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10 Life Hacks for On-the-Go Cat Owners

April 24, 2017 by Mary Telesz

Cat OwnersOur cats are the loves of our lives. We love their jellybean toes, their sweet little noses. We love when they rub against us, nudging our arms with their soft faces asking for pats. Even when they meow for breakfast, or swat at overstayed bellyrubs, we adore our kitties. Still, most of us have lives outside of our cats: jobs, day-trips, vacations. We all feel the same pang of guilt leaving our precious kitties at home alone, the same longing to give them all of our snuggles and love. Well, we have good news! Don’t let distance get in the way of your love: here are 10 life hacks to care for your cat while you’re on-the-go!

1) Cat Drinking Fountain

When you’re away you can’t make sure you cat has access to water. Cats are already prone to dehydration, and when they get finicky or stressed they’ll reject food and water as an act of mini-rebellion. Make sure your cat stays hydrated while you’re out by investing in a cat drinking fountain. Entice your cat with the soothing running water of the cat drinking fountain. Cats are drawn to running water because, primally, running water indicates clean water while stagnant water indicates dirty water. Cat drinking fountains keep the water clean, fresh, and circulated, so your feline friend will never turn his nose-up at a bowl of water again!

2) Practice with the carrier

If you bring you kitty-cat companion with you when you travel, be sure to practice with the cat-carrier before you make long trips or extended trips. Cats hate confined spaces, and the carrier to them means, “I’m Trapped!” Cats are known to freak-out in cat carriers, becoming aggressive and stressed. Cats coping with the stress of the cat carrier will lash out, or go to the bathroom in the carrier. To get your cat used to the carrier so you can travel with ease, and your cat can travel in comfort, be sure to practice with the carrier. Put your cat in the carrier and go on short 10-20 minutes drives that end with a reward of their favorite treat! Cat Owners

Be sure to include a favorite toy or blanket to go in the carrier with them so that way the carrier smells, and feels, familiar. When your cat only associates the carrier with long-term confinement or trips to the vet, the carrier becomes a negative space. Practice short trips with the carrier that instill a positive predisposition to travel.

3) Leave Your Scent

When you’re away, your cat misses you as much as you miss them. When you’re gone, your cat may become stressed, lonely, or even depressed. Leave unwashed clothes on the couch, bed, or floor, for your kitty. Your kitty will love rolling around in your clothes and lying in your scent. Your smell will comfort your kitty, and reassure them that you will be back soon!

4) Window Entertainment

To provide your cat with happy stimulation, be sure to keep the blinds opened (and the windows secure) so your cat can worldwatch to their heart’s content. If your cat doesn’t have easy access to a window, think of investing in a window perch so your kitty has a dedicated space to relax and watch the birds. A stimulated cat is a happy cat! Keep your cat from being bored and more aware of your absence by distracting them with window entertainment.

5) Recycle to Play

For cheap, destroyable toys for your cat, give them empty tissue boxes and toilet paper rolls. These cardboard toys are a perfect outlet for stress or anxiety, so when you get home you simply have to clean-up a shredded tissue box rather than a shredded couch cushion!

6) Double-Sided Tape

To keep your cat off certain surfaces, use double-sided tape. Cats hate the sensation of having tape stuck to their paws, so when they jump onto the kitchen counter while you’re away they’ll get a harmless surprise! Apply double sided tape to any furniture or surface to establish a cat-off zone. This can protect your furniture from being scratched, damaged, or soiled, when your cat has free-reign of your home for extended periods of time.

7) Feed on Shallow Plates

Cat OwnersWhen you’re away, your cat is already dealing with anxiety and stress: when you add overeating to that situation, you’re asking for disaster! Cats that overeat, or eat too fast, will experience tummy troubles that may result in diarrhea or vomiting. There’s little worse than returning home from a long day’s work and finding hours-old diarrhea on your couch. Leave food for your cat on a shallow plate. The shallow plate spreads the food out so your cat can only get small, modest bites, encouraging them to eat more slowly and deliberately.

8) Green Tea Leaves in the Litterbox

When you’re on-the-go, you may forget to change the kitty litter or you may leave the kitty litter for longer. To safely minimize the strength of odors, sprinkle green tea leaves in your cat’s kitty litter. This will keep the litterbox smelling fresher for longer!

9) Leave the TV On

The constant sound of conversation coming from the tv will soothe your cat, while the colorful action will entertain. Whether it is an engaging animal program that will grab your cat’s attention, or daytime talk-shows that will drone and calm, the television can prevent your cat from feeling lonely, stressed, or bored.

10) Try Paw Pals!

We offer some of the greatest, most caring, pet services in Northern Virginia. We’re locally owned, so you know the sitter caring for your loved cat is going to personally care for, and tend to, all of your cat’s needs. We can come during the work day for short visits to check-in on your cat. We’ll play with them and give them a good dose of attention to get them through the rest of the day until you get home. For extended absences, we can visit your home for longer periods of time where we really play and care for your cat: playing, feeding, cleaning litterboxes, running any necessary cat-related errands, and administering any medications. We even offer overnight stays at our pet sitters’ home: one of our pet sitters will invite your cat into their home and family, caring for them 24/7 while you’re away.

Filed Under: Pet Advice

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Office Location

Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Office Hours

Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
9am - 5pm
Thursday
9am - 5pm
Friday
9am - 5pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Areas Served

Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 22151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
5.0
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
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