Boarding Catteries - A Necessary Evil?

You’ve booked your holiday of a lifetime, chosen your new beachwear and laid in ample supplies of suntan lotion - but what about your cat? What arrangements will you make for his care whilst you are away? Many people have good friends or neighbors who will pop in twice a day and feed your pet but many owners don’t have this luxury. Their only option is to book their cat into a cattery.  And here’s the problem. Many business owners care more for their balance sheet than for the cats in their care and often poor regulation means that operating procedures are badly thought through. A lack of understanding of proper cat care inevitably results in unhappy and unhealthy conditions. No loving owner wants that for their pet!   So what should you look for when choosing a boarding cattery for your lovely cat?  Here are my top five recommendations: 

1. An Owner-run establishment. Not just a name on a letterhead but real hands-on involvement. If the owner is willing to put in the work, they obviously get pleasure from building up a relationship with each individual animal - cuddles included!
2. High-quality, suitable and clean accommodation. Each chalet should have an indoor area with clean, separate bedding for each cat. There should be a heat source for cold periods - after all, what cat doesn’t appreciate a bit of warmth to snooze in?  There should be access to an enclosed run and there should be ’sneeze barriers’ to prevent the spread of any infection to other cats. THERE SHOULD BE NO POSSIBILITY OF DIRECT CONTACT WITH CATS IN ADJOINING CHALETS AT ALL!
3. Access to clean water at all times and regular food of a type that your cat enjoys. All this should be noted as a matter of routine at the time of booking. Also, litter trays should be placed away from feeding bowls and cleaned twice a day.
4. A willingness to administer any necessary medication by the owner/staff who are competent to do so.
5. And finally, a happy and open attitude from the owner or staff. This doesn’t really form part of ‘How To Run a Cattery’, of course but if the people you come into contact with are chatty and open, then you can all but guarantee that they will care for your cat willingly and well during your absence.

If you can cover all these points, your cat should have a happy stay and be returned to you as healthy as when they went into the cattery. You will have enjoyed your break secure in the knowledge that your pet is being well cared for and loved and will be pleased to see you on your return. Post a comment about your experiences of boarding catteries - good or bad - so that other owners will know what to look out for in the future

Is Your Cat a Happy Cat?

Can we really know whether our cats are happy? Are there any signs we can look for to reassure ourselves that we are doing our best for our pets? I’ve been doing some research and I’ve come up with what I think are the Top Ten Ways to Make Your Cat  Happy. 

1. Feed your cat at a distance from other cats in your household. By having feeding bowls too close to other cats causes stress whilst eating and you may often see one cat take a swipe at another. Cats can certainly be fed at the same time, in the same place but just far enough away to be able to observe each other comfortably.
2. Position your cat’s scratching post in a permanent place so that he can return to the same spot to manicure his claws and simultaneously mark it with scent from the glands in his paws. This will help him feel secure and happy.
3. Keep your cat’s routine regular. He will be much happier if he knows what is expected of him and just when things will happen. Feeding, grooming, toileting and indoor or outdoor access will all be managed much more easily if they form a regular and reliable part of your cat’s day.
4. Provide some mental stimulation for your cat. You may think that lazing around all day, sleeping whenever you wish is highly desirable but even cats can get bored. Try hiding a few tasty treats around the house or a toy or two. If your cat enjoys catnip, try rubbing some into their playthings - it’ll turbo charge their playtime!
5. Always keep an eye on your cat’s behavior. No, not to make sure that he’s not up to mischief but to make sure that you spot any unusual changes. Cats are very bad at communicating distress - emotional or physical - and it is up to us to spot the clues that all is not well in our cat’s world. If you have any concerns, always seek help before small problems turn into big ones. A healthy cat is a happy cat.
6. Learn to interact with your cat on his level. Take some time to understand what motivates him and you will avoid causing him unhappiness by your lack of thought. For instance, don’t scold him when he catches a mouse and presents it to you - he’s showing his love and respect for you and won’t understand why you yell at him. Would you be happy if you brought your best friend a gift and they shouted angrily at you?
7. Spend enough time with your cat to boost his happiness levels sky high! He is a living being who feels all the basic emotions that you do and needs the warmth of your love and companionship - particularly if he is an only cat.
8. If your cat needs to be away from home, in a boarding cattery or a stay at the vet’s for example, make sure that he has a familiar blanket and toy with him. We all feel distressed when we are out of our normal environment, how much more then, will your cat? Having his ‘comfort’ smells around him will help calm him a little.
9. Be aware that your cat needs to have his territory and work with him in maintaining it. Moving furniture around, introducing new things (or people!) into your cat’s world, decorating, having tradesmen in to do jobs, bringing home a new kitten - all these things will unsettle your cat. Try to make the changes as easy on him as possible, with disruption kept to a minimum.
10. And finally, what’s the single most important thing you can do to make your cat happy? Just love him!

How To Keep Your Cat Happy When He’s Home Alone.

Many of us work full time.  And who doesn’t, when life is getting so expensive?

However, the result is that there are hundreds of thousands of solitary pet cats who find themselves left Home Alone between the hours of 8am and 6pm.

 Now I know that most cats sleep for a large chunk of the day - but what happens where they wake and don’t find you there? As owners, we need to be as aware of our pet’s mental health as we are of their physical well-being and a bored cat can quickly develop behavioral problems. Problems such as scratching and chewing your prized possessions and furniture, overturning bins in a search for something tasty to eat, soiling outside their litter tray or even in extreme cases, self-harming by pulling their fur out in clumps or by grooming excessively to the point of soreness and infection.

 So here are a few tips for making sure that your pampered pet remains happy:

• An acceptable scratching post - one that your cat will actually be happy using!
• Food - use an automatic feeder, leave dried food available or ‘hide’ titbits around the house for him to discover.
• Buy an activity center or a cat tree. Again, hide treats inside from time to time to keep him interested.
• Be imaginative in the toys you buy him. Bouncy ones, dangly ones, ones with noises, furry, feathery, rolling ones.

And once you return home, remember that your cat will be pleased to see you and not just for your can-opening skills - so be sure to make a fuss of him.  Spend quality time together watching your favorite TV show.

 After all, there’s really nothing better than settling down to relax with your warm, furry and loving companion, is there?