[kana]

Hi,

My DH and I are going on a 13 day Gulf of Alaska trip next month. We have an 11 month old Aby cat and I am just sick thinking about him going to the kennel. I was going to have someone check in on him, but I felt I was asking too much of someone to come in everyday. Our cat is very particular about his litter box and it needs to be spotless before he uses it, so if it isn't cleaned atleast 3 times a day then he will poo on the floor. I think I made him this picky. :lol: He has 3 boxes when we go away for the weekends.

Well, I feel that he will be sitting in his cage thinking we don't love him. Do they have a concept of time?
I know this will stress the little bugger out being away from home, but I feel it is too long for him to be home. My friend couldn't stay for more then an hour or so and the kennel has people in and out all day.
He will also have 3 sessions of play time outside of his cage thru out the day.

So, I guess I need to know that I shouldn't be concerned about him and his feelings for those days. I wish I could just say, "it's only a cat" and enjoy myself. :lol:
It more like my 2 year old child left at daycare and not understanding what happened.


I need words of wisdom........


Has anyone used DrJean's "Alone Again (formerly Solitude)" formula?

 

[Lori]

I have never boarded a cat, so I don't have any specific advice or wisdom in that regard.
Your cat will miss you regardless, whether at home or boarded. We leave Velvet home when we go somewhere and have people come in every couple days. Unfortunately she doesn't get any attention while we are gone since she is such a two-person cat. That is part of the reason I have hesitated to board her. I am afraid she would be a terror to the staff and the rest of the cats!
He will do just fine. But I am sure he will be thrilled to see you when you get back.
Your vacation sounds wonderful, have fun!

 

[Annissa]

Sabby might be lonely left alone at home for a few days, but he will be absolutely miserable at a kennel. I always find someone to come in and watch after him when I'm gone. This August my fiance and I are getting married in Washington State so we'll be gone for over a week. I'm going to need to find somebody to come to my house twice a day and administer Sabby's insulin. Still, I would rather impose on somebody than send him to a kennel.

 

[Zalensia]

When we had shelly she was put in a cattery for 2 weeks when my boyfriend went away. THose same 2 weeks the very next year she disapered for the same 2 weeks, i think she HATED it, and certainly knew the concept of time.

 

[faile]

i'm leaving for a week this summer, i'm trying to find a friend who will live at my apartment for the week and care for the kitties.

maybe you have a friend or relative who would do that?

 

[AngelZoo]

Try a pet sitter instead. I used to be a pet sitter, still am at times

This way your cat gets to stay in the comfort of their own home, while someone comes to care for them.

You have the option of having a person visit as often or as little as you would like while you are away. They will perform various tasks such as feeding, cleaning litter boxes, providing companion ship, getting your mail etc, etc.

Try these links to find one near you.

http://www.petsit.com/

http://www.petsitters.org/

 

[kana]

I spoke with the breeder that had him for 6mths and she feels that he would do very well in a kennel. He was a show cat before we got him so he is a little more used to being moved around to strange places. She told me that she doesn't normally recommend the kennel route, but with him she thinks he will do better with people around. He likes everyone that comes over and isn't really scared of too many things.

Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions.

 

[kana]

I just wanted to post an update on how my cat did at the kennel for 2 weeks. I spoke with the owner and she told me that he was a little nervous the first day, but then he acted normal and very playful. They loved playing with him and was sad to see him go home. She told me that she doesn't see too many cats that do as well as he did.
He has been home for 3 days now and you wouldn't know that he had been away for 2 weeks. Well, he didn't let me leave his sight the first day home, but he didn't give me the cold act either.

So...........I am relieved that my kitty is comfortable being away from home.

 

[imatarb]

I'm glad to hear that he did so well at the kennel. I'm sure it was a huge load off your mind!

Lisa

 

[RarePuss]

wow.. great news I'm glad everything went this smoothly

 

[catobsessed4]

That's great news!! And it's nice that you'll know he's OK when you go out of town next time.

 

[CatAholic]

Kana, I bet you are just so glad to be home and have that out of the way. I think it's more stressful for us than them! I just have to ask you what kind of kitty is that, that you have? He is especially striking in his features, what a fantastic look!

 

[kana]

Thank you for the replies.

Our cat is a beautiful red Abyssinian that won his premiership a couple months ago. 8) His personality is as precious as his looks. Never owned a cat before, but we get tons of compliments on both his looks and personality. I'd have a hard time deciding who to save first, him or my husband, if the house was ever on fire. :lol: And I adore my husband........... :wink:

 

[CatAholic]

Tee-hee! we won't tell your husband! (my husband is probably as confident as yours, I let mine know he's stuck with me, there is no gettin away~ how priceless is our love, I'm thankful
My Pookey, I was told is an abyssian? mix? (mix as in the neighbors cat (2 miles away: ), obviously to look at your kitty Pookey is no where near the fine features. I don't think I've ever seen one as yours, truly striking and then to say he has the personality too, ahhhhhhhhhhh, only the work of God.

 

[LucyB]

What a stunning beauty!

 

[kana]

Thank you!

He was a show cat and qualified for breed standard, but the breeder was pointing out features on him that were unique to just him. :lol: His forehead is a little flatter and more like an oriental short hair then an Abys. We didn't care that he wasn't "show standard perfect" because his looks were really cute to us. He was neutered and sold as a pet because of these features, but surprisingly did well in the ring. Not sure if we were fooled or not, but we ended up with a cat that we would have spent thousands of dollars for in a heart beat.

This picture is a rare thing because he doesn't hold still for long.