Cattery or cat sitter

[OkPedro]

Hi all.. I have an 18month old boy. I would like to go on holiday this year with my two children. However I really don't to leave my cat 😓 I know I'm being ridiculous and I can't stop doing things altogether. Anyway has anyone left their young cat in a cattery or had a cat sitter for a week? My boy is a nervous cat and is unsure of new people and surroundings.. we moved house in October and it took him 6 weeks to settle in, he cried a lot!
Any advice for me? Thanks

Actually she is qualified in animal care @BrunoJenkins and has pet first aid qualifications too.

I wouldn't leave my animals with anyone who didn't to be quite honest!

I use a Cattery. I feel they are safer and will have regular checks to see that they are ok. I used to use one which was run by a vet nurse. I knew my DCat was in really good hands.

They used to be regulated by the FAB but I don’t know what the governing body is now. I’d choose one of those.

@SallyWD - how does the housesitter thing work? Do you pay them, or do they just like living for free your home and getting their kicks from exploring your locality? Either way, it's presumably easier to get people to come and stay if it's a lovely home and / or an interesting location?

[quote CamomileTeabag]@SallyWD - how does the housesitter thing work? Do you pay them, or do they just like living for free your home and getting their kicks from exploring your locality? Either way, it's presumably easier to get people to come and stay if it's a lovely home and / or an interesting location?[/quote]
My friend always advertises his flat on Airbnb at a cheap rate and explains in the listing that the discount is because they'll be expected to look after his cat while they're there. He makes a bit of money and he's never had any issues.

@OkPedro

I posted a pic of my cat 😸

But I agree even if your cats are usually well what if they became unexpectedly ill or had an accident? I would expect a cat to be checked on at least once a day

Trustedhousesitters is a global site. I’m in London & my first sitters came from the US, the second Netherlands. It works out much cheaper than a cattery or private sitter as everyone who is a member pays an annual membership fee and that’s it. The sitters will look after your home & cat for free. Once you post your sit people can apply and you can choose who you want based on their profiles and reviews. A lot mention they are used to taking care of older or sick pets.

Also should add the sitters will stay in your home & that every time I got back from a trip they had left my flat spotless. Much cleaner than I had left it!

My friend always advertises his flat on Airbnb at a cheap rate and explains in the listing that the discount is because they'll be expected to look after his cat while they're there. He makes a bit of money and he's never had any issues

No issues "yet" - but sounds like asking for trouble / unreliability to me! Not right for my precious kitties but thanks for the suggestion.

@CamomileTeabag Trusted House Sitters is great. It's free for the sitter and the house owner. We often go away for 3 weeks over the summer (family abroad) and it would cost me many hundreds of pounds to pay for a cat sitter. But I don't do it because it's free, it's because it's best for my cat. He wouldn't cope in a cattery. Cat sitters who pop in have been great but I can tell my cat has been lonely. Having House sitters means he has a lot of company and he's been so much happier. He's not the friendliest cat because he's so nervous but has really bonded with all the cat sitters, sitting on their laps, sleeping with them etc. When we've got home the house has been immaculate and my cat has been content. There are several house sitting sites but I like Trusted House sitters because its specifically for animal lovers. In answer to your question - I'm sure the most beautiful houses in the best locations get snapped up quickly. We have a semi-detached house in Leeds (might not be the first choice of holiday destination for many) but have always had several applications. You can read reviews of the sitters, do a video call beforehand etc. After all these years I can finally enjoy holidays without worrying about my cat.

My friend always advertises his flat on Airbnb at a cheap rate and explains in the listing that the discount is because they'll be expected to look after his cat while they're there. He makes a bit of money and he's never had any issues.

God - why on earth would you trust someone you've never met and you know nothing about to care for your pets?

That's madness.

@fairylightsandwaxmelts

My friend always advertises his flat on Airbnb at a cheap rate and explains in the listing that the discount is because they'll be expected to look after his cat while they're there. He makes a bit of money and he's never had any issues.

God - why on earth would you trust someone you've never met and you know nothing about to care for your pets?

That's madness.

Well I wouldn't use Airbnb like this anyway because I wouldn't want strangers living in my house. But it's not really any different to the house sitting that OP is considering - all you have to go on is reviews and those are easily faked.

Also the whole premise of CatInAFlat and other cat sitting services is that you're hiring a stranger to check on your cats. It may be "madness" to you but 100,000s of people have done it and left positive reviews.

God - why on earth would you trust someone you've never met and you know nothing about to care for your pets?

I was very reluctant before signing up to Trustedsitters and had never heard about them until I seen a flyer. I couldn’t get my head around strangers living in my flat caring for my cat. Now I have had 10+ sits and met all of them beforehand. I have 3 regular sitters I met through the website.

We all know reviews can be faked but the website really is great and it’s not just random people on the internet posting reviews. You have to be a member. I’m sure there are a lot of people who haven’t had a good experience but I have found it very reliable. My cat would not cope in a cattery or just having someone in for an hour a day.

I use a local cat sitter - now on my third in this particular house as the previous two decided they wanted to deal with dogs only (how could they????). I interviewed her before taking her on, and she pops round before every time I use her to pick up keys and get any updates on the cats. She would come twice a day, but I'm fine with once, and she feeds them/tidys up litter tray, and would play if they were up for it. I get a daily photo to confirm they're alive/happy - although to be fair one of mine last time was very much under the furniture..

@BrunoJenkins

Also the whole premise of CatInAFlat and other cat sitting services is that you're hiring a stranger to check on your cats. It may be "madness" to you but 100,000s of people have done it and left positive reviews.

But those websites are VERY different from trusting a random person who's booked through AirBnB . It's like comparing apples and oranges.

Sitters that work with actual pet-sitting websites like CatInAFlat or Trusted House Sitters are all insured with the companies they've signed up with, so you have back up if something goes wrong - eg. if someone forgets to close a window or loses your key etc.

You don't have that when it's a total stranger from AirBnB, which was my entire point.

I use a cat sitter. She comes twice a day for 30 minutes and sends me lots of photos each visit so I know all the cats are there and happy. She also sends me jolly pictures of whatever dcat3 has dragged in.
My cats are very difficult, and dcat1 cannot be shut in anywhere and would be very traumatised by a cattery, but she has bonded with them amazingly well, and dcat 2 and 3 will both sit on her lap now

We use to go with cat sitters ( friends who would stay over and house/cat sit for us) however we had a trip where we couldn’t get someone. We found a cat hotel ( as they call it ) and they were so so sooooo lovely . Their rooms were nice and spacious with great indoor and outdoor living space overlooking a farm . Our 3 cats loved it ( as far as we could tell because you never really know ) and we have been using them ever since . If you find the right cattery then I high recommend!

I’d always use a sitter instead of a cattery, as I believe would be much more stressful to remove them from their territory and limit the amount space they have.

We’ve used Cat in a Flat a few times now, both for an overnight sitter and for twice daily visits. We always choose a sitter who has a DBS check and lots of positive reviews and we meet them first so our cats can meet them too!

Our previous cat sitter, before we moved to a different area, was a Veterinary Nurse at an animal rescue hospital and she was amazing. Sent us loads of updates, photos and videos.

Our current sitter has veterinary care assistant experience and she visits twice daily. She too sends videos of her playing with them and lots of photos.

Thanks proseccoandchips