Christmas is going to stink this year(boarding my babies)!

We are going to see my bro & SIL at my SILs family's house. They are in La Porte, Indiana. We are going to drive 9 or more hours to spent a day & a half(or two days max) there. We have to board 2 dogs & 2 cats because my neighbor is going to AZ(she is the greatest pet sitter ever!). I don't want to go. The main reason I don't want to go is: IT IS LILY'S 1ST CHRISTMAS! I don't want to miss this! It is a one time thing! My bro only has 2 days off work, so we cna't go any other time. We have never boarded pets before, & I am soooo very worried.

Twitch & Lily get a cage together. Each dog gets their own seperate kennel/run. They plan on having the dogs next to each other, but that might not happen. One dog is a rescue dog & I am afraid she will think we are abandoning her. The other dog loves everyone(except big, hefty guys). I had to get ID tags for the kitties because they must have them to be boarded. I ordered two from Safe-T-pet this morning. Purple stars. The dogs already have ID tags. I plan on visiting this vet clinic where they will be on Tue, but plans can change. I am going to visit them for sure. This place was recommended by some w/ a St. Bernard. I haven't heard anything about how they are with cats, but our vet said they were good in general.

Is there anything I should bring for the kitties? I am taking food & toys, but I don't know what else to bring. I am thinking about taking a blanket off my bed for them. The dogs get new toys, bedding that smells like home, & their normal food. Have you ever boarded before? How did it go? This is really resonably priced. $6 a day per cat & $9 a day per dog(less than 80#). my big dog might cost $10 a day because she is over the weight cut off by 5#s.

This is kinda wrecking Christmas for me. I am going to be worried about my babies the whole time instead of having fun.

When my sister got married in Colorado, we boarded our dog for a week. She is an akita, and while we had someone stop by to care for our horses and barn cats, I knew she would be a problem.

She usually doesn't eat if we aren't home. So if we are gone for a longer day than usual, the first thing she does after greeting us, is go to eat! I was afraid she wouldn't eat at the boarders and even took a package of hotdogs along and told them if she wouldn't eat to give her hotdogs!

And they allowed boarded animals to play together in the yard, and she is dog aggressive, so I said she was not allowed to play with friends. They even kept the run next to hers empty so she wouldn't be aggressive towards another dog.

I did worry about how she would do, being abandoned by us. She LOVED it. The people adored her, said she behaved beautifully and never even barked at another dog going past her run. She ate when she was fed, and came home very happy. This was a boarder at a home, so they got extra personal attention, and I was able to talk to her caretaker. But she truly enjoyed it. If we go away again I would not hesitate to take her back. Since I am in rescue, I could probably palm my house kitties off on a foster home, but if everyone was full I would take my kitties to the same place.

I am divorced, and have to miss some holidays with the kids from my first marriage. We celebrate Christmas and other special days as soon as we see each other after the holiday. That will work fine with Lily and the other pets, too. Have fun with your family, and bring lots of pics of your furbabies so everyone will know you are the crazy catlady of the family.

Taking a blanket from home is a very good idea... they will feel a bit more at easy. It is never easy for the cats, but it will be worse on you then on them... It sounds like you have everything. Yes they will miss you, yes you will miss them. and yes they will be happy to see you when you get home.

My big dog has some Coonhound in her. Just about the only part of the Coonhound she got is the bray! It drives me nuts! She barks all of the time. She is agressive when she plays. lol I call her my big bad dog. I just hopes she behaves herself. Not that it is real likely, but there's always the chance that it can happen. I am taking in a sheet of paper listing all of the special needs & issues of each pet. lol I really am a crazy cat lady!

Can you get an in home pet sitter? It's more expensive, but worth it for the comfort of your animals.

Last Christmas we went to Exmouth for two weeks and luckily had someone we could trust to stop by each day to feed tham and make sure they were okay, this Christmas everyone i trust is going away somewhere and we are taking a caravan down to Bunbury for nearly two weeks which will be parked in a caravan park.

it's way too much to board two cats and a dog so we decided we'd just take them all with us, the caravan isn't huge but the cats will have some room to play and nassa can stay at family sometimes if she needs to, we are getting some tags with my mums phone number on them for the cats just incase one does get out, it won't happen but i'd rather be safe than sorry.

i feel better knowing they will be with us but boarding houses are fantastic, i wouldn't worry too much, they will probably be having a great time while you are worrying about them

goodluck



felicia

We're going away for 10 days over the holidays and I have to board my babies too We've used this place before, so I'm not overly worried, but I'm an anxious mom in general so it bothers me. This will be the longest they've been boarded.

We're not boarding them together because they still do not get along all the time. I wish I could put them together but I don't want to risk it... Tigger gets annoyed easily (and Callie's still a baby who wants to play all the time). Just the other day I found that Callie has a tiny rip in her ear... apparently Tigger thought it would look nice pierced. They will get 15 minutes of playtime together each day, and the rest of the time will be spent separately (They'll both be occupied watching the squirrels and birds out the window of their enclosures).

I know I will not be able to stop thinking about them when I'm away for the holidays!!

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

Can you get an in home pet sitter? It's more expensive, but worth it for the comfort of your animals.

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I really wanted to get a pet sitter, but there aren't any here. I called all of my mom's friends, dad's friends, my sis' boyfriend, relatives, & neighbors. One guy offered to come care for everyone for us. I wouldn't trust him with my kitties, though. He kicks cats.

It may be rough for them to be boarded, but I don't really have any other options. Tomorrow, I have to get water, get softener salt, volunteeer at the HS, & go visit the River Valley Vet. Clinic where they will be boarded. If I don't like it, I can still change my mind. There are some other bigger places that will cost more, but still have room for them. They are further away, too. I really like this place because instead of being 20 minutes away it is 12 mintues away. When we get home, I am going to leave again right away to go get my kids.