Boarding or a Daily Visit from a Cat Sitter - which is better for Boo?

Boo is a cat that likes to be near his humans. Not necessarily interacting, just nearby, monitoring every move.

I have to be away for a week soon, and am not sure whether to leave him with a trusted sitter who comes once a day, or board him out. I've never boarded him, but am considering it for the first time because this would be the first time he is all alone. His sister, Shunra, crossed the Bridge last week. They were not exactly friends, more like tolerant acquaintances, but it did mean that when we were away, they had each other for company.

The benefits of staying home are that he would have the run of the house, including windows in three different directions. He spends most of the day basking in the picture window facing the street, because it gets sun almost all day long.

The drawbacks are that he would be all alone most of the day. The cat sitter is only here for about 1/2 hour a day. 

The benefits of boarding are that he would have other living beings nearby, whether it be the human carers or the other cats.

The drawbacks are the expense (about 3 times as much as the cat sitter), and also he would be confined to a cage. There is a nice facility nearby and their cages are multilevel and seem comfortable - but it's not the same thing as having windows looking out in three directions.

I would love to hear opinions from more experienced cat carers than me. 

That's a tough call.  We had a solo kitty for almost 18 years and left her alone when we traveled--but a week after the death of a companion cat might be tough.  Is there any way the sitter can come more often or stay a bit longer each time?

You hit the nail on the head. They were more like frenemies than besties, but at least when we were away they had each other to pester.Boo doesn't seem like he's pining but I'm not sure how he would do all alone. Our cat sitter has much more experience than me with animals, but this is a side gig for her and she comes over before going to her regular job. Luckily I have a little while before I have to decide. I'll keep watching how he adjusts. So far, he clung to me like Velcro for about two days but has been normal and chipper ever since. Now if only I could stop choking up all the time (I miss my precious girl [emoji]128549[/emoji]).Thanks for the good advice.

I'm so sorry about your other kitty.

It's a tough call, sitter vs boarding. Both of those have their benefits and drawbacks.

Cats are sensitive to changes in environment, so having a sitter come in is a big positive for this. That said, as you note the sitter interaction is only for a short time each day.

The small size of a condo at a boarding facility is not necessarily a drawback. If it has multiple levels and maybe a view outside that's pretty good. A cat in a new environment will feel more comfortable in a small space anyway. But still, taking a cat away from home might present more issues, such as eating problems. And the smells of the strange cats and possibly sight of them may be discomforting as well. More direct attention from humans might be possible, which would be good, but it isn't a given.

It's very hard to know which will be less stressful, even when you know the cat well. My conclusion has generally been that the routine is upset less by having them stay at home with a sitter looking in. And routine is pretty key to cats. We have the sitter come twice a day with our current pair, though, and then there's the whole fact that they are together. We considered boarding for a moment before the last trip, but these guys spent so much time in a shelter cage, usually a larger one but still not that big a space. 7 months was their last stay in there before we adopted them, and that was their third time in the shelter at less than 5 years old! It's been a year at home now, but we didn't want them to think they were being taken back. I don't know if the cats' minds would process the boarding in that way (associate with shelter) or not, but for the moment we have decided not to board.

I'm surprised that boarding costs 3x as much. My sitter may be on the high side for the area, but for twice a day I am already over the cost per day of boarding even for two of them last I checked. (Thus the thoughts of boarding because it would be less than 2 visits a day from sitter.). So boarding costs less than 2x as much for me compared to one sitter visit. For you, I'd probably say that if you're okay with spending a little extra, see if your sitter will come twice a day spaced 10-12 hours apart, and/or stay longer each visit for extra charge.