Separation Anxiety
Pets may suffer emotional stress when their owners leave whether they’re left at home or placed in a boarding kennel.
- Afternoon Sun
Any pet in strange surroundings may suffer from stress. This means that his or her normal immune process is affected, as well as their eating and digestive habits. Happy Cat Retreat will do everything possible to minimize the effects of stress on your cat. For this reason, we feel it is a good procedure to allow your cat(s) to adjust to the kennel environment at their own rate.
The most common thing we notice is that many times a cat won’t eat for the first day. This is normal, although some cats eat right away. That’s just the way cats are. We keep plenty of water available for them and when they get hungry, they will eat. Many times they choose to eat in the middle of the night and when we come in in the morning the food dish is empty.
Stress is a Factor
You, as the owner, can help minimize the effects of stress by trying to make the boarding experience as pleasant as possible for your cat. The more often your cat boards, the
more adjusted he or she will be to the kennel environment, and the easier the boarding process becomes. Therefore, several short periods of boarding prior to a lengthy vacation will probably do more to help your cat adjust to boarding than anything else.
Please keep in mind that cats react much differently in a strange environment than do dogs. Cats are instinctively solitary animals. They do not run in packs as dogs do. Therefore, when confronted with strange surroundings, a cat’s normal response is to withdraw physically and mentally into a protected state.
You Can Help
For this reason, cats enjoy the “protected” feeling they get from being caged while in the kennel. Your cat will probably want to sit in the corner of his condo and stare,
until he feels comfortable in the new environment. Human contact does not normally accelerate this period of acclimatizing. It has to take place at the cat’s own speed.
We encourage you to bring in a blanket with their smells on it as well as some of their favorite toys.
Happy Cat provides spacious indoor condos with solid laminate partitions between each condo for safety, privacy, and peace and quiet. Your cat can relax without feeling challenged by his or her neighbors.
Our experience has been that most cats adjust very well in 2 days or less. Usually the first day, they don’t eat very much, but after that they relax and start to enjoy
their stay. We monitor their litter box to ensure that it is being used and that they are getting hydrated.
If your cat has special medication needs, we can accommodate most situations.
Call us while you’re away and we’ll be happy to give you a progress report.
Stan is a curator for Cat Lovers News. For the last 16 years he co-owns with his wife, Happy Cat Retreat, a cat boarding facility. He loves animals and raises parrots in his spare time.
