What To Do With Your Cat When You Travel: A Cat-Lady’s Guide
If you’ll be traveling for work or on vacation, you’ll have to decide what to do with your cat!
It’s an old joke that cats barely notice, and certainly don’t care, if their human is away. However, most cats do like at least a little human contact, they need food, and, of course, there’s always that pesky litter box to deal with.
For cat owners planning a trip, What should I do with my cat while I’m away? is just as important a question as what to pack or how to plan your itinerary.
Whether you’re leaving for a weekend getaway or an extended vacation, making the right arrangements for your feline friend is essential! You want to keep your cat safe, happy, and unstressed.
As someone who adores cats, I know how much you care about your cat’s safety and well being. I’ve also had to arrange pet care for our cats when we traveled, so I get that it can be complicated.
Here are five ways cat parents can ensure their cat’s well-being while they go on vacation!
What to do with Your Cats when you travel
1. Leave Your Cat at Home With a Pet Sitter
One of the best choices for many cats is to have a professional cat sitter stay at your home.
Cats are creatures of habit and tend to feel more secure in familiar surroundings. Having someone come to your home to feed, clean, and spend time with your cat means their routine stays largely uninterrupted.
This arrangement reduces stress and avoids the trauma of being moved to a new environment. The bonus is that someone keeps an eye on your house, waters plants, and collects mail while you’re away.
A great option is to use a professional pet sitting agency, like TrustedHousesitters, to secure a pet sitter.
I personally have used TrustedHousesitters to find a petsitter, and it was a great experience for all of us—the homeowner, the house sitter, and our pets.
On TrustedHousesitters, you can post what you need from a petsitter. For example, you’ll include:
- the dates you need a petsitter
- the city where you live
- whether someone needs a car to get to/from your house
- any perks about your home or location
- if your cat or other pet needs daily medication
- your pet’s special needs
- your pet’s personality
Interested pet sitters will apply for your petsitting job by telling you about themselves and their petsitting experience.
You’ll be able to read references provided by each candidate and conduct interviews before selecting the best sitter for your pet.
With a TrustedHousesitters membership, you don’t pay a housesitter to stay at your home. The petsitter stays at your home for free, in exchange for taking care of your home and pet.
Also, your TrustedHousesitters membership gives you peace of mind about your petsitting arrangement. With the Premium Pet Parent Plan, if your petsitter should cancel, you’ll receive compensation to cover alternative accommodation for your pets.
Using a petsitter through TrustedHousesitters is absolutely my favorite way to leave a pet at home and travel.
We recently had a petsitter who not only took amazing care of our aging dog who was recovering from a surgery, but also made sure our pipes didn’t freeze during an unexpected ice storm.
We’ve also been pet-and house-sitters when we took our family Sabbatical. In Melbourne, Australia, we took care of three cats, all with very different personalities! And in Sydney, we looked after two more cats!
And we’re not the only ones who love pet- and housesitting—it’s great for the host, the sitter, and, of course, the pets! Read this to know more about how housesitting works.
Another petsitter option is to find a local petsitter and pay them to stay in your home while you’re away.
Paying a petsitter to stay in your home, or even just check on your cat once or twice a day, can become costly for extended trips. Be sure to discuss a rate in advance and be sure you’re hiring someone reliable.
Having a housesitter stay at your home is best for cats who thrive in familiar environments and get anxious in new places.
With a housesitter, there will be no disruption to your cat’s routine and less stress and anxiety for your cat. A bonus is that your home will also be looked after (mail, lights, plants, etc.).
Because cats are territorial animals and generally feel most comfortable staying in their own space, using a professional pet sitter or asking a trusted neighbor to care for your cat at home can be ideal.
What to Leave with a Housesitter
When you go on vacation and leave your cat with a house sitter, leave:
- Detailed instructions about how to care for your cat.
- Contact information for your cat’s veterinarian. Include the phone number and street address.
- Contact information for an emergency vet, especially if your cat is in poor health.
- Information on how to contact you, especially if you’ll be hard to reach.
- Lots of your cat’s favorite food and their favorite treats.
- Medical records, including proof of vaccination and information on current illnesses, allergies, etc.
- Plenty of kitty litter, as well as plastic bags for cleaning out the litterbox!
2. Have Someone Check on Your Cat
Ask a local petsitter (or a friend or relative) to stop in daily to check on your cat.
You can probably find a teenager in your neighborhood who is a cat lover and would be happy to look after your cat while you’re away.
Be sure that the sitter is willing to take some time to spend quality time with your cat.
This option is great if your cat is fine being alone for long periods of time.
