Cattery or home visits?

[1lifeliveitright]

My cat is 14. Acts and looks younger and is a softy. He is cheeky enough to go to neighbour's houses (at least 1 I know of). He hates going to a cattery. Pukes and/or shits in the car on the way there despite it only being a 10 min journey. Is subdued when back home.
I have a reliable and trustworthy pet sitter who can feed him twice a day whilst we're away. BUT he is very lonely when we're gone. He sits outside waiting for us to get back. Obviously not always but I've seen it myself and neighbour's say he's yowling outside the door etc. He has a catflap so can come and go as he pleases.
I always thought this was the better option. But more recently I've left my adult daughter to look after him for between a few days and a week if she's not come away with us. She's at work all day and the cat eats less and seems upset.
Later this year we have a holiday booked for 12 nights. So the choices are put him in a cattery and hope he settles or leave him in his own surroundings but with no company except possible neighbour's and home visits to be fed twice a day.
I honestly don't know what to do for the best. What do others think?

Cat sitter at home is definitely better. Sending cats away is as traumatic as rehoming them and losing their family in one hit from a cat's perspective. They have no idea that the plan is for them to return in a week or two.

How is he in the chattery? Have the staff commented on his behaviour there?

Cattery* sorry

Is it the box he has to travel in? Would you try harness and seat belt instead? Pop him on towels in case of sickness

I've always used the cattery for 3 nights or more. Cat loves being outside and catches a lot of mice. It's not fair on the cat sitter to have to deal with them. Or the potential for injury/fighting outside. And locking her inside would make her very miserable.

If she goes to the cattery, someone else is assuming full responsibility, and can deal with any illness etc (injury hopefully not an issue!). We have complete peace of mind, which makes a big difference. We've used the same cattery for 20 years now, and the woman who runs it is brilliant. I know she spends time with the cats, so they get attention, and she used to be a vet nurse so has happily administered medication for us.

The cat doesn't like the car, and I'm sure she's not that keen on being in a pen, but she's always settled straight back in at home when we get back.

I always think home is best, my neighbour feeds mine and comes and cuddles him too and I do the same with their cat,I take my book and stay for an hour or so so he has some company.

Thank you for the answers. Don't think it's the box it's the actual travelling he hates.
Difficult to say how he is at the cattery as I doubt they would say he's sat miserable. Some previous feedback from years back said he settles down and was ok.
But he loves going outdoors so I think home is probably best but worry about his loneliness.

Cattery.
I'd not be comfortable leaving him to his own devices and I'd worry about issues such as what if he got into a fight or was injured by a car etc if he was left to wander.

Try a different cattery my sister has one where they have access to an outdoor space and ipads with cat TV on it as well as heated pads

I always think that moving to a cattery is very distressing for a cat, as they are very tied to their own territory. But also, my cats wander off across the fields during the day and like to sleep in the middle of whatever I amd trying to grow in the garden. Being shut in at a catteyr, even one with outside areas, would be very distressing.

We have had many cats over the years and we always get someone to come in and feed.

With most of our cats the feeder never sees them, the food is gone and the cats don't bother to come and say hello.
They are always very pleased to see us when we get back, but do not appear in any way to be distressed.

Our current cat always comes and finds the feeder for a cuddle. He loves the attention.
And when we get back he tends to sleep on our bed for a few nights. Of all the cats we have ever had, he obvioulsy misses us the most, but still, nothing like as distressing as being shut up in a cattery.

Most cats prefer to stay at home, but mine is an oddball and seems to do better at the cattery. She's very nosy and affectionate so I think she gets bored and lonely left home alone for more than a few days. She always comes back from cattery looking healthy (and decidedly plump), whereas when we’ve left her home (with someone feeding daily) she seems stressed and sometimes gets diarrhoea.
It sounds like yours would prefer to stay at home though. If funds allow, you could pay cat sitter to come twice per day instead of once? Or ask a friend to pop round a few times to play with and fuss him?
When we do leave ours at home we always shut her in, as we’d be worried she might get hurt/not come home/get herself adopted by neighbours.