Question: Are you a cat lover, What would you do?!?

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Answer #1:

Well, some people just leave their cats at home. It is good that you have two because when you are gone they will have someone to play with. If you do leave them at home make sure you have a friend that can come over and give them the attention they need.
If you leave them at the boarding facility then they might not be too happy. Cats like to be around things that they are familiar with. They could get into fights with other cats and that would not be good. I would recommend leaving them at home but having a friend come over maybe once a day and give them lots of attention.

Answer #2:

I have eight cats, and when I go away (which I rarely do because I'm not a fan of traveling) I get someone to stay in my home. See if anyone in your family is up for house sitting, or put out feelers to friends and family to see if anyone they know is up for spending a few months in your home.

If it comes down to it, you could hire someone. There are people out there who house sit for fun and profit.

Answer #3:

I would recommend leaving them at home if you can find a reliable sitter. They will feel more comfortable at home and it's better to not force them to adjust to another environment for such a long period of time. At some cat boarding facilities they are in contact with other cats which can stress them out or even receive a disease from another cat. It would be too much to leave them somewhere else for 5 months.

Answer #4:

I always have someone come in twice a day to feed them and empty the litter boxes.

Answer #5:

If you don't want to pay, leave them at home and ask a family member if they can check in on them and say you will pay them if they even clean the litter box.

Answer #6:

if your house sitters are able and willing to feed them and make sure that their litter boxes remain clean, I think your cats would be okay in that situation. They would get lonely, possibly, however, so might there be perhaps, a high school person, or neighbor that you could find to spend some time with them, "socially" - playing, just talking, etc.?

If it is something you'd want to try, you can maybe call the local high school, and inquire about finding a student who is responsible, who loves animals, and who might love to do that, and if you get to know them before you leave, and find that they are trustworthy, it might be a great plan, and would give your kitties someone to actually play with, and maybe even allow them to take them outside, while keeping a careful watchful eye on them.

They would probably be fine in a decent boarding place - but will probably be caged most of the time. The facility will not want to deal with the risk of having the animals share any illnesses or get into fights, or worse.

good luck, it is clear that you want what is best for your kitties, and I hope you find the right "combination" of care.

Answer #7:

I don't think you should assume a house/cat sitter wouldn't understand your cats. See if you can get cat sitter recommendations from your vet or a friend. It's all a matter of finding someone who loves cats and will give your cats the attention they deserve. You also want to make sure this person knows how to tell if your cats are feeling sick. The person should be someone you would trust to take your cats to the vet if necessary (you should give your vet the cat sitter's name and arrange for payment ahead of time, just in case).

My parents used to travel a lot, and they always left their cats home. They found a woman who got along great with their cats. She would come over morning and evening, spending about 30 minutes or so each visit. She would feed the cats, give them fresh water, brush them, play with them, and clean the litter box. She would also bring in the mail and water the plants.

My only concern is that you wrote that your cat has the run of the house and garden. Can he get out of the garden, or is he enclosed somehow? I wouldn't want him to get out and have the cat sitter unable to get him to come back. Other than that, I would vote for you to find a really caring person to come into your home so your cats could remain in their familiar surroundings.

Answer #8:

Leave them at home with the sitter. It's really hard for any animal, especially a cat, to adjust to a new surrounding.

Answer #9:

I guess it depends on your cats' personalities if they have access to the house they should be fine... if they know and trust the house sitter then I would allow them to stay home... however, we have a very proud and territorial cat who, we left outside (he had barns to sleep in) with a family member to feed twice daily. He ran away and was missing for 3 months before returning. If you think that your cats are likely to do this then they might be better off in a cattery....

Answer #10:

I would leave them at home, even though they might not get as much attention they will most likely not be as stressed out if they remain in a familiar surrounding. Being in unfamiliar surroundings and away from people they are use to usually stresses animals out even more. I've done the boarding facility thing a few times with my dogs and they were always miserable acting when they had to go, even though the facility was nice and they got plenty of attention. My pets always seem to do better when I just leave them home with someone to come over and take care of them, and I especially think cats do better this way.
Plus it's good that you have two of them, they will be able to keep each other company. Good luck!

Answer #11:

If it were me, I would leave my cats at home with a good pet-sitter who has some experience. Reason being: as a new person(or at least someone who isn't you) is already being introduced, allowing them to interact with said person on familiar ground would greatly reduce their stress level(just as you have said). Also, an experienced sitter will interact with the cats and know what to do in the event of an emergency.

This can get somewhat expensive over the course of 5 months, but a pet-sitter who hears and understands your situation will be very likely to negotiate. If nothing else, (s)he can be on-call for advice to the house-sitter, assuming your house-sitter has at least some interest in the cats' well-being and health and happiness(if not, I'd get a different house-sitter too!)

There is no guarantee that the staff at a boarding facility will have the experience or even the time - given all the other animals also being kept - to give your cats much in the way of attention other than food, water, and maybe a couple scratches behind the ear every 6 hours.

Good luck - spraying the house here and there with a cat-calming spray may also help.

Answer #12:

I'd put them in a cattery. Peace of mind is worth a great deal.

Answer #13:

I would try to either get a family member to house sit, or bring your fur-babies with you.

A good referenced trustworthy pet-sitter who will stay in your home is about $20/DAY... x 30 days = $600, x 5 = $3000 !!!!

That amount of money negates your leaving in the first place!





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