Cat people-vacation question

[la79al]

Last spring a cat adopted our family. We went on one vacation since then, for a week and had the neighbor girl come over to scoop litter box, check food and water. The cat seemed a little stressed when we got back in that she seemed extra sheddy. We are looking at another vacation, probably a little over a week and the neighbor girl has moved. I was initially planning on sending the cat to my aunts house. She lives on a farm, not near a road and has outside cats but no inside pets. A few details about our cat-she is pretty social with people, used to a 5 year old playing baby with her, etc. She does not like when people smell like other animals. She is supposed to be an indoor only cat but occasionally she does get out and pretty much has to be chased back in. For a few of these reasons, I am considering having her stay at our house and having someone come check food/water every 2-3 days. So my question is, do I leave her at home with food and water taken care of but alone much of the time or do I send her to my aunts house (she has never been there/met my aunt but my aunt likes cats) and hope that she stays inside (not totally sure how she would act if she got out there)?

ETA we would love to take her along but the only time we took her in the car, 45 minute ride, she barfed and pooped, thinking a 16 hour ride would be a disaster for everyone, not to mention she would not stay in the house once we got to our location

 

[kymom99]

I would leave her at home. Cats don’t like to go to other peoples houses and she will probably hide. She may even refuse to eat. Ask around for someone who will look in on her. Ask them to stay an hour at each visit and pay them accordingly.

 

[BrianL]

I would leave her at home. Cats don’t like to go to other peoples houses and she will probably hide. She may even refuse to eat. Ask around for someone who will look in on her. Ask them to stay an hour at each visit and pay them accordingly.

Yes, I agree that it is best to leave the cat in her usual home and have someone look in on her or even stay. My cat loves people and gets lonely. They will be stressed by any change, including having the humans gone for long periods of time. If you have someone check in, try to make it at least once a day and make sure they pay attention to the cat, not jsut drop the food and water and leave.

 

[Pixie Dusted Snow]

Keep her in your home and have a trusted friend hopefully one that likes cats come over once a day.

I could not imagine taking an indoor cat to stay somewhere unfamiliar unless they needed to stay at the vet overnight for some reason.

The shedding may have been from lack of pets whether due to the neighbor being disinterested or your cat not feeling comfortable with pets from a stranger.

I would also suggest maybe leaving a radio on or even a TV and a few lights.

Oh and I always leave a pair of pajamas that I wore the night before on my bed so my cat can smell me when she wants.

 

[sam_gordon]

I would definitely not take her to your Aunts house. All it will take is one little mistake and the cat is outside and you probably won't see her again.

If you can't find someone to visit or house sit, I'd look at a kennel. I would not leave a cat by themselves for a week. The most we've left our cats alone is ~2 - 2 1/2 days (leave on a Friday, return on Sunday).

 

[NannyBeBe]

I would definitely not take her to a strange house. She will be much less stressed in her own home. If you cannot find someone to come in an spend time with her, then perhaps you should consider boarding her.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I have cat sitters come in daily while we are gone. They hang out for 30-45 minutes, feed them, scoop the boxes and send me photos and a report. I have 3 cats and they are all needy! Yes they keep each other company, but they are clingy on us. They do ok as long as someone comes in at least once a day.

I boarded my cats one time and they came back with fleas. Never again.

I would not send a cat away from its home to another home for just a week. That is more stressful.

 

[cluvsdisney]

If she doesn't like the smell of other animals, it seems your Aunt's farm will cause her even more stress than being in a new place. So, I would arrange for someone to come to your house every day or two and see if they will play with her a bit. That's a long time for a social cat to be alone.

 

[nw6675]

Agree with others - definitely at home. We had a not so great experience with our neighbor watching ours, but in the end our kitties were just fine and much better than if we had kenneled or taken them to my SIL's house.

 

[Wendy31]

As others have said, cats don’t do well in new environments.

The best option would be to have someone come in your house to check on the cat.

We have a feeder & a waterer, & our cat is fine on her own for a few days a time. So, when we go out of town, my parents come check on her every 2-3 days. My dad takes care of the litter while my mom pets the cat. LOL! They also, of course, check to make sure her food & water is okay.

 

[Farro]

We always board our cats at the vet. Last time (when we had two) they shared a big kennel for 9 nights. Did fine.

This time it's just Walnut. My sister was actually going to stay at our place, but now she's coming on the trip.
Walnut gets daily medication and he has chronic pancreatitis, so staying with the vet is the best option. 9 nights it too long for him to be alone in the apartment with just someone checking on him daily. He would be heartbroken and so would I!

