Cat Boarding ?

[nw6675]

We have struggled to find good vacation coverage since we got our two cats. We tried our college student neighbor and that failed miserably to the point we cut two trips short (we gave her the benefit of the doubt the first trip). We don't have any close relatives that we comfortable asking. We used Rover in May for our WDW trip and that was FABULOUS. However, she is moving overseas with her military husband.

Has anyone had a good experience boarding their cats? I do not want to stress over them when we vacation and want to ensure they are being fed. However, I have heard that cats get depressed boarding, especially if they are pretty much confined the duration.

Any good cat boarding experiences? Options I am missing? I will look for a new Rover person, but then that means a new stranger coming in the house.

Thanks!

 

[kymom99]

I have boarded cats. I can’t say they liked it but they came home alive. and seemed no worse for the wear.

 

[mom2rtk]

For me it would depend on the cat. Some are very anxious and the stress would be more than I would want to subject them to. Especially if they are older. For an otherwise young healthy cat I might consider it.

 

[tasha99]

I moved to Oregon from Alaska almost 10 years ago, and brought my cats. Since I was staying with my parents until I found a place to live, I had to board my cats for a month. It was fine--I found a kennel that specialized in cat only boarding, so no dogs, and instead of cages, each cat or pair of cats had a closet sized room with perches and a window to look out of. I visited them all the time, but they were pretty mad. But, they were fine, and better off than if I'd rehomed them. I'd try to find a place that provides a bit of space and some stimulation (like a window with a bird feeder outside).

 

[sam_gordon]

We board our cats. Same place as they go for the vet. They've survived. I have no idea if they get depressed or not. When we pick them up, the mouthy one tells us all about it on the way home.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I’ll chime in even though I’m a dog person who’s never had a cat. We dog people worry about the same things.

But this is the reality. Yes, it stinks for them for the time you’re gone. But the big thing is, they’re safe. And after a time or two they learn you come back to get them, and that’s a beautiful thing!

So once your cat(s) get used to going, they dislike it, but they know it’s just for a short time. And it’s worth it for everyone.

I hate hearing that people don’t want pets because they want the freedom to travel. Good, trusted boarding facilities make it possible to have both.

 

[holden]

I’d call your vet for a recommendation. Many of the vet techs at our vet pet sit. It’s best for cats to be in their own home if possible.

 

[E&Cmom]

We board our cats at a “ cat Inn”. We love the place And feel comfortable leaving them there. They are fine when they come home.

 

[Mango7100]

I am a vet and while I have a sitter for my cats as preference I have boarded them several times. One we had to board at a clinic since she was on insulin injections twice daily, and I didn’t feel comfortable with a cat sitter doing that. I would suggest a place that has a cat only section completely separate from the smells, sights, and noises of dogs. The vet clinic I worked at boarded cats upstairs in a separate area with lots of windows. Having cubicle cages with cubbies and shelves for perching helps. the cubicle was opened so our 2 cats could be together and come and go between the two cages. Bring an old t shirt or pillowcase that smells like you to put in the cage as comfort. cats want to be able to perch high and hide in a cave like spot. An added benefit was that our clinic monitored their eating/litter box habits 3 times daily and staff would alert the vets if there was a problem.

 

[disney4us2002]

We think one of the benefits of cat vs dog ownership is not needing to board. We have always left our kitties home alone. We have auto feeders and leave an extra litter box and several bowls of water in different spots of the house. I guess the longest was a 7-night cruise but we never had any issues although the cats had quite a bit to say when we returned. One always ended up hoarse.

 

[MIGrandma]

We think one of the benefits of cat vs dog ownership is not needing to board. We have always left our kitties home alone. We have auto feeders and leave an extra litter box and several bowls of water in different spots of the house. I guess the longest was a 7-night cruise but we never had any issues although the cats had quite a bit to say when we returned. One always ended up hoarse.

And you have no one checking on them, even when gone a week? I would worry too much about my cat if left alone more than a night or two. What if they get sick and need vet attention?

We leave our cat home alone but our niece lives less than a quarter mile from our house and drives by every day for work so we hire her to feed and water, and scoop the litter box daily while we are gone.

If we go on a cruise or long trip we do board her nearby. $12 per day, they play with her and let her out of the cage daily for exercise. And there are perches in the cage. They will give her medicine if needed, and they send pictures and videos every few days.

 

[tvguy]

I have boarded cats. I can’t say they liked it but they came home alive. and seemed no worse for the wear.

We have had 5 cats over the last 40 years and we have used friends, a pet resort and the vet with success. Not sure the cats would agree, because we would usually get the stink eye for a week after we got home.
Two of our cats were boarded only at the vet because they needed medication.
It's tough, when our last cat crossed the rainbow bridge we made a decision that we would have no more pets. We wanted to not have to deal with that in retirement.

 

[QueenIsabella]

We leave tomorrow, and we're having a college friend of DD19 watch the cats. I've stocked plenty of snacks for her to hang out here with them.

