ellen_griswold

Ok, if you're NOT a cat lover, stop reading NOW because i too, vividly remember being disgusted BC (before cat) But this IS travel-related!

Any ideas for our kitty when we're on our 3+ week road trip? Daughter audry is freaking because we're leaving her home alone, as shes only 8 mths old.
And thinks shes a dog VERY social, lovable, follows us everywhere, LIVES to be held and cuddled, sits up for treats AND eats from our hand.

We've read that they shouldn't be taken from place to place, but for that long, should we take her to a friends anyway?
At this point, a neighbor will feed and play with her daily, and i heard that leaving a radio is calming, but any other ideas?

Sorry if the rest of you are gagging now -- i TOLD you to stop reading, didn't i ??!!
But i KNOW other cat lovers will understand!

TIA!

gail

Read thread under "Other Topics" regarding cats telling time when owners are away.

Really, the cat will be fine. We have find that hiring a younger person (middle or high school kid) is better than an adult or professional pet feeder - as long as the kid is very responsible, you know the parents, etc. That way the kid always spends far longer "affectionating" the cat, giving it attention than someone who just runs in and takes care of all physical necessities of the cat. The one problem with a kid is that they are usually reluctant to deal with the litter box. We are fortunate that my mother lives close by and comes over every 5 days or so to check on things, deal with the litter box, restock refrigerator with greens for the iguana, etc.

If you have someone come into your home, they can also bring in mail, make place look less vacant for 3 weeks, check to see nothing has broken, leaked, exploded in your home, pick up newspaper that the guy delivered even though you stopped delivery, etc.

Maggi

Ellen, I know what you mean - I worry about my two cats when we are away. Except for short weekend trips, we have a single friend who is happy to stay at our place while we are on vacation for a week or more. I do think animals in general, and cats in particular, suffer from boredom and loneliness when their owners are away for that length of time.

Diana

I agree with Gail's suggestion.
I have both boarded for three weeks and had a person come in for three weeks, and the cat was very relaxed when I got home and we'd had the girl (college vet tech) come in.
When I boarded him, even though I had selected a place that was not cheap and they did all kinds of wonderful things for their boarders, he literally flung himself onto me and wrapped his paws around my neck.
If you'd rather find a pro at this, but don't have someone in mind, you can usually find someone at the vet's who picks up extra money that way, or you can check bulletin boards at PetSmart or any place like that.

dln

We have always had cats and we've always made long road trips. I've always hated the idea of leaving them behind because like yours, they thought they were dogs! However, cats don't take to travel the way dogs do. On our last trip our cat Daisy (we're down to just one now) spent the whole week under the bed. We were at my parent's home and Mother doesn't care for animals. I think Daisy sensed that and nothing we could do would coax her out! I felt bad for her. I realised that we took her with us because WE were lonely for her, not she for us.

Now we have our daughter's friends take care of her while we're gone. They know Daisy and love her. One time we had my friend look after her and that didn't work out well. Daisy wasn't familiar with her and hid. So my best advice is to leave kitty behind, hard as it might be, and be ready to give her some extra loving when you get back. It will also help you to call every now and then to get kitty reports (I've been known to call home...well, I won't open myself to guffaws by saying how often).

Stephanie

I have 3 cats and I'd never take them with me on vacation. Get a cat sitter to come by about 4x a week to check on your cat while away so that they could clean out the litter and replenish the food and pay the cat some attention. You may want to consider a 2nd cat because really cats are so easy to take care of you will not be financially burdened by another.

jette

This can be a tough question. I always left my cat in the charge of a neighbor who is also a cat lover and generally this worked fine. However on one occasion I had a less than great experience. My then fiance was coming in once a day to feed/water but when I came home, Zeb (my big male tabby) was clearly upset. It took me a while to figure out that he could not pee. Ofcourse this was late on a Sunday night and the emergency call to get him "unplugged" and then treated was costly. I was only away for 4 days but had I been another day gone, he probably would not have made it as I doubt very much that his caretaker would have noticed. This was not actually the reason I dumped the jerk in the end but I'm a lot more particular about who I trust to care for my cats now and for how long.
I don't honestly know if his condition would have been noticed earlier if I had boarded him but 3 weeks seems like an awful long time to leave the responsibility to non-professional. If it were me, I'd be checking with a professional animal sitter recommended by my vet.

