Sneak Your Cat Into Work

If your Kitty-in-Boots is giving you the sour face every time you leave for work every day, consider bringing him to work. Your boss doesn't have to know! With a few "sneaky" tools, the right cat temperament, and a little ingenuity, your kitty can be sitting shotgun next to you at your desk. Successfully smuggling your cat into the office does require a good deal of preparation and strategy though. In addition, you will have to plan your activities at the office very carefully.

Steps

Consider the Options

  1. Assess your cat's personality to decide if he is the sort of cat that could be happy and quiet at work.
    • Smuggling Kitty into work won't be a good idea if your cat is a proud and independent roamer who has activities you don't even have a clue about for most of the day and/or night. If he is the type to hop in and out of the cat door regularly, he is going to find being confined in a small bag a day of nightmares and the yowling will definitely let the cat out of the bag even if the clawing doesn't.
    • Alternatively, if your cat is quiet and often comfortable sitting near you for long periods of time, he may the an ideal stealth cat for the office.
  2. Consider the way you get to work. Is your cat a seasoned traveler? Does he mind car or public transportation travel? Is he even allowed on public transportation? Are you strong enough to carry him on your bike or by foot? These are all very valid considerations.
    • If the last experience your cat had of going in a cat carrier involved going to the vet, seeing rabid, dribbling dogs nosing him and he urinated all over himself, then perhaps give this whole idea a miss. On the other hand, if he's the model of good behavior and loves travelling, you're on your way!
  3. Check the weather. Is it too hot, too cold, too wet or too windy to be carrying your cat around? Use your own good sense of judgement as to whether the weather is an issue for carting around your feline pal, especially if you're subjecting him to non-car travel. In particular, remember that cats are prone to heatstroke, so don't place him in any situation where this could be a problem.
  4. Choose a day that isn't heavily mired in away-from-desk obligations. Preferably, choose a day when you can get away earlier than usual, so that your feline pal is only there a few hours.

Make Preparations

  1. Be absolutely certain of where your boss and other co-workers will be throughout the day. This will enable you to ascertain the best way to get your cat into the office and away from everyone. Mentally review your boss’s schedule in order to determine if there are any opportunities where you might get caught. For the cautious cat smuggler, try the following tips:
    • Know the layout of your office so that you know precisely, where your boss will be sitting in relation to your area – in particular, know his or her line of sight to your desk or workspace.
    • Evaluate your workspace or office area to determine where you will keep the cat while you're working at your desk. Map out where he’ll sit and the best place to keep him concealed from the boss and any nosy co-workers.
    • Review any obstacles or hurdles you might face, such as a meeting or your lunch plans.
    • Look over your schedule to identify the best day for your cat to come to work. Days that you have to work late or have numerous meetings are likely days to avoid because your cat will be frisky and bored after long hours.
  2. Prepare the cat's necessities. Buy or find a ventilated bag, preferably one that will conceal your animal and allow you to bring cat food, treats, quiet toys, a soft blanket and even a travel litter box.
    • Make sure that the bag is not a designated cat or animal carrier - the cat will certainly be out of the proverbial bag if you sneak the cat in using a cat carrier. That is, unless you're able to cloak the carrier and stash it in a corner behind the filing cabinet.
  3. Start bringing the bag to work at least one to two weeks prior to sneaking the animal into the office. That way, everyone will be used to seeing you carry "your new" bag and not suspect anything out of the ordinary.
  4. Purchase a cat harness and a leash. Even if you typically don’t harness or leash your cat, you'll need a system to keep him nearby. Get the cat used to wearing the harness and leash a few days prior to sneaking him into work.
  5. Pack everything you’ll need into the bag to determine if you can fit all items inside. Stuff the food, harness, leash, toys, litter and blanket into side or surrounding pockets. If your travel litter box will fit, add the box, but be sure you can still fit the cat into the bag the next morning.
  6. If the cat doesn’t fit or seems cramped, reconfigure how you packed your travel bag. A squashed cat is not the target of your mission. Any items that will not fit into the bag comfortably (when your cat is inside) should be either left at home or could be transferred to your purse or possibly to another bag, made to look like "all that extra work you did at home last night". However, be careful because bringing too many bags into the office may draw attention toward you - the idea is to bring one bag containing the cat for the total sneak attack.
    • If questioned, say you have to return a lot of library books after work.
  7. For a smooth transition from home to office, prepare your cat bag a few days before you plan to sneak your cat into work. Do a test run by packing the bag and then add the cat. The cat may need some practice being inside the bag so give him time to adjust and see the bag as a safe place.
    • This is a good time to discover your cat's suitability or otherwise to participate in this venture. If he yowls persistently and claws you frantically, he's telling you something loud and clear.
    • Don't just leave him in the bag. Walk around with him in the bag and try travel with him too. You need to know what he's capable of before carrying out operation cat sneak.

