Food, Measured the Way She Eats It at Home
Pack your cat's usual food rather than relying on a house diet she has never met. Boarding is change enough without a new food upsetting her stomach in a strange place. Portion it in the way that matches how she eats: daily bags or tubs for a cat fed measured meals, plus a little extra in case your return is delayed. If she grazes from an open bag at home, write down roughly how much she eats in a day so staff can match it and notice if her appetite drops. Include any treats she normally has, in modest amounts, and note any foods she must not be given — a neighbour's well-meant extras are not always safe for a cat with a sensitive stomach or a health condition.
Medication and Records, Labelled and Legible
Any medication travels in its original labelled packaging, never decanted into an unmarked pot, with written directions covering when it is given, how you give it, and what to do if a round is refused. Add your vaccination proof, your vet's name and number, and an emergency contact who can authorise decisions if you cannot be reached. If your cat has a known condition — a heart murmur the vet is monitoring, a past urinary blockage, a food intolerance — write it down even if it needs no daily action, because the carer watching her needs to know which changes matter.
Comforts That Smell Like Home
Send bedding she already sleeps on, or a worn item of your clothing, unwashed, so her unit smells of home rather than only of disinfectant and stranger cats. Choose washable items you can spare; boarding bedding goes through a lot of laundry and occasionally does not come back. One or two familiar toys are enough, and avoid anything irreplaceable, anything with strings she could chew loose, or a favourite she would be lost without if it strayed. A cardboard scratcher or a small hide she knows can help a shy cat settle behind something familiar.
The Note About the Cat Herself
The most useful thing you pack is information. Write how she likes to be approached, whether she enjoys handling or prefers to be admired from a distance, where she hides when worried, what her normal litter habits look like, and which small change should trigger a call to you or the vet. Note her feeding quirks — warms her food, eats at night, needs her bowl on a raised surface — because those details are the difference between a cat who eats on day one and a cat who holds out. Keep the note short enough that a busy carer will actually read it at feeding time.
At Drop-Off, Hand It Over Properly
Walk through the bag with the carer rather than leaving it at reception, so questions surface while you are still there to answer them. Confirm feeding amounts, medication times and your contact route in person. Sharing all of it ahead of drop-off is straightforward with a KinsLe Care Pass, which gives the cattery temporary, clear access to your cat's routine, health notes and your contacts for exactly the days she is in their care.