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VISITING FAMILY AND FRIENDS
One of the best things this season brings is an excuse to get together with friends and family. With all the extra traffic in your home, you will need to pay special attention to your cat.
Stress Depending on the personality of your cat, having extra people in the house can cause quite a bit of stress. Make sure your kitty has a place in the house he can go that is quiet and stranger-free. If your cat does go in to hiding, place food, water, and a llitterbox nearby so he has easy access. Playing soft classical music can also help reduce his stress levels.
Open Doors Visitors without pets of their own may not be aware just how quickly cats can slip out of an open door. Make sure your friends and family are aware that they must leave and enter the house quickly, and not let your littlest family member out into the cold!
Children If you have young visitors coming to your home this year, you should take five minutes to introduce them to your cat in your presence. Make sure they understand that chasing kitty is not acceptable, and they shouldn't feed her any "human" food without asking you first. |
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TRAVELING
If you are leaving home to visit family, here are some tips to keep your cat safe and relatively stress-free.
Leaving the cat at home If you decide to leave your cat at home, be sure a friend or neighbor can check on him at least every other day. If you have only one litterbox, you should have this person clean the box once a day (your kitty doesn't want to walk around in a dirty litterbox!)
Your cat will also appreciate the extra company in your absence, not to mention the fresh food and water. Cats do not like stale food, so leaving enough food out for a 5-day absence might not serve your cat as well as you would think.
If you have a young or mischevious kitty, be sure to "cat-proof" your home before leaving. If she gets bored during your absence, she might get herself into a bad situation. Close any doors to rooms you don't want her to enter, and make sure she can't get into anything sharp or electrical.
Traveling with your cat If you decide to take your cat with you, there are several things to keep in mind. First, your cat must ride in a carrier. It doesn't matter if you have the most easy-going, car-happy cat in the world, it is still dangerous for the cat to ride in the car without some type of restraint. Not only do you run the risk of kitty escaping when you stop for gas (we recommend getting your pet microchipped before traveling), but in an accident you are putting your cat's life in peril. If you wouldn't let your child ride without wearing a seatbelt, you shouldn't let your cat ride without protection either!
When you arrive at your destination, find a quiet place for your cat, and leave him the choice to remain in his carrier, or provide some other hiding place. Forcing your cat to be out in the open or meet new people will always cause extra stress. He will have to make the decision to come out when he feels ready, which may not be the same schedule you and your hosts were hoping for! |
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FOOD
A little sharing with your cat isn't necessarily a bad thing, and a few scraps of turkey meat can provide some great extra protein for your cat. If your cat is on a diet or has any medical problems, always consult your veterinarian first!
If you do share some of the festive food with your pets, be sure that all meat has been completely removed from the bones. Cooked bones splinter, which can cause substantial damage to your pet's mouth, esophogus, or stomach.
Other traditional feast foods are probably not healthy for your pet. Introducing new foods to your pet can upset his stomach, causing vomiting or diarrhea. So no matter how pathetically your cat looks at you, trying to convince you that a few yams with marshmallows won't hurt him, do your best to resist. Your cat will thank you later (well, probably not - it is a cat, after all). |
