In or outside boarding

[Marty's Mom]

Hi. I usually have a friend look after Marty when we travel to the US to visit my daughter. This year unfortunately due to health reasons she will be unable to care for him. I don’t know whether to take him to a sitter in their house (who will just have cats) or have them come to my house - twice a day. He has never been around other animals. It will be for a duration of two weeks. I have both pros and cons for both scenarios but I am torn. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you

 

[nurseangel]

If you have someone reliable who will come to your home, IMHO that would be the best option. DH is currently at my SIL's house, feeding her cats. Her son was supposed to take care of them while she was away, but there was a disagreement, so DH is filling in. I think her cats would probably be afraid if they were brought to our house, where there are strange cats. If Marty was to meet up with the other cats, it would be like introducing a new cat or kitten into the family. Not usually an easy task. If the other cats are kept in a completely separate area, it might be fine. We keep our cats at a boarding kennel associated with our vet after they have surgery or anything of the sort. They either are kept in a cage (that sounds harsh, they do let them out in the big room to play and we visit) or they get lucky and have the luxury room with a view, that is the equivalent of a fancy hotel room.

I am sorry that my advice is a bit muddled, but I just voted for the option that seems least scary to Marty.

 

[FeebysOwner]

For the most part, it usually works better for a cat to stay in their own home and have a sitter come to the house. This works even better if the sitter can come over ahead of time for a few visits so your cat becomes familiar with them before you leave. Then, it isn't as big of a shock to the cat when you are gone, and sitter comes over. Ideally, at least twice a day, with time built in so the sitter can be there more than just to take care of 'business'.

Also, when you leave, make sure you have some worn, unwashed clothing that you can leave in areas where Marty likes to hang out, so he has your scent present even though you are absent. If he is used to hearing the TV or music, set up some timers on your equipment so that he doesn't have to go without while you are gone. Timed lighting is also beneficial to mimic things that would normally go on when you are there - not to mention as help toward home security.

 

[iPappy]

When you say Marty will be in a sitters house with other cats, is this a boarding set up where he will have his own space (with his own food, personal litter box, etc.) or are all the cats free to mingle with one another? If they are in a community area, that would be a hard pass for me and I'd have a sitter come to the house to check up on him a few times a day.
If it's more of a situation where he would be boarding in his own space, you could always leave their name and contact information for the sitter that comes to your house, in case THEY would have an emergency so Marty would have a safe place to go.
Whoever you leave Marty with, make sure they have your contact information (cell # to call or text, as well as email etc.) and the number of someone local, if possible, who could help in case of an unforeseen emergency. It is never a bad idea to let your vet know that you will be out of the country for two weeks, so you can OK any emergency treatment. In some situations vets can't legally treat a cat or dog without the owners permission.
I hope you enjoy your trip to the USA! And I hope your friend who usually looks after Marty feels better soon.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

We always have people come to our house rather than take the cats somewhere else. Much less stressful for the cats (I think so anyway). Plus we leave out some of our worn clothes so they can smell us, and I even go so far as to place pillows under the covers to mimick our bodies for them to lay against! I also play soft music the entire time in one of the rooms. I leave copious notes for the cat sitter with everything they could possibly need, including how to reach us, our Vet's number, where extra food is, etc. AND I also call our Vet and make sure they have a credit card on file in case of emergencies.

 

[Marty's Mom]

Hi. I usually have a friend look after Marty when we travel to the US to visit my daughter. This year unfortunately due to health reasons she will be unable to care for him. I don’t know whether to take him to a sitter in their house (who will just have cats) or have them come to my house - twice a day. He has never been around other animals. It will be for a duration of two weeks. I have both pros and cons for both scenarios but I am torn. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you

 

[Marty's Mom]

Thank you everyone. I will find a sitter to come to my place. We don’t leave until June so I have the time I appreciate you taking the time to answer. Cheers