who takes care of your cats while at WDW?

[mommiepoppins]

I am going away for 2 weeks . What do I do with my 2 cats? . If you have somone feed them and clean the cat box how much do you pay them. I do not think I could find somone to be consistant . I do not know what to do!

 

[Shagley]

We have a couple of those large feeders that we fill with cat food, and another large one for water. That way we don't have to have someone come in every day. My Dad usually stops by every couple of days to make sure their food hasn't run out, to clean their litter box, and to make sure they are doing okay. Luckily for me, my Dad helps out for free, so I am not sure what to tell you about how much to pay. I would recommend getting some of the feeders, so you won't have to have someone come in EVERY day.

Also, maybe check in your phone book for a pet sitting service that will come to your home. They will probably be more reliable than just a neighbor kid.

 

[spiceycat]

first try a pet sitter - they will tell you what they charge some will come out more than once a day (extra charges) to other who will come out every other day (less charge)

friends - they do it for free - but I always find something nice at WDW to bring them....

Family - again free - but again I find them a nice gift or take them out to dinner when I return

neighbors - I had such wonderful neighbors at one time. the lady loves my cats. here husband didn't - but he became a believer.... She wouldn't take any money - and boy she cleaned up the place as well. (I am a horrible housekeeper). So I gave her a couple of things when I returned...

now I almost hired some other neighbors - but my friend decided she would rather do it.

some times I just leave them - but not for 2 weeks. I get those big auto feeders - for food & water. and an automatic litter box.

I have a problem child - he NEEDS human attention - he is not happy unless a person comes to visit him at least every other day....he can do 5 days - but 6 days and he has BIG problems. he starts to tear up the place.

 

[mommiepoppins]

first try a pet sitter - they will tell you what they charge some will come out more than once a day (extra charges) to other who will come out every other day (less charge)

friends - they do it for free - but I always find something nice at WDW to bring them....

Family - again free - but again I find them a nice gift or take them out to dinner when I return

neighbors - I had such wonderful neighbors at one time. the lady loves my cats. here husband didn't - but he became a believer.... She wouldn't take any money - and boy she cleaned up the place as well. (I am a horrible housekeeper). So I gave her a couple of things when I returned...

now I almost hired some other neighbors - but my friend decided she would rather do it.

some times I just leave them - but not for 2 weeks. I get those big auto feeders - for food & water. and an automatic litter box.

I have a problem child - he NEEDS human attention - he is not happy unless a person comes to visit him at least every other day....he can do 5 days - but 6 days and he has BIG problems. he starts to tear up the place.

what is an auutomated litter box?

 

[Lesley]

I'm lucky enough to have a friend in the neighborhood who feeds the cats....they are primarily outdoor cats (long story, they came with the house and I'm allergic....) so litter isn't an issue. We can leave them for up to 3 days without getting help, but we can't really leave any more food outside than that or the raccoons and opossums just come and eat it, dump it and waste it.

If we did have indoor cats I think I'd definitely want an automatic litter box. I think the brand name is Litter Maid?

 

[jbdreamer]

I just catsat for a friend this last week. I went every couple days to check on them. Cats are pretty independant. She'll be catsitting for us when we go to WDW.

 

[jspahn]

I have 3 cats - all very used to human interaction, so I have someone come over everyday to clean the litter boxes, play with them, and put down some wet food (there is always dry food down).

I pay $23 a day, and she spend a minimum of a half hour there. I found this woman by calling my kitties vet and asking if they had any pet sitters they recommended. I LOVE this woman, and so do my cats. She is so reliable, calls to give me reports if I want her to, leaves me notes for when I get home about the cats behavior and eating habits (one of mine hardly eats when I'm gone).

It's so worth it for the peace of mind.

 

[Disney753]

we use the guy next door sister...she is 28 and still lives at home. She moves in the day we leave and moves out the morning of our return. We pay her about 100.00 a week and let her use what ever food she wants. If we are gone more than two weeks we give her 100.00 a week and a hundred for food.
We set up some basic rules and she also cleans her mess and takes care of the plants.

 

[Nancyg56]

My niece took care of them. I had never left them before, someone was always home, so I was worried. I did ask the neighbor as a backup in case of a storm, so they got plenty of attention. I gave my niece $100 for teh week, and my neighbor is free.

 

[keishashadow]

We used to switch off "pet sitting" with friends but, they moved out of the area.

My mom & older kids (who have "outgrown WDW") switch off. Dear Mom won't accept payment, DS are a whole 'nuther matter - even though they don't want to visit the world, I wind up paying. LOL.

