Vacation

lorinyc72

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 29, 2016
Messages
11
Purraise
1
Location
Lake Ronkonkoma N.Y.
Hello; how are you?

Here is my dilemma:

We adopted an awesome and wonderfully sweet, kitten about 6 months ago, that we all love to death.

Problem is we are supposed to go on vacation next week for about 4 days, and we don't know what to do with her.

We haven't lived in the neighborhood long enough to trust anyone with our house keys and a professional or a boarding place isn't really an option because, it's too much money.

I've considered not going, but I, hate to do that, but how can we leave her alone for 4 days?

Please help! We really love her soo much!

Thanks in advance;

Lori & Melody
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
Well, depending on where you are going, you MIGHT consider taking her.  I have friends that take their cats all over and the cats travel well because they are used to it.  The cats mainly travel from Vermont where they live now to various places down the east coast, where my friends have relatives.  I actually board them here for a week when they are in Atlanta because the person they stay with has a cat and although they have a private suite downstairs, the resident cat decided it would be a good idea to spray the door to the downstairs the last time they were there, so now she boards them here.  The cats are happy here too because again it's a place and person they are used to.

If you are staying in a motel, you can just tell houskeeping that you will do your own cleaning etc. and DO NOT OPEN DOOR.  They are happy to have one less room to clean!  Since she is an ONLY cat with no buddies at home, I would definitely take her along if at all possible.  If not, see if you have a friend who will keep her for those days.

If you do think you might take her, feel free to ask us about the best way to travel with a cat/kitten.  My friend's cats are microchipped and harness trained and wear a collar with ID tags also.
 
Last edited:

Kieka

Snowshoe Servant
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
11,424
Purraise
20,122
Location
Southern California
I wouldn't recommend the 4 days alone. Litter box getting full, running out of food/water or the 101 things a lonely kitten can get into to. At the very least I would pay for a pet sitter to come over at least once while you are gone to check on things. You also could look around the neighborhood for someone you think you can trust; no time like the present to build relationships. If anyone is a cop, teacher, retiree, kids coach, they usually make good people you can trust to come over and check on her.

Did you look at the rates for professionals? I know dog boarding is more but for cat boarding/sitting it would be under $100 for 3 nights. You could pay for a professional pet sitter to come over just the middle days you are gone. Figure your cat will be fine the day you leave and the day you come home (even ask for first time customer discounts). I think most pet sitters who come over for 30 minutes and hang out cost about $20-35 per day. Overnight boarding at your vet might be less than you think (mine is $30) and PetsMart has services that start for around $20 per day for cats. 

If you do leave her at home even with someone coming over you will want to do a safety check on all toys she has access to to make sure there are no loose strings. Also around the house for things that she could tip over or knock down. Some new toys might be a good idea to keep her entertained. I know money is an issue, but if you are going to be taking more vacations a PetCube might be a good investment to be able to keep a remote eye on her and play with the laser with her. 
 

Brian007

Furmate and Famulus
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 13, 2017
Messages
1,751
Purraise
2,071
Location
Edinburgh, Scotland.
There are four cat-sitters on this site, the first one looks excellent and only charges $12 per visit.  There will be other sites with more pet-sitters listed but I just thought I'd point you in the right direction:

https://petsitter.com/pet-sitters/lake-ronkonkoma,new-york/cats

I used two cat-sitters, three times, for Brian when I lived in Edinburgh, with stays of up to 2-weeks (panic, panic, panic).  Both were young women, one was a vet nurse, the other an art student with a life-long knowledge and love of cats.  Both came to meet Brian and me before anything was settled upon.  Both said they were happy to meet us and if we didn't think them suitable then that was ok too.  Neither charged me for this initial meeting or for any transport costs.  I think they charged around £7 or $9 per visit but Edinburgh is a much smaller place than NY, so transport is cheaper, and I expect we're just a bit cheaper anyway cos we're Scottish!  This was at least 3 years ago though as well.  

I was ever so worried about letting a stranger into my house but I had no choice whatsoever, as the time before in the affordable cattery had noticeably traumatised Brian, and the other luxury cattery, which Brian loved and was the star attraction, was out of my price range at around $25 per day.  After meeting both ladies and seeing that Brian approved, I felt much happier, albeit still apprehensive.  Both ladies asked if I wanted my curtains opening/closing, lights switching on/off, plants watering, post collecting etc for no extra charge.  Both said a visit was for 1/2 hour in which time Brian was fed, watered, scooped, and played with.  My mum has a cat-sitter who comes twice a day to her three cats but I couldn't afford two visits, although the option was available. 

Both ladies text messaged my phone and sent photographs daily.  I think they would have done so less frequently if I wished but I needed  to see proof of Brian's care, and I knew his pursonaily so intimately that I would be able to tell instantly if I were being lied to.  On my return, I opened my door to be greeted by my beloved, as usual.  He was completely unperplexed and relaxed, but obviously happy to see me.  I knew that he'd been ok in my absence as he would have told me otherwise.  My flat remained 'untouched' and I could tell that neither of them had riffle through my drawers!  My keys were kept by both ladies until I texted to say I was safely home, and then returned to me at no extra cost (this was incase something happened to me to delay my return and they still needed keys to get in, rather than post them through my letter box).

I am sure that similar stories can be told by many one this site, and that you would have a positive experience also.  You might as well phone up and meet a cat-sitter anyway, if they "interview" free of charge.

Updated:  Brian was a very self-contained, intelligent cat who was also extremely interactive.  Dudley is very interactive too but in a different way, he misses me almost unbearably if I go to the loo without him.  I would NEVER even consider a cat-sitter for Dudley.  It depends on your cat. 
 
Last edited:

1CatOverTheLine

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 6, 2017
Messages
8,674
Purraise
34,615
I've considered not going, but I, hate to do that, but how can we leave her alone for 4 days?

 
I agree with the other posters here.  If it's truly a choice between leaving her alone for four days or calling off the vacation, please do the latter, not the former.

.
 

neely

May the purr be with you
Veteran
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
19,846
Purraise
48,331
Another suggestion would be to ask the vet techs where you bring your kitty if they cat sit.  Several of the vet techs by us offer this service for clients.

It's also much better for the kitten to stay in her own home where she is familiar with the surroundings.  Good luck, please let us know how it works out.
 
Top