Meesthare

I feel most comfortable having somebody live in and look after the cats, even if I'm just away for a night or two. I've generally been lucky in finding neighbourhood kids (late teens) who are delighted to make a few dollars, enjoy the animals, seem proud to demonstrate their competence, and have their parents nearby if anything startling happens. However, this summer I haven't been able to find anybody so I've hired a professional petsitter. She seems really pleasant - I'm hoping things will go well.

Scarlett

Hi ellen!
We had a little Abbyssinian cat for 18 years. He was also a "doggie" kind of cat, followed us around, went the door when someone knocked, hung out with us all the time. He was ALWAYS with one of us, sleeping, watching tv even eating, he ate when we did.
So I found it pretty impossible to leave him all alone, even if someone would drop by now and then, there were too many hours alone for him, counting all night.
So we had a person stay at our house.
It was good for us in all ways, the house was safe, the mail and all were taken care of and the kitten had a new bedmate!
He remained our "baby" for 18 years and the longest we ever left him alone was over a weekend. But not when he was still a kitten.
3 weeks is a loooong time in the life of a cat.
Best of luck!

Paul

Didn't SARS come from a travelin' cat?

julie_Colorado

I have a cat that I love... and we travel quite a bit. My cat never goes outside - and would be very aggitated to board in a kennel with barking dogs, etc.. We pay a neighbor to come in every day to play with her. This makes a huge difference in her personality when we return. When she is alone with no visitors, she is much more upset when we get home. She likes all people and doesn't seem to care that the neighbor (vs. her family) is giving her attention.

GoTravel

Get another cat to keep the cat company. I'm serious. Two cats are no more trouble than one and you will not feel guilty for leaving the cat by itself.

My two cats entertain each other and keep each other company.

dln

The above is an excellent suggestion. When we had multiple cats, travel away from them was less worrying because they entertained each other. Our Daisy requires a lot more TLC since she is the only one left. Get a friend for your kitten!

travellyn

I have a friend who used to have one person take care of the physical needs of her cat, then asked a couple of friends to stop by when they could just to hang out with the cat. My husband and I soon learned to come alone, because if we were both there, the cat spent all the visit walking back and forth across our laps in order to give us equal time.

When I was a kid and we used to leave our dog-like cat at home, we'd come back from a trip to find she'd vomited on our favorite rug and had diarrhea. If you have a cat like that, it seems like it would be worth it to make sure someone is there at least once a day. If you hire a responsible kid for a petsitter, you can request that they come at least twice a day and spend quality time with your cat. When I was a petsitting teenager, I enjoyed requests like that.

beachdreams

I actually have dogs, but I do like cats and watch them occasionally for my friends and neighbors. I have one family that I go over twice a day when they are out of town and check on and play with their cat. She knows me very well so she is very happy with that. I had a friend who was going to be gone for 3 months on a trip to India and I actually kept her cat at my house. My dogs knew the cat and got along well (believe it or not) with Boo (her cat). So this was better than Boo being by himself for 3 months with me just coming by. Do you know someone who would be willing to take in your cat while you are away. This is a much better set up than boarding them at a pet facility because someone is there 24/7 and it is more peaceful. Hope this helps.

Kasmir

I have two fat (or is it "phat?") cats, ages 10 and 19. Years ago, when I'd be out of town for just a weekend, I'd leave them at home alone, with someone to check on them once or twice. Anyway, I arrived home after a long weekend, with my older cat acting like Lassie at the front door, leading me to the laundry room. Apparently, and I have no idea how this happened, my other cat had fallen behind the washing machine and was trapped. This was a Sunday evening, and my cat-sitter hadn't been there since Saturday mid-day; so for all I know, he'd been there more than 24 hours. I learned my lesson and have boarded them since.

