- Joined
- May 8, 2005
- Messages
- 9,234
- Purraise
- 254
Maybe because we know cattery owners, how they love and care for the cats. And we don't think of our cats as human babies, knowing they are quite adaptable with being cared for by a professional.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
How do you guys handle vacationing when you have a pet?
- Thread starter terestrife
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #22
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2012
- Messages
- 2,419
- Purraise
- 2,594
i see. you just seemed so insistent on the idea of a cattery and pushing the idea by telling me im being overprotective and treating her as a "baby". it made me a little uncomfortable. to be honest i didnt even know about catterys or pet day care centers until recently. since i myself didnt have a cat, i never really read up on it. my family has only had dogs, and they are easier to deal with in some ways.
people have different opinions, i just dont feel comfortable leaving my pet to people i dont even know while i jet off on vacation. Anyway, i appreciate you taking the time to give me your input, so lets leave it at that.
I can only relax on holiday and enjoy myself when my cats are at a good cattery. The word good is vital - some are horrific. In the UK we had the FAB scheme which unfortunately is being run down, but they have a huge long list of requirements which make sure the physical fabric of the cattery is suitable, safe and cleaned properly between cats. The good catteries also have insurance so that if a cat is ill it's covered at the vets. Last time I boarded my cats, my kitten (5 months) ended up at the vets as she stopped eating. It turned out to be teething pain, but the insurance paid all the costs for her.
And, one has to like the cattery owners. The one I use near where I live is run by a lovely man who genuinely loves my cats and got to know them very well, and the other one is run by a friend who doesn't charge if I am staying with her, and gives me a small discount if I'm not. I would trust both these people absolutely with my cats, and I know if there are any problems they will get in contact with me if at all possible.
Normally part of choosing a cattery is to visit before you use it and see if you like it and the owners. I didn't do that for the local one - I was moving several hundred miles so it wasn't possible. I found the nearest one in the FAB scheme to my new house and booked them in for a couple of weeks from the weekend before I moved to the weekend after, so they wouldn't be around (or out hiding) while the removal men packed my belongings. it all worked out really, really well.
The other cattery I used back in 1999 was run by the woman I had brought two of my cats from. I went to Nepal for 4 weeks, they were there for almost 5 weeks by the time I'd got back and slept enough to be safe to drive - it was a couple of hours each way. She gave me a good rate for a longer than usual stay and because two of the cats i was boarding had been bred by her.
But I do know of someone who had a horror story when she used a cattery that had kennels as well, and the dogs barking stressed her cats badly and set off a lot of stress-related health problems. Obviously not FAB as they didn't approve cattery/kennel combos.
And, one has to like the cattery owners. The one I use near where I live is run by a lovely man who genuinely loves my cats and got to know them very well, and the other one is run by a friend who doesn't charge if I am staying with her, and gives me a small discount if I'm not. I would trust both these people absolutely with my cats, and I know if there are any problems they will get in contact with me if at all possible.
Normally part of choosing a cattery is to visit before you use it and see if you like it and the owners. I didn't do that for the local one - I was moving several hundred miles so it wasn't possible. I found the nearest one in the FAB scheme to my new house and booked them in for a couple of weeks from the weekend before I moved to the weekend after, so they wouldn't be around (or out hiding) while the removal men packed my belongings. it all worked out really, really well.
The other cattery I used back in 1999 was run by the woman I had brought two of my cats from. I went to Nepal for 4 weeks, they were there for almost 5 weeks by the time I'd got back and slept enough to be safe to drive - it was a couple of hours each way. She gave me a good rate for a longer than usual stay and because two of the cats i was boarding had been bred by her.
But I do know of someone who had a horror story when she used a cattery that had kennels as well, and the dogs barking stressed her cats badly and set off a lot of stress-related health problems. Obviously not FAB as they didn't approve cattery/kennel combos.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #24
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2012
- Messages
- 2,419
- Purraise
- 2,594
its good that you were able to find places with people you got close to, it must make it easier to trust them with your cats. i live in the US, id have to look around to see if things are different here.
What I am passionate about isn't cats going to a cattery, but owners being able to have holidays away from their cats knowing they are being well looked after. My cats are very, very precious to me but I have a life outside of them.
If you have someone you can trust who lives in the house that is great, or if you can find a trustworthy pet sitter that's great. but we are not all so lucky. My neighbours are all old & doddery and would probably accidently let the cats out of the front of the house, though if I looked a bit harder there may well be a pet sitter in the village I could use.
I was in a fortunate position as for many years I was running a self-catering holiday home and my cats went on holiday with me (I went in the off-season) and loved it as the property is in a beautiful rural area with lots of interest for them. They were allowed to go out (I had cat flaps put in) and did lots of hunting and always came home in fantastic condition. The property is well away from the road (which is single-track with passing places), and there are very few if any animals in the UK that pose a danger to healthy adult cats. However I have long-term tenants now, plus my interests have changed, so when I go away now they go to either the local cattery or my friend's cattery depending on if I am going past where she lives or not. I used to live in England and holiday in Scotland, now I live in Scotland and holiday in England!
To choose catteries, peopleoutside the UK could see if there's a similar scheme in their country to the one the FAB ran, and could also use the FAB website:
http://www.fabcats.org/catteries/in...arding_cattery/choosing_boarding_cattery.html
It has lots of information on various aspects what to look for, and photos of what different types of good catteries look like. But however great the cattery itself looks, it really matters that you like the owners. One thing - a really good cattery is booked up well in advance for busy times of the year.
