Welcome to another edition of Tiny’s Place Cat Tails blog. We are excited to see how many people are booking their travel and exploring the Earth again! Things are getting very busy here at Tiny’s Hotel. If you are planning a trip, be sure to get on the calendar soon, because our summer is filling up quickly!
Speaking of bringing your cat to stay with us, today we would like to address feline anxiety. Cats by nature don’t like to travel or go to new places. For a full time indoor house cat, boarding at a cattery with all the strange sounds and smells can be disconcerting to an unsuspecting cat. So what are some things you can do to make changes in your cat’s environment easier for them to accept?
● Socialization at a young age: You may not be able to do much about socializing your adult cat, but for that new kitten, the sky’s the limit. We recommend putting them in the carrier and taking them for car rides as much as you can. Take them into your friend’s house when you go to visit for lunch. Take them to the hair salon when you go to get your do done. Most places welcome getting to see a young kitten for a few minutes. Send them to stay overnight with a trusted friend. Get creative and take them with you as much as you can so that they get used to associating the carrier and new sites and smells with GOOD things. The more they see and learn is good while they are still young and moldable, the better.
● For your adult cat who is already formed, we need a different approach. We use and recommend the Feliway line of products. 10 minutes prior to putting your cat in the carrier, either spray some Feliway in the carrier or use one of the Feliway wipes. This is a pheromone product that helps most cats feel a little more at ease with most environments. There are also
diffusers and sprays you can use for a multitude of reasons around your home or car. Their website has a lot of information on how their products can help you.
● If you know your cat suffers from anxiety, and you are worried about how well they will do boarding, then we recommend you speak to your Veterinarian about a drug called Gabapentin. This is very safe and works extremely well for anxiety in adult cats. We’ve found that getting them on this 2 days prior to coming to stay helps them make a better transition to a new temporary home. We can continue their dosage here at Tiny’s during the course of their stay.
● The staff at Tiny’s puts a great deal of effort into monitoring our boarders to make sure they are eating and drinking an appropriate amount, and we have our little tricks for helping them relax into their new environment. Alas, in some cases a cat is just too shaken by all the changes or us to be able to get them to relax within the 7 or 14 day period they are staying with us. For some cats, boarding is just not the right choice. We have a couple of licensed and bonded pet sitters we recommend who can come to your home once or twice a day while you are out of town. In some cases this may be a better option for your cat. If this interests you, please email us and we can forward you their information.
At Tiny’s Place our number one goal is for your cat to have a calm and pleasant stay so you can relax while you are away doing other things. We pride ourselves on our skill set and communication with the owners to put their minds at ease. We welcome pre-boarding discussions on which options we think may most help your cat enjoy their stay and view it as time at camp, or a luxury spa. Give us a call today to discuss a pre-boarding plan so you can relax to the fullest on your next great vacation.
Until next time!
The Staff at Tiny’s Place Luxury Cat Boarding