We HAVE boarded in the past, with success. Take the time to find a place that caters to cats, as others have said. Typically, they have long, skinny rooms/cages, with perches and a window overlooking bird feeders (hence the long and skinny--more cats get the nice view). Also common is a larger space with a fish tank, TV, couch, etc., where the cats go for an hour a day--together if they're siblings, but not with other cats. What you don't want is for them to be stuck in a small cage the whole time.

Some pet hotels are super nice--our former vet (we moved away) had a whole spa. The cat section was separate, but the dogs had fancy rooms and their own swimming pool. Where our dog goes now, they do doggie daycare, so she gets to go to that every day. On Sundays, daycare is closed, so we pay for extra play time and a frozen peanut butter kong. My point is--if you don't like the look of a place, keep looking--you might pay a few extra bucks for a nice place, but the cats are less likely to pee in your shoes when you get back.

 

[kymom99]

My sister’s entire family went on vacation for 2 weeks. We ran ourselves ragged taking care of cats, lizard, pool, grass. We are very fortunate to have family to help each other out.

The most recent time we boarded our cat, it was just 2 nights. Our vet opened a new boarding facility and I thought we would try it out. They had a cat room with kennels and they said they would take turns letting one cat out in the room at a time. They had climbing things and toys. Turns out, mine was the only cat there. They said he wasn’t very social when they got him out to play. I wasn’t surprised by that.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

We board our cats. I’m sure they don’t love it, but they are safe and fed. They stay in a kitty condo type place where they have a window to outside and can climb and move around a lot.

 

[mamacatnv]

We think one of the benefits of cat vs dog ownership is not needing to board. We have always left our kitties home alone. We have auto feeders and leave an extra litter box and several bowls of water in different spots of the house. I guess the longest was a 7-night cruise but we never had any issues although the cats had quite a bit to say when we returned. One always ended up hoarse.

We did the same thing for years, they are fine for multiple days. We would leave the toilets open as well, just in case as a source of water.

I like Rover but I find the per cat fee to be ridiculous, however, I have learned that one can negotiate with the sitter who will often reduce the per cat to just the visit fee.

Also, since we are just talking about cats, maybe find a young tween/teen in your neighborhood who would like to earn a few $$

Personally, I am not a fan of boarding my cats, I think it is far more stressful to them than it is to most dogs and I prefer to leave the cats at hone and have someone periodically check on them.

 

[mumto3girls]

I second the tween/teen suggestion from above. My girls have often taken care of neighbors’ cats while they have been away. One neighbor has two and she just asks that one of the girls stops over every other day and make sure they have food and water and scoop the litter box. Another neighbor had an older cat that they were worried about and my daughter stopped over at least twice a day and would hang out there for an hour or two sitting with the cat, making sure it ate etc.

I think it’s a great first job for kids. I often have one of our neighbor girls (2 different sets of sisters so far—older sisters have moved on and now hiring the younger sisters—I think the older one of the younger sisters is about done and then I’ll just have one left) water plants, bring in packages, feed the fish when we are away and take care of the dog on a few night trip. It gives them some spending money and I always tell them to feel free to use me as a reference when applying for their first after school job/babysitting.

 

[hopemax]

It very much depends on the situation. We had an cat, who we lost last year, that was such a frequent boarder at our vet (originally, convenience, but then needed medical boarding), that overnight they'd set him up in one of the exam rooms. I kinda wonder if he ever became a temporary office cat too, since everyone knew him and thought he was an awesome cat. I think they had one other cat that was in a "frequent boarder" situation. They also have an associated full-time dog & cat lodge and the cat room had trees and window perches in addition to the cages, so that they could let them have free time. We preferred the vet over the other place because it was mostly dogs, and there were a couple things that we felt the communication from that staff was a little lacking.

Our current cat doesn't have medical needs, and one of DH friends runs a pet care business, so he comes now.

 

[footballmouse]

The only time I have ever boarded one of our cats was with the vet only because he needed insulin injections. All other times we would leave them home with the automatic feeders and plenty of water bowls. I think I might have had a nephew stop by mid-week to check their water bowls. Now my kids are adults and they help out if I go away just like I help with their cats when they go away. Dogs on the other hand, I always board.

 

[shh]

I found a kennel that specialized in cat only boarding, so no dogs, and instead of cages, each cat or pair of cats had a closet sized room with perches and a window to look out of.

That's the key. Too many boarding places stick cats in a cage and unlike dogs who get walked/played with, cats are often left to their own devices. Sitting in a cage nonstop for days or weeks with their owner vanished just seems awful to me if a cat is used to be petted, loved, attended to. And so many get rattled when they're out of their environment, unlike dogs who are more used to going out in the world.

But as other say, I guess it depends upon the cat. Ours wouldn't do well at all in that environment. We've either arranged for others to come in, so they could stay at home or we just didn't go away.