Boarding your cat can be stressful for both you and your pet. Cats are notorious for being unhappy about changes to their environment, and it is not uncommon for cats to be quite unhappy about being moved to the boarder for a week or so while you are gone. From issues with eating and drinking to depression, cats can handle the process of being boarded very poorly. Some people are scared to board their cats due to concerns about their well-being.
You might be wondering if there is a way to be sure that your pet is not so unhappy when they are dropped off at the boarding location. Thankfully there are some ways that you can make your cat ready to be boarded, which will help you and your pet to be less stressed about the process as a whole. Cats can handle boarding better than you might think, but they do better if they are prepared in advance.
If you are ready to learn some more about the tips that you need to prepare your cat for boarding in Sonora, CA, you need to keep reading.
Tips to Prepare Your Cat for Boarding
These are the best tips that you can use to prepare your cat for the boarding experience. Not all of them will work for every cat, but these are some good guidelines that you can use to make sure that your pet is ready for the experience.
1. Schedule a Practice Visit
One of the best ways to make your cat happier about being boarded is to let them see the place and meet the people who work there and then go home. This will let them get over the initial worry about being in a new place and meeting new people, and it will prove to them that they will get to go home when the visit is over. This helps to let your cat know that they are not going to live at the boarder for good so that they are not scared of permanent change.
This is not always possible for every boarder, but many places will let you pay a partial day fee to drop your cat off and let them experience the environment. Cat boarding facilities that are connected to animal hospitals might not let you do this due to the risk of diseases and other issues, but most boarders are open to this process.
2. Prepare a Travel Blanket
Cats often do better when they are given something from home to sleep with and live with in their kennel at the boarder. Getting a blanket or towel out and letting your cat lay on it on the couch or in their cat tree before they head to the boarder is a good idea so that they have comfort in their surroundings while boarding. Having an item from home can help your cat to feel safe and it will soften the change that they are experiencing as they are moved to the boarder.
A travel blanket or some other items from home that smell like home can help your cat to feel much better about the process of being left at the boarder. Most boarding locations will understand that you have brought these items with you to make your cat feel better, and they will not wash them or remove them from your cat’s living space while they are boarded.
3. Make Sure Medications Can be Given
If you have a special needs animal or an older animal that gets medications or special care, you need to make sure that you talk to the boarder about their comfort with providing this level of care. You might find that not every single boarding location is up for this kind of challenge, and it is good to be sure that this will not be an issue well before you drop your pet off to be boarded.
Cat boarding with veterinarians can be the best place to board these animals since there will be veterinary technicians on staff who can offer this kind of care for your pet. This is one of the most critical things to identify early in the process of planning for a boarding stay for your pet with special needs and medications that must be given on a daily basis.
4. Check on Vaccine Requirements
There are various vaccine requirements that are necessary for your pet to meet before they can be dropped off to stay. You will want to be sure that you know what your pet’s vaccination status is before you plan a boarding stay that you will have to cancel due to missing vaccinations. Each boarder will have different requirements, and you should be sure that you know what these are for the place that you are considering having your pet stay while you are away from home.
This is something that a vet clinic can take care of at the time that your pet is dropped off in most cases, but it is a good idea not to assume that this will be fine for your needs. Your pet might also not feel very good if they get vaccinated and are stressed at the same time, so sometimes it is better to take your pet to get vaccinated ahead of their boarding stay.
Boarding Your Cat Does Not Have to be Stressful
When you are planning to board your cat, these steps will help your cat to have a better time when they are boarded. Boarding your pet can be fairly enjoyable for your pet if you take the time to prepare them for this experience. The more work that you do to transition your cat to the boarder in comfort, the more likely they will be to eat, drink, and feel comfortable with the experience. Cat boarding does not have to cause a lot of stress for you or your pet, and your kitty will thank you for helping them to be ready for their time at the boarder in advance.
Give us a call at 209-432-9437 to book your cat’s boarding stay at Live Oak Veterinary Hospital!