What do you do with your cat?

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We used to have a neighbor teenage boy come in once a day, check on the cats and feed them some wet food and clean the upstairs litter box.

Then we got a cat who makes messes - he throws up when upset and won't use the box when upset. Of course he gets upset when we aren't home. The teenage boy didn't want to deal with the cleanup and we would often come home to nasty messes.

I still have him come in and feed my fish 3 times during the week using pre-measured fish food (the one time I didn't do that, he overfed them and the tank was a mess and most of the fish died!). He also keeps an eye open for any UPS packages.

So we now board the 2 cats. I hate it because our youngest cat is only 1 year old and needs a lot more exercise than she gets at boarding but it's the best we can do right now.

I am thinking about looking at a pet sitting company who would come in and supposedly clean up any messes but I'm sure they wouldn't do as good a job as I would even with my steam cleaner so I'm not sure if I want to do that since I'd still have messes to clean up.
We also board my dog but she loves being boarded. She gets to play with all the other dogs since I pay extra for her to be in doggie daycare M-F when we travel.

I love my pets but it sure is a pain when we travel!

 

[Rustysmom]

I don't have anyone to watch my kitties now,(my mom or FIL did when they were alive) and they have always done just fine by us leaving huge bowls full of water their 2 dishes and a big pan filled with dry food. They don't like to eat anything other than dry food anyway, so it's nothing different for them and they don't eat or drink it all right away either. There is always plenty of food left when we come home. I also put out 3 or 4 extra litter boxes full of litter. I ask my friend to swing by the house and peek in and get the mail, but I don't trust her to actually go in. I know that she wouldn't be careful at all and might forget to close the door or something. They're much safer just being left alone and we never go anywhere more than 5 or 6 days anway.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I don't have anyone to watch my kitties now,(my mom or FIL did when they were alive) and they have always done just fine by us leaving huge bowls full of water their 2 dishes and a big pan filled with dry food. They don't like to eat anything other than dry food anyway, so it's nothing different for them and they don't eat or drink it all right away either. There is always plenty of food left when we come home. I also put out 3 or 4 extra litter boxes full of litter. I ask my friend to swing by the house and peek in and get the mail, but I don't trust her to actually go in. I know that she wouldn't be careful at all and might forget to close the door or something. They're much safer just being left alone and we never go anywhere more than 5 or 6 days anway.

That is really sad...

 

[jpeka65844]

My friend and neighbor checks in on the cat usually twice while getting the mail. It's no good asking her to play with the cat. The cat hates strangers and wants nothing to do with them.

When we get home though, she shuns us for a couple of hours, just so we feel guilty, then she won't leave us alone.

 

[kathie859]

The dog is happy to go to the local "Pet Suites"--she really enjoys it! As soon as we hit the door, she is straining at the lead to get back with the other "kids".

The cat, otoh, prefers her own environment. I boarded a cat once--years ago and that cat was traumatized for weeks!!

I have my sister or niece check in every few days to make sure she has fresh water and food, but the cat does just fine without us--though she is awfully glad to see us when we come back

 

[jmpurdy]

have them checked on at least once a day. Is it worth it to your family to find a very ill or dead cat coming back from vacation to save a few bucks? Any number of things can happen while they are unattended for long periods of time; both physically or an accident. Our cat accidentally got his foot caught in the blind pull and was literally hanging upside down screaming till I came running to free him. A male cat can get crystals in his urine and become completely blocked and die a slow, agonized death in only 2-3 days.
A previous poster is absolutely right. Pay someone to come in once a day to do a head count if possible and just make sure all is well. If that is not possible, then boarding is the next best thing. Sure, cats do well alone, but they are still socialized animals and do require care. Sounds like most everyone has very nice neighbors as do we. We trade off several times a year and it gives us great comfort.

 

[laundrygal]

We board both of our cats whenever we travel longer than 2 overnights. One of them has a chronic medical condition and having them boarded at the vets is the safest thing for them. They have been boarded since they were very young and have a huge fan club at the vet, so it works out just fine for them.

My parents have a cat that is too anxious to stay at the vets, they have tried it but she's just too panicked. So, it can really depend on the cat.

-Sarah

 

[tzolkin]

We just adopted a cat a few months ago and I've been thinking about vacations.

There is no way we could leave out food and water. I feed her several times a day. She will eat all the food in the bowl and if you give her too much she will throw up. So there is no way she could ration food for herself even for a weekend.