Toting the Kitty on the Day

  1. Feed your cat breakfast. Give him quality food in a decent amount so that he isn’t starving and meowing for food when you arrive at work.
  2. Encourage your cat to use the litter box. This is vital to avoid him having an accident in the bag. This may entail spending a good 10 minutes or so enticing him in the vicinity of the litter box. If you're up to smuggling him in, you're up to this part of the procedure too.
  3. Give your cat lots of affection and attention before you place him in the bag. He needs to know you still love him and that this upheaval is a temporary state of affairs.
  4. Instead of transferring the cat to your bag while you get ready for work, make the transfer the last thing you do before you leave the house. By shortening the amount of time your cat is in the bag, you are also lessening the amount of trauma (and meowing).
    • A cat that won't go into the bag frontward will be easier backed into the bag. Needless to say though, if you're having this much trouble getting him in, perhaps it's not the right day or time to be doing this.

In the Office with the Kitty

  1. Be confident. If you act like you have nothing to hide, no one will suspect that you do! Remember – your co-workers have seen you carry the same bag before so they have no reason to suspect you have brought in your cat. After all, it's not really the first thing coworkers imagine when another co-worker arrives at work – "Oh, Alice must have a cat in her bag."
  2. Look around to see if anyone is around your office or desk. Walk briskly to your desk and avoid any water cooler chit chat. When you get to your desk, close your office door or if you are in a cubicle, slide the cat bag underneath your desk into a position that's as well hidden as possible. Put your usual bag up against the front to hide the cat's bag, or use files, the recycling bin or a printer paper box to provide cover.
  3. Turn on your computer and get set up for the day. Pull out any work you typically do first thing in the morning. Reassure your cat that all is good and give him time to settle before moving him again.

Letting the Cat out of the Bag

  1. Decide whether having your cat let out of the bag is a sensible option. Clearly, if you've packed his worldly belongings into the bag, you need to remove those as a minimum because he needs to stay comfortable. The fear from the new surroundings, noises, smells and the whole indignity of being taken in to work might be too much for him and he could express his displeasure through yowling, biting, scratching and urinating. If you think it's okay to let him out, the following steps explain what to do next.
  2. Double check your surroundings before you encourage your cat to come out of the bag. Determine if he even wants to leave. He may want to stay cocooned inside the cozy carrier for a good part of the morning – if that's the case, then let him. He's better off quiet and undisturbed than being petrified.
  3. When your cat seems ready to leave, unpack the cat and encourage him to get to know your workspace. Put the harness and leash on the cat before he leaves the bag. That way you won’t risk him running out of your workspace. If he wants to sit underneath your desk wrap loop of the leash around your ankle so he stays close and no one can see you have a leash attached to you.
  4. Place the blanket underneath your desk and put food and water in the small bowls.
  5. Anticipate his needs by setting up the litter box after an hour of being out of the bag.
  6. Give him treats and toys when he appears to be getting antsy.

End of the Day

  1. Target to go home earlier than usual. This will allow you to escape crowds or peak hour traffic, all things that could potentially cause kitty stress.
  2. Place your cat's items back in the bag. Shut down your computer and put away all the files, etc. Place your cat back in just before you're ready to leave. Wish your coworkers a cheerful farewell and head on out of there. Mission accomplished! You've successfully sneaked your cat into work for a day!

Tips

  • Avoid sneaking your cat into work on days you have meetings or if you have to work late.
  • Assess your workplace mindset. This is something only you can know but taking an animal to work can cause health and safety problems. Know the workplace rules and the flexibility and good-naturedness of those around you. Sure, you're aiming to "sneak" your cat into work but if you get caught, is this to be at the expense of your entire job? Think it over.
  • If you own your own business, you won't need to "sneak" in your cat. However, you will need to acclimatize your cat to customers and the daily workings of your workplace. Do this gradually, as well as getting kitty used to daily travel. This can be a lovely way to have a reassuring feline presence at front desk or in a window when clients arrive!
  • Attach the cat’s leash to your desk if you need to use the restroom or leave your workspace for a few minutes.
  • Make sure nobody is allergic to cats at your workplace so it will be harder for you to get caught.

Warnings

  • Realize that this may be considered a reason for firing you under the workplace policies. You need to be across your workplace expectations and policies in relation to such an action and you'll know whether or not your workplace is flexible enough to handle a feline intrusion should you get found out.
  • Make sure that none of your co-workers have a cat allergy before you attempt this.
  • Meowing or yowling is a real possibility. The foreignness of everything may simply overwhelm your cat and give you away.
  • Do not bring in your own Garfield or your kittens, it's mother and their billion possessions. You'll know why bringing in a huge crate of meowing cats isn't the best idea in the world.
  • Don't bring your cat to work if he/she might distract you.
  • Update vaccinations in the event your cat comes into contact with a coworker and nibbles on his or her hand.
  • Avoid an overflowing litter box or bringing stinky food. This will only call attention to your clandestine operation.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat
  • Carrier bag suitable for cat, breathable
  • Food, treats and bowls
  • Water (use workplace water but not from the cooler as it's too cold)
  • Harness, leash, collar
  • Travel litter box and deodorizing litter
  • Cat toys

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Sources and Citations

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