Secondly, five years ago, my parents went on a three-week vacation and trusted one of their closest friends to check on their cats daily. One of their cats, who happened to sometimes be shy, didn't show himself for a few days right before my parents were to arrive home. The cat-sitter logically deduced that he was hiding from her and didn't think much of it. My parents came home to find the cat dead under their bed. He had developed bladder stones while they were gone and died as a result. My parents still haven't forgiven themselves.

Call me an alarmist, but I would take the cat to a reputable kennel. I've always been able to better enjoy my vacations while not worrying about cats slipping outdoors, etc... Just my 2 cents...

Kasmir

Sorry that I forgot to mention:
Many kennels are becoming more progressive. Our kennel, here in St. Louis, has a special cat area, far removed from the dogs, where one can't even hear barking. Classical music plays in the background, while plenty of sunshine streams through the skylights and windows. The cats are even out much of the day, if they enjoy socializing with other cats. And it doesn't break the bank!

Surfer

As a frequent traveller, and owned by some cats who expect, actually demand, first-class treatment, I'm have to suggest a professional cat sitter. Neighbors are fine, for an occasional day. But for extended periods, a pro is what you need. Someone who can spot health issues and knows what to do. Someone who will not forget or get sidetracked. It is three weeks! The cost is not insignificant, but this kitty is a member of your family, and deserves to be treated as such. Just my opinion, but cat care is another legitimate element of travel cost.

OliveOyl

We had the exact same experience with a cat becoming ill with stones while we were gone, and the sitter not realizing it. We too arrived home on a Sunday evening and found ourselves in an emergency vet clinic at 10 PM that night! She was OK, but a few more days and she wouldn't have been. Certainly this is the more unusual experience though, and I still think having a pet sitter is better than boarding.

That kitty has passed on, but we still have the 2nd one, now 16, one-eyed after a feral we had befriended and who lived in our patio got in a couple of years ago and got her, and she's prone to stones to boot. She's so shy sending her to a vet to be boarded would be too traumatic...just taking her for a check-up she wraps her front legs around my neck, hanging on for dear life, flattens her body on mine and buries her head under my chin. Ach...How could I leave her?! I know she is happier at home, so we risk it. My husband's secy, a cat lover, comes in to feed her daily, but Hobie, shy as she is, hides under the bed or in the back of a closet and she's Burmese so dark coloring and with her eye closed she simply can't be seen. Maria calls to her each time she comes in, and now, after 6 years of this, Hobie has finally come to equate Maria's voice with getting her canned food and actually makes an appearnce downstairs when Maria calls her. Now we can leave with some peace of mind...but it has taken us 6 years to reach this point too!

Your best precaution is to let your neighbor know she will probably be fine, but to make an effort to find her each day, and be certain to leave her carrier where it can be found if necessary, and leave the name of your vet. Odds are, no one will EVER have to make use of these things, but, just in case...it's there. For another time, yes another kitty is wonderful but I sure wouldn't do it now. The adjustment period can be a real trial, but once over the hump, all is usually great and the two will be happy with just each other.

EnglishOne

I think us cat lovers should get our own forum on this site

I have four adult cats and one rescue kitten. She is about six months old and called Milkshake (don't ask - I like unusual names . We are off to Prague in 2.5 weeks (not that I'm counting at all . However, in my circumstances, because she has not had her initial jabs yet (due next week.... plus spaying... plus micro chipping - awwww bless her!) I intend to keep her in until all the above have been done and she has recovered, so that will be after our return. I have a trusted neighbour calling to feed and take care of the cats every day. She will keep our kitten in with a litter tray

However, if your kitten has had her jabs/spaying, and is used to going out (and coming home), and you are happy with that whilst you are at home, I can't see any reason why a cat sitter cannot visit and do the honours. My cats are far happier being at home than the time I dragged them off down to the cattery!! However, on the side of catteries, at least you know she is safe 24/7.. If she is going to stay with a friend, remember that kitten should not under any circumstances, be allowed out - she will not know her bearings and will get confused. Your friend could keep a littertray for the necessary and also the playtime input would be an advantage too!

VIVRE LES CATS!