cat care conundrum
September 12, 2011 9:32 AM   Subscribe

What should I do with my cats while we have some chemical work done in our house?

The details: The house has 4 stories, including basement and attic. Before we moved in we had the floors refinished on the main floor and second floor. At one point I stepped in before it was done and the fumes were absolutely intolerable. I couldn't stand to be in the house for more than 10 seconds. Now we want to have the floors in the attic done the same way, and I'm trying to figure out what to do with my two cats. My partner and I will be clearing out of the house for the weekend.

I seem to have 3 options.
(1) Keep the cats confined to the basement the entire time. This way there will be two full floors between them and the fumes. There will be another person who will either be staying in the basement as well, or able to at least check in on them.

(2) I have an empty condominium where we used to live, and I could leave the cats in there for the weekend. There is no furniture or anything to entertain them in there, but I could bring over some blankets and clothing with my scent on it for comfort for them.

(3) Board the cats somewhere. I've never done this before, and I'm sure it would be very stressful for them, but they would at least be safe and looked after.
posted by mmmmbobo to Pets & Animals (10 answers total)
 
Option #1 seems like a recipe for disaster to me - the fumes are going to smell worse to a cat than they do to a human and depending on your ventilation system they could easily flow down from the attic, they're going to be hearing all sorts of loud scary noises which might lead them to pee & poop outside the litterbox, and if for some reason the workers go into the basement your cats could panic and run away. Option #2 is probably doable - but if the condo is part of a complex, the neighbors might have to listen to a lot of cat yowling, and again there might be litterbox accidents, though the cleanup would be relatively easy with no furniture to deal with (unless there's carpeting?). Personally, I'd go with option #3 for peace of mind.
posted by oh yeah! at 10:01 AM on September 12, 2011


#2. Cats don't need furniture, just bring some boxes.
posted by desjardins at 10:10 AM on September 12, 2011


I vote #2. Pack up a litter box, their food dishes, a couple toys and some blankets and you're golden. I'd personally confine them to just a bedroom, as well. Bonus points if you hang out there for a couple hours with them.

#3 would be my next pick, but boarding tends to be costly, requires the cats to be up to date on their shots and flea control, and is stressful for the cats. How long will the cats needs to be out of the house? If it was for a week I'd say go for it, but over a weekend the cats will probably be stressed out the entire time.
posted by cgg at 10:17 AM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


#2 for sure, but with the addition of a friendly cat-sitter, if possible? (By "friendly" I mean "friend to the cats already.")
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:26 AM on September 12, 2011


#3 may or may not be stressful for your cats. I used to date a woman who had to board her cat fairly often while traveling, and, apparently, the cat saved all her sweetness and love for the staff of the kennel. Considering that she was a grumpy little thing, this was rather startling when we discovered it. Anyway, some cats seem to thrive on occasional extended boarding.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:29 AM on September 12, 2011


"(3) Board the cats somewhere. I've never done this before, and I'm sure it would be very stressful for them, but they would at least be safe and looked after."

Having never done it before, you don't know it'll be stressful. My scaredy-cat cat who would hide in a closet for DAYS when I moved a piece of furniture LOOOOOOVED boarding. Hated the car ride to get there, but he LOVED hanging out in his boarding cage and getting attention from the staff and watching the other cats in the cat room and watching the birds out the window in the cat room. Even when we had to have him hospitalized for a few days, which was much more stressful for him than just boarding, he was pretty mellow about the whole thing. My other two cats are more meh about boarding -- they're happy enough, but they don't think it's like the best vacation ever like my scaredy-cat did. One of the other two has to ignore me for a set period of two hours after we get home, but then he's over it. (Also the vet techs tell me he's a super love machine when he boards, he's just punishing me.)

I'd do #2, with their carriers or some boxes or something to hide in; they'll have a great time racing around an empty condo -- or #3.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:42 AM on September 12, 2011


Solvent fumes are going to be heavier than air so there's a real possibility of substantial accumulation in the basement. Someone accidentally leaving the door open is the other thing I'd worry about. I wouldn't risk that. If you're certain the condo doesn't have any weird trouble they could get into I imagine that would be fine, but there's nothing wrong with boarding, that's what it's there for (and its set up to avoid issues like the irrational dash through your legs for freedom when you open the condo door after the weird inexplicable weekend alone in the Strange Place.
posted by nanojath at 11:57 AM on September 12, 2011


Another vote for #2 with food, water, litter boxes, cardboard boxes and cat toys. Make sure doors are closed or opened with a door stop, you don't want them trapped in a room. Also make sure the temperature will be comfortable for them (a/c or heater depending on which side of the equator you're on).
posted by deborah at 11:59 AM on September 12, 2011


I'd go with #2, and I might even camp out with the cats for a little while so everyone felt comfortable about the arrangement.

#3 seems like way too much stress for you and them, and #1 seems like too many things could go wrong: doors left open, chemicals spilled where the cats could get to them, a careless worker accidentally letting your cats escape outside, etc.
posted by misha at 12:01 PM on September 12, 2011


I had to board my two cats* for several days while I was in the middle of moving this summer. I asked the boarding facility to put them in the same (large) cage and they were just fine. The staff said they just chilled out with each other the whole time, no stress at all.

*AHEM WHERE ARE YOUR PICTURES DON'T YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POSTING CAT QUESTIONS TO ASK MEFI?
posted by shiny blue object at 12:31 PM on September 12, 2011 [2 favorites]


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