Cat Sitter vs Cattery? Opinions please.

[neverbeenskiing]

We are going away for 2 weeks and need to make arrangements for our cat. We've never left for that long before. Usually if we're going away for just a few days my friend who lives locally will pop round to feed and fuss her but she is due to have her first baby around the time we go away so not an option.

We have been recommended a local Cat Sitter who charges £9 per visit. The advantage of this is that the cat would be able to stay in her own environment so it may be less unsettling for her I suppose? My worry is that she occasionally brings in dead mice or birds through the cat flap and it seems unfair to ask the Cat Sitter to dispose of these if that happens. We can't lock the cat flap and keep her in as she refuses to use a litter tray.

The other option is a Cattery. Going rate locally seems to be about £15 a day including food. My worry with this is how she will cope in a different environment as well as being with different people. I am also worried about the litter tray issue as I assume she would be expected to use one.

Any advice or opinions on which is the best option, Cattery vs Cat Sitter and what I should look for when choosing a cattery or Cat Sitter would be much appreciated. Thanks.

My cats would hate a cattery. I much prefer them to be in their own home. When I return, they seem to have barely noticed me being away and their not stressed by being transported and kept in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar people.

You obviously have to find the right cat sitter. Mine is a man ex vet nurse, so is able to give medication if needed, and knows the signs of a poorly cat. She comes twice a day. She is happy to deal with dead offerings.

One of my cats gets stress related cystistis, the cattery is a no go for him.

Do any of your neighbours have kids/grandkids who can help? (That you pay).
my neighbours son is 18 and he loves my cats. He comes around and uses my Amazon prime to binge watch stuff whilst feeding my two muppets dreamies.
He does everything for them, and I've left clear instructions what to do in the event of needing vets (and leave a very trusted friends phone number for him too).

it worked out really well for us (just got back from the US last week!). Poor neighbour though, my boy Alfie decided he hadn't been fed at an appropriate time in the morning (neighbour understandably having a lie in on a weekend), took himself out of the cat flap and sat under his open bedroom window yowling until he came downstairs and came round to open the cat meat for him.

Our 2 that stayed home, would be all over the neighbours when they came in to feed them. As soon as we returned neighbours were promptly ignored again and views as scary strangers!!

I've had several cats, over the past 42 years (only got one now) and have never used a cattery. Cats prefer to be at home, in their own territory. I've always used a cat-sitter. Any decent cat-sitter will understand about some cats bringing in dead creatures and will deal with it without a fuss.

The cat-sitters I've used have always -
been cat owners themselves
sent me updates and photos (some daily)
stayed for at least 30 minutes at each visit, and played with the cat.

@Panamii whilst you don’t have to have one, I do and happily show it to clients when I do my meet and greets. I have people’s keys, am in and out of their houses (I dog walk too) pick up their post etc just think it provides a bit of reassurance for my clients.

What do cats actually do in a chattery? I’ve always assumed they were caged, and that my cat would hate that.

If I’m away for a night or two then a neighbour pops over for him. If it’s longer than that, I either pay a local teenager, who comes over for half an hour twice a day to feed and play with him, or get friends to come to stay on my house.

Another vote for cattery.
I have never used anything else for any of my cats.
If you decide to go the cattery option then definitely book to go and visit - they should allow this. Ask them to show you round the pens/apartments/chalets and ask about contact with their feline neighbours. Most should have restricted access.
Check re food - we always take our own cat’s food/treats and I leave it with a note of how much to feed each day.
All catteries will need proof of vaccinations and make sure your cat is de-flead and de-wormed before they go in.

Hope this helps 😺

We're currently away and have a cat sitter coming in twice a day. We have used her before although not for a few years due to covid. She sends photos and let us know when one of the cats hadn't been seen for a couple of days. I had the neighbour watching out too but he turned up the next day anyway (he's done it to us a few times too).

I just feel the cats would stressed at being confined to a small space in a cattery so we chose cat sitter. She charges £14 for 2 visits.

My cat sitter was my mum! The cat knows my mum well. Mum followed our routine to the letter. Didn't stop daft cat getting stress related cystitis while at home.

Nope, she prefers hiding under a blanket in the cattery.

My cat’s cattery consists of little heated chalets, he sleeps there for 20 hours a day and spends the rest of the time pestering the staff for treats. Exactly the same as he does at home.

My two cats have very different personalities but they are both fine in a cattery just super needy when home!

Our other cat roams over the whole village (he has a tracker) and is a busy boy.

He doesn't care whether he has sitter or cattery. We and the cattery worried about him but he just settled down and got on with it.

Cat sitter definitely. I tried catteries twice and didn't like them one bit. Unless they are house cats, cats are semi-feral anyway and are much more comfortable at home with the freedom to roam. Cat sitters are great and nowadays most will send you WhatsApp's and keep you posted and give them a good old fuss. One of my cats is a sod for catching animals (we've had rats, pigeons, a squirrel!) but anyone who sits cats should be more than capable of dealing with any critters they bring in.

What's a chalet? It conjures up images of alpine coziness for cats 😄 also, for those in the know, what exactly does a cat do in a cattery? Do they get to roam at all?

In a cattery they get to sit and eat. And glare at the other cats.

My neurotic cat chooses to spend her time hiding under a blanket while eating her bodyweight in kibble every day. She comes home very fat.

My chilled cat who would normally be roaming the village and hunting, just mellows out.

They find it easier to adapt to being somewhere new, than changes to their home - ie being at home but no Mr and Mrs Magnani.

No, catteries won't let them out - it's far too much of a risk. Some will have enclosed catios so the cats can still go outside and do their business etc. out there, though.

I highly recommend one of the housesitting websites. I'm a registered house and pet sitter on Trusted Housesitters and have been minding pets in various places in the UK and Europe. Both sitters and owners pay an annual fee ( I think there are a few options for owners starting from £99). Sitters are insured and you can read reviews left by the previous owners. An owner(s) would normally have a
video call with a potential sitter(s) to establish if they were a good match. This also gives an owner, as well as sitters, an opportunity to ask each other questions and cover any concerns.

Sitters really try to give you a peace of mind while you are away. I always agree on the frequency of updates, and are more than happy to send photos or videos of pets to their owners. We also cover in advance what needs to happen in case of emergencies. There is obviously an element of trust in all this, and I always try to guide and support first time house and pet owners to ensure they feel comfortable with having me in their house and looking after their pets.

I've looked after plenty of cats and they were always happier staying in their own house. I've had to deal with cats bringing mice, birds, lizards and even a small snake. It is really not that unusual. I would always recommend asking a potential sitter how do they feel about removing dead or alive ' treasures'.

Hope you find the best solution that works for you.

If you are interested in joining Trusted Housesitters, I can send a 25%off referral link.

I highly recommend Trusted Housesitters. We use them every time we go away. My cat is so happy and always bonds with the house sitters. They've never minded the occasional gift he's brought them.

100% a cat sitter for me.

We used a cattery once for a week and the cat looked traumatised when we picked him up and took a while to get back to normal (I'm sure they were lovely, but he was a rescue cat and we think he thought we'd abandoned him).

Never had an issue with the cat sitter. (Regarding his prey - they'll deal with that sort of thing all the time).

I use a professional cat sitter who comes for two half hours a day. This gives me peace of mind a neighbour or teenager wouldn't. She has qualifications in pet first aid, cat behaviour . When she came to meet me and them she explained emergency procedures, if she was ill and what would happen if they needed a vet.

Every day I get photos and an update.

I used to always use a cattery but one of them was so upset I wouldn't do it again unless I had to.