A Glimpse Into the Daily Schedule of a Home-Based Cattery
People often ask what a day looks like when you raise Maine Coon cats and kittens in your home. The honest answer is that it is a full-time job, seven days a week. Here is a glimpse into my daily schedule as a small home-based cattery in Central Ohio.
My Day Starts Between 4 and 5 AM
My day starts anywhere from 4 to 5 in the morning. I have 7 catios and litter boxes to clean every day, and that is when I do not have a litter of kittens on the ground.
Why 6 Cats Need 7 Catios
I have 6 adult cats, so why do I have 7 enclosures to clean? It is because I have one girl with gastro issues. She has a catio on 2 floors, because when she has to go, she has to go.
I have to make that available to her because it stresses her out if she cannot find a litter box.
Every Cat Has a Bedtime
All of my cats have a bedtime, just like us. Cats are nocturnal, and if they are loose all night they will dance on our heads and bite our feet if we move. Plus, they need down time as well.
Remi, our neutered male, gets to roam at night because he cannot be out with Shiloh, our intact male. They got along fine until Shiloh's hormones kicked in. Now Shiloh will go after him, while Remi just wants to be friends.
That makes for another time-consuming juggle. Everyone needs time with us, play time and self-enrichment like watching out the windows and playing with each other. Thank goodness we have plenty of doors to separate everyone.
Morning Catio Cleaning and Breakfast
I start by cleaning the 2 upstairs catios. I let Gracie out so she can stretch her legs, explore and play with Remi and Mia, our rescue dog. Then I collect all of their dishes to clean and head downstairs.
Most of our catios are downstairs, where my husband built very nice enclosures for them. Everyone gets their wet food while I do all of their dishes. I get Remi's and Gracie's food ready, take it up to them and give Gracie her medicine.
I let everyone finish eating, then wait a bit before I let anyone out. I want everyone to have a chance to use the bathroom before we start our daily rotation of letting each cat out to spend time with me and each other. Then I wash all the dishes and give fresh food and water.
Kitten Videos and Social Media
When I have babies, I am constantly taking videos, and then I have to edit them before posting on social media. It is very time-consuming, but I enjoy it and so do the people who follow us. People love watching the babies grow.
Rotating the Cats Throughout the Day
Next I come up and handle everything else: cleaning, dishes, laundry, computer work, scheduling posts, answering emails, writing for our blog, preparing meals and other daily chores.
Then I go downstairs and let the big girls up so I can clean their catios. They go in the living room with Remi and Gracie. I let Shiloh out in the kitchen and dining room area, clean his catio, sweep downstairs and sanitize everything.
No one has access to a litter box during these times, which is why I have to rotate everyone. After a few more chores, I start putting each cat back into their catio to use the bathroom. I do this all day, every couple of hours.
This is the only way to know if someone is having poop issues. If all the cats share litter boxes, you would never know who it was unless you stood and watched each cat use the box. I do not have time for that.
Playtime, Brushing and Nail Trims
I come upstairs and play with the big cats in the living room with "The Worm," everyone's favorite toy. After a bit, I head into the kitchen and dining room to play with Shiloh.
I brush the cats every other day and check nails once a week. I can trim most of the cats' nails on my own, but Miss Nyla is the difficult one. I always need help with her. She's a bit spicy.
Fitting Everything Else In
In between all of this there may be vet appointments, video chats and phone calls. You name it, I have to work it in somehow. I also take time to educate myself on something every day. I research a lot, and I help others research too.
And that is just the first part of my day. Some of the other routines that keep everyone healthy include:
Weighing every cat weekly, and weighing bred girls more often
Making homemade gravy for the cats once a week
Giving daily supplements
Keeping up with everyone's food preferences
Washing all of our furniture covers at least once a week
It's Like Running a Daycare
Everyone has different preferences on food. It's like running a daycare. Someone is always getting into something, puking up furballs, splashing water all over the place, chasing each other or knocking things off shelves.
One thing I am thankful for is that I taught my cats to scratch a certain rug, so they do not scratch my furniture.
There is a lot of sweeping and lint rolling in our home to keep the hair down. Our dog sheds more than the cats, so I have to keep up on it every day. All of our furniture is covered, so I wash those covers once a week, or more often when needed.
4 PM: Fresh Litter Boxes Before Dinner
Every time I rotate the cats, I clean their litter boxes again. I can't stand the smell of a dirty litter box, and your cat won't like it either.
Around 4, I start putting everyone in their catios for feeding again. If I don't, I can't monitor what each cat eats. I do keep a bowl of dry food out for everyone to eat at their leisure.
5 PM: Dinner, Kittens and Quarantine
At 5 I feed everyone again, a repeat of the morning. When everyone is settled and done eating, if we have kittens, we go in and play with them at every feeding.
Kittens are fed more often until about 8 to 10 weeks. Then we drop to 2 feedings a day to prepare them for their new homes, since most people work and can't do multiple feedings a day like I can.
If we have a cat in quarantine, usually a new animal joining our cattery, they are always cared for last to avoid cross contamination.
Evening Time With the Family
By this time my husband is home from work, and we start rotating the cats again so they get time with both of us in the living room.
Shiloh comes up to spend time with us, and we play with him since he doesn't have a playmate. He could be with Remi, but he just can't chill his hormones enough to be friends. I wish it would happen, but I can't change the nature of the beast.
9 PM: Bedtime (Whew)
It's bedtime for us, and we put everyone away except Remi. Then I get up and start all over again the next day. Seven days a week, no breaks.
Why We Raise Our Kittens in Our Home
We choose to raise our cats and kittens in our home, not in outbuildings away from us. We domesticated these animals, and it is our job to love and care for them.
That is also why we bought an RV. It lets us get away while still having everyone with us.
Have Questions About Our Maine Coon Kittens?
Curious what goes into the price of a kitten? Read Why Do Maine Coon Kittens Cost So Much? If you have any other questions, please send us a message and we will do our best to help.
