Our question this week was:

I will be going away for the weekend. Would my cat be happiest left at home alone? (With someone stopping by to check in on him.) Or bringing him along with me? I'm not sure how well cats adapt to a change in their environment.

Kathi Hufnagel


Answer

Hi Kathi– thanks for your email. For most cats –staying at home would be their first choice. Most cats prefer the quiet enjoyment of a familiar environment where they feel safe. I'd recommend having your friend check on your cat twice daily to feed/change water and scoop the litter. In addition, it would be nice if they could stick around and play with your cat or watch a movie. Many cat owners leave videos or their video card out with money so the cat sitter can get a movie and watch it with the cat at night to give your cat a little company.

With that being said, some cats can travel okay and adapt to a new environment quite well. This is the minority. If you are trying to figure out how your cat would act – think about how he reacts when you take him to the vet's office. Does he jump out of his carrier, walk around the exam room exploring or does he say in his taxi and hide? If he is social and curious – he may do well traveling.

An article that might be helpful to you is Traveling with Your Cat.


Best of luck!


Dr. Jon



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