Today, my husband and I made last minute vacation plans. We've rented a beach house for 5 days. It is in a quiet and safe community. BUT The inlaws (whom happen to be cat people) are unable to take Jassie and Macy while we're away.
I have 2 choices - take them with us or scramble to find somewhere to board them. I have asked so many people to come in and check in on them, but nobody is available, for one reason or another.
I think they will do well at the house we are staying in, it's the traveling that worries me. I must share the details...
10-12 minute taxi ride to Penn Station (no way are we taking the subway), at Penn we'll board a train for about 2hrs. Then a 5 minute taxi ride to the ferry....yup you read it right a FERRY!! 25 minutes later we'll arrive at the island, which I can ly describe as 'a little piece of heaven on earth!
Oh, one last thing, these kitties are spoiled when it comes to human company! My husband does freelance work from home and I'm a teacher who is on vacation for the next 7 weeks! I can't bear to think about them in a cage for 5 days, especially when I don't have time to find one we like (not willing to settle on that one.
what would you do?

It does sound a bit extreme as far as the route you have to take to get to the beach house. All of the shuffling around might get stress out the cats. Hopefully somewhere there is a reputable cat sitting place where the cats have lots of room to run around and play, etc.

Good luck!!!

Is hiring a pet sitter to stop by once or twice a day an option? The cats get to stay in familiar territory, which is less stressful for them, and probably for you as well.

Oh my - all that travel could highly stress them out if they've never done anything like that before. If this was me, I'd keep working on the pet sitter. Would a vet tech come out to the house? If the choice was between putting them thru the travel and boarding them, I would board them.

thanks everyone.
my sister-in-law is considering it...keep your fingers crossed! She's our only hope...... on such short notice, i can't find a place open to board them! I even tried calling the vet to see about a pet sitter, no luck yet. they said "summer in manhattan....everybody is away!!"
in the meantime....i've been acclimating them to their carriers and any of the items we'd need to bring along for them. I got COMFORT ZONE SPRAY with - feliway. I've never used it before...any suggestions? are you supposed to use as a preventitive or behavior modification?

It does sound a bit extreme as far as the route you have to take to get to the beach house. All of the shuffling around might get stress out the cats. Hopefully somewhere there is a reputable cat sitting place where the cats have lots of room to run around and play, etc.

Good luck!!!


I take it that leaving them at home and getting a neighbor to come in and feed them is out of the question?

I don't think you are allowed to take them on the train. You better check into that first.

I take it that leaving them at home and getting a neighbor to come in and feed them is out of the question?

I'd opt for this, too.

IMO, I don't think it's worth having them going through the stress of travel for such a short period of time.
If for longer than a week, then I'd definitely look for a boarding but for 5 days, maybe better leaving them at home & have somebody stop by once a day to take care of them :)