Who looks after your cat when you go away?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

We have been using a lady for cat sitting when we've gone away during the past few years. We give her a key, she comes in twice a day to feed our cat and play with her. All was fine until the last time we went away last Christmas.

We came home to find we had been burgled. Only the upstairs bedroom was affected but they took my entire jewellery collection. To this day we are still not 100% of their point of entry - there was a smashed glass door to a balcony that leads off the bedroom but we think this was a red herring and whoever got in had a front door key.

Cat sitter said she knew nothing about it and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

She seems trustworthy but I am very nervous now about using her again. I can't be sure if she wasn't involved or gave someone the key etc.

We are planning to go away this summer. For security I would feel safer leaving our cat in a cattery but that would mean she's in a cage and can't go outside.

What do you do?

I have lovely neighbours who do it and I feed theirs when they go away.

If they weren't an option I would use one of the vet nurses who does cat sitting. She's so lovely I'd have no worries.

We use a cattery, took us a while to find the right one for our cat, but he absolutely loves it there and is spoilt rotten.

My biggest concern with leaving him at home and having someone come in is the worry about something happening and the cat sitter not noticing

I used to use a lovely cattery, but it’s a 30 min drive away - nearer ones not nearly so nice - and 2 of my cats hate going in the car, properly panicking with poo and pee and panting . Also for 3 cats it was wildly expensive, over £350 for 2 weeks.

So now either next-door neighbour, if she’s not away herself, will come in twice a day for feeding and a bit of lap time - I don’t pay her, but always bring her nice presents, & also water her flowers & keep an eye on her house when she’s away; or a woman who is involved with a local cat rescue will do it, and I make a decent donation to the rescue.

The cats are definitely happier being at home, and have the run of the house at night as a treat (normally they’re shut in back room/kitchen)

The owner has now retired but we tried a very lovely cattery. Ours hated it, even though fantastically well cared for. We'd tried building up from short breaks before we tried a week or longer, but there was still too much fretting and losing weight to be comfortable with. They have joined us on holidays since but remain indoors - it works reasonably well for us and they are happy. It is more difficult to find holiday accommodation accepting of cats though. Pet friendly is usually only dog friendly. There seems some discrimination against holidaying cats!

Our tortie girl goes in a cattery and seems to really like it, heated pad to snooze on, spacious cage and lovely garden views as well as spotlessly clean. When the owner of the cattery can't take her (usually similar timed holidays) we use the cattery they put their own cat in and she settles just as well there.

I find a friend or family member who can stay and neighbours fill in any gaps. It helps that we live somewhere people want to visit so they get to stay in the house, look after the cat and have a bit of a holiday themselves

@MiniLeopardInTheHouse how do your cats cope with coming on holiday with you? We're considering it for the first time as our cat really hates it when we're away, he loses weight and also kills lots of wildlife and brings it into the house! We are going to stay with relatives for 2 weeks (who love cats) but it is a 2 hour drive away and he would have to stay inside, whereas he spends a lot of time outdoors normally. We've had neighbours looking after him before but they only have time to feed him and don't play with him or anything. Really don't know what to do for the best.

Mine go to a cattery.

When I was burgled and all my jewellery (and a pillowcase to put it all in 🙄) was stolen, one of the things the police said was that bedrooms are always the first place burglars look as its where most people keep their valuables. The insurance assessor that came out said the same.

We take ours on holiday in the caravan - they have harness and leads on. They either sleep in the sun on the sofa or hot water tank if chilly. We have an awning - the cats happily sit on their own chairs with long leads attached to the caravan so they have room to roam.
But they are houseboat cats so used to ever changing outdoors and having to be on leads. I’m hoping the teach our new kittens what it’s all about - but for the first couple of years the kittens will be going to cattery when we go out in the caravan.

I dont have cays now but I used to either have a friend feed them, hotel someone or cattery. Once during a complicated move they were in the cattery for a month and only issue was they had put on a bit of weight! They lost it quickly though.

We usually go away for two weeks. MIL house sits and looks after them for one week and they go in a lovely cattery for the other.

We use a lovely cattery.

It has a garden area that is completely secure and the cats get some outside time each day. I always request as much outside time as possible for my cat as I know she likes exploring.

Quite often they also let her roam around the stock room whilst they are working in there as it's all within a secured complex (like a large zoo enclosure) so there's no risk of her getting lost even when outside of her pen.

We pay quite a bit for it but she seems relaxed and happy when we return with just a little bit of crossness about the fact we dared go away without her.

My cleaner, though we've become friends.
She has a key to my house, and actually to my car too as I got her insured on it.
She doesn't change me anything but I give her extra anyway.