 

[jillyjoey]

No cats - but I now have 3 dogs. I now kennel them because it seems that people that would come over to let them out would not really do what they said they would be doing. I know dogs are different than cats but I also feel better knowing I don't have to give out my house key, alarm code, etc. to someone else and have someone go through my house. Creeps me out. Now, this would be different if I had a family member that lived nearby -- in that case most definitely. I found a kennel that will let my 3 dogs share a room and he is giving me 2 discounts because of (1) multiple pets and (2) stay over 8 days. You may want to check into kennels -- last year I was going to pay my friend's son to come let the dogs out -- well it ended up costing me the same to kennel them with my vet and I knew they were getting good care. Peace of mind -- priceless.

 

[spiceycat]

what is an auutomated litter box?

here you go - I got one from Walmart.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3635188

they are nice and kepts the smell down.

but I also have 3 other regular litter boxes - 2 of which are only used as a last resort....by the cats...

 

[maelstrom]

Chloe goes to "camp" at her vet while we are gone. They're so good with the animals (they call them kids). We are able to call and get updates on her. It's really for the best. She's a very curious kitty and we don't want her to get hurt at home when no one will be there.

 

[spiceycat]

on one of my first flying trips to WDW - I took Spicey to the Vet....

well I was gone 5 days and he didn't eat the entire time.

I brought them his cans and told them he refused to eat dry food.... well they (without my permission) decided to force him to eat dry food.

Spicey isn't called Spicey for nothing - he would rather starve than eat dry food....

anyway after agreeding with me that he won't eat dry food (which should have warned me ) - he meoxed the entire time going home and he ate liked he had been starved (which he was)....

I then weighted him (after he ate) - he lost around 3lbs - he weight 9 lbs when I left him....

so no more vet stays for him or his brother....

I don't like any Kennel vet or not - that thinks they know your animal better than you do....

you know they never gave me the cans that I left with them...

 

[slbeaute]

We have left ours for a week before with the big feeders for water and food. I get a little nervous, so I set out a couple of large bowls of food plus more large bowls of water, left the sinks with some water just in case, and the toilet lids up just in case! They still had plenty of food and water when we got back... which just proved to DH that I was being a little too crazy! Ours are inside cats and would not do well being boarded or with a stranger coming over. They really are safer and better off on their own with plenty of food and water. We changed the litter the morning we left and got an extra box for while we were gone.

 

[TerBear4]

We have a young college girl, who is home for the summer, but still lives with her parents actually come and "House Sit". This way she is able to take care of the two cats and the two dogs. We pay her $25 a day, but she is doing more than just watching the cats, so you could get by with less. This girl lives at our house while we are gone, but she is gone during the day working.

It gives us peace of mind to know someone is sleeping in our house AND watching our pets

*An alternative might also be having a younger child, neighbor, come and check on the cats every couple of days for alot less money. At the age of 10 my son went to our neighbors house a few times a day to play with their cats, feed them and change the litter. I think they paid him $5 a day and he was thrilled!!!

 

[punch57]

Our cat (Smokey) was given to us by Sister so when we go on vacation he goes on vacation, too her house !!!

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

Hi! I would recommend looking in your phone book for a pet sitting service. We have three cats, so I know asking a neighbor to do the litter box thing isn't really fair, especially for a long time (unless it's a very friendly neighbor). I first looked into a true pet sitter for our last trip to Disney. Since then, I have started working for the company we use .

Anyway, my company charges around $18 per visit. You could get away with having someone come every other day with cats. Going with a good company, you know the cats will also get some good attention.

 

[sami66]

We've left our cats (now cat) a few times to visit WDW. We've been very lucky to have a family member come to cat sit for the durarion of our trip. It broke our hearts to leave them, but we knew they would get the best care. Their generosity was greatly rewarded with many gifts from WDW, and money left for food/groceries. We missed our cats terribly. but always came back with yummy cat treats, Mickey tags/jewelry for them.
There are always reliable teens/students that would love the opportunity to earn extra spending money. I would look into hiring one for the next time we go on vacation. I wouldn't board my cat.....I just can't do it. I wouldn't enjoy my vacation knowing he was in a cage for 1 or 2 weeks.

 

[luvmesometigger]

Luckily I have a neighbor who will come in and check on them while we are gone. I have a self feeder filled with food and then I set up 2 extra litter boxes in addition to the 3 they already have. I also have water bowls on every floor and we usually leave the faucet on a real slow drip in the tub. We will also leave the AC running for them..but set at around 74 or so. Yes they are spoiled!!

We will bring some WDW stuff back as a thank you for my neighbor.