Going To Be Gone 3-4wks What Is Better?

[bananaphone]

Hi everyone, I'll be going on a tour for the first time and definitely not the last at the end of this coming summer and its looking like ill be gone for roughly 3-4wks this time around.

I have two cats and was wondering what would be the best thing to do for them? I have two options, I can either leave them at my apartment and have someone come over every day to check on things and feed them or I can take them to my moms house where they would stay in my old room most of the time and be let out while my mom is home. They stayed there with me for 7ish months while I had to stay there very recently until I found a new place so it wouldnt be completely new surroundings or anything for them and they like my mom.

Thoughts?

 

[abyeb]

I really think this is up to you. Hiring a professional petsitter would be a great option, but as your cats are already used to your mom's house, I think that whatever option you do choose will work out. Your cats might get more attention with your mom, as a petsitter would likely only check in twice a day, for half an hour per visit.

 

[tabbytom]

Yep, I would go with your mom's house. Since your kitties have been there before, it's better than introducing a stranger that comes to feed them and they'll be weary.

Best is from now till you leave for your holidays, bring your kitty as often as you can to your mom's house and leave some of their things with their scent and some of your unwashed clothings (like a t-shirt that you've worn for half a day) and leave it at your mom's house.

This way, your scents and their scents are there and they are more familiar with and they'll settle in more quickly.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I agree with TabbyTom. I think your mother's home sounds best for this situation.

 

[DreamerRose]

tabbytom gave the best solution. Your cats will be much happier there and ready to greet you when you come home.

 

[kashmir64]

Stupid question, but when you say on tour, do you mean military. If this is the case, you definitely want to keep them at your mother's house. My son's best friend is on tour in Iran, and although he was supposed to come home in a few months, it doesn't look that way now. Just in case your tour runs over, you need to make sure they are safe and well taken care of.

 

[sophie1]

Another vote for the Mom option. I travel frequently, and I take the cats to my mother's for trips longer than a day or two.

A few tips - get a cat tree or scratching post for your Mom's house to keep your cat from starting in on your mother's sofa. Go through the house in advance to cat-proof and find little ways to "catify" that your mother can live with, e.g. getting window perches or setting up cat-safe furniture in front of windows. Feliway diffusers as well as some materials from your house e.g. favorite cat bed/blanket will help. And your mother might appreciate a hand vacuum for the litter box area, and lint brushes for the cat hair that will inevitably get on everything.

Also if you're going to be gone for more than a couple weeks, you'll have to think about claw clipping and grooming. I was lucky enough to have a friend willing to go visit my mom to groom the cats once a week, once when I was abroad for 3 weeks. You could arrange for a local cat sitter or even a professional groomer willing to make house calls to come and do this. I would definitely not let the cats go more than two weeks without a claw trim, to reduce damage to furniture and also to your mom...sharp claws hurt!