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Traveling abroad without your cat is possible. Here’s how:
If you’re like me, you love cats because they use a litter box. This means that you can travel for a day or two without having to pay someone to board them. Unlike dogs, cats can pretty much handle a few days without humans before someone starts to call it neglect. But what about traveling abroad?
Traveling out of the country means you can’t just run home during an emergency to check on your furry loved ones; therefore, you need to take extra precautions in order to ensure your kitties will be taken care of.
Here are our top ten tips for traveling abroad without your cats:
Tip 1: Know Thy Neighbor
This ranks at the top of our list because having a trusted neighbor is the best way to ensure your cats are going to be ok. If you’re lucky, you may have a neighbor that loves kitties, and wants to visit them every day. Far too many people move into a new neighborhood or apartment building without meeting their neighbors. Other neighbors with pets may see this as mutually beneficial because they can ask you to return the favor in the future. Lastly, leave an extra spare key somewhere in case of an emergency.
Tip 2: Get an Amazing Litter Box
Not all litter boxes are created equal. Forget the pan/bucket thingy, and get yourself the best litter box you can afford. You don’t necessarily need the litter box of the future, but get a nice one. I personally use the litterspinner, and it makes clean up easy. Here are some reviews on other great litter boxes.
Tip 3: Find the Perfect Cat Litter
When you are gone for an extended period of time, your going to want to get strong litter, but you can’t just change up the litter without testing it out on your cats. If you get litter that is too strong your cats may reject it, and find more interesting places to relieve themselves. If you make that mistake while traveling it could turn into quite the mess.
Tip 4: Leave Toys for Them
Cats can get a little lonely and anxious, so make sure to leave them their favorite cat toys. Maybe insert a little catnip inside a toy to keep them busy. Also leave some blankets or clothes with your scent on them so the cat doesn’t miss you as much.
Tip 5: Cat-proof the House
Your cats are going to get bored and frustrated with you gone for so long, so they will turn into little demon children. They will want to explore new pieces of furniture or push items off of counter tops. They will slash curtains and breaks things. Make sure you make these things hard to do. Also make sure you either close or prop doors open so they don’t accidentally lock themselves in rooms. Shut windows so they can’t escape your home.
Tip 6: Get a Cat Food Dispenser
If you have cats who tend to overeat or steal food from your less dominant cats, they may run out of food too soon. A food dispenser is a great replacement for all of those extra cat food bowls. It also keeps your floor cleaner. The food dispenser makes sure your cats have breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday your gone.
Tip 7: Get Multiple Water Dispensers
The toilet is not the best option even though cats seem to prefer drinking from it. Get an extra water dispenser so the cats always have enough water. Spills can occur so it’s best to have multiple water sources for your cats.
Tip 8: Set the Room Temperature to Comfy
Cats love to bask in the sunlight once in a while, but that can make your home very warm. I recommend leaving the blinds open in one room and keeping the temperature between 65F – 72F .
Tip 9: Remove Toxic Plants
Since you won’t be around to say “NO”, your cats may ingest some plants that could cause them severe gastro-intestinal problems or even death. The ASPCA has a great list of toxic plants for cats here.
Tip 10: Get a Video Monitoring System
The only way to really know if your petsitter is doing their job, or if your cats are surviving a few days alone, is to purchase a pet video monitoring system. I suggest getting one that is motion sensored and app-enabled, so you can check in on your cats while you travel.
Hopefully this will prepare you for international travel without your cats. Remember to do these things, and you will have happy and healthy cats when you return. Don’t forget to protect yourself by being insured on your trip. Your cats will appreciate it.