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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

cattery or friend watching tv in my house in evenings?

17 replies

redtable2 · 15/04/2014 16:37

We are going away for 3 weeks and were going to leave my lovely 10 year old cat in a cattery but i feel awful about that. My very trustworthy friend has offered to sit and watch telly in our house for a few hours most evenings and another will feed him every morning but not stay. Do you think this would be a better option? i feel so worried about leaving him so long.

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 15/04/2014 18:18

Does he know them already?

RussianBlu · 15/04/2014 19:07

I put my cat in a cattery once, I think it was for 4 or 5 nights. It was a bad idea. When I rang them they said she was fine, having a great time. when I picked her up she had been put on a special diet and medicine (which I had to pay extra for of course). She had diahorrea (sp?) and made the strangest noises I have ever heard for a good few days after. I paid a lot of money for the privilege of her staying in a cattery (was quite a nice looking one). Its much better to ask your friend if she is happy to do it. This is what I do now.

crazynanna · 15/04/2014 19:12

This is the one thing I did not think about when getting my girl. She is nearly 3 and I have not been away in all that time. I hear horror stories about catteries (although I am sure there are some fab ones).

My only option is DS coming to feed her. I have visions of him forgetting, and me coming home to a mummified Poppy, and then me putting out a mafia contract on my son.

putthehamsterbackinitscage · 15/04/2014 19:16

If your friends are ok with 3 weeks I'd do that ... Better a bit of disruption but in their own home than in a cattery if they have never been before in 10 years

Just make sure your friends know about routines, is it an indoor cat or allowed out, have vets details to hand, and detailed instructions for servants duties

vulgarwretch · 15/04/2014 19:18

Your friend sounds like a much better option.

zummurzet · 15/04/2014 19:20

I'd go with friends every time, if it was easy to organise. Would the cat still have access to outside, or would you lock the cat flap?

Fluffycloudland77 · 15/04/2014 19:45

I like my cattery, I know where he is and they put up with me ringing everyday.

cozietoesie · 15/04/2014 20:11

I'm a bit edgy about the three weeks (which is actually a pretty long time) and the 'most' evenings. Even the most wonderful of friends could find it difficult to keep up visits once the initial enthusiasm had passed. And will there be trays to clean?

There is a further option which is to hire in a professional cat sitter - google would show you the firms in your area - and it's certainly something you could add to your thoughts if the finances would fit.

Fluffycloudland77 · 15/04/2014 20:18

My neighbours have gone away, I assume someone is feeding the cats but one of them is going door to door looking for affection, I've put food out for her but I can't encourage her too much because my cats vile to her.

It's really bothering me tbh.

cozietoesie · 15/04/2014 20:23

That's upsetting Fluffy - I've always been just about close enough to mine that at least we would tell each other if we were to be away for an extended period - and that would naturally include animals. I guess you're not close to yours?

(Sorry for the hijack,OP.)

Fluffycloudland77 · 15/04/2014 20:28

Not really, after mine beat up both their cats, staked out their cat flap and hissed at them when they tried to fuss him they kind of stopped talking to us.

cozietoesie · 15/04/2014 20:31

Ouch.

TalkinPeace · 22/04/2014 22:42

We have always left the cats in the house with neighbours feeding.
THey sleep the whole time
have cat flap and bowls of crunchies
we normally come home to fat well groomed cats (have done more than 2 weeks a couple of times)
this time there was a litter tray - for compost cat - but normally its even easier

have never paid for a cattery

BerylStreep · 22/04/2014 22:48

We pay our friends' teenage daughter £5 a day to come and feed the cats.

She's a bit hopeless about doing the litter tray, and always sets the alarm off, but I think the cats are happy.

ThistledownAndCobweb · 22/04/2014 23:19

I feed my neighbours cats when he is away. One is really antisocial and isn't bothered about the lack of human company, but the other is very friendly so I always have a cuddle and a chat with her.
Sometimes I take my kindle down and sit for a while and read while she sits in my lap.

Lovethesea · 27/04/2014 21:15

Just had two weeks away and my mum popped in daily to feed and cuddle our two. They have a Catflap that's microchipped so I knew they had a safe house to sleep in, one is a big hunter and out a lot and the other would miss us loads but I still reckoned being on her own turf was preferable to going to a cattery as she is so territorial.

Both are rescues so I didn't want them to think they were back in pens again.

They were delighted to see us return, they sat on our laps and the hunter brought us a rabbit the next morning. Lovely.

They also ate every flavour of dreamie imaginable.

lurkingfromhome · 29/04/2014 12:47

I asked a couple of vets years ago about this, when I had my first cat and was planning a holiday. They said with no hesitation at all that cats are so territorial that they would much much rather stay on their own turf where everything is familiar than get shipped off to a cattery with no familiar smells. I always either pay a catsitter or get kind neighbours to do the feeding and cuddles. Always worry that they will be pining for us and utterly miserable but of course, being cats, they barely notice that we aren't there as long as they're getting fed...

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