Viewings compress everything a cat dislikes into half an hour: strangers walking through her territory, doors standing open, furniture nudged, and her owner acting differently. Planning her part of the viewing in advance keeps her safe, keeps buyers focused on the house rather than a loose cat, and removes the frantic carrier hunt five minutes before the agent arrives.
The Better Option: She Leaves With You
Taking her out removes the escape risk entirely and lets viewers open doors freely. Settle her in her carrier with familiar bedding, and take her to a friend's home, a relative's house, or simply for a calm drive if she travels reasonably well and the viewing is short. Practise the carrier routine on ordinary days so viewing day does not pair the carrier with panic. Time your departure before the agent arrives, because buyers wandering up the path while you are still coaxing her from under a bed helps nobody. A cat who is out of the house also cannot slip through a garden gate left open by a viewer, which is the accident sellers fear with good reason. If a household member collects her instead, make sure that person knows her hiding places and how she prefers to be picked up.
Scheduling deserves the same care as the plan itself. Group viewings into blocks where the agent allows it, so she endures one departure or one shut door rather than repeated disturbances across a whole day, and keep her feeding times as steady as the viewing diary permits. Tell the agent where keys are kept and make sure no viewer is left to wander unaccompanied into her room's corridor. For an open-house event, where doors open constantly and numbers are unpredictable, taking her out stops being a preference and becomes the only arrangement that matches the risk.
If She Stays: One Room, Signed and Supplied
When leaving is impossible, choose one room as her viewing base and set it up before anyone arrives. That room needs her litter tray, fresh water, bedding, and somewhere to hide, such as a covered bed or a box with a blanket. Put a clear sign on the closed door saying a cat is inside and the door must not be opened, and tell viewers' agent the same thing directly. Warn the selling agent in writing beforehand, by email or message you can keep, stating which room she is in and that it stays shut, so the instruction survives a change of agent staff on the day. Close windows in her room, remove anything fragile she might knock while startled, and visit her calmly once viewers have gone rather than opening the door mid-viewing to check.
After Every Viewing, Reset the House
Do not assume the house is as you left it. Viewers open windows, agents prop doors, and a garden door may have stood open for airing the kitchen. Walk the house yourself after each viewing, checking every outside door and window is shut and latched before she leaves her room or returns from her trip. Check her room's door was not opened, look in her usual hiding places if she seems unsettled, and restore her trays, bowls and bedding to their normal places if the staging moved them. Keep a note of viewing times while the sale runs, so her feeding and tray routine can bend around them without being forgotten. KinsLe also helps households coordinate viewings, since Family Sharing puts her basic information in front of every family member involved rather than relying on one person's memory.