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Old 09-26-2016, 04:23 PM
 
3,138 posts, read 2,763,407 times
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So, I'm faced with a bit of a dilemma, and would love to have the input/advice for those of you who own cats.

I have 2 nuggets who I love and work hard never to be apart from for any extended length in time. However, I have several work related trips that have happened and that will come up. For all of these trips, I am gone out of state for 3-4 days.

I just returned yesterday from an out of town trip, and prior to leaving, I left my cats at a boarding shelter. The description that was given to me via phone was vastly different from what I encountered in person. The kitty "condo" area was about 2 feet from where several large, barking dogs were kept. And while their physical spaces were separated by a door, it was very easy to hear the dogs barking, even with the door closed. If I felt stressed hearing this, I know that my cats did as well. For this, and several other reasons, I will not be bringing my cats back to this boarding facility.

There is another boarding facility in town. This one is great in that it houses only cats. The problem is that the facility requires that the cats each be evaluated by the vet at the facility (I already tried to get out of this, as my cats had their yearly check up 2 months ago with their regular vet, and are healthy). This is a requirement that must be done prior to the cats being allowed to stay at the kitty boarding/housing facility. This facility is much nicer, it's definitely quieter, and that cats have exponentially more space. However, it will cost me $120 to have both cats examined, and then I'd have to pay nearly $80/night to have both cats (together) housed while I am gone. This feels like a complete rip off!

My next trip is coming up in less than 2 weeks.

I'm not sure what to do.


I could hire a cat sitter to come to my home. However, I'm mistrustful of having strangers having access to my home while I'm not here.

What are your recommendations? Should I just bite the bullet and have them stay at the cats-only boarding facility?
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Old 09-26-2016, 04:34 PM
 
Location: SW Florida
15,199 posts, read 10,176,724 times
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Don't you have a friend, relative or neighbor who could feed them, clean their litter boxes and spend a little bit of time with them?


Cats hate having their routines changed and I'm sure they would be happier if they could stay in their own home.


If you absolutely have no other choice can't this facility accept a letter from your own veterinarian that the cats are healthy & up to date on their vaccinations?
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Old 09-26-2016, 04:55 PM
 
Location: Mostly in my head
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I have used a vet tech from my vet's office in the past. Frequently they are young and single. They like getting to spend time in a nice house; many would spend the night in the guest room. I know where they work and never had any problem! Now I have a professional pet sitter who comes as many times per day as I want to pay for. She is bonded and insured.
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Old 09-26-2016, 05:30 PM
 
3,138 posts, read 2,763,407 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chiluvr1228 View Post
Don't you have a friend, relative or neighbor who could feed them, clean their litter boxes and spend a little bit of time with them?


Cats hate having their routines changed and I'm sure they would be happier if they could stay in their own home.


If you absolutely have no other choice can't this facility accept a letter from your own veterinarian that the cats are healthy & up to date on their vaccinations?


I know. I know they were stressed out being moved out of the home. And I feel completely horrible for having done this.

I just purchased a new home a little over a month ago. I didn't really know anyone when I moved from the other town (except my ex boyfriend and his parents). My family lives in another area of the country. In this new town, I definitely don't know anyone. I have a friend from a nearby town, but she hates cats. In the past few weeks, I've spoken to a friendly, elderly neighbor who lives nearby. She seems nice enough. Perhaps I can ask her, although i know that she's a professor at a nearby college and might not have the time to do this.
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Old 09-26-2016, 07:35 PM
 
4,224 posts, read 2,986,488 times
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Used neighborhood kids for years but they all went off to college eventually, so now my grown (sort of) daughter usually does our cats when we're away, and we do hers when she's away. Sometimes though there are scheduling conflicts that can't be worked out, so we also have a retired nurse from our vets on call who comes in. She's good with the cats and sends us pictures on each visit. We've done a lot of remodeling over the years, and the cleaning people are in every second week anyway, so the idea of people being in the house when we aren't is nothing new.
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Old 09-26-2016, 07:45 PM
 
Location: in my mind
5,322 posts, read 8,491,763 times
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When I used to travel, and didn't have friends who could do it, I used bonded/insured/licensed/etc pet-sitters. There are TONS where I live, so very easy to find. I had very good experiences with them. They would write a note about each day's visit and it was so fun to read their stories about how my cat acted with them.

If I had owned anything of significant value during that time, I would have taken steps to make sure it wouldn't be easily accessible to them. I think nowadays you could easily install some hidden cameras that would allow you to monitor your home while gone, and could tell the pet sitter that you had a such a security system, as an added deterrent.
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Old 09-26-2016, 07:45 PM
 
Location: Ft Myers, FL
2,771 posts, read 2,279,483 times
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Care.com
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Old 09-26-2016, 08:18 PM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,737 posts, read 74,703,059 times
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I use an insured, bonded professional pet sitter. It's a little more costly than having the neighborhood kid over, but there are no neighborhood kids here, my friends don't live nearby, and I like the peace of mind I get with this sitter.
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Old 09-26-2016, 08:44 PM
 
457 posts, read 487,957 times
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Find a pet sitter. You will feel so much better knowing your cats are at home in their familiar surroundings. Have the sitter give you daily updates. I was a little leary letting a stranger in my home the first time I used her (I usually just had my folks do it, but dad is getting up there in age). After our first trip, it was a no brainer for future trips. You can't put a price on piece of mind.
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Old 09-26-2016, 08:57 PM
 
436 posts, read 572,930 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erjunkee View Post




I'm not sure what to do.


I could hire a cat sitter to come to my home. However, I'm mistrustful of having strangers having access to my home while I'm not here.

What are your recommendations? Should I just bite the bullet and have them stay at the cats-only boarding facility?

I always hire a cat sitter to come to my home. I wouldn't board my kitties. I found a cat sitter on sittercity.com who had a background check. I checked her references and she has done a fabulous job for 2 years. There are probably pet sitters on Yelp that have been reviewed. My cat sitter sends me photos and updates about my kitties while I am gone. I trust her with my home and my beloved cats. You can start looking now to find someone so you can interview them and check their references before your next trip.
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