Good news and bad news

[kimmy-man]

I made our first reservations on Monday!! Can't wait for next June to come for our first trip "home" to SSR!
But, here comes the bad news...
We wanted my Mom and Dad as well as my sis, her hubby and kids to come. ( They can't afford to take the kids, and I wanted them to be able to go.) My Mom and Dad are 65. Not old, but not young either. Well, get this. My brother in law says that they can't go if my Mom and Dad won't take care of their two cats!! They can't afford to send them to a kennel and he won't allow any one else in the house.(They live in Ohio, we moved to TX almost a year ago.) So, my sis says that they'll have to pass. SO, my parents decide not to go to give the kids a chance to see WDW.
Now I'm excited to share this with my sis and the kids, but I really wanted the whole family there.
So, my brother-in-law, (who quite his job beacuse he was tired of it and now my sis is trying to support him and the kids!), is ruining this for all of us! I can't push it because my sister is stuck in the middle!
We can try again later, but the kids will be older and some of the "magic" will be gone. I'm really bummed.
Sorry for the long post, but I needed to vent.

 

[floridafam]

Wow, they couldn't find someone else to watch their cats.

I'd push it a little further if I were you. You should be able to have your whole family there for a wonderful trip and not have it ruined by two cats.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Suggest that he stay home and watch the cats and bring your sister and your parents on the trip.

HBC

 

[Mickey527]

Why don't you offer to pay for the kennel, or maybe bring the cats to WDW and leave them at the kennel there. I think it is fairly reasonable at the kennel on Disney property, maybe someone else knows what they charge.
I wish I had gotten my mom to go with me before she died suddenly at the age of 63. You never know when someone might not be with us anymore, so don't put anything off.
I took my dad after she passed away and brought my boys, my Brother and SIL and my neice and nephew. My dad got to see WDW a few times before he died this past March and he got to see WDW through the eyes of the children.
Don't let your parents miss this opportunity. Tell your sister to find someone she trusts and bring the cats to them. Heck, ship them to CT, I will watch them. I won't knotice 2 more, I have 4 here already. Peggie

 

[tamu91]

you said it, Happy Birthday Cat!! Seriously, why doesn't your BIL stay behind and watch the cats. I can't believe he going to ruin a perfectly happy trip to WDW for his kids

 

[canwegosoon]

I vote he stays home to take care of the cats too, the selfish....
(I can't type that). A neighbor, could watch them at their house, etc. He probably can't send them to a kennel because they are not up to date on their shots (right?). Good Luck. It is so sad that you are trying to be so kind and generous, and it is not coming together. (...sorry had to vent too...) I hear you .

 

[MinnieGi]

I also really like HBC's idea - BIL stays home with the cats, you take sis, kids and parents for a great WDW vacation!! He sounds like the type that even if he does come, he'll be a "Grumpy" on the trip for everyone.

Cats are so easy to take care of. There must be some trusted friend or relative that would be willing to watch the cat while they are gone.

Good luck to you and your family!

 

[Desperado]

Bring the cats, pay for them to stay in the Disney kennel and visit them every day. Have your BIL stay there too, but visit him less often. Problem solved.

 

[DerbyVacationClubber]

This will be taken the wrong way...but here goes...cats have nine lives, right? Maybe they will both use them all up between now and next June. I say this as my cat lays in my lap with his paw smacking the mouse and tail racking back and forth across the key board. If my parents can't watch him when we vacation he is watched by a neighbor. So far he has survived. Come on tell the BIL to stop being such a spoilsport...he will actually like WDW.

 

[rocketriter]

When you read Abby or Ann Landers about this sort of problem, the advice always comes down to this: the spouse of the troublemaker has to be the one who takes a stand. Your DS isn't "caught in the middle" unless she passes her responsibility on to a third party such as yourself. It's really her responsibility to stand up for what's right. You can offer helpful suggestions (several have been posted here), but it's her job to put those suggestions into action.

 

[manning]

Don't forget the important part. Every day you are in Disney send him a post card with the same five word sentence.

"Glad you are not here".

On second thought that would be a waste of money.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

I agree with the other posters. Your sister is an adult, and the cats belong to her too. If she wants to go, she can arrange responsible cat-care and tell her husband that if he isn't satisfied with the arrangement, he can always make his own decision about whether or not he chooses to go. He cannot make that decision for anyone else, especially not his in-laws, for pete's sake. Let all the adults make independent decisions about what they will each do. Giving power over to a control freak only encourages him to think what he is doing is ok.

