Options while decorating

[FantasticFox27]

We are getting our kitchen replaced, which will take a couple of weeks in all. The builders have offered to come the first week while DH and I are on holiday which suits everyone - the builders can stay late and really crack on while we're away. We would hopefully have a working oven (or nearly at least) by the time we return. We won't have to live in the worst of the mess. My parents were originally going to stay at ours with the pets and kids while we went away, but they don't live far so they can all go stay at my parents house. So far so good....

What do I do with the cat? He is usually an outdoor cat (cat flap so he comes and goes as he pleases) so won't appreciate being kept indoors at my parents. But if he was to stay at home he might get in the way of the builders (especially when they screed the floor) and I'm thinking would be lonely. He may also be spooked by the builders noise, and my parents can get back to feed him a couple of times a day but its not a lot of interaction for him. Which is the lesser of two evils? Keep him with my dog and daughter who he loves, but deny him his freedoms? Or leave him at home and hope he isn't too offended by the change of people in his house?

I did exactly that. We went away while our kitchen was being done and the cats stayed home with the builders. The door was constantly open so the cats came and went as they wanted. Their food, water and litter tray was normally kept in the kitchen so we moved that. The rest of the house was fine so they were able to sleep upstairs in peace and quiet. Our neighbour checked on them last thing but they were fine. The builders topped up the cats food and water when they noticed it had gone down. It worked brilliantly, we had a sexy new kitchen and our cats were absolutely fine.

Mine went to the cattery, when I had my kitchen done. They would t have coped at all with the noise and disruption.

I’d pick cattery. I’d be too worried they’d be spooked by the noise and run away.

I wouldn't keep my cats in a house with builders, I'd be too worried about them getting scared, hurt or stuck somewhere.

Either send him to your parents for two weeks or use a cattery.

So many cats get spooked during building works and end up doing a runner sadly.

I'd send him to your parents - indoors for a short while is the better option. Can parents guarantee not to let him out or leave windows open though? If not then a cattery. He'll either make life hard for the builders getting in the way, going under the floorboards or into a hole in the wall or he might go missing.

I had work done last year. TempCat is indoors as I'm in a 2nd floor flat. He loved the builders but hated all the loud noise and got quite scared and would hide. On the days I went into the office he had to be shut in my bedroom with his litter tray and food to stop him getting in the way or bolting under a cupboard or the bath. If he'd had access to outdoors I'm sure he might have run off.

One went to a cattery and the other one stayed home. Cattery one was likely to decamp and find a new home but the crazy calico just kept to her routines and stayed in the bedroom downstairs.

I’d use a cattery. Even my outdoor loving Bengal could cope for a week in a cattery.

I use a cat hotel now. £30 a night but it’s home from home.

Ours went to the cattery when our place was rewired, and we moved out - none of us could have coped with being at home for that. But we all stayed at home when the kitchen was done and decorating. Two cats just hid, two cats tried to help but none of them were overly stressed about it all.