Have you ever moved your cat’s food bowl a few feet and been met with a look of utter betrayal? Or shifted the sofa a couple of inches and found yourself with one very confused feline? Perhaps your cat waits faithfully by the front door when you arrive home from work each day? While we often think of cats as independent, they actually thrive on routine and predictability.

Predictability helps cats feel safe and secure. It allows them to understand their environment and gives them confidence in what is happening around them. Cats naturally establish routines around sleeping, eating, hunting (or playing), grooming and social interaction. These routines help reduce stress and uncertainty in an animal that is both predator and prey. If a cat knows what is likely to happen next, it can feel a great sense of reassurance.

“Predictability helps cats feel safe and secure.”

I often joke with clients that if you do something twice in a row, you’ll probably have to do it every day for the rest of your cat’s life!

Change can be difficult for cats. Holidays, visitors, children being home for the summer holidays, moving house, introducing new pets or changes to your working pattern can all disrupt their sense of security. We recently said goodbye to our senior cat, Loki, and it has really affected the dynamic in our home as my two remaining cats, Tristan and Izzy, work out their new routines and sleeping patterns.

Stress in cats can show itself in subtle ways. They may hide more than usual, their eating or toileting habits may change, they may become more vocal, while others become unusually clingy. My two initially became withdrawn and less confident around each other, but thankfully things are beginning to settle now that it has been three weeks since Loki passed away.

When change is unavoidable, there are some practical steps you can take to help your cat cope:

• Keep feeding times as consistent as possible.
• Make sure they continue to have access to their favourite sleeping spots. (We found ours needed to find new ones after losing Loki.)
• Avoid moving key resources such as food, water and litter trays unless absolutely necessary.
• Ask cat sitters to stick as closely as possible to your cat’s normal routine to minimise disruption.
• Introduce changes gradually wherever you can.

You don’t need to be completely rigid, just predictable

“One of the greatest gifts we can give our cats is the reassurance of knowing what comes next. To a cat, routine isn’t boring, it’s reassuring.”

As we head into the summer holidays, many households experience changes in routine. Families go away, children spend more time at home and daily schedules naturally shift. We can’t keep everything exactly the same, of course, but it’s worth respecting your cat’s need for familiarity wherever possible. Try to maintain their usual daily routine, and leave familiar scents around the home to help preserve their sense of security.

For more feline care advice and to explore Katie’s shop, visit: The Kat Lady.

First featured in Pets Magazine, July 2026. Read the original issue here: https://www.petsmag.co.uk/pets-magazine-july-2026/