Preparing Your Cat for Boarding – Vaccinations and Owner’s Role

A Safe Cat Boarding Experience Is Built Together – A Shared Responsibility Between the Sitter and the Owner

When your cat goes into care, it's natural to hope everything goes smoothly and safely. It’s easy to assume the boarding provider is fully responsible for your cat’s wellbeing throughout the stay – and while that’s partly true, it’s only one side of the story. The overall care experience is a shared effort: a collaboration between the owner and the caregiver.

Preventive measures, such as vaccinations and deworming, are an essential part of preparing your cat for their stay. By taking care of these well in advance, we can work together to ensure a safe environment for every guest. In this post, we’ll walk you through what to keep in mind before bringing your cat into care: which vaccinations and tests are recommended, when to arrange them, and what other health-related factors to consider.

We hope this post serves as a helpful checklist and support when planning care for your cat – whether it’s a stay at a cat hotel or in the home of a trusted friend. ❤️

Cleanliness Is Only Half the Picture – The Other Half Comes From Each Owner's Valuable Effort

At CatBnB, we do our best to offer cats a clean and safe environment. We maintain hygiene in our home-based setting as thoroughly as realistically possible. After every stay, we disinfect the litter boxes, carefully wash food and water bowls, and launder all washable bedding and textiles that protect cat beds. Any area where a litter box has been used is thoroughly cleaned – including mopping the floors and wiping down surfaces.

However, since we are a home, it’s not possible to fully disinfect all areas (e.g., furniture, rugs, doorframes, cabinet tops, bedspreads) between each guest – as would be the case in any normal household.

We take responsibility for keeping our space clean and supervised – but a crucial part of the safety process lies in the cat owner’s preparations prior to arrival. Up-to-date vaccinations, deworming, and general health checks are the best way to prevent infections from occurring in the first place.

That said, it’s important to acknowledge that no care environment is entirely risk-free. Just like in daycares and schools, there is always a small risk of infection when more than one animal of the same species are under one roof. Through collaboration and shared responsibility, we can keep those risks as low as possible – ensuring a safe and enjoyable stay for every cat guest.

The Cat Owner’s Role in Ensuring a Safe Stay

A positive care experience is built together – our job is to provide a clean and cat-friendly environment, and your job is to take care of your pet’s health before arrival. The following recommendations are designed with the wellbeing of every cat in mind and apply also to cats staying in private rooms.

If you’ve already taken care of these things – great! You likely won’t need to revisit them unless your cat’s health status and circumstances have changed. Most of these steps can be handled during a single vet visit! 😊

1. Core Vaccination (Tricat) & Deworming

Before booking care, it's a good idea to check that your cat’s vaccinations are up to date. According to veterinary recommendations, your cat should have a valid tricat vaccine – kolmoisrokote in Finnish (covering panleukopenia, herpesvirus, and calicivirus). This protects not only your own cat but also the other cats in care.

Vaccinations should ideally be given at least 7 days before arrival – preferably 14 days, so the immune protection has time to develop and isn't compromised by possible stress during the stay.

Deworming protects your cat from intestinal parasites and is especially important for outdoor cats and those on a raw food diet. For these cats, deworming should be done within 3 months prior to their stay – preferably 1–2 weeks before the care period begins. This small step can make a big difference in protecting all our guests.

2. FIV and FeLV Testing

Like many rescue organizations and responsible boarding providers, we focus on preventing the spread of FIV and FeLV. In line with current recommendations, we ask that all cats staying with us be tested.

If your cat was adopted from a rescue, it’s a good idea to check whether the tests were already done – most shelters now test as a standard practice. If your cat hasn’t yet been tested, most vet clinics can perform a quick in-house test, often during the same visit as vaccinations. Test results should be recorded in your cat’s vaccination card, as they may be useful in the future and simplify future care arrangements.

Why is testing important? FIV and FeLV are contagious, serious viral diseases that weaken cat’s immune system. Testing helps us prevent the spread of infection and ensures a safer environment for all. You can’t tell from appearance alone whether a cat is a carrier – so testing is the only reliable way to know.

3. A Tip for Sensitive Tummies – Digestive Support

This is optional, but helpful for many: If your cat is sensitive or new to change, you may want to support their wellbeing with probiotics or prebiotics before their stay. For example, Inupekt Forte is a widely available supplement from pharmacies and vet clinics that helps maintain digestive balance.

You can start a few days before the care period and continue during the stay – the tablet is easy to crush and mix into food. This supplement helps strengthen gut flora and may prevent common stress-related symptoms like diarrhea, which cats are prone to when adapting to new environments.

📝 Summary & Checklist: Preparing for Boarding

1. Find your cat’s vaccination card

   Check that the tricat vaccine (kolmoisrokote) is valid. If you’re unsure, contact your vet. You can also ask about other recommendations.

   
   

2. Book a vet appointment in good time.

   Try to schedule the visit at least two weeks before the care period – or as soon as possible. Let the vet know your cat is preparing for a stay and needs a tricat vaccine and FIV/FeLV testing. While you’re at it, you can also take care of deworming and ask about a digestive supplement (e.g., Inupekt Forte).

   
   

3. Handle everything during one visit.

   Ask your vet to clearly note the vaccine and test results in your cat’s health record. If you don’t have a vaccination card, request one.

   
   

4. If time has passed since the last deworming, deworm your cat 1–2 weeks before the stay and start any digestive supplements 2–3 days before boarding. Don’t forget to pack any supplements for the stay.

✅ All Set!

Your cat is now ready for a safe and smooth boarding experience – and not just for this time, but for future stays as well. Vaccines are valid for a long time, and test results remain helpful for years to come.

Vaccinations and tests are not just a formality – they are a tangible way to protect your own cat and every other cat in our care. Even healthy-looking cats can carry infections without symptoms, so following the recommended steps is essential for every cat, not just those with known conditions.

Peace of Mind While You're Away

A great boarding experience requires cooperation – while we as a care provider do our part, it also takes responsible preparation from each cat owner. When everyone does their part, every cat can enjoy their “holiday” safely and stress-free.

Thank you for taking care of your cat’s health – and for helping us keep CatBnB a safe, cozy, and happy place for all furry and also hairless guests. 💛🐾