Anyone Else Not Take Vacations Because Of Your Cats?

Since we have 9 cats and very few people that we would feel comfortable asking to come in and take care of them when we are gone Deb & I have pretty much become home bodies and haven't gone away overnight for years on vacation and I am wondering if anyone else is in the same boat? Her father passed late last year and he used to come up years ago and take care of them when we were away, her mother doesn't drive anymore, my father doesn't drive anymore and my mother at 79 is probably the only one willing and able to do it for us anymore but we hate to ask her to do it although she has offered. We just feel strange asking someone else to do it, don't know why, just do, plus if any of them would get out on them that would put us all in a terrible situation. But I think we need to get away for even just a few days in a few months so we may ask good ole' Mom to do it lol!!

Anyone else in this boat?

Yes, I am! I only have two of my own, but I also feed a group of feral cats that hang out on my property. I don't have any family in the same country as me and I don't trust none of my friends enough to watch them for me because most of them aren't cat people and wouldn't do as good of a job taking care of them as I do, so I just stay home.

We haven’t been as extreme, but when we had three cats it did stop us from taking some overnight trips. Trin had cancer and while he had never been great with the litterbox (he would start going poop and then he would start walking leaving the worst smelling trail of breadcrumbs ever), once he got sick he was having diarrhea all the time. We just didn’t want to put friends or a sitter through that.

We would hire people to come in and take care of them. It was usually $30/one half hour visit and they sent pictures every time they came of each cat. While you may spend more with so many cats, I can’t emphasize how nice it was to get away from the daily chores of caring for cats. We all love them but we all need a break!

Our 6 started out as ferals, now indoor only, and while they are well socialized to us, with others it's not so much. Our neighbors have offered to look after them, but Michele has said no because the cats would run and hide, and not get the daily attention they receive from us. As a result, we only take day trips now.

I understand this completely. Wasn't sure if anyone was going through the same thing so thank you for posting.

I haven't taken a vacation in about 7 or 9 years now. I honestly can't remember the last time I was in a plane or in a car going anywhere overnight. It's been that long.

It's mostly due to financial reasons. Felix has been sick a lot over the years and so that's where most of the money we earn has been going. Thousands of dollars really. Ever time I earn something or my mom gets paid, we think about what the animals might need first.

We've gotten so used to this that I hardly think about myself anymore. As a result, I have no money for a vacation. I wanted to go to Alberta or Quebec this July but it won't be possible anymore because of Felix's dental work which went into all the money I had saved for the trip.

I could say that it doesn't bother me at all but I'd be lying. I would love a break. For my own mental health - I need a break.

Graceful-Lily said:

I could say that it doesn't bother me at all but I'd be lying. I would love a break. For my own mental health - I need a break.

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What about a staycation? Or staying at a friends house - not much money, and you’ll be closeby if Felix needs anything. But I agree, we love our guys to death but to have a night or two with no responsibilities is very healthy.

In the 5 years that I've had Maggie & Demi, we have never spent a night apart. I like to be the one to feed them and I'm afraid of them getting outside.

KarenKat said:

What about a staycation? Or staying at a friends house - not much money, and you’ll be closeby if Felix needs anything. But I agree, we love our guys to death but to have a night or two with no responsibilities is very healthy.

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I don't have any friends I can stay over with... I've already tried staying with family but it isn't fun and I hardly relax.

I only do staycations because of the cats and mouse. Who wants to come by at 4am to feed the cats their breakfast of raw food and three times in the evenings? Leroy's IBD tummy is fussy about strict meal times. I've done boarding before, long before the IBD diagnosis, and the staff basically just feed as soon as they can in the morning (and that may take awhile depending on any urgent issues they need to take care of first) and then before they leave at the end of the day. Besides, I can't afford to go on an actual vacation

I'm the same way in every respect. I have a neighbor who will feed my cats for $15 per day, but I hate to leave them alone for a week or two. I do hire her for an overnight trip to see my son and grandson, but I would really like a longer vacation with new sights and adventures. Like you all, I also like to get away from the cats for a little while, as much as I love them. Just going to the grocery store or the library, or working outside is a wonderful reprieve. The cats are with me everywhere I go in the house and mirror what I am doing. If I am quiet, reading or sleeping, they are too. If I vacuum or clean, they are racing around the house, distributing more fur. The constant companionship can be tiring.

Randall has his cat: the clingy 5 week feral kitten he adopted and nurses to health 9 years ago and I have my cat: the clingy 2 or 3 year old abandoned stray cat we adopted 1.5 years ago. We joke that we each have our lap cats because they follow us each around.

