Hi aligator, I would say right now before the construction, take Lucy to your bedroom or in a bathroom, spend a little time with here there and leave her in there to see how she does on her own with the litter box. Get her used to the other area before the noise comes and makes her fearful. The other 2 I would take to a different spot too, the trauma of the noise may be too much for them, construction and cats don't mix. We had pipes done in the basement of our apt and the noise freaked my cats out so bad it took weeks after it for them to not jump at the slighest sound and they are not jumpy cats. I would definitely put them elsewhere and don't stress them with the litterboxes down there, avoid letting them down there until it's all done.
hi you are right to be concern with all the strangers coming and going for a few days...cats easily get upset with a change in routine, it is better to keep them at home if possible...to board them is also a huge stress...
4 years ago I went through something similar(I had 3 cats at that time) my basement flooded and had to be gutted and totally redone....and the litter boxes were always downstairs.
for 2 whole months I had contractors come and go...off and on.
not only was it a huge change in my kitties routine but I also worried about them accidently getting outside and gates being left open etc. Mine are also very SHY cats...with little outside contact with other ppl or pets..
the litter boxes got moved upstairs, one in the back closet and one in the master bedroom, than I could isolate the cats in that room with the door shut when a contractor was here. cleaning after EVERY use so I had NO issues with smell...
With a room to themselves where they could feel 'safe' even if it wasn't their normal spot....there were no problems.
If that doesn't work for them when all the jackhammering is going on it may well be necessary to take them elsewhere for that time period....can you cage them for a few hours and set them in a garage or out building?..or have a friend?
You will find the noisy part of the construction should be limited to only a few hours or at most a day...
wishing you all the best of luck....keep us posted please..♥
Can you board the cats through the worst of it?