We are friends with a retired couple across the street (they've always checked on our house, got our mail, and fed our fish when we've gone away before) and my DD11's best friend lives next door. Between them we can have some one check on her twice a day, but I'm still a bit worried about her getting too lonely. She likes to always be in the living room with us and when DH and I go to bed at night she spends about two hours going into all the kid's rooms checking on them.

We usually go to FL for 2-3 weeks. I don't want the cat to have issues while we're gone (even though some one will check on her a few times a day). The only person who would take her is my mom, but she has a farm and two dogs so I don't think that would work well. I can't see how she would be happier/ less lonely in a cage for the trip either, so boarding doesn't seem like a great option either.

 

[jmpurdy]

You could keep a radio on for the cat. It can really help. And just pay your child's friend to sit with the cat for a few minutes each time they go over. It's a great way to learn about responsibility and earning money. Give everyone the name/phone number of your veterinarian (just in case) and call the vet to give permission to treat your pet in an emergency. We even give our credit card # to our vet to hold for us. And there has been an emergency or two while we travel.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

You could keep a radio on for the cat. It can really help. And just pay your child's friend to sit with the cat for a few minutes each time they go over. It's a great way to learn about responsibility and earning money. Give everyone the name/phone number of your veterinarian (just in case) and call the vet to give permission to treat your pet in an emergency. We even give our credit card # to our vet to hold for us. And there has been an emergency or two while we travel.

Now that is a great tip. I keep a list of contacts in my computer, print one out everytime we go away and just cross out those traveling with us.

I will add our vet to that list right now. Thanks!!!

 

[Rpsemont]

We pay a teenager $5 day to come in and give limited "soft food" make sure the dry food and water is full and scoop the litter box. They also must make sure they see the cat while there are there.

We used to leave her with plenty of food, but one time came home to find that she had managed to tip over a bureau and get herself stuck in the drawer. Hence, we make sure there's a daily check.

Personally, the daily check makes me feel better house wise too. Our last trip, we developed a roof leak, so the sitter was able to monitor it to make sure nothing got damaged. Sometimes we have some basement water issues,too. So we'll have them check that too.

If you have babysitters and feel they're responsible, I find that's a good choice to finding economical options.

 

[dancer4life22]

well we dont have cats but we have three dogs and a rabbit. one dog we just got a week ago and hes only 15 weeks old but when we went away before the dogs went to a pet resort. they stayed in a doggie suite together and had a walk and like 2 hours of play time every day. our neighbors watch the rabbit just to make sure he has food and water and mow the lawn.

 

[Ppufi]

When we have to go out of town, my mom get's my grandma to check in on Salem, and take him to their house to play with his brother. Ours is a lucky arrangement since they live right next door!

 

[Tink9721]

We have 3 cats and a dog. My dog stays at my dad's house and we have a very nice family friend come over once a day to feed the cats and make sure they have water

 

[MapleGirl]

We leave our two cat home alone with several big bowls of water and food. Our neighbor stops by to check on them and give them some cuddles every other day or so. We do the same for their cats when they travel.

 

[TxRabbit]

We have two cats. Always leave them at home. I think home is best. I leave little spots around the house that I know they like to be in (like the stacks of freshly laundered towels in the basket LOL!) and make little nests for them around the place. We have special food containers that we have always used when leaving them at home. We finally knew someone well enough to have them check on things while we were gone this past Christmas. Otherwise, they have just been on their own. But they had each other. I won't feel as comfortable leaving one all alone without someone checking on them. But then again, we've done this to our cats for years now, they are almost 10 and we started leaving them home alone when they were an older 1.

 

[ZoZo]

I think cats are more comfortable staying in their own homes, rather than being boarded or taken to someone else's house while you're gone. I have friends or relatives come in to check on them daily (give them food, change the water, scoop the litter boxes, pet them!). I pet-sit for several friends, and they're happy to return the favor!

I have friends who hire cat sitters -- I think it depends on the person how much they charge. Maybe about $15/day? Not sure. You could probably get a good recommendation from your vet's office, if you don't know someone who uses a pet sitter.

 

[mickeymouse108]

when we leave our cat home for a vacation I usually just pay a teen age kid to come and feed and water her every other day, But for this trip we will be going to disney this july for two weeks we are hiring a college girl that I know and trust to house sit for us and take care of our cat, dog, rabbit, hampster, and house. We are paying her two hundred dollars for the two and a half weeks. well worth it to know my house and pets will be well taken care of.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

I will be boarding my cat for the first time. I'm not sure how much she will like it but it is my only option. I really don't know anyone who can come in and and look after her. I would be too concerned the entire time to leave her unattended. Who knows what she would find. Hopefully she'll be OK with her blanket and toys.

The vets office charges $18 a day.