Confirm the reservation details
Verify location, arrival appointment, pickup plan, room, dates, current requirements, deposit status, and any pending care approval.
Prepare for cat boarding
Bring the baseline with the cat.
Preparation reduces avoidable improvisation. Clear food, medication, behavior, medical, carrier, and emergency information helps Cats in the City reproduce the home routine as closely as the transition allows.
Food continuityMedication labelsAccurate baselineCarrier planningEmergency contacts
Boarding requests, availability, current rates, and care approval are managed by Cats in the City.
Days earlyBegin checking supplies and records before the travel day.
Written planDo not depend on a rushed verbal handoff at drop-off.
What to pack
Make every item identifiable and usable.
Cats in the City may provide reservation-specific instructions. Do not send irreplaceable items.
Food
Familiar diet in clear portions
Label the cat’s name, food, amount, timing, preparation, refrigeration needs, and approved alternatives.
Medication
Original labeled containers
Include current prescription labels, exact timing, route, food relationship, supplies, and what to do after a missed or lost dose according to the approved plan.
Monitoring
Approved medical supplies
Bring meters, sensors, strips, lancets, inhalers, spacers, syringes, needles, or other supplies only when part of the accepted care plan.
Comfort
Safe familiar scent items
A washable blanket, small bed, or other approved item may help provide scent continuity without creating an irreplaceable loss risk.
Identification
Clear labels on everything
Use the cat’s full name and guardian surname on food, medication, supplies, carrier, and any approved personal items.
Documentation
Written baseline and contacts
Include the current routine, medical changes, veterinarian, emergency authorization, guardian contacts, and travel itinerary if relevant.
Arrival is a full sensory transition. Accurate handoff lets the team interpret what happens next.
Arrival day
Keep the handoff accurate and calm.
Do not skip food, change medication, add sedatives, or alter the routine unless the accepted care plan or veterinarian directs it. Tell the team exactly what the cat ate, received, eliminated, and experienced before arrival.
Share new vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory signs, weakness, appetite change, injury, medication error, or unusual behavior before the cat enters the room. A changed cat may require a changed plan.
The return home
Pickup is another transition.
Cats may need time to reorient to home scent, people, animals, food locations, and sleep rhythm.
- Offer familiar food and water without forcing interaction
- Restore litter, medication, and sleep routines promptly
- Give space before expecting normal social behavior
- Observe appetite, elimination, breathing, mobility, and energy
- Contact Cats in the City or your veterinarian when concerning changes persist or escalate
Prepare the details before the travel day.
A complete request and organized supplies let the team focus on the cat rather than reconstructing the routine at intake.
Phase 3 planning system
Turn general preparation into a complete handoff.
Use the searchable resource center and browser-saved checklist for food, medication, carriers, contacts, transition, communication, and contingencies.
Library
Boarding resource center
Search planning guides by the decision in front of you.
Search resourcesChecklist
Interactive packing checklist
Save progress locally, clear it, or print the complete list.
Open checklistTimeline
Boarding stay timeline
Connect preparation with arrival, daily care, pickup, and homecoming.
Open timeline