Going on holiday...will cat be ok at friends house?

[sukikitty]

'm going on holiday for a week on friday, and my almost 4-month old kitty is going to stay with my friend for a while. I know she'll be looked after fine, and they have no other pets. The girl lookin after her has been briefed on the necessities like shutting all doors, always giving her access to litter tray etc.



I'm just worried that she'll get confused with the new surroundings. Any experience with this would be most appreciated.

 

[cdubbie]

IMO it is always best to keep your pet in its usual environment - less stress.
Can your friend come stay in your home instead? I think that would be best.

 

[sukikitty]

No, that's not possible. It was either this or a cattery.

 

[yosemite]

I kept my friend's Siamese once while they were on vacation for 2 weeks.

Only problem we had was that she didn't want anything to do with them when they came to pick her up. My friend was devastated.

 

[babyharley]

When we are gone, I usually let Harley stay home alone & have people check on him 2-3 times a day, but this weekend when I have relatives coming that are allergic to him, he will be staying at a friends house, we have done this before and he adapts just fine, they are always there to play with him, and Harley is used to these people (they come over and play with him frequently). I was worried at first, but they told me that he acted normal, ate fine, and acted like his normal terror self.

I think your kitten will be okay, has she/he been around these people before?

 

[cessena]

My parent's cat stays with my grandmother when they go out of town, he has a great time. And my cat loves going for visits to new places. It probably depends also on the personality of the kitten. If he/she is adventurous then it might be a fun time for it. If he/she is very shy and nervous though it will be a rough weekend. (But probably better than a cattery)

 

[krazy kat2]

I have kitty sat for friend's cats many times, and they have always been just fine. I have them take one of my sweaty shirts, rubbed with my kittie's scents, also, for their kitty, and one of theirs for mine. The worst thing that ever happened was my friend had a tiny cat with a bell on it's collar. Fred kept smacking him around, something he just never did. The bell was so annoying that I took it off. Fred curled up with him and bathed him immediately. Fred either hated the bell, or though he was a toy.

 

[niktemadur]

Tried and true:
1. Take some stuff from your kitten's daily life into your friend's home, like that sofa pillow she likes to take naps on, etcetera.
2. As stated above, scent is key. A few used shirts of yours can go a long way, but it wouldn't hurt to place a pair of your shoes also, right by your kitty's bed.
3. Buy a bottle of Feliway and ask your friend to spray, twice a day, the floor areas where your kitty will be spending her time.
4. An ideal thing, time permitting, would have been to invite your friend over to your house a few time before you left, so your kitty could become familiar with your friend's presence, without leaving her safe environment yet.

I understand your concern, I've lived through it before and it's a very unpleasant feeling, a combination of worry and guilt, but your kitty will be fine, and you'll only realize this when you get back, slapping yourself on the forehead for allowing yourself to worry so much.

 

[stampit3d]

I hope all goes well for your kitty and friend while you are gone...and that you have a great vacation.
Probably given the age of this baby it should adjust fine. (An older cat might have more problems with this arrangement) Watch out though...it may get really attached to your friend in a weeks time!
Linda

 

[stretchies]

When my cat was 3 months old we took her to my parents home for the weekend and she was totally fine--
when they are kittens they seem to adjust better to new surroundings. trying to travel with her now is a bit more trying.. (she's 5 yrs old)

 

[bethrocksguitar]

I made the mistake of leaving mine at the cattery for one trip and my poor Sam was terrified afterwards.

 

[ccsr79]

When I go to my sisters for a few hours, I always bring Lucas with me, and he's just fine. He acts like it's his house, even the first time he was there. But then again, he did the same thing at my place when I got him from the shelter, he has no problem adjusting to people and things, so it'll depend on your cat's personality!

