Cat sitter or Cattery?

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We have only had our boy since September so this is our first proper holiday. We are going away for 8 nights over Easter. When we have gone away for a couple of days we have arranged a fab cat sitter to come in twice a day but 8 days seems too long for our DC to be on his own.

Would a cattery be best? We don't have neighbours or other people who would be able to give him extra attention if we leave him at home and he is a real people cat.

Thanks

my Catsitter comes ands sits with my two for an hour or so, rest of the time they are sleeping. They also find it less stressful as they are in their home.

It really depends on your cat I suppose

If we were to go away, I would put my cat into a cattery. She doesn’t like strangers so having them in her home would stress her more than being in a cattery with them. She settles quite quickly in there where as having one in her territory leaves her stressed out longer

If he's happy with the cat sitter then please leave him at home with him/her visiting. There is a bit of a myth that cats get lots of attention in catteries and they really don't get that much.

Generally they're much happier with familiar smells, noises etc than being stuck in a run surrounded by other cats that can cause them a significant amount of stress.

If you've found a good cat sitter then stick with them no matter the length of time.

We use a pet sitter who stays at our house the whole time.

I would always choose a less than ideal set up at home over a cattery, they absolutely have their place but I’d consider keeping their main home environment as consistent as possible over completely removing them from their territory.

Your cat will note the change in his routine but as long as his main needs are taken care of (food, litter etc.) then any other changes/absences aren’t as significant for him.

Cat sitter definitely. Cats tend to get distressed by a change of environment, they don’t actually like other cats that much and at the cattery they’ll be kept in a small space not free to roam like at home. A good cat sitter should be able to stay for a little while to give them a stroke and play with them a bit if the cat is so inclined.

Cattery all the way here for that length of time.

Cat is anti-social/nervous, and won't engage with anyone other than us (so if a cat sitter came, the cat would steer well clear and wouldn't see anyone)

Cat LOVES the outside, and loves to bring presents in from outside. Daren't risk allowing the cat unfettered access to outside given that a cat sitter wouldn't see her, so wouldn't know if she was in/out/OK, or risk the poor cat sitter having to deal with mice in various states of completeness.

Cat HATES being shut in (and having to use a litter tray). Would have to shut her in for that length of time (due to points above), so this is pretty cruel.

Local cattery is run by a lovely lady who Cat will let talk to her/stroke her/play with her. Whilst she doesn't have completely free access to outside, she has space to roam/a run, so she can at least get some fresh air.

But the main point is that cattery will take total responsibility and deal with anything that arises. If the cat is ill/injured/needs medication - all taken care of. If something happens on the cat feeder's watch, then you'll have to deal with it all, remotely. Too stressful for everyone.

Really depends on your cat and the quality of your cat sitter and cattery. I always did a cat sitter with our last cat, visiting twice a day. She was a mostly indoor cat by choice and just wanted to be in her own space. My cat sitter is lovely and hangs out for a while, it’s not just a feed and run job. The one time we had to do a cattery because work was being done on the house my cat was utterly miserable. She much preferred to be at home. Cat sitter gave medication if needed and would have had her straight to a vet if any problems. I’ve also had a previous sitter who was a vetinary nurse, they often have a sideline.

Cat before that was happy with the cattery or a sitter so we would go for either, depending on what seemed best at the time and availability. If you want a good cattery in a peak time, do book it early. My local one is probably already sold out for the summer holidays.

We have a cat sitter who comes in twice a day for an hour a time to feed and play with our girls if we're away.
The are indoor cats so I think a cattery would stress them out, whereas staying at home gives them familiarity of their surroundings

We prefer a cat sitter for ours. She comes in twice a day, spends some time with them and leaves little notes about what was happening so when we come back we have a little journal to read. I'm always a bit nervous about leaving them but I know they would be absolutely miserable in a cattery.

A cat sitter will be absolutely fine.

We left our kitten when she was about that age for a week - my SIL came in and fed her, changed her litter and played with her. She was absolutely fine and we had no issues whatsoever.