Going on Vacation - What Would You Do?

[RTR]

I forgot to mention about litter boxes. I made 3 from large rubber maid storage boxes and I have normal litter boxes when I leave. that seems to be enough.. And many times i'm only gone for 5 days

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

I used Meowtel to find a cat sitter the last time I had to leave for a work trip (and couldn't drop my cat off at my mother's, which is my go-to). Granted, I only had the sitter come two days, and then my mother was available to drop by the other two days, so it was a nice way to test things out. My kitty never emerged during the 45 minutes the sitter was there the first day but she was lured out briefly the second day with a Churu. The sitter texted me updates and photos. She came by my house, gratis, a day in advance so we could meet, which reassured me.

My kitty is only 2 yo, so although it would be a lie to say I'm not worried about leaving her, I'm a little less worried than I would be if she were older.

Coming home from that trip was so much easier than picking her up at my mom's (where, the last time, she didn't recognize me and hid for an hour), so I think it was an overall success. Just takes some planning on meals.

 

[leeann77]

I have the same problem! I’m down to only one cat and I never go anywhere because I feel horrible leaving her alone. I can’t find a decent place near me to board her, I tried a place that was one hour away but they didn’t give updates or pics- they said she’d get a turn in the big playroom by herself but I don‘t think they ever let her out of her compartment. Then I felt horrible that she sat in that compartment for 5 days, she had lost 1/2 lb so I know she was stressed.
I think she’d be better at home but even with a pet sitter coming twice a day, I’d feel horrible leaving her all alone. My friends think I’m crazy and everyone wants me to travel somewhere. I really need to solve this problem. My cat is shy and won’t play, so a pet sitter might not even see her. I even thought about getting another cat but I really don’t want one and it would make her prescription diet food a nightmare trying to feed two cats.
I thought I’d try a day or two then work up to a 4 day weekend. I found some people on rover.com that will board them in their personal house but I think she’d freak out.
What does everyone else do with just one cat? I’d appreciate any advice!!!

 

[waddle]

I have one elderly cat. I would never board her—I feel like that would be much more stressful for her than being alone. But I live alone so my cat is used to being by herself a lot. I had a local pet service I used. Now that they’ve retired I’ve had either a friend or my house cleaners come over to feed her when I’m gone. If I couldn’t rely on them I’d have to find a new service.

 

[leeann77]

Thank you! I’m leaning towards trying to leave her at home for just a couple of days to start. I‘m not sure I could do a whole week! I know a pet sitter that could come that I would trust but I’m not sure how long she stays. I really just want my cat to have company more than anything. My brother will grudgingly watch her for a week but I can’t bother him more than once a year lol

 

[KittyFriday]

My boy is my only cat, so he'll be solo. I decided to go with the pet sitter. I figured he'd be happier in his own home, and our local covid numbers are going up so I figured the less I could expose him to that, the better. The woman came for a meet and greet and seemed very nice, he greeted her and got some pets and then left to go under the bed. It's nice too because she'll be able to tell me if anything is amiss with him or at home, and she can grab my mail for me. They have a really nice app you can download and they have a daily journal where she'll post how he's doing, etc. and we can communicate.

 

[leeann77]

I think you made the best choice! Hopefully you have a great trip and are not stressed out the whole time, he’ll be in good hands. Take care!

 

[KittyFriday]

I wanted to update - I had the home service come in and Friday did great. They sent me a little update with pictures every day. He was usually hiding under the bed when they arrived but would come out to them and got a lot of attention.

He definitely missed me as he's been clinging to me since I returned, but otherwise seems totally happy. Much better than the last time I boarded him, when he had nightmares.

 

[Furballsmom]

Awwww!! What a great update thank you!