Well, his lap is on a business trip this week and I am outnumber 2 cats to 1 lap. Gohan, his cat, has tried crawling into my lap but I must not do it right lol. They are both love starved since they are used to him working from home all day and it is quite cloying to be mobbed lol. Can’t wait for him to come home today!

I have gone on day trips, but I haven't spent a night apart from the cats since I got Aico a few months shy of two years ago. Nacho came later. I get anxious that someone will accidentally let them out and honestly, I just like being the one to care for them.

After hospitalization, a feeding tube, a few rounds of dental extractions, an ear infection with a ruptured eardrum, Krista’s had a rough start of the year. I’m feeding six meals a day. She has weight to regain and portions to grow. We’re making progress on both. I can maybe only get my sitter for three a day. Until I can get Krista back to 4 a day (probably the best she’ll ever do now between age and IBD), I don’t feel comfortable leaving her with only half her meals. I have a Thanksgiving deadline to get her back to four a day or I don’t see the family this year.

I used to travel one four day weekend per month. Now I haven’t done an overnight away from her since Christmas. And neither of us were very happy that night. Next Christmas, I’ll pay my sitter double (or triple!) for a midnight Christmas Eve meal and an early Christmas morning meal. I always do a Christmas Eve staycation at a local hotel. I’m Jewish. If I’m going to be alone on Christmas Eve, it’s better for my mental health to make a vacation/staycation of it.

I try to go on a travel adventure at least once a year. My spouse doesn’t like flying abroad or even long domestic flights, so it works for us for me to go with a group, and he stays home to cat-sit our four cats.

We do take 3-4 day trips together a few times a year and hire a cat sitter for those trips. We have friends and family who would take care of them if I asked them to, but I know the kitties get more consistent care with a professional sitter, and I don’t have to feel like I’m imposing on our friends or kids.

I do have a 16 year old cat who’s not doing that great right now, so I’ve cancelled out on a couple of weekend trips this summer to stay home and take care of her while hubby goes and takes care of human family obligations.

Yes, many times, but only when any of them have been sick or needed medical care. I'm lucky to have several family members and friends willing to come over if we decide to go away to feed, do litter, play with them if we go away. But when they were sick I felt I had to treat them myself, I did not want to burden anyone with all the extra work and I'm a bit of a control freak/worry wort when it comes to my kitties.

As much as I love my cats I want to avoid being stuck at home. Hey I do a lot for them. I even make their food! But I do want to live life. Having the cats does restrict my road / weekend trips but it doesn't prevent me from taking my yearly international trips. Aside from the cats these trips are what I live for. I don't want kids and I'm not a workaholic. So for me I'm about international travel.

We only have 2 cats, but we don't take vacation. I don't have anyone I would feel comfortable coming here to watch them, and I don't want to board them. We do occasionally take separate vacations (to go visit family) so one of us is here to watch them.

I have a lovely nearby friend whom the cats know, so I can go away for a few days at a time. It's been a long time since I've done a longer stay-away.. when I do, I spend a lot of time finding a good sitter.
There's also the option of a house-swap with a cat-loving friend I've discussed with someone who loves coming here, and I like going to her State.. we could look after each other's.

I went on vacation in March and I had my dad stopping in to feed them in the morning and my brother stopping in at night. I probably won't go on vacation again for a while, but I hope that if/when I do, I'll either be living in a house, so someone could actually stay at my house the entire time, or I'll be living with someone who could take care of them for me.

I have 10 cats, along with 3 large dogs and two chinchillas, so yeah I can't really go on vacation. The last time my husband and I went away was almost 12 years ago, but we didn't have as many pets then and my in laws paid to have my pets boarded (forced family vacation, and they refused to except that we couldn't afford boarding as an excuse). I have no family in this country, and my mother in-law (who is the only one in that family I'd trust) has moved about 5 hours away. I also don't really have any friends around here, and living in the middle of nowhere so I don't really even have any neighbors. We do try to go away for an over night stay in a city a few hours away once a year though, but that is the farthest we ever go anymore.

I've been toying with the idea of going away for a week or so, but where I live I would have to have someone house sit. I am about a half hour drive from the nearest town so having someone just stopping in a couple times a day wouldn't really be realistic. I'd probably have to pay $10-$20 extra a day just to cover the person's gas. I also don't want someone I don't know in my house. If I was to board them I'd probably have to split the cats up to different kennels to board them all, and most boarding places don't take exotics so I'd still have to figure something out for the chinchillas.