Going away...cat care

[BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush]

Normally we'd leave him and someone would pop in twice a day to feed and fuss. He's got a cat flap. Job done.

But while we are away for 5 days new kitchen getting fitted and cat flap won't be accessible. If we were here we'd leave window or backdoor open. But don't really want to for 5 days while fitters in and out.

Options..

A)he stays at home with litter tray, but I think we can't rely on fitters to keep him in.
B) heroes and stays with friends of ours, big garden, he knows them.
C) we leave front window open and hope we don't get burgled.

Cattery not an option as he would hate it. He is 15 and never been to one.

Or another option....

None of those. Sorry. He will be upset hearing the kitchen fitters without you there.
You can't just let a cat out at a friends...even if you moved you would keep the cat in a few weeks to get them used to your new place.
Really....C.....that can't even be serious.

She will be fine in the cattery. Safe. Secure. Maybe a bit peed off but safe.

I don’t think 5 days in a cattery would kill him, we thought ours wouldn’t cope but he did.

He'll be best off in the cattery.

Agree a cattery. All the others are equally as stressful. I had mine in there once for six weeks between homes. They came back fatter, but one instantly went on the balcony and caught a bird, so she hadn’t lost that skill!

My cats are going to the cattery Fr the week my kitchen is being done. The fitter said he is used to keeping indoor cats in. But it will be to noisy and disruptive for them. I will probably move out that week as well!

Agree cattery. With the noise and your absence he might run away and get lost.

Can't someone pop round let him in and out and feed him? That's what my mum does when we go away. I don't have a cat flap and have 3 cats. I wouldn't use a cattery again as one of mine pulled all his hair out when he was there last time.

He's put up with 4months of serious building work up to this point.

The friends would keep him in at night and mostly during the day and not be letting him wander willy nilly. Just wonder if him being at a friends with people ge knows is better than a cattery....

Hes happiest at home really.

We just did this too and used a cattery even though the catflap was still available. They are safe and well cared for there even even if they don't love it. It was too much to ask a cat sitter / friend to look after them with the building work going on, I was worried they might run off. Since we've been back the work has been in full swing and one of them is definitely a bit unsettled but ok with is at home to keep an eye on her.

Presumably at that age Dcat isn't too nimble.

Are there a couple of rooms/top floor you could confine the cat in?

Just another thought, but we bought a Mr Snugs cat den (like a kennel, but the double layer of wall seems to keep it not too hot/cold). Our cats like it (though they are young), so it wouldn't be a disaster if they stayed out all night.

If you send him to stay elsewhere they can't let him out - he could wander and get lost. Please, please don't do that.

I'm not a fan of catteries as a rule but I think it's your safest option here. If you leave him at home he'll be stressed and if he goes to a friends he'll be stressed and could escape, have accidents or destroy their house!

I'd go for at the friends, but ask them to keep him inside with a litter box. Relocating him there and back would be disruptive, but no different then going to cattery.