As long as you trust the friend to come in every day to look after them then it should be fine. Ask your friend to text you for updates and give him all the details he'll need i.e. vet details and emergency contact numbers.

I have a pet sitter who comes in twice a day when we're away and my cat is very chilled about the whole situation. We haven't been on a long holiday yet but away for a long weekend. When we came back the cat greeted us exactly like he would when I came back from work. He seemed content and calm.

We had a few visits from the pet sitter before we went on holiday and it was clear Bubble, our cat, really liked her. How is your cat around your friend?

 

Any cats I have had in the past have always been stressed in catteries and I no longer use them.

I use a company that comes in twice a day to feed them and give them a fuss. They are they are absolutely fine when I get back and I trust them more than the catteries to be honest. I think they get more personal attention even though it's only a quickish visit.

I've used the same company for years now and have always been lucky to get the same lady to look after them. She's lovely and I completely trust her.

 

Thank you both for replying and for understanding, our little boy is a cheeky little chap that will sunggle anyone, our little girl is a bit more reserved but likes our friend a she is a nice gentle kind lady with a kitten of her own, you have basically said what I thought but am intrested to hear other views also, I just need the break tbh and want to relax the best I can, but the 2 fluffy ones always come first to me now and I really need to know that im doing the right thing by them and not just me, both cats are house cats anyway and seem to love our house a they have all their favourite places to snuggle in, just out of interest would it be advisable to spray feliway before and during my break or would it not make any difference as they will be at home anyway ?.

 

I would definitely go for the home visit option especially as you will only be gone 3 days, You could use the plug-in version of Feliway starting a few weeks before you go if you think it would help and ask your friend to spend a little bit of time playing and snuggling as well as the necessities.... Go and relax a bit and enjoy your break!

 

I recently put my three in a cattery for the first time when I went on holiday and although it was a fantastic cattery I do think mine found it quite stressful, I've got one who overgrooms when she's stressed and did come back with bald patches

Next time I go away I think I'll get a pet sitter instead, I think the fact that it was the first time in a cattery for 2 of mine and the other had recently been in a rescue centre didn't help!

With regards to feliway, it doesn't help all cats, but I personally would use it before and during your time away from home. It might help them feel more settled while you're gone and it certainly won't hurt

 

I did put my cat on Zylkene before leaving. I just bought the pack of ten and started 3 days before. It's a natural supplement and helps them being chilled. I'd definitely do it again.

I also left my cat some new toys and a Yeow catnip banana (he loved it!). Just to keep him occupied a bit.

I know how you feel though. I get really worried but I get text updates and pics and they help so much (so so much!!).

 

I just came back from a 10 day holiday, I was going to put the kittens (7 months) in a cattery, or have a sitter come round, but my neighbour who's kept cats for about 20 years, said it was a terrible idea (cattery) and a waste of money (sitter) so she offered to come over twice a day to feed and play with them.

For the first week they were mostly okay, JoJo (the boy) apparently didn't seem to care I was gone and Callie was initially wary then outright standoffish, thinking my neighbour was trying to move in on them. She said it took a lot of cuddles to get them to eat and Callie didn't really want to play that much. This is with someone they've met before, who knows how to handle cats, they were in their home, following their routine and they weren't totally happy (obviously because mummy was gone). I can't imagine what a cattery would be like - all those smells of other cats and cleaners, being confined to essentially a room... I feel like I'm in a bit of a bind now because I have other trips planned and I know full well I'll never be sending them to a cattery.

When I left, I didn't spray anything. I just left everything how it usually was, removing things I know they'll do mischief to if left unattended for 11 hours at a time. Ive been back 5 days I'm still getting cat kisses every half hour

 

I think it really depends on who will look after them while you are away.

If it's someone who is absolutely dependable, won't accidentally let them out (if they don't go out), can come in often enough to feed them and so on then yes, do that.

However I normally use a cattery as I can trust them absolutely including knowing if a cat needs the vet, I know the cat won't escape as the cattery I used has escape runs, and if one of them is ill the other will make sure the cats get looked after. They are also happy to administer medication.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum

I agree that cats do prefer their own surroundings and would prefer to stay at home. But I prefer to use a cattery.

When I only had the one cat and my sister lived close to me she would come in a few times a day and feed Frankie when we went on holiday, by the time we got Seb my sister had moved back to London. As I don't have any family or friends that live close by and don't like the idea of a cat sitter and strangers coming into my home I prefer to use a cattery, especially since Roman only has supervised access in the garden I wouldn't want to risk any escapes or anything happening to my boys whilst I am away, but I think it's all down to personal preference and choice. My boys have always been fine staying at the cattery I use, knowing they are safe and looked after gives me peace of mind though it doesn't stop me worrying about them.

