Anyone else get anxiety for week long holidays?

[Mummysgogetter]

Hello everyone,
I have a beautiful 6-year-old tabby. We got her from a pet foods company - she was there until 2 years' old - they keep cats and dogs from kittens/puppies to test the food on them. She wasn't suitable for the environment, so she was put up for adoption.

She's gorgeous - never bites, never scratches - so loving. She is also very clingy and follows me everywhere. I love her to bits :-)

However, I absolutely hate going on holiday now :-( I used to love going away but now I get this horrible, hollow feeling in my stomach. We have mainly took city breaks of 3-4 days but we really want to take a week away abroad somewhere as last time we rushed everything in a 3-day break. Anyone else can relate to this horrible, empty feeling or am I too soft?

I can sympathise! Mine hate going to the cattery too, one cat stressed groomed so badly last time that I cannot send them again.
Currently prevailing on adult children to come and cat sit so we can go away. They're high maintenance cats (I have 4) so it's not just a case of bunging food down twice a day.

My DH wants to arrange our holiday and I don't want to go and leave our little one. I'm worried how she will react. He wants to leave her at home and have a friend who lives on the street away from ours pop in to feed and empty her tray (she has a cat flap too) but I would rather she go to a cattery so they can keep an eye on her.

She loves being out doors though and hates other cats so maybe having a friend in to feed her is best.

I don't go on holiday any more! I like to be at home with my feline overlord.

I don’t go on holidays longer than 6 days and even then I feel awful. She has a sitter to come in twice a day for feeding and a fuss but she’s always thrilled to see us. Doesn’t hold a grudge which makes me feel even worse!

Oh and she has a cat flap and a secure garden.

Yeah I feel a bit guilty too. I've not left him for longer than 4 days since he's been with me, that time we had someone stay over in the flat. Since then I've had either a cat sitter or neighbour feed and play with him twice a day (neighbours kids are in love😻luckily).

But I want to take a week off abroad in June or July and not sure what to do. He's too needy to be left with twice daily visits that long, and is an indoor cat so needs company, but has never been in a cattery and is a very clingy, vocal boy who likes to cuddle. A paid catsitter for a week is very ££££ and not sure how I feel about using a free housesitter site. (If anyone knows someone responsible who wants a short term London pad please message!)

The worst will be when the time comes for me to take a long haul trip back to New Zealand to see family. I usually go for a minimum of 3 weeks often longer.😕Not sure how that will work.

I find holidays a bit difficult now too, my cat is very clingy and shy. She's a rescue and I wouldn't put her in a cattery, she did not do well in a shelter environment.

What I do now is - 5 days or less, get in a catsitter once or twice a day to put down food and say hello to her. Over 5 days, get a live-in catsitter. It's pointless for less than 5 days as it takes her that long to warm up to someone. I used Trusted Housesitters - it's a big step to hand over your house and cat to someone, but it has worked well. I've been lucky enough to get the same person to do repeat visits, so haven't had to keep getting someone new.

I still really miss her, though, however many days it is! I'm trying to toughen up a bit tbh.

I'm dreading this in the future too.
We've reached a nice point in life where we can afford to holiday more but we now have dcat to consider.
I don't want to not go away but the thought of being away for a week worries me.
Thankfully up to now ds has stayed to look after her but he's now moving away so won't be around to do that.
She's very needy and attention seeking so not sure someone popping in to feed her would be enough interaction for her. I work from home and she's always in the same room as me when I'm home.
I have found a nice looking cattery so I'm considering giving her a go there when we have short break. But I know I'll just worry so much it'll take the shine off the holiday.
She hates other cats too so not 100% sure it's the best thing for her but I want to be able to enjoy travelling 😩

Yep and it’s the main reason I no longer go on holiday. (There are other, additional reasons, but this is the main one.)

I feel bad too cos my cat adores company (not for cuddles or to sit on laps, just to be near us). Unfortunately we do have to leave him a few times a year. From 5 days to 4 weeks.

We've found a lovely cattery that keeps up to 15 cats together- and to our surprise he doesn't mind it! Turns out that he's happy when company = other cats. We've had some gorgeous photos of a shelf with all the cats lying next to each other on it.

It's got to the point that when we move next year I'm seriously considering getting a second cat just for DCat!

@Elieza and @Alphabet1spaghetti2 , I'm so glad to read that there are other people who don't like to go on holidays because: cats! I don't love holidays anyway, but the anxiety about leaving mine just puts the tin lid on it... I couldn't relax knowing that Madam would (inevitably) be unhappy...

I push the boat out and have a regular cat sitter who lives in my house when I’m away. She sends me pics of the two of them snuggled together and my girl loves her. It also means my house isn’t empty when I’m not there.

I would definitely have someone live in to mind her, that way she might miss you but at least won’t have to adjust to different surroundings. I couldn’t bear to send our first dog to kennels so always had people come to the house. The last one took the piss though, made difficult by the fact it was a friend’s DD, so we had a few years when we would only go away if our older kids stayed home. You are not the only person who stresses about this 😊

Our Bengal hated other cats but did quite well in the cattery. It was a nice cattery with big pens and horses to watch be groomed/turned out.

My 6’ 3” tattooed Dh used to get me to ring every morning of our holiday to check he was ok. He couldn’t ring apparently for some reason 🙄 just incase they thought he was, you know, “like that”. He couldn’t enjoy the day until I’d rung to confirm the Bengal was ok.

So glad to see this thread because I’m in the same situation! I was hoping to go away for a week or two in June but my usual catsitters (brother and colleague) are otherwise engaged. I looked at Trusted Housesitters but the reviews weren’t great. I also looked at paying people via Cat in a Flat but really I’d just like someone to stay.

She’s not clingy but she does like company/a fuss and a lap in the evening. She would hate a cattery and has only just regrown her fur after stress grooming at the rescue so I’m not going to inflict it on her. My NDN is happy to do feeds if I’m away for a night or two, but any longer and I’d want someone here.

I would definitely miss her, I missed her after only being away for a night last week!