Our question this week was:

Dr. Debra – What do I do to help my two, one year cats feel comfortable while I am gone for two-night three-day vacation.

One of my cats is always at my side no matter where I go in the house so I am afraid this will be hard for him especially. Taking him to the vet is out he is stressed to the max when he goes for check ups or other issues and Libby just cries the whole time. I have someone who is going to look in on them and I have the litter tray that auto cleans so my friend will just have to come and play with them if she will and feed them. I am hoping that will help but I don’t know if there is anything more I can do?

Ronda Briggs

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. You wrote asking how you can make your cats most comfortable while you are away. You have a cat sitter coming in to your home to look at them, feed and play with them.

I think that is the best thing you can do. Keep their routine familiar and make sure that your cat is feed the same food and is on a routine that is familiar. Have your friend encourage them to eat and drink well and have some play time. If they will be alone for long periods of time, you can leave the TV or radio on if they like that. Also, most cats enjoy a window with a view to occupy their time.

When your pet sitter comes, you might encourage them to watch a movie or sit quietly for a while so your cats can acclimate to them and come for any attention they want.

An article that might be helpful to you is Cats Home Alone

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra