Miss having a pet but am away from home a lot

[hashebeenyet]

I've always had a cat or a dog - or both! I've been without for a few months and at first quite enjoyed the freedom, I could stay overnight at DPs and go away for a weekend if I wanted, plus DP didn't like sharing the bed with my cat 😂

I'm now starting to miss having a cat around, but don't think it would be fair if I'm going to stay away overnight. Also never been very good at shutting pets out at night, in my experience they just end up scratching the carpet up!

Is there any solution? Anyone been in a similar situation and kept a pet?

Maybe a couple of indoor rescue cats ?
They'll keep each other company when you’re away.
If you don’t want long term commitment, what about older cats who are more difficult to rehome ?
The good thing about rehoming an older animal is they usually don’t need housetraining and often you get a review of their character and behaviour from a foster carer.
Catchat.org is a good place to look.

Thank you. I was thinking about that, but am quite worried about the vet costs that could come with an older cat.

You can get vets costs with any animal.

cinnamon.org.uk/cinnamon-trust/

This might be worth considering

Thank you, I'll have a look at that.

I know all pets can need to go to the vets, but I'd say the older they get, the more likely they are to develop health problems and also be expensive to insure.

What about borrow my doggie? I haven't any personal experience, but I have heard good things.

I'm not very mobile at the moment, so don't think I could walk a dog.

Cat fostering?

Yes, I think that would be ideal. I've just filled in a form for a local cat rescue 😊

Guinea pigs? They make excellent pets

Cats should be fine overnight with TV or radio on if they're used to background noise. It's not the same with dogs!

Definitely fostering. Cat rescues are always after fosterers. They will provide food, litter etc so no cost to you unless you want to some extras for the cat(s).

Yes, but when fostering you’re still responsible for care of the cat if you’re staying at your DP’s. My longest term foster was with me for 4 months. Are you just going to have nights away between fosters or will you always be there to provide dinner & breakfast?
Admittedly shutting cats out at night won’t be an issue, foster cats usually have to stay indoors.

Why would you shut a cat out all night?

You could try Borrow my Doggie site and take someone else's dog for a walk and cuddle.

I was wondering that too - thinking now maybe the OP meant shutting the cat out of her bedroom?

No he lives nearby so I'd be able to go home in the evening to feed them and go home early in the morning.

Yes I meant shutting them out of the bedroom 😂 Previous cats have had a habit of getting under the duvet with me, which I don't mind, but it does make having alone time with DP 😉 difficult when the cat's trying to get in on the act! They then didn't want to be shut out because they weren't used to it, so it seems the only solution would be to ban them from the bedroom from the beginning.

My current two were shut out for the first month or so, until they stopped their 2am zoomies, & they were fine because they didn’t know any different. Have you considered fostering a bonded pair? They’d keep each other entertained.

Come over the the Litter Tray threads, lot of crazy cat people there for advice!

I temporarily took on a friends cat... over a year ago! They are definitely more of a tie in terms of going away, even for short term absences. But if you foster through a rescue then most of the costs are covered and it's easier to pay for a pet sitter to come in to feed and play with them when needed. I have a lady who charges £12 a visit which is a lot but she stays for at least half an hour or more playing and cuddling.

Cats Protection also provide fosters for families fleeing domestic violence, so they can take their pets with them and be reunited once they are in permanent accommodation. It TempCat wasn't here I'd definitely sign up for that but I don't think he'd share nicely.

Re the carpet scratching, either a big carpet offcut in front of the door, or one of those thick plastic office chair carpet protector sheets. Mine was £20 on Amazon.

A bonded pair of cats that do well on dry food would be ideal.

Automatic feeder and large water dispenser along with either a self-cleaning litter or a neighbour who can drop in or cats who prefer to toilet outside with constant outdoors access.

I'm rarely away but my best friend is a chief purser with a major airline and is gone for a week or two at a time. Her bonded pair is very settled with the arrangement.