George plans to celebrate Leave Your Cat At Home™ Day by standing on his head.
How will your cat celebrate?
Pearl would like to
tell you all about our
Leave Your Cat
At Home™ Day contest.
Many cats have celebrated Leave Your Cat At Home™ Day over the years.
Some of them submitted pictures of their celebrations to Pearl for the contest. To see how they celebrated this day, check out the contest winners.
If you are a professional pet sitter, click here for US and here for Canada to get information on a free listing.
Sponsored by:
So You Can Roam While Your Cats Stay Home©
612.640.0827
Leave Your Cat At Home™ logos by
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What Cats Do Instead of Working
- Sleep
- Drink
- Sleep
- Play
- Eat
- Sleep
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- Eat
- Groom
- Play
- Catnip
- Litter Box
- Sleep
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EATING
If you are a human owned by a cat you know that cats usually like to eat. What they eat is up to you and with so many choices, how do you choose? Have you been hearing a lot about what’s good and what’s not? Confused about what to look for in a nutritious, healthy cat food?
It really isn’t as complicated as it seems. If you follow these basic guidelines, you can rest assured that your cat is getting a good diet.
- Avoid corn and wheat – common fillers in commercial pet food. Cats are unable to efficiently use the protein from these grains.
Avoid by-products – In describing by-products, you could paraphrase an old commercial – “where’s the meat?” By-products are the leftovers from meat processed for human consumption and may not contain the protein necessary to sustain your carnivorous cat. Because of the “leftover” nature of by-products, the exact contents of the food also may vary from batch to batch.
Avoid chemical preservatives such as BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin. To read more about cat food, we recommend The Animal Protection Institute’s article, What's Really In Pet Food.
DRINKING
Cats need fresh water daily. Many cats have unusual “watering holes”, such as a specific cup in a specific place or a drip from the faucet. Wherever your cat likes their water, make sure it’s fresh and plentiful. And if the humans drink filtered water, the cats would probably prefer it too. A cat that likes to drink from a bowl will prefer an aluminum bowl to plastic or ceramic. An aluminum bowl will not “soak up” any germs or smells and will stay more sanitary over time. Many cats love water that moves and may enjoy an electric filtered fountain (pictured above). Some cats adore very cold water and appreciate receiving some ice cubes in their water. Other cats enjoy their water at room temperature. If you pay attention, they will let you know their preferences.
PLAYING (and Mischief Making) 
A domestic cat “plays” instead of hunting as their ancestors had to do to survive. Playing provides stimulation to keep a cat mentally alert and healthy. “Playing” and “mischief making” are much related – the more time a human spends playing with the cat, the less a cat will need to get into mischief. If you are a cat’s human, be sure to play with your cat daily.
CATNIP
The majority of adult cats love catnip. There are many catnip-filled toys available. A cat may sometimes prefer to just have the catnip without the toy – they like it rubbed between human fingers and put on scratching posts, on the floor or in a paper bag. When buying catnip, smaller containers are best to help ensure freshness.
SLEEPING 
It’s normal for cats to sleep a lot, many sleep about 16 hours a day. While they are sleeping, they are storing up energy to do the all the other things they do, such as playing and making mischief. Cats will find favorite places to nap at different times of day and will sometimes seek out high places in the sun. Other times, they may choose a dark corner where they can sleep undisturbed. Wherever they are sleeping, be assured that they will be immediately alert when it comes time to eat or play.
GROOMING
A healthy cat will usually spend a lot of time grooming. This usually involves licking their fur and between their toes. Humans can be very helpful in the grooming process by helping with brushing and nail clipping. (Often failure to groom may indicate a problem with a cat’s health. If there is a noticeable change in a cat’s grooming behavior, a trip to the vet may be in order.)
USING the LITTER BOX 
There are many kinds of litter boxes and litter. Humans may have their own preferences but the last word will, of course, be had by the cats themselves. Here are some basic guidelines for providing a cat with a healthy litter box experience. In general, cats should be provided with one more litter box than there are cats – for example if there are 2 cats in the household, there should be at least 3 litter boxes
Cats prefer to have their litter in a separate place from their food. How many humans eat in their bathroom?
Cats have an extremely keen sense of smell. If the odor of a particular litter brand is distasteful to humans, it will be more so for cats. If a new litter or litter box is going to be tried, be sure to introduce them slowly, giving the cat time to adjust.
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Contact us for FREE information as to which commercial litters pass the “smell test” of experienced cat sitters, as well as their cats. | | |
