Boarding Your Cat – A Guide
What you need to know and what to expect.
The majority of cats require approximately 36 hours to acclimate to their new environment.
Here at Charlotte Kennels, there is a “hidey box” in each and every one of the rooms when boarding your cat.
They are plastic containers with cat-sized openings in the top lids that may be opened, and the openings are always oriented such that they face the main playroom.
The vast majority of cats will choose to investigate their surroundings when hidden away in the bathtub.
They are able to see inside the room, but we are unable to see them.
Even cats that adhere to the most rigid feeding schedules may sometimes wait until later that night, after we have left the house, the lights have been turned off, and things are quiet and private, before eating their food.
In order to ensure that all of the cats are in good health, we perform a visual inspection of each one first thing in the morning and again right before we depart for the day.
In spite of this, we wait for the cat to initiate contact with us before we engage in any kind of interaction of any kind.
Although it took some cats who were here for an extended period of time as long as two weeks to reach a degree of comfort with us, the vast majority of cats are out and begging for food and attention by the time they have spent two full days in their new home.
After around three or four days on the island, ninety-five percent of the boarders act as if they have spent their entire lives on the island.
Everyone has a great time in the sky boxes.
Every one of our rooms features either a sky box or a cat tree that is built right in and looks out onto either the corridor or the playroom.
Even the most timid cats frequently find comfort in spending their time in the sky box and keeping an eye on the goings-on below from a higher vantage point.
The question of whether or not your cat will be socialized with other cats when boarding your cat is one that we get asked very frequently.
There are a TON of different aspects that go into determining that answer:
Do you WANT your cat to communicate with other animals and people?
We will never go against the wishes that you have expressed.
The disposition of the other cats and the preferences of their owners are both factors that should be considered before making a choice.
We never really know what to expect when it comes to the disposition of our present set of boarders.
How are they communicating with one another despite the fact that their rooms are separated by doors?
The cats are able to communicate with one another via the glass quite a bit, and in most cases, this is sufficient.
Our primary objective is to make certain that the stay of each and every cat in our care is a happy and healthy one.
If the cat would want to come out of their room, we will rotate everyone through the playroom so that everyone has a chance to play.
We have three secure areas in which the cats can be let out to run about and socialize with one another.
Sometimes they will opt to sleep in one of our cat trees, other times they will choose to take a nap on the couch with us, and still other times they will come up front and help with the office work.
Since it is the cat’s vacation, it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to come out and play. If they are more reserved, that is just fine.
Regardless of the experience any of us have had in the past, this is a learning experience for all of us, and every week we acquire a better and better sense for how everything works.
At the very least once every other day, we will send you a picture or an update through text message so that you can get a firsthand account of how well your cat is doing.
It is our sincere pleasure to look after your cherished cats, and we look forward to giving you the one thing that is more important than anything else on any vacation that takes you away from home: peace of mind.
We are grateful that you have chosen to have that provided by us.