Going on holiday and high needs cat

[SuperGinger]

Hi our elderly cat is very high needs. She likes to be with people all the time otherwise she pines and howls incessantly, and she is very loud. She'll howl even if accidentally shut in the kitchen and is like velcro. She only eats socially ie when people in the room and doesnt exactly wolf her food down. Mostly she is happy as there is always someone around and she can sit on a lap.

She cannot cope with a cattery at her age (she's never been to one) and when we've used cat sitters before she has been miserable as they only came to see her twice a day. Last year we came home from two weeks away she was thin and dehydrated as she refused to eat or drink. What can I do this year? we really need a holiday, we can't really have anyone to stay as our house is in a bit of a state, ideally I need to find a friend she can stay with who will lavish her with attention. But do such cat lovers exist?

Your cat will probably be unhappy at someone else's house. Our cat needs medication every morning, prefers to eat socially and likes to 'chat' after hes been outside or had a sleep. So if we want to go away someone has to stay in the house with him. It wouldn't be fair to leave him alone as he would suffer and that's cruel.

@SleepingisanArt this is what I figure but getting some to stay in our house is another matter, it is so decrepit at the moment.

I do this! Move in for the duration of the cat owners holiday and love their cats for them. As long as the house is clean and kitchen and bathroom functional, I don’t care how decrepit it is. Ask around - I get mine by word of mouth.

The house is clean and tidy just tired

We use Trusted Housesitters www.trustedhousesitters.com/pages/vacation-pet-sitting-gbp/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzdOlBhCNARIsAPMwjbyeVsRfL1K9bQ6OkuIdoYTrQ7Y5uSU5g5-BMcy5ZD73M4qtklvawsQaAhxeEALw_wcB
Been using them for years. Everyone who's house sat has been wonderful! My cat has loved them all. I really can't recommend them highly enough. I get great peace of mind knowing my cat has company and is being cared for.

Don't worry about the state of your house!

Ask around or use a pet sitting service. Most of my friends who have cats manage to find someone to stay.

The issue with using a pet-sitter that stays in your home is that they will need to leave during the day to complete their normal dog walks and other jobs - so your cat will still be left for a good amount of time.

I pet-sit for a living and couldn't take on a job where I had to be in the house all day.

We use trusted house sitters also. They don’t need to leave for walking dogs etc, they are usually people who live further away, who travel to you and stay at your house. They feed cat and give attention, and they get a new area to explore. Some of ours work from home so are around most the day Mon-Fri.

Get someone to stay at yours if you absolutely must go away

I didn't have a holiday the last year of my old cats life . It seemed so cruel to leave him .

I'm sure there are nice sitters that will do what you ask but change can be a big shock for old animals

I agree with Trusted Housesitters. It's worked out well for my cat who needs more than just a drop in cat sitter.

Another vote for Trusted Housesitters here. Lots of them are remote workers who are at home all day on their laptops.

And yet another vote for Trusted Housesitters. You just need to be honest about your situation, but there are plenty of digital nomads out there looking for a base to work from for a few weeks. Some of the home owners on the site have a complete menagerie to be cared for (5 cats, 4 dogs, 2 horses and a bunch of rabbits etc), so a somewhat needy single cat doesn’t sound too onerous by comparison.