CATS
CAT
daycare
??? By Deborah Hansen
W
hy, yes! Why not offer cat daycare? Sometimes families need a safe place for their kitty to spend the day when they are having work done in the house, there is a family celebration, a cat needs medication and no one will be home to administer it, or the family simply wants peace of mind that their cat will be cared for when they go out of town for the day. Cat daycare can be a huge help to many feline owners. However, kitty daycare will not look like traditional doggie daycare. Kitty daycare will keep family units together without introducing cats from other families. Ideally, kitty daycare would be run in boarding suites with multiple levels, toys, and interesting things to explore and examine. It is important to have an enriching and fun environment to attract clients and keep the cat’s mind actively engaged during the day. Most cats graze during the day. Kitty daycare will need to have a meal served or free-feeding
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available for the felines. A cat drinking fountain in the daycare suites would not only provide water and add ambience, but would be a great marketing tool. Fresh litter boxes will also be needed in the daycare suites. Human interaction in the form of petting, interactive playtime or just sitting with the cat is a great perk to the standard kitty daycare package. When a cat arrives for daycare, getting them comfortable in their enclosure as quickly as possible is important. Placing their carrier on the floor of the daycare suite, opening the carrier door and then carefully letting yourself out of the suite is the best strategy to help the feline acclimate to their new environment. This procedure will allow the cat to exit the carrier when they are comfortable. After the cat exits the carrier,
PET BOARDING & DAYCARE