Boarding my young cat

[datagrrl]

My cat will be 4 months old when I board her next month.

She was a feral kitten who,is adjusting to her life pretty well. Still a bit of a scaredy cat.

We need to leave town for 4 days next month. I found two boarding places that do cats.

Neither are cat only.

I am wondering if I should try her out at the places for a day. I feel like the $15 isn't too much to spend. Maybe if she realizes we will come back for,her it won't be so bad.

I could have someone come by, but I feel like the chance of losing her is greater that way.

I have thought about taking her with, but we are traveling through Canada and staying at two different hotels. I love Residence inn, but I would have to pay $100 per stay.

 

[Draco]

Do you know anyone who can come to the house and take care of her once or twice a day? That might be less stressful for her.

 

[red top rescue]

The best thing for your cat would be to leave her at home and have someone care for her.  I think the chances of her running out are slim.  If a stranger comes in, she will probably run and hide somewhere in her familiar environment, not attempt to run towards the stranger and go out the door.

I would strongly advise AGAINST boarding her.  Not only does that allow her to be exposed to diseases, but it would be extremely stressful for a formally feral kitten.  Anything that causes stress is strongly contra-indicated, especially in cats under one year of age, because if they do carry feline corona virus, stress can make it mutate into the deadly form that causes FIP.  (from sockfip.org).

If you do not have a friend you trust to care for her, there are many reputable animal sitters available to come to your home and care for her, and usually that costs no more than boarding.  One visit a day should be sufficient.

If she were my cat, I would not consider taking her for a try-out at any of the boarding places, much less board her, and traveling with you would be stressful as well as she would be out of her familiar environment.

 

[datagrrl]

Thanks,

I know this sounds weird, but I think my husband would rather I pay a bonded pet sitter than hire someone we know.

That works. We have a rabbit that needs to be fed also.

I will ask around, but a pet sitter is probably the best idea.

 

[luv2cats]

I would find a certified pet sitter to come in twice a day to take care of your kitten.  I have always used cat sitters and love them.  The cats don't get taken to an unfamiliar place with scary sounds and smells especially with a mix of dogs and cats.

Check out The National Association of Pet Sitters:  www.petsitters.org or Pet Sitters International

Ask your Vet if they suggest a local pet sitter service.

Also make sure that the sitter will be the same sitter throughout the entire time you will be gone.  Some places won't guarantee the same person which will add to the stress for your cat.  You definitely want to interview the cat stter in your home to see if it is a good match. They should be CPR certified, and some sitter services will send you videos via phone of your cat while you are away,  My sitter charges $15 per visit she will take in mail, clean litter box and also takes out the trash from cat food and litter - she is a jem.  A cat sitter should have more than "I love animals" on their resume.  If you can find a Cat Only sitter that would be ideal but those aren't easy to find.

I would say to hire a reliable pet sitter to take care of your cat while you are away from town.

 

[datagrrl]

We hired a friend of a friend to come in and take care of the animals. It worked out well.

 

[catlover1952uk]

I had a friend stay at my home in March when I went away for a month, felt so happy about leaving her with a friendly face and in her own surroundings, she is a nervous cat so it was my best solution.

 

[chloe80]

We have a friend come and stay with our cat when we go away. It's someone she's seen around the house before and who we know loves cats. We're also comfortable with her being in our house.

I wouldn' worry about her running out though if you do get a pet sitter, as long as they understand that they need to be aware oin entering the house, and like somone else said, she'll probably hide anyway. Also, if she did manage to get out she probably wouldn't go very far anyway as she'll be scared and probably be more concerned about her breakfast

Have a goo dtrip, I hope you get it sorted.