We live in a 290-year-old house and we're getting the whole huge central chimney & fireplace(s) structure restored. Masonry workers have been here every day since 12/28/09 - rooms are entirely swathed in plastic sheeting, there's a lot of noise & vibration, our daily lifestyle patterns are altered, and, needless to say, our two cats are STRESSED! There's been inappropriate peeing and pooping, sometimes on the workers' tarps, and in their hard plastic trays containing clay mortar which, to the cats, looks just like clay litter in a litterbox.
OKAY - it quickly became evident that the cats must be confined.
One of them, the less sociable scaredy-cat type, is perfectly all right sequestered in a distant upstairs bedroom with her own litter box and food & water.
But our other one is highly socialized, loves to be the center of attention, and is used to having the full run of our large house. We've attempted to confine her to one room (my office, familiar to her because she always hops up on my lap when I'm here on the computer) with the necessities, but she wails intolerably and scratches at the door when I'm not in here --- and I have a full-time job outside the home. Not liking her confinement at all, earlier this week she attempted to shred the window curtains - I intervened just in time and took the curtains down!
This major project will not be completed until mid-to-late February 2010. Any suggestions?? I've even considered taking the sociable cat & her litterbox to work with me (women's clothing store) but I'm wary of allergic customers. <sigh>
OKAY - it quickly became evident that the cats must be confined.
One of them, the less sociable scaredy-cat type, is perfectly all right sequestered in a distant upstairs bedroom with her own litter box and food & water.
But our other one is highly socialized, loves to be the center of attention, and is used to having the full run of our large house. We've attempted to confine her to one room (my office, familiar to her because she always hops up on my lap when I'm here on the computer) with the necessities, but she wails intolerably and scratches at the door when I'm not in here --- and I have a full-time job outside the home. Not liking her confinement at all, earlier this week she attempted to shred the window curtains - I intervened just in time and took the curtains down!
This major project will not be completed until mid-to-late February 2010. Any suggestions?? I've even considered taking the sociable cat & her litterbox to work with me (women's clothing store) but I'm wary of allergic customers. <sigh>
That or boarding - all situations will be stressful to some degree.
