Is this weird? or am I being paranoid.

Maybe this would be better off in care and grooming, so sorry if it has to be moved!

I'm looking for a place to board my kitties when I go on vacation, but it seems like I have to pay a TON of money for "kitty spa treatments" or 10 bucks a day for them to be locked in a cage. I opted to email the lady who fostered Henri to ask if she knew of anywhere I could board them that wasn't horribly expensive but didn't mean 24 hours confinement either.
She said she would take them for a few days, which is better than awesome. Henri will be comfortable and I bet Sam will feel okay knowing that she's okay. However, she said one thing that I thought was odd: "Just let me know when you are
leaving. We can arrange to meet somewhere in between our 2 houses..."

Why wouldn't she want me to know where she lives if I am trusting her to keep my animals? I know she's got several of her own and kids and stuff, but I just thought it was strange.

any thoughts?

I would talk with the vets in the area... many have big cages( like a kitten cage and have rooms for kitty to stretch out in...

I have friends & a sis who are the same way, yet are totally trustworthy. For some reason, they are very fearful. I don't understand it, but I do accept it although it can be rather annoying to have to put up with - esp. if I'm on an out-of-town trip with one of them. Perhaps you could ask for a reference, perhaps with the agency that placed Henri with her, or her vet, just to be reassured. She's more than likely thinking, "Why would I divulge my children's home location to someone just for some cats?" (which I totally disagree with, but, like I said, is an attitude that I, too, have to put up with). Please keep us updated on what you find out!

Have you considered an in-home catsitter? Since Ivo's Uncle Brian (her usual caretaker) no longer lives near, I've had to get someone to come to the house (boarding is out of the question since Ivo had to spend a week at the vets with FLUTD-it took her a while to recover). I asked my vet for a recommendation and they gave me two names. The lady I chose is bonded, came with references and the whole nine yards. Plus, she's more of a crazy cat lady than most of us here

Just a thought.... do you trust this person enough to give them access to your house while you are away? This way she could come over every day to take care of the cats and spend some time with them while allowing them to stay in their own home. It might be a bit stressful for them to stay somewhere new with children and such... If they do go to stay at her house I would recommend buying a Feliway plug in for her to use.

I have never been in the situation you are describing. It seems a little strange I don't really know what to think without knowing her.

I just did a yahoo yellow pages search for pet sitters in Minneapolis (since that's where your 'location' says you are)... there's at least one.

Cat Sitters In Your Home
Cat Watchers

Also found:
Happy At Home Petsitting
&
Happy Tails Pet Sitting, though I don't know if these two work with cats...

and I'm sure there's more. You can call them and ask if they service your part of town... here in Chicago, the ones on the Northside won't come down to my area... idiots... it's not THAT far...

This way, they'd come to you... your cats would be at home in their comfort zone... ask what services they offer and if they're licensed and certified... they should clean litterboxes and feed... if the cats are friendly enough, they'll spend some time petting the furkids as well... these folks may also offer plant watering and mail pickup... mine does.

Hope that helps!

Amanda

Originally Posted by okeefecl

Have you considered an in-home catsitter? Since Ivo's Uncle Brian (her usual caretaker) no longer lives near, I've had to get someone to come to the house (boarding is out of the question since Ivo had to spend a week at the vets with FLUTD-it took her a while to recover). I asked my vet for a recommendation and they gave me two names. The lady I chose is bonded, came with references and the whole nine yards. Plus, she's more of a crazy cat lady than most of us here

Click to expand...

I have, but I know I would go crazy worrying about them being alone all day to the point where I wouldn't enjoy my trip. ( I assume they would just come to play with and feed the cats )
Henri's got a tendency to get into things and knock things over. I'm afraid she'd hurt herself.

I called my mom and asked her this same question, and she made me realize that the meet-up might be for convienience. This woman lives about half an hour from me. Soooo maybe it IS just me being paranoid

If my kitties were going to someone's house I would want to see the house and set up ahead of time. Personally I have a vet tech from my vet's that comes when I'm away twice a day.

I'd want to see where they were going to be, too.

That said, when we're away usually my stepson comes in to tend their needs. The last time, though, he wasn't able to and we had a cat sitter, who was great. She came with references, licence, animal first aid training, was bonded and insured, and was also willing to do things like take in mail, water plants, turn lights on and off, so that the house wouldn't look too empty. Well worth the $18 per visit we paid.

I wouldn't know what to think. I'm sure she's reputable and just a little suspicious of giving her address, but I would want to see the place where my baby was staying so I could feel comfortable knowing he was safe and in a good environment. Thankfully, my close friend (who has a healthy and well-cared for dog and cat that Conner gets along well with) will keep Conner if I need her to for any reason. I keep hers as well. We just think of petsitting as extended pet play dates!

I catsat for a neighbor and only charged 5$ a day, including cleaning up after her incontinent bowels and bladder. I came twice a day, fed, watered, cleaned the box, played with her as much as she wanted (she was sick) and watered the plants.
Maybe there's a high schooler in the area if you ask around (I mean, ask neighbors with kids and pets- usually their babysitter is good with both!), if you decide you don't trust her, or in the future.

It might be a convience issue. I once had a friend who hated giving directions and didnt drive a car, so they felt odd asking me to come all the way out to thier house (it was a good hour or so). I would say it depends on the person.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

I catsat for a neighbor and only charged 5$ a day, including cleaning up after her incontinent bowels and bladder. I came twice a day, fed, watered, cleaned the box, played with her as much as she wanted (she was sick) and watered the plants.
Maybe there's a high schooler in the area if you ask around (I mean, ask neighbors with kids and pets- usually their babysitter is good with both!), if you decide you don't trust her, or in the future.

Click to expand...

I would looove to do this, honestly, but my neighborhood is less than safe. I was robbed a few months ago and I am really reluctant to let anyone I don't know very well into my house. Not to mention I wouldn't want to put someone at risk.. just walking into my area is pretty scary sometimes.

Maybe she is just a poor housekeeper, and doesn't want you to see a messy house. Just tell her you would feel more comfortable if you could settle Henri into her home, and it is no bother to drive all the way. Let her know you aren't inspecting for housekeeping, just wanting peace of mind.

Will she give Henri time to get reacquainted with her cats?!?

I would definitely call her again...we have several foster Moms who pet sit or do home visits for kitties who have people going on vacation.

she would definitely give them time to get adjusted. The one cat she has is very shy around people and spends most of her time in the basement, but she LOVED Henri when she lived there.

I think I will give her a call...she does foster through a pretty big rescue here so I really shouldn't be worried.. and all of the kitties are up to date on shots.

Thanks for all the advice!