Cats, as "cat people" know, have as many different personalities and personality quirks as humans do. So, when it comes to cat boarding services, you need to know exactly what to do for your cat under these circumstances. You are the one that knows your cat best, and you know exactly what could happen if you do not share specific details about your cat with the staff at a cat boarding house. The following are some special issues you have to address with staff when you are boarding your cat.
Contagious Diseases
Cats that are not vaccinated can contract diseases such as feline leukemia and feline HIV. Both of these diseases are different from those in humans, but are contracted in much the same manner. Shared food and water bowls, shared litter boxes, and even biting, playing, or grooming an infected cat can cause transmission. Once a cat has these diseases, it can still live a long and reasonably healthy life but should be kept away from other cats.
Some cat boarders will not take in these cats because of the demand on space to keep them quarantined and the inability to allow these cats to interact with the other cats during playtime. If you do find a cat boarder that will take your cat with a contagious disease, be upfront about which disease your cat has. The boarder can make special arrangements for your cat, but only if you share this information with the boarder ahead of time.
Your Cat Is "Food-Aggressive"
Animals that are "food aggressive" can be the sweetest, most loving animals in the world, until you get near their food dishes. Then they turn into Mr. Hydes and try to bite and claw you to ribbons. If this applies to your cat, you need to tell the cat boarder. It means that the boarder will have to feed your cat in a separate area to avoid your cat hurting other nosy, hungry kitties. Be sure to tell the boarder how you manage this behavior at home so that the boarder can do the same at the boarding house.
Your Cat Will Only Use Its Preferred Cat Box
When your cat has claimed one particular cat box at home, and refuses to use all others, you will need to bring that box along to the boarder's. For whatever reason, your cat will not use a provided cat box at the boarding house, and would rather urinate and defecate on the floor or in other areas if its favorite toilet is unavailable. Providing this box to the boarding house reduces your cat's anxiety and the number of messes the boarder would have to clean up.
