Report Cruelty Donate

Our role

The state and territory member Societies provide services to animals in need through their shelters and inspectorates. In the national office, RSPCA Australia works to influence animal welfare policy, practice and legislation across the country
Go to Our role

Animal welfare science

Caring for animals

Farm animal welfare

Public education

Advocacy

Enforcing the law

Key issues

The RSPCA advocates for the welfare of animals across a number of industries, issues and platforms. Help from our supporters is important to progress change. Working together is key.
Go to Key issues

Farm animals

Sport, entertainment & work animals

better than live export hero banner
Priority issue
On 1 July 2024, the Federal Government…
Live sheep export

News

Here you'll find the latest news relating to the RSPCA's vital work, press releases on national events, education on animal welfare issues, animal welfare science updates and our very own podcast covering a range of current topics.
Go to News

Blog

Media centre

Podcast

take action live sheep export alternate
Media release: Live sheep export unfixable, unnecessary, unacceptable – and now, soon to be unlawful
Read the media release

Support us

Whether you're an individual or a business, there are multiple ways you can support the RSPCA
Go to Support us

For individuals

For businesses

National events

An animal in the RSPCA care being cared for by an RSPCA vet
Donate now to support your local RSPCA and make a difference to animal welfare across Australia
Donate

Learn

The RSPCA aims to make evidence-based research accessible to the community, so that they can have confidence in the choices made when it comes to animal welfare.
Go to Learn

Knowledgebase Offsite

Animal Welfare Seminar

Animal Welfare Science Update

Education resources

Cage free and proud

Choose Wisely

Responsible sourcing

Key information

Domesticated animals

Non-domesticated animals

Aquatic animals

RSPCA Approved Standards

AWS2025 Website Image 2000x2000 v2
RSPCA Animal Welfare Seminar 2025
Animal ethics and animal welfare…
Learn more

About

The RSPCA is an independent, community-based charity providing animal care and protection services across the country.
Go to About

Annual reports

Annual statistics

Board & governance

Scholarships

Join our team

Our history

Contact

about us national statistics
Read our National Statistics
Compiled on a national basis by RSPCA…
Annual statistics

Adopt

By choosing adoption, you’ll not only have the chance to make a friend for life, but you’ll be giving an animal a second chance and helping support the RSPCA.
Go to Adopt

Adopting a dog or puppy

Adopting a cat or kitten

Adopting other animals

Responsible pet ownership

adopt a pet logo
Visit the Adopt A Pet website
Make a difference to a pet’s life today.
Search Adoptapet
Contact Us
RSPCA Approved Farming
Report Cruelty Donate
Report Cruelty Donate
Subscribe now! Keep up to date with the latest animal welfare news
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Blog
  4. How to work from home with your pets
Blog

How to work from home with your pets

Generic Avatar
  • RSPCA Australia
  • Wednesday, 25 March 2020
Subscribe to our blog

Working from home has become the new normal for many Australians, and for your pets, it might be a little strange for them to have their human home so often. It’s a great chance to spend time together, and ensuring you all get off on the right foot - and paw - will help you going forward.

Sticking to similar routines as best as you can will help, and ensuring your cats have somewhere to escape to if all the extra human foot traffic and noise gets a bit much.

Here are some helpful tips to enjoy much more of each other’s company:

Check your home office set up
Ensure your new home office environment is safe for not only you and other household humans, but all your pets too. Cables, cords and rubbish bins can be hazardous for pets, so ensure they can’t access these or topple over any screens or hardware.

Cats especially may gravitate towards the warmth of your keyboard or equipment, so please ensure your cats are safe and away from any hazards. Your pet may bring you all their finest toys as a sign of their love and affection, or simply lay at your feet, so be mindful of these trip hazards too.

Watch the treats
It’s important to remember that, if you don’t usually work from home, your pets are not used to you being there or receiving treats during business hours. Although you are spending a lot more time together, and your pet may be very good, please do not give them more treats or food than they would normally have. Sticking to their usual food routines will help keep them healthy.

We humans have to be careful not to change our eating habits too much or overeat when working from home, and it’s the same for our pets.

Give me constant affection!
Your pets may soon come to love having you home so much during work hours and stretches of home isolation. However, there may be times you cannot continue to give endless tummy rubs or neck scratches because you have a pressing deadline or a video conference with the big dog, err… big boss. In these moments, ensuring your pet has an activity or game to play solo is a great distraction. See our blog about making play time safe and video on making a DIY puzzle for cats.

Get up and move
Being home and taking regular breaks is important and are also a great chance to play with your pets. Initiating a game of fetch with your dog, taking them for a walk (whilst enacting social distancing), or interacting with your cat or bird is not only great for your mental health while working from home, but also great for strengthening the bond with your pet.

Zoomies on Zoom
One downside to working from home when you’re used to being in the office is the lower chances of socialising with colleagues. Video conferencing and other technologies can really help with this, and introducing any of your pets to your colleagues can be great for boosting morale. Feel free to also give your pets job titles in your home office such as CFO – Chief Fluffy Officer or Minister for Home Office Affairs.

If you have any questions or concerns about companion animals and COVID-19, please see the RSPCA Knowledgebase for updates and helpful information: kb.rspca.org.au

 

subscribe box

Stay informed on big issues and how you can help improve animal welfare across Australia.

Subscribe today and we’ll keep you updated on all the latest campaigns, events and news.

We care about your data in our privacy policy.