If you trust your friend to look after them I'm sure they'll be just fine

Hope you enjoy your break away

 

Thanks again to you all, they are used to going to the cattery and we have always trusted them and thank god never had a problem, however they can see that mummy isn't here at the moment and while I do my very best to be the best dad they must miss her as she was such a huge part of their lives, so one of the reasons for thinking about leaving them at home is to avoid any more disruption in their lives as my wife not being here may well of caused them confusion and stress and I don't want that for them, maybe I'm being over sensitive but it has been on my mind that our separation may of upset them and they don't deserve that.

 

Thanks again to you all, they are used to going to the cattery and we have always trusted them and thank god never had a problem, however they can see that mummy isn't here at the moment and while I do my very best to be the best dad they must miss her as she was such a huge part of their lives, so one of the reasons for thinking about leaving them at home is to avoid any more disruption in their lives as my wife not being here may well of caused them confusion and stress and I don't want that for them, maybe I'm being over sensitive but it has been on my mind that our separation may of upset them and they don't deserve that.

I totally understand what you are saying, you're not being over sensitive, you love and care for them and want what's best for your furbabes things musts be really difficult for them as well as you at the moment and they and you don't need the extra upset and stress. You're doing the right thing for your cats

Would love to see some pics of them and hear all about them

 

If you are going to use a cattery visit several first. I had plan to see two. The first one, looks really good on paper, nice website, long years of experiences, certificates, but when I got there I got a bad vibe, it look really like a prison for animals, I didn't see this person genuinely giving time to my cat. The second one, was very cheep and you could see why.

So at the end, I used a cattery in Kent, the manager kwon the cats by name, you could see that she likes them, she have classic music all day around the cattery, a nice garden. It looks a cozy. On top of that, she understand perfectly my attachment to the cat, so I called her a few time to ask how the cat was doing and she was happy to answer me. I was truly grateful for that.

Another thing, you need to take the personality of your cat into the account. My friend´s cat is supper friendly, so the cat has a good time because everyone play and pet her but my cat is very shy. the woman told me that he only let her pet him a few times, he was always hiding. So I am not doing it again! :sad: unless, he get alone with his new sister!

 

I had a bad experience years ago with a cattery and swore I'd never use them again but I guess I was just unlucky. That experience put me off for life though.

We told them clearly that our cats must be kept together but when we collected them they were in different pens. We had been on holiday abroad for 2 weeks .

They looked absolutely awful and had lost weight (obviously they had not only been separated from us but each other which really upset me as they were inseparable) and they looked absolutely petrified.

 

I think you will come to the right decision for your cats and your situation
However I'm another fan of a good cattery. I like the feeling of my cats being completely safe and secure, well fed and warm being looked after by someone experienced who has easy access to a vet etc.
I'm not totally comfortable putting the responsibility onto a friend or family in case something goes wrong at home and they don't know what to do :sad:
Each to their own of course and I can fully understand why an owner is against catteries if they have had a bad experience.

 

I think it very much depends on your circumstances, your house and the set up you have there.

I always feel horribly guilty when I leave my cats at the cattery, especially when it's for two weeks, but unless I someone came to the house to spend long periods here or sleep in, I think it's my only option.

We have a burglar alarm (I was burgled years ago and you never forget it) which means that when we aren't in my cats have to be confined to our large kitchen and pantry area. Normally that's fine, I don't work regularly right now, OH is retired, so if we're out it's not usually for that long. I couldn't go away though, and leave them confined in there for several days, they'd be literally climbing the walls - two of mine are Burmese and very active.

I know they don't have a great deal of space at the cattery either, but at least they get let out into a larger area several times a day when she cleans their stray and pen etc, they have lots of interaction with staff and the pen leads to an outdoor run which is opened during the day. This backs on to fields with horses. In fact I went to collect them once and they'd caught a mouse in there!!

My sister employs a home visitor, and if it was just a case of my cats snoozing on the sofa or chasing round the house all day with someone feeding them a couple of times, I'm sure I'd go for it. But the burglar alarm makes life more difficult and I wouldn't sleep if it was left off while I was away.

