Cattery or neighbour coming in to feed.

[Lindy2]

We got our rescue cat in November and in a while we will be going away for a week.
I'm not sure if it would be best to book her in to a cattery or if she should stay home and one of my neighbours come in to feed her.
I think she would be more comfortable at home but we usually keep her in at night and it would be a bit tricky for my neighbour to do this although she could close the cat flap at dinner time (assuming the cat is inside) which would just be a bit earlier than usual.
I think she'd be safer in a cattery but I don't think she'd like it at all. She's spent enough time in a rescue centre pen and is really quite an outdoors cat. Being shut in again could upset her.
I was all set for her to stay home but the other day she hurt her leg falling off some stairs. She's ok now - just had a bit of a limp for a couple of days. It has made me more nervous about leaving her though and I'm not sure now what would be best. I think I worry more about the cat than the children at the moment! 😂

I was adamant that my cats would never go to a cattery. I have a cat sitter who comes in to see them. But health issues with one of them made me nervous about leaving them at home. So I found a lovely one, run by a vet. I'm so much more relaxed and don't worry about them at all while they are there.

I normally say leaving the cat in its own home is less stressful. But in this case I'm not sure. If you think the neighbour might struggle with keeping them in at night then a cattery might be better.

I'm on the fence. Not helpful at all I realise ...

Our cat is nearly 6 and has never been to a cattery in his life. Our neighbour feeds him when we are away. He is an outdoor cat and allowed access to his catflap at all times - is there a reason yours is kept in at night?

I'd definitely suggest a cat sitter / pet visiter. Come in the morning to feed breakfast and open up cat flap / check your overlord is happy and pop back again in the evening to feed and lock catfalp and have a cuddle if that's what your cat is into?

You could ask neighbor to pop in at some point through out the day and keep an eye on kitty too?

We have some ladies that do visits either once or twice a day depending on your preference. They send a pic each time of the cat (which is lovely to see) they are professional dog walkers and amazing.

Can you change the cat flap for one with a timer? Some have mixed reviews but if the neighbour was coming in they could double check it.

I've had the same dilemma and have gone for a cattery this time as the cats will only be a year old and are still kittenish so need more than a pat and refill twice a day. Our old cat though was absolutely fine with a cat flap and someone resetting the food timer every 2 days - he got quite pissed off when we came back and put a stop to his 23 hour a day peaceful sleeps.