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Boarding Information for Cats – how to bring food, what to do before and more

Feb 7, 2026 | Uncategorized

Boarding Information for Cats – how to bring food, what to do before and more

We are SO excited to have your pet staying with us however –

  • – We need to ensure that all pets are healthy
  • – That your pet is ready, so there are things to do before you go away
  • – That all pet food is brought in correct portions for each feeding
  • – what other things to bring or not bring
  • – and more, please read our full email

STOP

  • First let us know immediately if in the past 30 days, if your kitty has been COUGHING, sneezing or has any other health problems.
  • If so, please contact your veterinarian right away and keep your kitty HOME away from other cats.
  • Feline upper respiratory is highly contagious.
  • Keep in mind, that if your kitty exhibits any of the symptoms above, your pet will be placed in an area away from other pets, you will be contacted right away.

NO SYMPTOMS – GREAT!!!

  • Here are helpful ideas as you get ready for your upcoming reservation

Client information for Boarding

In this informational email we will go over a few things

  • – What to do BEFORE boarding
  • – Emergency Numbers
  • – What to Bring, how to bring your food
  • – Allergies
  •  – If your pet does not eat while boarding
  •  – Bedding/Toys
  •  – Updates while boarding
  • – Drop off & Pick Up
  •  – Carriers
  •  – What to do when dropping off or picking up
  • – What to expect when going home
  • – What if I can not pick up on my scheduled pick up time
  • –  DONT FORGET ADD ONS to make your pets vacation with us even more FUN

 

Keep in mind –

  • TIPS –
    • We work hard and put in vey long hours 7 days a week and if means alot if you really love our service
    • If you LOVE our service with our amazing staff, please let us know – If you would like to leave a tip – Gratefully appreciated

 

WHAT TO DO BEFORE BOARDING

  • 2 or more weeks PRIOR to your reservation
  • Get your kitty used to our boarding schedule for feeding times to make it easier for your pets
  • General Schedule for Boarding
    • Kitty feeding can occur at any time during the time frames below
    • Morning feeding – 6-8am
    • Supper feeding  – 4-5 pm
  • Now is the time to Check your reservation online and make sure it is correct.

 

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

  • Make sure we have ALL cell phone numbers that will be with you.  Give us a destination number (hotel with room number, campground number, cruise line emergency number, etc. )
  • Make sure we have TWO emergency names and numbers of local people you trust, just in case

 

WHAT TO BRING

  • Food, Bedding, Toys – See Below for full explanation
  • PLEASE DO NOT BRING LARGE ITEMS OR TOO MANY ITEMS
  • See ALLERGIES below

 

KEEP IN MIND

  • We can not be responsible for anything brought which may become damaged or lost.
  • So, only bring items that are NOT important to you and NEVER bring anything valuable or sentimental.

 

FOOD

  • Make sure to bring their food.
  • Portion out every meal in a Ziploc bag.  Put Pet’s name on each bag with date to be given and AM or PM meal.
  • Put at least 1-2 days extra, just in case you are delayed returning home for any reason.
  • By portioning out each meal, there is no guess work and you will always have the correct amount of food.
  • It is essential to keep pets on their own food to prevent digestive upset with a food change.
  • CANS – just write on top with marker date and am or pm for feeding

 

ALLERGIES

  • If your kitty suffers ANY allergies, let us know
  • Bring any treats that they are allowed to eat

 

NOT EATING WHILE BOARDING

  • Boarding for any pet can be stressful and may result in loss of appetite.
  • The first 48 hours are the hardest for many pets
  • Even the best eaters at home, may have a loss of appetite while boarding.  Pets can become stressed with a new environment, new routine, different surroundings, missing owners, missing home or other reasons.
  • If you have a picky eater, this can be a challenge.
  • Even if your pet has boarded before, pets can stop eating for any reason.
  • Please inform us of how you get your pet to eat.  Include in your food bag, special treats that are so enticing that your pet never refuses.
  • If you have a picky eater, try things at home BEFORE boarding to see what they go crazy with and readily eat no matter what.  If you can get them to go crazy over chicken or deli roast beef, please bring it so we can get them eating.  Keep in mind, that even if they eat these at home, they may not want it while boarding but we will try whatever you bring.
  • Put your special treats in a separate ziploc with emergency treats on it and let us know if it needs to be refrigerated.
  • We monitor all food intake.
    • However, if we see that your pet is not eating most of their meals or even not at all after the first day, we will try your special treats, etc.
  • If they are eating most of each meal while boarding, even pets that eat everything at home may not eat everything while boarding, your pet will be fine but you may notice a bit of weight loss, which will be rectified when they go home.
  • If we can not get your pet to eat anything after we try the special things you bring, we need to contact you, if you do not get back to us in a few hours, we will contact emergency people
  • If you want us to do anything differently, then what is above, you will need to inform us.