 

Thanks all, I am more than pleased with our usual cattery but due to my current circumstances I don't want them to stress any more than normal as they do get a little stressed going up there in the car but my little boy being a flirt is right at home as soon as he gets there but my little girl being more timid gets a little stressed when she is there and hides away a little bit but comes round eventually and lets the cattery girls stroke her and brush her after a few days, its a hard one to call because I like the idea of full time care on hand day and night, while our friend goes to work in the morning and gets home in the evenings, however her son lives at the back of me and works shifts so is around in the day time so would come in if he suspected any problems or contact his mum, I might also ask another neighbour that is around all day just to watch the outside of the house and give her my friends number just in case, please god everything will be ok I think I am the problem being a bit of a stress head especially at the moment. just one other thing I don't like them being in the dark alone in the house should I ask her to leave a light on or are cats ok in the dark at nightimes I know this is a silly question and I think I already know the answer to this but as I said I am a stress head.

 

The cats will be perfectly happy in the dark
However for security I would recommend having a couple of fairly dim lamps on at night, (one upstairs and one down perhaps), either operated by timer or pet sitter.

 

I think it depends on the cat too. I use the cattery or take them with me if i travel to germany for example. I have used a sitter for my youngest but i am not sure if that was good for barnaby.

My first cat would be very happy to go into the cattery, and was always okay when i call for updates every day that he spent there.

Oscar, however, finds it too stressful to be away in the cattery as he stops eating despite him being in with our other cat but likes coming with on holidays.

If you trust the cattery, and that gives you peace of the mind and there arent any problems that are too bad, like not eating, then it should be fine. If i knew that ozzie would be okay, i would use the cattery for the peace of the mind that i know that they are safe, secure and well serviced in case an incident like not eating came up, a cattery normally knows what to do as they are very professional.

And, no it isnt silly tk leave lights on for your cats. I do it for mine, night lamp.:thumbsup:

 

The house is well secured and alarmed in the right areas, they wont be in the front room because of the alarm so our friend comes in shuts the front door behind her, opens the living room door switches off the alarm and then the fluffy babies will have upstairs and the back room to hang about in, plus both kitchen doors are heavilly fortified so the back is well defended and I take extra precautions with security when I go away, is it possible to but led lights that don't work off the mains ?, if so I might invest in some for upstairs and downstairs what do you think ?

 

I'd go for letting them stay at home and getting your friend to pop in. I used to work in a cattery and they didnt get as much attention as you would probably like to think. Especially if it's a kennel/cattery. I do think it's much less stressful for them to stay at home too.

 

I'd go for letting them stay at home and getting your friend to pop in. I used to work in a cattery and they didnt get as much attention as you would probably like to think. Especially if it's a kennel/cattery. I do think it's much less stressful for them to stay at home too.

I would keep them at home, with a friend popping in.

They will be far happier in their own home - a cattery will be extremely stressful as cats are very territorial and they are all in very close proximity in their pens.

We had no choice one time, because we were moving house and there was a week's delay between the two houses and one of our cats came home with cystitis - which is often stress related - so I would avoid cattery/kennels except as a last resort.

Presumably, if you are trusting your friend with the keys to your house, they can be trusted with your cats :thumbsup:

 

Thank you all so much for your replies you are all so very kind and understanding, I don't want to take this too much off topic but does anyone know if it is possible to buy LED nighlights that don't have to be plugged in to the mains as I would worry about that while I was away, I am looking for something that our friend could switch on at night for them and turn off again in the morning then same again at night etc while I am away, is there such a thing that can stand alone with such a long LED battery life ?, I doubt it but once again I don't know and all advice is appreciated dear fellow cat lovers.

 

Thank you all so much for your replies you are all so very kind and understanding, I don't want to take this too much off topic but does anyone know if it is possible to buy LED nighlights that don't have to be plugged in to the mains as I would worry about that while I was away, I am looking for something that our friend could switch on at night for them and turn off again in the morning then same again at night etc while I am away, is there such a thing that can stand alone with such a long LED battery life ?, I doubt it but once again I don't know and all advice is appreciated dear fellow cat lovers.

If you use an RCD plug, the type that you use for lawnmowers and hedge clippers, etc. they will cut the electricity supply if there is a surge or short.

I don't know of any battery LED nightlights as such, but I have several LED torch lights that run on battery. Your friend could put one or two on each night - as they would probably run out within the 24 hour period. You can buy them in packs of 2 or 3 in Asda, I think.

 

Well tomorrow is the big day and I'm feeling a bit nervous, not only is it the first time leaving the kitties with the neighbour but also the first time in 20 years that I have been away without my wife, feeling a bit jittery I just hope that I'm doing the right thing, wish me luck everyone.

 

I'm sure the cats will be fine

Hope you have a great time!