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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Who looks after your cat when you go away?

20 replies

Rainydays55 · 30/03/2022 12:33

Sounds silly but we haven’t left our cat yet and all gone away… I’m just not sure on a catery but we haven’t really got anyone we know who can pop in a couple of times a day… I just don’t want to stress him out! What do you find works best?

OP posts:

WowIlikereallyhateyou · 30/03/2022 12:34

I pay a lady who comes in twice a day to feed / fuss etc.

Amrapaali · 30/03/2022 12:35

Id like to know as well. I tried Cat in a Flat but the sitters are so flaky. They reply once and seem to disappear

Beamur · 30/03/2022 12:36

I have one cat I can happily leave for a neighbour to pop in and feed or take to a cattery no problems. But another one is VERY needy and will look for me if I don't come home. The third one seems to stress groom at the cattery.
If it's just a day or two maybe a local friend or neighbour. Especially one with cats so you can return the favour. Or a responsible teenager. Longer than a few days I would check out catteries or cat sitters.

Bigoldmachine · 30/03/2022 12:43

Our cat died very recently but when she was alive we used a cat sitter. Years ago she used to go to the cattery but was very anxious bless her and it just wasn’t worth the stress for her. She was much much happier with lovely cat lady coming in once a day for a fuss, a play and to feed her etc. It was £15 per visit and she had all the proper insurance.

CupcakesK · 30/03/2022 12:51

If we're going away for less than 5 days our regular dog walker (insured and qualified) comes in to feed her. She is an older cat though and spends 95% of the time sitting in sunny/warm spots in the house (has a cat flap, rarely goes out).

For longer - we have a cattery 5 minutes away, but to be honest I think she might be too old now for that. Last time we used them was pre-pandemic and she hated it then.

usernotfound0000 · 30/03/2022 13:13

We have a pet sitter who comes twice a day to feed/play/fuss them.

whoruntheworldgirls · 30/03/2022 13:17

Cat sitter once a day, she stays around 40 mins to do litter, wash food bowl, fresh food and water and fuss and play with the cat, £11 a visit.
I also use a feliway when we go away to help reduce stress

Menopants · 30/03/2022 13:24

I used to use house sitter Uk www.housesittersuk.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkLPS8Ont9gIVA7TtCh1dcQPFEAAYAiAAEgLlZ_D_BwE
It’s free to use and we met lovely people who had a nice holiday in our house

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 30/03/2022 15:54

NDN (He of TC fame) a couple of times a day.

SparklingLime · 30/03/2022 15:57

Cats are very attached to their environment, so a cat sitter is a much less stressful for them than moving to a cattery. Your local lost cat/cat admiration Facebook group might be a good place to ask.

MsSquiz · 30/03/2022 16:02

We have a cat sitter who comes in twice a day to feed and play with our 2 house cats when we're away and it's been the same lady since they were around 2 years old (they're 8 this year).

I didn't want them to go to a cattery as they're house cats so very used to their own surroundings and the have free run of the majority of the house. I don't think they'd fare too well in a cattery

Omgwhatthehell · 30/03/2022 16:09

We use Cat in a Flat and they have been excellent. We're in London and there is a lot of cat sitters on the app to choose from.

The lady we use is great. We pay about £14 for her to come twice a day, feed and play with our house cat and sort his litter tray. Our cat loves her and she sends us photos or little videos.

I've also asked a cat loving local friend to pop in if we're only away for a night. I always buy him a bottle of wine or box of chocolates so really I'm paying practically the same as if we booked a cat sitter on Cat in a Flat.

Retrievemysanity · 30/03/2022 16:11

Used to have a wonderful neighbour who came in twice a day. We’ve recently moved and have just booked a company called Kitty Angels who will come into the house and feed and administer medicine if required. I don’t think mine would enjoy a cattery.

AwkwardPaws27 · 30/03/2022 16:13

Cat in a Flat. We've got a regular person we usually book through there as then it's covered by their insurance too.
Catteries are more stressful for most cats as they are more bonded to their environments.

Papergirl1968 · 30/03/2022 21:18

We have taken ours with us a few times, which was fine as he was very family oriented and took it in his stride, although I don't think I'd do it now we have a second cat who is much more nervous.

Gardeningfool · 31/03/2022 08:56

I've moved around quite a lot, and everywhere I've lived seems to have several small cat feeding/dogwalking firms - usually run by nice women who are fond of animals and seem to know what they're doing. The only problem has been that they make more money from dog-walking and therefore quite frequently give up on the cat feeding side of the business. My current one costs £6 a day for one visit a day - during which she feeds cats, clears out litter tray and sends a daily message/photo so you can see cats are alive (or at least being fed). Its worked very well until last week when one cat got a bit stressed and wouldn't let her go upstairs where the litter trays are! We'll persevere as the cat would be much more stressed if I put her in a cattery!

Fluffycloudland77 · 31/03/2022 09:18

We used a cattery, I liked knowing where he was at all times. I chose one with countryside views and gun dogs to sneer at.

blobby10 · 31/03/2022 09:26

FOr breaks of one or two nights I use an automatic feeder. Historically we had neighbours who would feed the cats or one of my kids would stay home whilst we had a holiday. Haven't been away for 2 years and have been expecting now 15 year old cat to pass away but she's still going strong! I'm going away in June for 9 days and have no idea what I will do. She gets horrendously stressed in a cat basket so cattery not an option. Two of three adult kids coming away with me and third can't get time off work. Might have to use a professional cat sitter to come and feed and fuss.

afaloren · 31/03/2022 09:27

Another vote for Kitty Angels here. They’re brilliant and send fab photos and little videos.

NowYouListenToMeFella · 31/03/2022 10:09

I used a cattery the last time I was away and one of the lads was getting sick every day he was there. Still vomiting after I collected him so had to go to the vet and get an injection. The other fella more or less hid the whole time. I really don't want to do that to them again.

Have ordered a fancy cat flap which I hopefully will be getting installed next week. I'm away for a week in June and already worrying about it. I have people who will call to feed them, clean litter and put out water. The vomiter mentioned earlier is very used to me wfh and being around all day. I'm afraid he will be lonely despite the callers.

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