Inevitably there will be days when you can’t be there for your kitties. Whether you are out at work for hours at a time, or planning a few days away, here are some ways you can still ensure adequate cat care when you can’t be there in person.
Shelter
In an ideal cats world, they would have a cat flap with unlimited access to and from the home. This is fine if you have a suitable door where a flap could be fitted, however a conventional cat flap won’t stop other neighbourhood moggies getting in, so consider installing one that only lets your own pets in. A design like the battery-powered Sureflap microchip cat flap is ideal and it also works with a collar tag if your cat isn’t micro-chipped.
If like us, you don’t have a suitable back or side door for a cat flap, you may consider having one specially fitted through a wall or a glazed patio or french door – although more significant cost will be incurred for this, of course.
A great alternative and much cheaper is to buy an outdoor shelter, somewhere your cat can have a snooze and escape the rain or heat. Zooplus kindly sent us this fabulous wooden Prince Cat Den to try out which you can see our boy, Jesse enjoying. I think its great value at £34.99.
Feeding
Cats are much happier in their home environment so if you are going to be away for a few days it might be worth getting a pet sitter rather than putting them in a cattery. If you are away for a long day or overnight, an automated feeder might be sufficient. Something like the Cat Mate C50 Automatic Pet Feeder will hold 5 x 300g tinned food or 5 x 125g dry food, while the 96-hour timer guarantees precise control of feeding time – plus there are two ice packs to keep wet food fresh for longer.
A water fountain is a good way to keep your cat hydrated, too. Check out these feeders and water fountains at Zooplus.
Company
Although very independent, cats do enjoy company so when your neighbour or pet sitter pops in twice daily to feed them it’s also the ideal chance for your fluff ball to be given a tickle behind the ears and a little companionship. But for a short spell and if your pet is being fed automatically, one of the high tech gadgets on the market would allow you to check in on your fur baby. For example the Petcube Interactive Pet Camera features an integrated laser game & 2-way sound system, as well as video recording, photo function and direct feed to your mobile. So you can easily look in on and chat to your pet while you’re away – how cool is that?
Entertainment
Cats are fickle as we know; sometimes they’ll want to play, other times not, but at least if you have a few toys available for them while you’re away, they can enjoy a bit of stimulation when the mood takes them and not get bored. Choose a few options that don’t need any human interaction; something like the Catit Play-n-Scratch toy is ideal:
And also the GiGwi Feather Hider which combines a motion sensor, dangling feathers that disappear and reappear and realistic bird sounds!
So there you have it, just a few ways to keep your cat happy while you are away from home.
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© Copyright 2017 Antonia, All rights Reserved. Written For: Tidylife
