What to do with your cat while on vacation!

Have you ever agonized over what to do with your cat while you're on vacation? The HomeExchange community is here to help!

Home exchange to ensure your cat is perfectly cared for...

The age old problem of knowing what to do with your pet while you're on vacation is something that many of us know all too well. Many pets can stay with friends and family while you're away, but cats are a different challenge entirely! With many felines struggling to adapt to new environments, the ideal scenario is that they're able to stay at home, with someone to feed them, change their litter trays and provide them with plenty of love. Which is where home exchanging is the perfect solution to the problem of what to do with your cat while you're on vacation!

Happily, our community is full of cat lovers and owners who are more than willing to help take care of their host's cats.

If you have a cat that needs looking after while you're on vacation: Simply check the "Cat to feed" box in your home listing, and make sure you mention your cat in your personal profile, so that future exchange partners know they'll be able to enjoy the company of your adorable pet! Then leave some instructions for your guests, detailing feeding times and where they can find supplies for your pet. Better yet, include the contact details for your local vet, so that you can enjoy your vacation with total peace of mind.

If you'd like to look after someone else's cat: Are you the type of person who desperately wants a cat, but you don't have one yourself? Or perhaps you're looking for someone to care for your cat while you're away, and you can't bear the thought of not having another cat's company while you're on vacation? Then treat yourself to a vacation cat! Simply strike up a conversation thread in our Facebook groups or on our Community Forum, and you'll find plenty of cat-owners who will be thrilled to lend you their pets while you enjoy their home.

Ready to take the plunge? Then check out some stories of members who have cats, plus anecdotes from vacationers who have bonded with their hosts' kitties (and prepare yourself to see plenty of cute cat pictures)!

Martha: Our cats trick our guests into feeding them extra!

"We have two cats (Donnie and Juno) and have also taken care of cats on exchanges - both an 8-week-old baby and a 21-year-old centenarian! We have a lot of guests who specifically want to exchange with cats, especially families with kids.
Our house manual is quite detailed as one of our cats needs to eat specialized food, but so far everything was ok. We quickly learned that we have to go over the max amount of food they can have, as our cats have become chubbier as some of our guests could not resist their begging!"

Roser: We looked after 6 cats during our last exchange!

"My children love cats, but we can't have one at home. So when we go on an exchange, I always try to find homes that have cats. Our last exchange in Majorca was really special, as we had 6 outdoor cats to look after! As they all slept outside, all we had to do was feed them and play with them. My children were so happy."

Gabrielle: Our guests cared for 5 newborn kittens!

"We arranged 2 simultaneous exchanges and were really looking forward to them. Then we found out our cat was expecting - right around the time of our swaps. We sent messages to both families explaining the situation, and were ready for everything to be cancelled. To our surprise, both families were really happy to look after a pregnant cat and be there for the birth (both families had cats, so that helped)! We were due to leave for our first exchange on the Saturday, then on the Friday afternoon our cat gave birth to 5 kittens! The first family were disappointed they didn't get to experience the birth, as their teenagers were looking forward to it.

Everything went well and both families really enjoyed the experience, and we were so happy they looked after the mother and kittens so well. Complete strangers cared for our pets - it warms my heart every time I think about it. ❤️"

Virginia: I always look for homes with cats.

"My house is 'owned' by Angie and Curie (my cats), I only pay the mortgage! At first I was very scared to have guests in my house because of them: What if they didn't treat them well? What if they misbehaved? But all the experiences have been wonderful. After more than 60 exchanges, the cats are delighted and I am calm. I usually travel alone and I always look for houses with cats, as they provide me with company."

David: We love home exchanging with cats!

"Last New Year we had the opportunity to exchange in Chicago with Roberta and Jerry. They have a gorgeous loft condo in downtown Chicago. I’m from Mississippi and told Roberta we were hoping to see snow. We had a fabulous exchange and we had a winter storm so I got to see lots of snow. We spent New Years relaxing with Roberta’s cats Cinnamon and Cardamom while the storm blew outside. It really is the Windy City! We love home exchanging and cats 🐈."

Annie-Claude: Our children love exchanges where there are animals.

"Here are our cats! We are a family that loves cats and for us it's A+ in the exchange! Our children love exchanges where there are animals. They like it when the hosts give us information about them and when we are at their house, we bring a Polaroid-type instant camera and take pictures of them. When we leave, we leave the photos of their animals and write a note that says they were adorable."

Virginie: It's such a treat for the kids to take care of pets.

"We did an exchange in Bruges, and the cat of the house was certainly the funniest cat ever. Ronny was coming to drink at the tap and was even showering his head under the tap! It's such a treat for the kids to take care of the pets on exchanges. We are also really grateful to receive news about our own cat that people take care of!"

Caroline: We loved our host-cats!

"Here are some photos of our host-cats: Princesse from Saint-André de Cubzac, Tigrou from Paris, Tutchi from Graye-sur-Mer and finally Gribouille from Pau."

Gwen and Monty: We've taken care of indoor and outdoor cats

"This picture is of Nairobi! We were in three homes in Lyon and Geneva in July and all three had cats whose names began with ‘N.’ Nina and Neptune were outdoor chunky cats and Nairobi lives indoors."

Lynn: We prefer to exchange with cat owners

"We were lucky to be hosted by Billie in Freidrichshagen last October. We prefer to exchange with cat owners, as we love cats."

Share your stories with our community!

Leaving your pet to go on an exchange can be nerve-wracking. How can you trust a total stranger not just with your home, but with your own precious pet? However, HomeExchange is filled with animal lovers who will not only look after your home like it’s their own, but treat your pets with love and compassion too. So if you're wondering what to do with your cat while on vacation, don't hesitate to start exchanging your home and your pet! After all, every day we hear great cat-related anecdotes from our members. So if you have any cute stories of your hosts' pets, or memories of how your cats have been pampered by your guests, then let us know on our Forum! We love hearing about your furry friends, and we would never say no to more cat pictures!