Tips While You Travel and Your Cats Stay Home Alone

Cats are cute, fluffy predators that chose to be domesticated by humans. If you are a cat owner then I am sure you have the thought that there is a miniature lion roaming your house that basically owns you although they let you claim the owner title. They are playful, clean, and loving pets; although the loving part is on their terms, it makes it all the more special. To be fair, dogs are great pets, but there is a lot more that goes into traveling since they need to be walked and can be a bit destructive when bored. What I love about having two indoor cats as pets is their independence, so when I travel, I don’t have to hire a petsitter, saving me money to spend during my travels. I do admit, I am a worrywart, so through trial and error of products, I have figured out how to travel without worry and knowing my cats are safe.

Automatic Feeders

The product I use is called ARF Automatic Feeders. You can find them on Amazon, though they can be a tad expensive, mainly since I had to buy two due to my very greedy cats. If you do have multiple cats I recommend buying one automatic feeder for each cat to avoid them fighting over food or one not getting enough since them being alone for multiple days can be stressful. Although these machines can be expensive, especially if you need multiple, I promise it is one of the best investments I have ever made. First of all, when you are not on vacation, using the automatic feeders is a blessing. There is no more of cats jumping on your head or meowing their tails off at 5 AM for food. Instead, they just angrily stare at the feeder until it releases their food. You can set the feeder to go off multiple times a day at the times you want, plus you can even input a recording calling them for feeding time. Secondly, while on vacation you don’t have to worry about them getting their food on time or someone coming by to feed them, these feeders cover it and being battery powered and pluggable you don’t have to worry if the power goes out. Of course before you go out of town, make sure the feeder is full of their dry food and has batteries installed.

Litter Pan

The rule with litter pans on a regular basis is for how many cats you have you get a litter pan for each plus another one. I am blessed with my two cats being able to share one litter pan, but I bought a huge covered pan. I recommend you put out extra litter while on vacation, and right before you leave, make sure they are spotless so it is totally fresh and will avoid them being spiteful since you are going on vacation without them.

Cameras

I use two different cameras, one called Pawbo. You can find it on Amazon for the cheapest, which dispenses treats, makes noises cats may like, and even has a laser to play with your cat while you are on vacation. The only negative is you cannot move the camera view around, so the way you set it up is what you are going to see. I put this one where I know they will hangout most of them time, and feel safe eating treats that fall out when I dispense them from afar. The second is a Samsung security camera I also found on Amazon. This one does not have all the fancy cat features, but the view can be move 360 degrees. I place this camera in a place they might hangout, but mainly to view the door and main areas of the house. Both cameras come with an easy app to use all the features and the setup is very fast. The cameras may seem intense, but it gives me a peace of mind while on vacation to know the house is in order—and the cats are eating and well.

These tips and products work great for trips between one to seven days long. Seven days is pushing it, not because of the products, but due to your cats sanity. If your trip is any longer than six days I would consider getting a petsitter to stop by every two days to socialize with your pets and give them another treat like wet food. Cats get stressed out easily, which can cause medical issues like urinary tract infections, so keeping your cats happy and stress-free while your gone is important. Always have someone nearby lined up, knowing that you are out of town, who you would be able to call to potentially check on the house and your pets. Remember, it is always better to be prepared, especially when it comes to your precious four-legged family members.

Thank you for reading.