Purr-fect Housecat Hosts

Share:

Tweet

Tips for preparing your cats for visitors.

Having friends or family stay for a visit gives you the opportunity to relax, talk and enjoy time together. However, being the purrfect host can be difficult whether you have a social, outgoing kitten or a shy, fearful cat. As a pet owner and host, you need to perform a balancing act of making your favorite feline comfortable and your houseguest feel at home.

Make the first move by laying out the particulars as clearly as possible to your houseguest. Tell your invitees that you have a cat and ask them if they suffer from cat allergies. If your allergic friends or family decide to stay in your home, discuss the best manner in which you can alleviate their sensitivities. In most cases, grooming your cat before your visitors arrive can be very effective. Besides treating your cat, thoroughly clean your home by vacuuming carpets and rugs, dusting surfaces and washing floors. Once you clean your guest room, limit pet access. If possible, place a HEPA air purifier where guests sleep — allergy experts claim that if you can breathe pure air for at least eight to ten hours each night, you can probably tolerate more exposure to allergenic substances during the day. Most importantly, encourage your guests to discuss increasing doses of their allergy medications with their physicians.

Next, give houseguests a crash course in how to be around cats. Guests will need to understand that they must allow a cat to come around on its own time and not force a relationship. Moreover, cat owners should fully describe their cat’s personality and behavior. If your cat likes to leap off the kitchen counter onto a shoulder, warn your guests, or you might suggest they bring slippers if your cat is prone to foot attacks. Be careful not to frighten your guests, but merely emphasize how important it is to maintain your cat’s routine for everyone’s best interests.

Now that you have introduced your visitors to your pet’s cattitude, prepare your cat for houseguests. If your cat has grown up having a limited experience with people is it more likely to fear visitors, engage in destructive behavior, become aggressive or eliminate inappropriately? Beth Adelman, animal behavioral counselor and author, suggests Comfort Zone® with Feliway® (a product that mimics a natural comforting facial pheromone used to reduce anxiety). The wall plug-in is generally used to reduce inappropriate elimination, but can also comfort cats in these types of stressful situations. For best results, plug the diffuser in the electrical outlet a few days before guests arrive.

Next, examine where you have placed your cat’s litter boxes. If you feel that guests will disturb your cat and frighten him away from the box, it will be necessary to relocate the box. Move the litter box one to three feet each day until you effectively relocate the box to where you want it to be. Another option is to add another litter box in the new hideaway.

(... continued on next page.)