If you ask a neighbor, friend, or family member to cat sit, leave detailed instructions and make sure they understand what’s involved in caring for your cat—just like you would if you used a live-in pet sitter.
Of course, be sure to leave enough fresh food and kitty litter for the duration of your travel.
3. Board Your Cat at a Cattery or Pet Hotel
For cats that require close medical supervision or are comfortable around other animals and people, boarding at a quality facility can be the best option.
Boarding kennels and cat hotels vary widely, from basic accommodations to luxurious suites with toys, beds, and even video calls (usually for an extra cost, of course).
Boarding your cat ensures your cat is constantly supervised, and most facilities have quick access to veterinary care if needed.
This option is best for sociable cats or cats with special medical needs that require professional oversight.
Cat hotels are a great option for spur-of-the-moment trips when you don’t have time to find a petsitter or if you don’t feel comfortable having people stay in your house. A boarding facility is a good option for longer trips, but the overnight stays will get pricey!
However, boarding can be very stressful for cats that are easily frightened or dislike unfamiliar environments.
There’s also the risk of exposure to other animals’ illnesses, so it’s important to check that the facility is clean and requires up-to-date vaccinations.
As a pet parent, you should visit to the boarding location before booking a stay.
4. Take Your Cat With You
While not suitable for every cat or every trip, some cats actually like to accompany their owners on vacation.
I would only recommend this if your cat is used to traveling or if you’re going away for an extended period and staying somewhere pet-friendly.
Taking your cat with you means they won’t miss you, but it comes with some big challenges.
The majority of cats dislike being in a cat carrier, leaving their comfort zone, and adjusting to new environments.
Before you commit to taking your cat on vacation, let your cat become familiar with the carrier.
Leave your cat’s carrier out, and put your cat’s bed inside of it, to tempt the cat in. You can even give your cat their favorite treat each time they go into the carrier, for positive reinforcement.
Ideally, the carrier will feel like a safe space for your cat.
If you’re taking your cat with you, you’ll have to be sure all your accommodations accept pets.
Visit your vet before the trip and make sure your cat is microchipped and up to date on vaccinations. Take the cat’s health certificate and vaccination record with you.
Be sure the phone number on your cat’s ID tag is the best way to reach you on the road.
Traveling with a cat by Car
Some cats adjust to long distance car travel, and some never learn to like it.
It’s a good idea to let your cat get used to riding in the car. Take a few test drives to be sure you cat won’t suffer from motion sickness or be absolutely miserable on a car ride.
To take a road trip with your cat, you’ll need
- a large sturdy carrier that can be secured with a seat belt
- a portable litter box
- a cat bed or favorite blanket
- plenty of food
- fun cat toys to keep them entertained
Keeping your cat in the carrier in the back seat is the safest way for your cat to travel, although your cat might like being in the front seat where they can see you.
The carrier provides protection in the event of a car accident and will keep your furry friend from slipping out of open car doors at a pit stop.
Plan your travel to allow for extra time for stops, so you cat can have a drink of water and a potty break.
Traveling with a Cat by Plane
If you’re traveling by plane, check out the airline’s rules for traveling with a cat. International travel with a cat is a bit more complicated.
You’ll definitely want to find out if your cat has to go in the cargo hold or if you’ll be allowed to carry them on in a proper pet carrier.
5. Leave Your Cat Home Alone
If you’re only going away for one or two nights, your cat will probably be fine staying home alone.
For short trips, you’ll just need to leave your cat with:
- several full water bowls or one of these amazing water fountains
- an automatic feeder and lots of dry food
- a self-cleaning litter box (a truly amazing invention)
- plenty of fun cat toys
Be sure to close doors to rooms you don’t want your cat to get in. And be sure that the other doors are unclosable, so your can’t won’t accidentally be shut into a room while you’re away.
Be sure that someone has a key to get into your home in case there’s an emergency and you aren’t able to make it home when you expected.
You can even use a video monitoring system with pet cameras to monitor your cat remotely and talk to them through speakers.
While this isn’t quite the same as in-person care, your cat might not really mind.
Final Thoughts
When making your vacation plans and deciding what to do with your fur baby while you’re away, definitely consider your cat’s needs, health, and personality.
Pet owners leaving for a few days might be able to leave their cats alone. But for long trips, you’ll want to be sure your cat has more care.
Make sure whoever is looking after your cat has clear instructions about feeding, litter box care, favorite toys, and emergency contacts.
Traveling doesn’t have to mean stress—for you or your cat. With a little preparation, you can both enjoy peace of mind while you’re away.
