Renovations and Pets: Suggestions?

[Freedom]

Thought I'd check if anyone has experience keeping pets safe during home renovations?

During the coming weeks, we are going to be having work done, including a totally new kitchen (HOORAY!) I asked for a temporary (plywood) door at the hallway, to keep the cats in the bedroom area. Otherwise, they'd be stuck in the bedrooms and that would be challenging. Other than that . . . not sure what to do!

I realize I will have to keep the dogs on leash for potty breaks for a few days here and there (new roof means the fenced in back yard area will be busy; but he said he won't be taking the fence down at all!) I can imagine white dogs in the midst of everything and needing baths regularly!

We will have temporary kitchen items in the front living room: fridge, toaster oven and microwave.

Beyond that, I can't envision what could be at issue. Yes, I already know this will be stressful; but it will all be over and done with and the end result will be great!

[Russian Blue]

We're just finishing up 5 years of renovations to our home. We ended up replacing everything and anything.

Do you have a basement you could keep them during the inside work? When we had Nakita, we kept her either at the cottage or upstairs. After she passed away, we decided to do all the major work (knocked down walls and added a full glass solarium to the back of the house) before we brought any new pets home. That reno lasted a month.

Then we adopted Steve and Gigi. They instantly became renovation helpers and didn't mind the noise one bit! We demolished the kitchen and moved it to the other side of the house. Most of the time the cats were kept upstairs. You want to make sure they are limited to any exposure to small objects and dust. Steve seems to want to eat everything off the floor so we were very diligent in cleaning the work area any time the cats were around.

It's really best to keep them in one area, away from the work. Even if you can take them somewhere else for the major renovation days, that would help. You don't realize how much (and how far) renovation dust spreads until after it settles. I'm thankful we're finished the inside renos! Don't want to do that again.

Good luck!

[Grace]

I agree about using the basement. We had new hardwood floors put in the entire house 18 months ago. In the middle of January - so even the boys didn't want to go out in the cold. We set them up with food and water down there. The litter boxes are there all the time, as well as beds, so it wasn't totally new to them.

The noise above, though, almost drove all of us nuts at times.

Good luck with the renovations. Looking forward to seeing pictures when it's all done.

[Freedom]

Hmmm, there are almost no windows in my basement, and none accessible to the cats. Not sure if they'd appreciate being stuck down there for 3 weeks (give or take). Will think on it, thanks!

[Grace]

We have no windows in our basement. I turned on lights, and let them back upstairs when the guys left for the day.

Do you have a second floor? If so, maybe they could be sequestered up there - then they could get lots of light.

[Cinder & Smoke]

I asked for a temporary (plywood) door at the hallway, to keep the cats in the bedroom area.

We will have temporary kitchen items in the front living room ...

Beyond that, I can't envision what could be at issue.

You need SIGNS - with BIG Print - on both sides of ALL Doors that need to stay closed!

"WATCH for
Dogs & Cats!"

Even the Best Intended workers just are NOT used "closing doors" on a jobsite.

And an experienced Door Darter can *Zip* out a door if it's just opened to allow
entry or exit ... the Workers need a constant reminder to keep a sharp eye out
for Kritters lurking behind all the doors.

[kuhio98]

If your remodel goes anything like our remodel, I can guarantee you that one of contractors in your house will leave a door or window open and endanger your pets.

We shut the cats up in a room downstairs with plenty of food and water. We put huge signs on the doors saying DO NOT ENTER! And yet, they did.

Find a room that you can lock. Duct tape the door shut. Anything you can think of to keep people from entering that room. 'Cuz most of us don't seem to read these days..............

[krazyaboutkatz]

I hope that everything will go well and that you can keep all of your furkids safe. When I had new bathroom and kitchen floors put in, I was lucky enough to be able to take all of my cats to my parents house for the day so I had no worries. My dad kitty sat them while my mom stayed at my place to help supervise the installer.

The main job only lasted 2 days but the installer screwed up on my master bathoom floor so he had to come back later and redo it. This time I stayed home with my cats in the living room and everyone was fine. Sky is my very social cat so I did have to make sure that he didn't get in the installers way. Good luck.

[Freedom]

SIGNS, excellent thanks so much Phred and everyone else who said that.

Due to the electrical work, every room in the house and also the cellar are going to involved at some time or other.

I already made sure I have collars and ID tags for everyone, too.

Realized last night (as I was down there for this purpose) that the cellar is currently not cat friendly. I've been selling furniture and all the odds and ends have been piled up down there. No second floor, thanks for that thought as well.

The "stuff" in the cellar needs to be packed for the church yard sale next Spring, so it isn't going anywhere soon.

This is all very helpful, thanks everyone!