Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Cats and Houseguests

cats-houseguests

Cats are creatures of routine, and most cats won’t appreciate having this routine disrupted by the arrival of a stranger who may take over the spare bedroom, make demands on their human’s time, and generally disrupt their previously peaceful existence. In order to make having guests a pleasant experience for all members of your household, a little planning ahead goes a long way.

Prepare your cats for your guest’s arrival

If the guest bedroom is a favorite place for your cats to hang out or nap, consider moving some of your cat’s favorite items out of the room to another part of the house. If you know your routine is going to change during your guest’s stay, especially if the visit will affect your cats’ feeding times, consider adjusting your schedule a few days ahead of time.

Safety first

Your cats’ safety needs to be your first priority when you have house guests. Make sure guests know not to leave out any items that could harm your cats. This includes hair ties and ribbons, jewelry, plastic bags and other small items that could be ingested.

Doors and windows

If your cats are indoor cats, make sure guests know to be mindful when entering and leaving your home. Cats may be easily spooked when visitors are present, so be extra careful. Make sure all window screens are secure. Many cats don’t like closed doors within the home – let your guests know what your preference is.

Your cat’s routine

Try to keep your cat’s routine as close to normal as possible. Make sure feeding times are uninterrupted and peaceful. If you have a shy cat, provide a safe room she can retreat to. Never force your cat to interact with visitors. Make sure you make time to play with our cats at least a few minutes each day.

Let your house guest know about your cat’s quirks

If your cat has certain unique behaviors, let your guest know ahead of time. Allegra loves to smell freshly washed hair, and it can come as a bit of a surprise to an unsuspecting guest when she jumps up on the back of the chair they’re sitting in with their morning coffee and rubs her face against their head!

A word about house guests who are allergic to cats

I’m not going to mince words here: I won’t entertain house guests who are allergic to cats, unless they assure me that they can manage their allergies around my cats. Allegra and Ruby are my family, and they will always have the run of my house. No matter how well I clean, there’s always going to be cat hair. I believe that offering to put someone with cat allergies up in a nearby hotel of B&B is the most comfortable option for everyone involved.

In the video below, Cole and Marmalade’s dad shares some of their house rules for guests – enjoy!

What do you do to prepare your home for house guests?

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