 

[pombina]

try not to worry although its almost impossible. We left Sleeves at someones house for 2 weeks in July. I didnt want to do it, we had the holiday booked months before we knew we were getting a kitten and we asked the lady who had the kittens if she would keep him for an extra little while so we could get him after our holiday to avoid too much disruption for him.
However we found out, after she had told us all the kittens had had their vaccinations, that they hadnt had them at all, and my boyfriend went round to visit one day and some of the kittens were out in her garden, with no gate, and she was absolutely drunk as a skunk, so needless to say we took him within a few days (wish we could have taken them all...).
This must have been mega confusing for him, as he lived with us for 2 weeks, then somewhere else for 2 weeks, then back with us!
He wasnt his usual self when we first got him back, but he soon bounced back.
Your kitten will be fine, a weeks not a long time. Just go to the new house with her because if you are there she'll know its safe.
And remember to bring her a present from your holiday! oh and have a fabulous time

 

[snickerscat]

Tried and true:

1. Take some stuff from your kitten's daily life into your friend's home, like that sofa pillow she likes to take naps on, etcetera.

2. As stated above, scent is key. A few used shirts of yours can go a long way, but it wouldn't hurt to place a pair of your shoes also, right by your kitty's bed.

3. Buy a bottle of Feliway and ask your friend to spray, twice a day, the floor areas where your kitty will be spending her time.

4. An ideal thing, time permitting, would have been to invite your friend over to your house a few time before you left, so your kitty could become familiar with your friend's presence, without leaving her safe environment yet.


I understand your concern, I've lived through it before and it's a very unpleasant feeling, a combination of worry and guilt, but your kitty will be fine, and you'll only realize this when you get back, slapping yourself on the forehead for allowing yourself to worry so much.

Hey, it's good to hear that you've made good experiences with leaving your cat at a friends place and that your cat dealt with it just fine. That makes me a little less worried but I still feel so incredibly guilty for leaving mine alone while my boyfriend and me will be on vacation for two weeks soon. I would have loved for someone to come round and takes care of him here, so that he won't have to move place while we re gone but unfortunately everyone we know lives too far away, so we have to leave him at my boyfriends parents place which also seemed like the ideal place for him to stay. They ve got a big house, they be had cats before and he knows them and the house. We stayed there together with him during Christmas and he adapted well as we were still with him. Even though I will make sure that he has a pair of my shoes, some tshirts, his favorite toys, scratch tree and his litter box with his old cat sand still in it I just can't help looking at him now and fighting the tears when he s laying on my chest, purring and giving me cat kisses. I love this little guy so much and he trusts me. Soon we'll be putting him in the car (and he hates car rides) and leave him alone for two weeks. Won't he feel betrayed? And while I know that we re gonna come back and take him home again afterwards he doesn't know that. For two weeks he ll think that we abandoned him :'(. I don't really know how I will not feel guilty for those two weeks knowing that he has no idea that everything is actually alright and that we ll be back. Any advice on dealing with our own guilty feelings when all of our cats needs are met? I guess it's more a human emotional problem than an actual real problem, but knowing that still doesn't help.

 

[Karina8590]

Ive been reading through this thread as i am currently experiencing the same issues. My cat is just turned 1 year old and my partner and i are due to go away for 4 nights in a few weeks time. I am leaving her with my mum whilst we are away but i am frightened she is different when we return. She is very gentle natured and never ill tempered and i am afraid she will be different with us. I am currently taking her and her toys to my mums oncea week, and stayed there over night last night for her to familiarise herself with the house, but she just stayed under the sofa all night. She didnt eat for the whole time and now im more worried than before. What do i do, and am i doing the right thing by regularly taking her there?

 

[meowjar]

Ive been reading through this thread as i am currently experiencing the same issues. My cat is just turned 1 year old and my partner and i are due to go away for 4 nights in a few weeks time. I am leaving her with my mum whilst we are away but i am frightened she is different when we return. She is very gentle natured and never ill tempered and i am afraid she will be different with us. I am currently taking her and her toys to my mums oncea week, and stayed there over night last night for her to familiarise herself with the house, but she just stayed under the sofa all night. She didnt eat for the whole time and now im more worried than before. What do i do, and am i doing the right thing by regularly taking her there?

Hi, we are now in the same situation. Our cat is almost one year old and we are traveling for a few days. I was wondering what you ended up doing in your situation. How was the experience? Any feedback would be amazing!

 

[mani]

M meowjar welcome to TCS! This is a very old thread, so you're unlikely to have responses from the members who posted here.
We'll lock this thread since it's so old, but perhaps you may like to set up a thread of your own asking your question?