in play, she wasn’t having any of it. Later that day, she began growling and softly hissing at me. Again, something she had never done in her own home. She normally is the most playful, affectionate cat who enjoys being petted and lying snuggled on top of you. I think had I tried to do that with her here, I would have been swatted. I do not believe she ate the whole time she was there—not even treats.
My point is I thought surely in the comfort of someone’s home, a person they knew, no less, the cats would be fine. Nope. I believe this applies to taking them to those friends or family members the cat knows well, too. Cats just get stressed anywhere but their own home. This situation has just reaffirmed my belief—if we, as pet guardians, truly care about the welfare and well being of our pets, then cats should always stay in their home when you go on vacation.
Luckily, the AC was fixed by the end of the day, and the girls were home by 7:45 p.m. The first thing they did when they got into the safety of their own home? Eat.
If you are considering cat boarding, please reconsider, and call Critter Caretakers to provide your cat care. Your cats will thank you just like our client Merlin.
For more information about Critter Caretakers Pet Sitting, Where Your Pets Are Like Family, call (480) 553-0105. You also can visit the website at www.crittercaretakers.com. Join them on Facebook. Go to www.facebook.com/CritterCaretakersPetSitting.