Choose and prepare the cat's room early
Pick one room the work will not touch, ideally a bedroom she already likes, and set it up before the first tool bag lands in the hall. She needs a litter tray placed away from her food, water, a meal if the job spans feeding time, bedding that smells familiar, a hiding place such as a box with a blanket, and a scratching post or toy if she is the kind of cat who settles by doing something normal.
Put her in there calmly, before the doorbell, drilling or unfamiliar voices begin. A cat moved after the noise starts is already aroused and more likely to bolt past you at the door. Close the door, test the latch properly, and hang a clear sign on the outside saying a cat is inside and the door must stay shut. Signs matter because the person who opens that door is often not the person you briefed.
Brief the workers like it actually matters
Walk the lead tradesperson through the arrangement yourself: which room is out of bounds, where the cat is, and what to do about doors. Ask directly that front and back doors are never wedged open for carrying materials, or that you are told before any carrying run so you can stand at the cat's door while it happens. Most tradespeople are used to pets in houses and respond well to being told clearly at the start; problems come from assumptions, not indifference.
Agree an escape plan too, briefly: if she does get out of the room, nobody grabs at her, work stops, outside doors close, and you are called to coax her back yourself. A cornered cat in a house full of strangers, cables and open exits will run for the nearest gap, and calm containment works better than several people lunging.
Manage the specific hazards of a working house
Repairs bring dangers beyond escape. Keep her away from wet paint, solvents, sealants and cleaning chemicals, which should never be stored in her room or left in open containers in rooms she might enter later. Check a finished room before she is allowed back into it: look for dropped screws, staples, offcuts of wire or string, open floor voids, loose boards and unsealed gaps behind appliances or along skirting where a curious cat could squeeze and become trapped.
Keep her routine running inside the small world
Visit her at quiet moments, sit with her rather than just peeking in, and keep feeding and play times close to normal so the day feels structured rather than frightening. If a helper is staying with her or checking in, make those visits actual named tasks with agreed times rather than a vague promise that someone will look in. A midday check that the litter tray is usable, the water is full and the door latch is holding is exactly the kind of small job that gets forgotten when everyone assumes someone else did it.
Let her back out slowly when the job ends
When the work finishes, do one full sweep of the worked areas before opening her door, then let her explore at her own pace rather than carrying her around for inspection. Some cats stride straight out; others take an evening to reclaim rooms that smell of strangers and paint. Both are normal. Keep outside doors especially disciplined for the rest of that day, because routines around doors have been disrupted and that is when a slip happens.
Handled this way, a repair day becomes boring for her, which is the goal, and KinsLe's Care Teams helps by turning the door checks, room refreshes and feeding visits into assigned duties that are visibly ticked off with a time stamp rather than left to memory.