Hello again! For any of you who have read my post in the behavior forum...you will know that my kitty Pickles is like my child. She's my first cat, i got her from the humane society...and is "one" of the best things that happened to me. My question is: Does anyone recommend finding a pet sitter off the internet? Or just sticking with a neighbor or relative? I feel bad taking her to a kennel and having her locked up if thats what they do. You know, with summer being here, family trips and activities are being planned and i feel soooo terrible being gone every single weekend. Does anyone have any advice for me and Pickles? Thank you again for your time. Everyone here is so very nice!
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Kitty-Sitter??
- Thread starter pickles81
- Start Date
we normally have friends come in a feed the cats twice a day it is good for the cats because they don't have to leave their house so they don't have that added stress.
I agree, if I have family or friends available, I'll use them first and whenever possible, have them come see him (unless its his usual kitty sitter at school and he's used to her house and cats).... I'm coming up on a family vacation in august and I'm at my parents', not at school, and there's no one here to watch him - it looks like Ollie will be coming along! (It's a long vacation, not just a weekend... I'm consulting my vet on the situation next week as well) He's much much happier when his mama's around, pretty much no matter where he is... when I went away a few times last summer, Ollie stayed at my apartment and my then BF (
that's a whole nother story not worth wasting breath on, haha) who Oliver knew very well would come over and watch/visit him, but he just wasnt himself without his mama, even in his own house....
Soooo, long story short (haha, I type that alot, dont I?!) I'd say, in situations where your kitty cannot be with you, it'd be much less stressful for him to stay in his own environment and have someone come visit him, preferably a friend or family member, as opposed to boarding him (boarding will be mucho expensive too if you're headed out a lot)
Soooo, long story short (haha, I type that alot, dont I?!) I'd say, in situations where your kitty cannot be with you, it'd be much less stressful for him to stay in his own environment and have someone come visit him, preferably a friend or family member, as opposed to boarding him (boarding will be mucho expensive too if you're headed out a lot)
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I would recommend a friend first, someone your cat knows would be my first choice. If that's not possible you could ask your vet to recommend a pet sitter and have them come out a few times before your vacation to meet your cat and get acquainted.
Our neighbor is leaving to go to Hawaii in a few months and since we live next door and her kids play with my daughter she asked me if I thought it would be ok to pay my 13 year old daughter to go over a few times a day and feed her cats, scoop the litter boxes and hang out and love on them for awhile. I told her I thought it was a great idea since one of her cats is very skittish around new people and she loves my daughter. Her other cat loves everyone and would be fine if anybody walked in to feed, water, pet and love on him. I too will go over with her to help in the loving on them part and make sure the water bowls are filled to the top since one her cats is a Persian and it makes it easier for him to drink.
Since we have gotten our cats we have not taken a vacation yet. When we do, I will either have a neighbor come over and take care of them or board them in one of the top cat kennels in my area. Most reputable boarding kennels will allow you to show up at any time for a tour of the facility. They should have nothing to hide. Your cats will have to be up to date on shots and it is best to bring a few items from home like one of your t-shirts, a cat bed, blanets and some toys.
You can ask your vet about a good cat boarding kennel. As a matter of fact, I'd not only ask your vet but I'd call 3-5 vets in your area and ask them which boarding kennels they refer to see which one has the most votes from vets.
Some of the strictly cat kennels would amaze you. Some have pretty good sized rooms with beds, TV, tons of toys, huge windows so the cats can view birds outside and a person who actually goes in not only to feed, water and scoop but they have play time too. Some even have web cams set up in rooms so you can view your kitty at any given time via computer from Hawaii or where ever you are. They should also let you know that if you want to call everyday youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re more than welcome to check on your cats. They are more expensive but well worth it if you ask me.
You have some time before your vacation so you might want to go and check out all the kennels in your area and surrounding area. You might be shocked at what you find.
Good luck and have a great vacation!
Susie
Our neighbor is leaving to go to Hawaii in a few months and since we live next door and her kids play with my daughter she asked me if I thought it would be ok to pay my 13 year old daughter to go over a few times a day and feed her cats, scoop the litter boxes and hang out and love on them for awhile. I told her I thought it was a great idea since one of her cats is very skittish around new people and she loves my daughter. Her other cat loves everyone and would be fine if anybody walked in to feed, water, pet and love on him. I too will go over with her to help in the loving on them part and make sure the water bowls are filled to the top since one her cats is a Persian and it makes it easier for him to drink.
Since we have gotten our cats we have not taken a vacation yet. When we do, I will either have a neighbor come over and take care of them or board them in one of the top cat kennels in my area. Most reputable boarding kennels will allow you to show up at any time for a tour of the facility. They should have nothing to hide. Your cats will have to be up to date on shots and it is best to bring a few items from home like one of your t-shirts, a cat bed, blanets and some toys.
You can ask your vet about a good cat boarding kennel. As a matter of fact, I'd not only ask your vet but I'd call 3-5 vets in your area and ask them which boarding kennels they refer to see which one has the most votes from vets.
Some of the strictly cat kennels would amaze you. Some have pretty good sized rooms with beds, TV, tons of toys, huge windows so the cats can view birds outside and a person who actually goes in not only to feed, water and scoop but they have play time too. Some even have web cams set up in rooms so you can view your kitty at any given time via computer from Hawaii or where ever you are. They should also let you know that if you want to call everyday youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re more than welcome to check on your cats. They are more expensive but well worth it if you ask me.
You have some time before your vacation so you might want to go and check out all the kennels in your area and surrounding area. You might be shocked at what you find.
Good luck and have a great vacation!
Susie
Ask your vet or groomer for a personal recomendation.
If you do use someone off the net I would def. ask for a few references. Cats can be low maintence but I used a personal friend and she didn't "notice" that she didn't see my one cat the whole time we were gone. She had a massive Feline herpes outbreak and wasn't eating or drinking and we had to rush her to the animal emergency room the night we got home from vacation. SOmetimes a pro is a good choice.
If you do use someone off the net I would def. ask for a few references. Cats can be low maintence but I used a personal friend and she didn't "notice" that she didn't see my one cat the whole time we were gone. She had a massive Feline herpes outbreak and wasn't eating or drinking and we had to rush her to the animal emergency room the night we got home from vacation. SOmetimes a pro is a good choice.
If you can't find a friend or neighbor experienced in cat care, I would definitely ask at your vets. Sometimes, the vet techs will sit to pick up extra cash. This is what I usually do because Polly needs to take a pill every night, and only one of my friends (in vet school) knows how to pill a cat.