 

 

BEDDING/TOYS

  • PLEASE DO NOT BRING LARGE ITEMS OR TOO MANY ITEMS, just a few is good
  • We will provide bedding, however, if your pet is a chewer of anything like bedding out of boredom, we do not want a pet to choke.
  • You are welcome to bring bedding and toys, please put everything in an easy to carry bag with their name on it for easy identification.
  • BEDDING – if you bring bedding, bedding must be washable and able to fit in a washing machine easily.  If items are deemed large, we will set aside and not use.
  • Reminder, We can not be responsible for anything brought which may become damaged or lost.
  • So, only bring items that are NOT important to you and NEVER bring anything valuable or sentimental.

 

 

UPDATES WHILE BOARDING

  • Our program does not allow routine updates
  • We will only contact you if there is a question or if your pet has a problem
  • If you would like an update, please email us and we will return your email once
  • Please no phone calls as we are very busy caring for pets
  • When we are caring for boarders, we do not have our phones with us, so photos are not routinely done

 

DROP OFF/PICK UP TIMES ARE SCHEDULED FOR A SAFETY REASON

  • DROP OFF and PICKUP TIMES – Must be scheduled to be exact.
  • Let us know as soon as possible if times will change via email
  • Please note, we try our best, but if we are busy we may not get your message for a while
  • Scheduled  drop off/pick up times  are for the safety of all pets and people,
  • so we only have one family in our lobby at a time.
  • This also helps us to be ready when you arrive to be quick and efficient
  • so you can get to work or an appointment on time.

 

WHAT IF I AM LATE FOR PICK UP OR CAN NOT PICK UP MY PET

  • Reminder – If you see a pet or client in the lobby, please wait until they leave to enter the building for the safety of all pets.

 

CARRIERS

  • Keep all pets on a secure in a secure carrier for SAFETY
  • We are on a very busy highway and do not want any pets getting loose

 

WHAT TO DO WHEN DROPPING OFF or PICKING UP

  • Be quick!!
  • When you are dropping off  or picking up, please be quick.
  • Your pet is getting use to the routine and is excited, anxious and is not sure.
  • If your pet can hear your voice, they feel the need to be with you because they LOVE you.
  • Yet, they hear all these new sounds.
  • So, make it easy on them and drop off quickly, so they can settle in and have a great day.
  • Mornings and Nights, we have lots of dogs coming and going
  • We are also getting busy at these times and have a morning and night routine that we all have.
  • We LOVE talking and spending time with everyone but want to always put each pet first!!

 

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • During their stay, we will try to make your pet as comfortable as possible.
  • They will have time out for play while we clean their suite.
  • You can schedule more playtime to get them out and active during the day
  • or you can add on any of our activities to make their stay even more fun.

 

HOW WE CALCULATE BOARDING CHARGES

  • We charge for each day your pet is with us, from drop off day to pick up day
  • It will start on the day they ARRIVE and end the day they DEPART.
  • So if your pet arrives on a Tuesday and departs on a Thursday, that will be 3 days that will be charged.
  • We must give your pet the same level of care every day they are with us, in fact on the arrival and departure days, we do a bit more
  • On arrival day, we must prepare their suite with beds, water and food dishes.
  • On arrival, We go through their food and belongings.  We arrange it in their area to be ready to give.
  • Depending on their arrival time, they may need to be fed once or twice.
  • Plus Give love and attention.
  • On Departure day, depending on what time they leave, they may need to be fed once or twice and outside time 1-3 times as well.  Give love and attention.  We pack up anything that is going home with them.  Then we must clean the entire suite, wash bedding and dishes.
  • We want to make sure that your pet’s stay with us is very comfortable from start to end.

 

GOING HOME

  • Your pet will be so happy to see you and be excited to sleep in their own bed just like us!!!
  • They may go home and just sleep.  This is normal.
  • They may get right back into their own routine of eating, sleeping and bathroom habits
  • or it may take some a few days to get back to their routine.  Both are normal.
  • Some pets may experience some diarrhea, this can be normal as well as some cats experience this with any changes in their lives.
  • Some pets may go home and drink lots of water.
  • For whatever reason, some pets will do this but we assure you that we provide water 24/7 for all pets.

Give them lots of LOVE, they are very happy you are home!

 

 

Thank you for trusting us with your pet’s care,

 

Every one at the Animal Care Center of NH

 

 

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