It's an all cat vet and they just love him. While it's not ideal for him, at least I will know he's safe, will get his medication, they will watching his feeding/litter habits and they can monitor him if a pancreatitis flare starts up!

And please don't feel judged if you do decide to board your cat. I realize people get very "passionate" about keeping a cat in their own home, but plenty, plenty of cats are boarded for whatever reason and do just fine.

 

[kymom99]

Keep her in your home and have a trusted friend hopefully one that likes cats come over once a day.

I could not imagine taking an indoor cat to stay somewhere unfamiliar unless they needed to stay at the vet overnight for some reason.

The shedding may have been from lack of pets whether due to the neighbor being disinterested or your cat not feeling comfortable with pets from a stranger.

I would also suggest maybe leaving a radio on or even a TV and a few lights.

Oh and I always leave a pair of pajamas that I wore the night before on my bed so my cat can smell me when she wants.

Yes we leave a light on a timer when we leave. Helps deter burglars and gives the cat a sense of normalcy.

 

[bethy]

Best choice - have kitty stay at home but have someone come over at least once per day and spend some quality time hanging out with her.

Second choice - Board her - where she will be confined and at least get lots of attention from people who love cats.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Leave her at home and have someone come feed/check on her. Do you have cameras? This way you can talk to your kitty and maybe she won’t get stressed.

 

[monsterkitty]

We usually have a co-workers college-aged DD stay at our house. We've known her since she was 6 and she's an incredible young lady.

You might also want to check with Rover.com or Google pet sitters in your area that will come to your house. Another co-worker pet sits for an agency and she will stay at people's houses for them.

 

[J'aime Paris]

We are super lucky that my parents stay at our house when we vacation. If they happen to vacation with us, then my BIL has helped us out by staying at our place. We also have 2 dogs, so this is the easiest option.

One time, we did have to board our cat at the vet. She was well looked after, but hated every minute. She meowed so much she actually got cat laryngitis!

I have helped out my friend with her cat when they leave for longer than 3 days. I already know the cat, since the 'human' and I are friends, lol!
I would come over each day and spend about a bit over an hour. After cleaning litter and feeding/water, I would sit on the couch and watch a TV show. The cat loved being able to climb up on me and get some pets/affection. She would purr so loudly, it was adorable!

 

[quoo]

I would leave her home and have someone come by at least once daily.

When I leave my cats at home we do this and have cams set up so I can at least see them myself as well. I'd also suggest a plug in pheromone thing - they make ones that really help calm them down, my vet uses them, and we got them to help when we were moving and they seem to make a big difference.

 

[Micca]

Usually DD checks on the cat once a day when we're out of town. I know she isn't hanging out very long though (work, kids.) Our cat seems fine when we return and seems glad to see us. I think the worst part for her is when the suitcases come out for us to pack.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Usually DD checks on the cat once a day when we're out of town. I know she isn't hanging out very long though (work, kids.) Our cat seems fine when we return and seems glad to see us. I think the worst part for her is when the suitcases come out for us to pack.

Our lab hates to see the suitcases come out!!! I think it's because she has terrible FOMO and wishes she was coming along too.
She, and the other 2 pets, are spoiled rotten by my parents while we are away...so it works out great in the end!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

All great suggestions above!

We have been proud cat parents for 33 years now and have had 6 cats over the years. For the first 26 years when we went away we hired someone to come up every other day to care for the cats and that always worked well. Then 7 years ago we got a Maine Coon cat and he is different from the other cats we've had! The first time we left him was from Friday to Sunday and he was positively out of his mind when we returned! It was terrible. Now when we go away he goes to my Moms, who is mostly home 24-7. He needs a LOT of human interaction! If we could find someone to stay at our house that would be ideal, but since that hasnt happened, going to my Moms is the best option for him!

Meanwhile, we have an elderly cat. No way could she go to my Moms. When we go away we hire someone to come up in the morning for an hour and then in the evening for an hour. Its pricey, but worth every penny! We have gone on three different two week vacations, some week long trips and many long weekends away with this arrangement, and the hourly cost adds up quick, but again, its what works.

All this to say, decide what both you and your cat will be most comfortable with. If someone told me 7 years ago, that I would be paying $50.00 a day to get someone to come in twice a day to spend a few hours with one cat, while I cart my other cat to my Moms, I never would have believed it!! Ha, ha!!

I often daydream about how easy we had it the first 26 years!! Ha!!