Cat Proof Your Home While You Are Away

It's never advisable to leave your cat home alone for longer than a day, but if you find a good pet sitter, you can skip the kennel when you go away for a vacation or a long weekend. Be prepared, however, for there to be a mess when you return.

A good pet sitter will feed, water, and play with your pet, as well as keep the litter box clean for you. Make sure you find someone reliable, someone who will take your instructions seriously, and skip anyone who seems to take the duty lightly.

A good pet sitter is great, but your cat will still miss you while you are gone. They may exhibit signs of distress at your absence, and take it out on your house while you are gone. You may even notice this as you pack. Don't be fooled, some cats are well aware that a suitcase means the absence of their owner is coming soon.

You know your cat or cats best, and you know what their bad habits tend to be. Keep these in mind, and take some preventative measures so you won't come home to a distressed cat and a messy home.

Cat Scratch Fever

If you haven't gotten soft tips for your pet, you know scratching may be a problem. Even if your cat is normally well behaved when you are around, they may skip the scratching post and toys in favor of your couch or other pieces of furniture to show their distress at your absence.

Tin foil can be used to deter scratching in unwanted places. It may look rather silly, but it will keep your cat from taking their aggressions out on your stuff. Simply tape tinfoil over items they may like to scratch, like the corners of furniture or any wooden items in your home. Cats, for some reasons, tend to dislike the feel of tinfoil on their nails, and this will stop them from scratching any item with tinfoil on it.

High Places

Cats love to be as high as they can be, as this offers them the best view of their territory. If your cat likes to get up in one particular place, you want remove all breakables from that perch. Also make sure they have a clear path to this spot, or you may come home to broken vases and other valuables.

Litter Box Revenge

If you have a cat like mine, you are content with the knowledge that they always use their litter box. Accidents for most cats are rare, unless they are sick, but some cats use this as a way to let you know they are upset.

On one particular trip, I came home to a puddle in the center of one of my living room chairs. My cat was in the care of my neighbor, and was well cared for, but this was not enough for her. She used my chair as a spot to let me know how angry she was that I had left.

One chair down, and one lesson learned. If you have a cat that seems awfully distressed as you prepare to leave, you might want to consider covering your furniture and your bed with plastic covers. This may seem like a lot of work, but it's a far better deal than replacing furniture and mattresses that have been used as make shift litter boxes by your angry cat.

Shoes and Book

As a last measure, you may want to pick up any books, magazines, or shoes you have lying around before you go. Cats that are stressed can get sick. My cat has an uncommon interest in depositing her partially digested food all over my best shoes, or on any paper, book, or magazine she can find. Pick up your stuff, or risk losing it to a stressed pet's upset stomach.

Final Thoughts

If your cat has a tendency to do any of these things, find a pet sitter who will spend more time with your pets. You may have to pay a little more for this, but it may save some of your belongings while you are away. You cannot prevent them from missing you, but you can make sure they have some company, and that they won't completely destroy your home while you are away.