Travel Tips – A Checklist for Leaving Your Cat at Home + $100 Sweepstakes
We all have been there, that intersection of killer vacation and having a cat. The good news is; cats are incredibly self-sufficient. They can easily be left home alone for a few days without a hitch. As a busy travel blogger I am often gone more than I am home so, I’ve become an expert in leaving my sweet little (or shall I say huge and fluffy) fur monster at home. Here are a few things to consider when leaving your cat at home and a checklist to make sure your feline friend is happy while you’re away.
Leaving Your Cat at Home
So it’s time to leave whiskers at home. No big deal, whiskers will be fine. Sure he’ll miss you, and he may poop on your side of the bed, but realistically he’ll be sleeping most of the time you’re away. The first thing to consider about leaving your cat at home is duration. If you’re going to be gone more than five days, I say you need to make sure you have a neighbor or someone close that you trust to come by and give your furball some lovins. Cats need affection and stimulation.
The second thing to consider is the amount of food and water you need to have out. Make sure you add in a little extra for comfort.
The third thing to consider is having enough kitty litter for your cat’s potty habits. You know your cat’s game. Is he a poop once wonder or can he hang with a few visits before the litter needs to be changed? This is probably one of the biggest mistakes you can make when leaving your cat at home. Litter odor will make a cat poop in the bathroom corner faster than you can say kitty litter. It’s important to get a kitty litter that removes and prevents bacterial odors since you can’t be there all day to clean up. I have been a user of
ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™ MicroGuard™ Cat Litter for some time and I will continue to swear by it. With the innovative MicroGuard™ technology you can have a litter that seals and destroys immediate odor, plus, prevents the growth of future bacterial odors for 7-day odor control, guaranteed.
Setting up your litter plan is easy. Make sure your cat has fresh ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™ MicroGuard™ Cat Litter in not one but two boxes (I like the disposable boxes for the backup). This is plenty for the time you will be away and ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™ MicroGuard™ guarantees odor control for for 7 days!
Lyle my furry little baby
The Full “Leaving Your Cat at Home” Checklist
- Make sure someone is scheduled to come and check in on your fur baby (if you’re going to be gone more than five days)
- Leave food and water out (and more than usual!)
- Fill the litter boxes with fresh ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™ MicroGuard™ cat litter
- Favorite toys out
- Favorite sleepy blankets out
- Clothes with your scent in favorite spots (chair / bed)
- Leave on soft music, maybe nature sounds
- Vet phone number on counter
- Close any doors and put up anything you don’t want your cat to get to
10. Give your cat lots of love before you go
Leaving your cat at home is never easy. Don’t worry, they will be just fine. Do all the things I’ve listed here and you’ll be fine too! Good luck and be sure to give your sweet kitty lots of love when you return. They most certainly have missed you!
Also be sure to check out
ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™ MicroGuard™ Cat Litter on Facebook and Instagram for some fun!
Sweepstakes
Tell me in the comments below the funniest thing your cat did while you were away for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card! Each comment will automatically be entered to win!
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 10/10/16 – 12/31/16
Be sure to visit the ARM & HAMMER™ brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!
My cat went into a basket of blankets and slept there.
https://twitter.com/willgriesmer/status/785621819990478848
Your cat is so cute. Thanks for the checklist. I do the same thing with my cat too. Unfortunately, when you go back, expect the mess.
The funniest thing my cats done while away is sleeping in the hamper in the laundry room. When I got home I went to do laundry I found him tucked under a sweat shirt that I was pulling out to put in the washer. It was funny but scared me at the same time.
Ha! You know mine loves to jump in thelaundry basket the moment it’s clered out. Never fails!
I don’t believe my cat did anything too funny while I was gone. My brother kept her for me and said she just stayed on the couch and looked out the window most of the time. He has 3 cats and said their black one hated my Cleo. She must’ve been too afraid to leave the couch and waited on Mom to come home and get her.
https://mobile.twitter.com/ihateyfg/status/789284171051040769
I love your cat’s face! So unique…The funniest thing my cat Queenie does is suddenly love my boyfriend while I am gone :p Queenie likes my boyfriend well enough but saves her cat loving for me. As soon as I am away for an extended duration, Queenie gives all that lovin to my boyfriend.
elizzzzzabeth at yahoo dot com
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/Ladies_Lounge1/status/789642056205336576
he jumped on the keyboard when i was away and it erased my important report for college!Taught me to always save my work.
She hid from my mother in the back of the coat closet.
One time when I went on vacation my cat slept every night in my closet.
https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/792849395301617665
He climbed and occupied my shelve of comic books collection. (must be this part, other parts won’t do)
My new husband never has been a cat person at all. He is trying his best to get used to the two I have however. When I went away with my mom and siblings for the weekend the smaller shy one crawled into bed with him and kept him up all night.
My cats have knocked a bunch of items off shelves when we were gone. They also taught themselves how to open the shades in the living room so they could see out the window!
tweet -https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/796543044753428485
When our youngest and her kitty were living with us we got to baby sit the kitty while our youngest traveled. When she was home, kitty wanted nothing to do with us or our loud rock music but when ‘mama’ was gone she was all hanging and rocking out with us. We took pictures to prove it to our daughter who was in disbelief. That promptly changed once our daughter returned home.
https://twitter.com/happishopr/status/798992516364136448
We came home from a trip one time to find a dead bird in the house. The cat was inside the whole time though. Go figure!
My cat Gracie May loves to move her water bowl around the house. We are used to it, but when the cat sitter comes (usually my dad) it is surprising. lol She pulled it into the dining room and it was under the dining room table!
Threw up on the carpet instead of the tile a foot away.
Our cat Sodie Anne decided to move her food bowl closer to her bed. It was so funny wondering why she felt so lazy while we were away when she was usually so energetic. Cats!
I Tweeted here as @katygmorris- https://twitter.com/katygmorris/status/804589209268797441
Thanks!
Our two cats dismantled our Christmas tree while we were gone.
thank you
Tweet https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/809435878565285891
She got shut in the toy chest somehow.