It seems to me that your parents are the ones who are really "in the middle" because they probably feel that, unless they give into your BIL's demands, their grandchildren won't be able to go to WDW. If you make it clear that your parents are going, no matter what, your sister may find it easier to take a stand for the sake of her kids. You can't make this decision for your sister, but if she insists on staying at home too, depending on the age of the children, you might be able to offer to take the kids and your parents. It could be fun!

 

[msdis]

good luck

 

[normr]

Leave the cats home, just get one of those self cleaning litter boxes that automatically rake and get rid of the cat droppings and also automatic food and water dispensers. Give keys to a neighbor for an emergency.

 

[LeftCoaster]

Originally posted by manning
Don't forget the important part. Every day you are in Disney send him a post card with the same five word sentence.

"Glad you are not here".

On second thought that would be a waste of money.

Video postcard from Epcot. Problem solved. Or how about the ones at Mission: Space? "wish you were in space so you'd be even farther away."

 

[Caskbill]

Originally posted by normr
Leave the cats home, just get one of those self cleaning litter boxes that automatically rake and get rid of the cat droppings and also automatic food and water dispensers. Give keys to a neighbor for an emergency.

This is what we do. The self cleaning litter box will go more than a week, depending on the cat (cats), before the holding tray needs to be emptied. There's only one brand that I know of, called Litter Maid. We also put out a regular litter box as extra.

Our cats eat dry food only so automatatic dispensers work great. We have a water dish that has a water reservoir and a small electric pump that circulates the water down a small trough to keep it fresh. It also filters the water through charcoal. Cats don't drink a lot so the water lasts quite awhile.

Our son checks the house and cats every once and awhile while we're gone.

Cats sleep about 80% of the time. The rest of the time they'll play with each other, or just look out the window. This is their nature. They are very self sufficient and don't need anywhere near the daily care that a dog would need.

Your cats would be just fine.

 

[1SickPupe]

We have 3 cats, and a large dog. When we go to WDW (7 days) we kennel the dog, and leave the cats home with plenty of dry food, and water. We leave a couple of our faucets dripping, as well as filling several large bowls of water. As for litter box's we leave them 3 box's filled with the crystal litter.

In addition I cast a vote for your BIL staying home with the cats. I believe you will have a great time without him.

 

[Mark099]

We had a similar situation in our family...

It was my parent's 50th anniversary year and I convinced my mother she should spend some of her millions (not literally) to take the family on vacation. Surprisingly, she agreed, and we decided on WDW. Hawaii was a close second. My mother was to pay for everything (except food) for 11 people... plane tickets, hotel (POR) and UPHs for 17 days! Sounds too good to pass up, right? Wrong! My sister found a reason to find fault in the plan. First, was why are we going to WDW? Second, well, I can't afford the food. No problem... mom would give them a $1000 for food. Finally, the straw that broke the camel's back.... the car rental! Yep, mom was even paying for that... one full size and one minivan to fit 11 people. I would drive the minivan because we knew where we were going. My other sister would get the car because they were a family of four. The problem sister gets all pissed because she doesn't get a car too. Now, she doesn't want to go. Mom caves in one more time and a third car is reserved.

Meanwhile, behind the sceens, my other sister and I are trying to figure out the vacation. My mother is in a wheel chair and we figured that a group of 11 people together all the time would be a problem. So we figured that we could take turns spending the day with our parents and kind of do what they wanted. That seemed reasonable, right? Wrong! The problem sister didn't want her vacation burdened with having to spend time doing what my parents wanted to do and she made her final decision not to go.

Family vacation for 8 now. We had a great time and my parents, especially my mother, did too. Because we were only 8, we did a lot more stuff together.

Here's the kicker...

Two years later my wife and I were planning another trip. My parents wanted to go so we used air miles for their tickets. My other sister decides she wants to go now too. She had enough air miles for her family of four. Finally, guess what? Yep, the problem child that refused an all expense paid trip was now wanting to go and PAY her own way. Yep, that's right, pay her own way.

We now had our family vacation of 11 people. Although, this time our 2 yo daughter was the 11th person instead of my oldest sister's adult child. AND everyone paid their own way. Funny, the problem child never did rent their own car.

My advice?

Tell your family your plans... If they want to join you, then great! Otherwise, you are going anyways and are planning on having a great time.

 

[John VN]

Bring the cats to WDW and leave BIL home.

 

[Mic]

I agree with most posters...leave "Dumbo"(that was good, msdis)at home with the cats. You'll have a much better trip!