Most good catterys here in the UK are quite happy to board cats on long-term medication, either pills or injections - the same might not be true of pet sitters etc.
BTW my friend with the cattery was inspected by her Local Authority a week back, and the chap who clearly loved cats spent 1 1/2 hours over it!
If you have someone you can trust who lives in the house that is great, or if you can find a trustworthy pet sitter that's great. but we are not all so lucky. My neighbours are all old & doddery and would probably accidently let the cats out of the front of the house, though if I looked a bit harder there may well be a pet sitter in the village I could use.
I was in a fortunate position as for many years I was running a self-catering holiday home and my cats went on holiday with me (I went in the off-season) and loved it as the property is in a beautiful rural area with lots of interest for them. They were allowed to go out (I had cat flaps put in) and did lots of hunting and always came home in fantastic condition. The property is well away from the road (which is single-track with passing places), and there are very few if any animals in the UK that pose a danger to healthy adult cats. However I have long-term tenants now, plus my interests have changed, so when I go away now they go to either the local cattery or my friend's cattery depending on if I am going past where she lives or not. I used to live in England and holiday in Scotland, now I live in Scotland and holiday in England!
To choose catteries, peopleoutside the UK could see if there's a similar scheme in their country to the one the FAB ran, and could also use the FAB website:
http://www.fabcats.org/catteries/in...arding_cattery/choosing_boarding_cattery.html
It has lots of information on various aspects what to look for, and photos of what different types of good catteries look like. But however great the cattery itself looks, it really matters that you like the owners. One thing - a really good cattery is booked up well in advance for busy times of the year.
Most good catterys here in the UK are quite happy to board cats on long-term medication, either pills or injections - the same might not be true of pet sitters etc.
BTW my friend with the cattery was inspected by her Local Authority a week back, and the chap who clearly loved cats spent 1 1/2 hours over it!
Last edited:
We have a friend come in once a day when we are away. There are pet sitters in the area as well, my niece is one.
If I didn't have any resources, I would start by asking my vet for ideas. I know they board at my vet, but I believe it is in cages, so I don't think I would do that except in an emergency. There aren't any licensed boarding facilities in this area to the best of my knowledge. There are kennels for dogs, but not much for cats. I know some vet techs in the area do pet sit on the side and that would be something I would consider if the need arose.
If I didn't have any resources, I would start by asking my vet for ideas. I know they board at my vet, but I believe it is in cages, so I don't think I would do that except in an emergency. There aren't any licensed boarding facilities in this area to the best of my knowledge. There are kennels for dogs, but not much for cats. I know some vet techs in the area do pet sit on the side and that would be something I would consider if the need arose.
My cat hides whenever a stranger comes over the house, and is very timid around anything new (unfamiliar noises etc) as he used to be a feral. he's perfectly comfortable around my husband and I, but he's afraid of everyone else. That's the only reason I would not consider a (good) cattery as I think he'd be better off in familiar surroundings with someone popping by to change his food and water etc (and if he gets used to them, to play with him).
That being said, last time we went away for a few days over the summer, the person who was taking care of him said he stopped eating and hid in a drawer while we were gone. The first day he said the cat hid while hewwas there but the food was gone when he came back to check on him. The second time he was there he hadn't touched the food at all and he found him hiding in a drawer looking "depressed" (or so he says).
When we came back our cat gave this really weak cry and then started 'screaming' at us and we had to pick him up for some hugs and attention while he purred away. Then he went and gobbled up a ton of food. I guess we were forgiven then. lol.
And we were gone for two and a half days only.
I am hoping if we are ever gone longer he gets used to it and adapts.
I am assuming he would (or he's going to have to learn!) I'm self employed so I rarely get to go on vacation, but I'd like to go on a vacation at some point!
That being said, last time we went away for a few days over the summer, the person who was taking care of him said he stopped eating and hid in a drawer while we were gone. The first day he said the cat hid while hewwas there but the food was gone when he came back to check on him. The second time he was there he hadn't touched the food at all and he found him hiding in a drawer looking "depressed" (or so he says).
When we came back our cat gave this really weak cry and then started 'screaming' at us and we had to pick him up for some hugs and attention while he purred away. Then he went and gobbled up a ton of food. I guess we were forgiven then. lol.
And we were gone for two and a half days only.
I am hoping if we are ever gone longer he gets used to it and adapts.
I am assuming he would (or he's going to have to learn!) I'm self employed so I rarely get to go on vacation, but I'd like to go on a vacation at some point!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2012
- Messages
- 760
- Purraise
- 30
I mentioned before that there are so many individual factors to consider, case by case. This was one factor for us that made us decide on boarding. My Emily would hide and there would be no way for the pet sitter to know if she had eaten or if she was healthy. (There are other cats in the house so food disappearing would not necessarily mean that Emily ate.) At least with boarding, they see her every day and know she is healthy and eating. We have considered having her in her own room at our house if we go with a pet sitter next time. At least then they would know if her food disappears she has eaten.
Me too....or at least I'd like to take one with my husband instead of leaving him behind as the pet sitter. Our goal is to work something out so we can take a short family vacation. Then if it goes well we will take longer ones.
Last edited:
