the cats in the cattery

March 1, 2009 2:19 PM

Can I, with clear conscience, leave my rescue cats at a cattery for a week while I go away....?

We have two rescue cats. One of them is big, brave and tough (grrr) and the other one is a cuddly hyperactive toddler who tries to 'greet' new males into the family by wee-ing on the bed.

Until recently our cat sitting was always done by family members who fancied having a house to themselves, but the selfish sods have all moved away now and left us unable to travel.

So tell me, would it be fair to put the cats in a cattery for a week or more? I don't want them to feel I'm teasing them about 'going back to the orphanage', you know?

Alternatively, does anyone know about pet sitters? Are they any good? Are they likely to be seriously freaked out if I (beardy man) insist that the cats get sat by a single woman or lesbian couple (see new man comment above)?

posted by twine42 to pets & animals (12 comments total)

I've had my cats looked after by a cat sitter. What is funny is my cats aren't big fans of humans -- except me and that took some time -- and the cat sitter woman as part of the service would attempt to play with the cats every day. She left a log of her visits and her futile attempts to get the cats to come out from under the bed.

I would highly recommend getting a sitter. A good sitter is bonded and is great with animals. And a millions times better than placing your cat in jail for a week+.
posted by birdherder at 2:23 PM on March 1

Have you asked your vet's office if they could recommend a cat sitter? Or if they board? There are employees (vet techs) at my vet's office who pick up extra money this way, and these are people that I already know and would probably trust more than some random Craigslist person. My vet's office also boards, although playtime/space is a bit limited.

If you explain to your prospective sitter just why you need a woman, they probably won't be at all freaked out. Plus it seems like these are usually solo operations, anyway.
posted by dilettante at 2:25 PM on March 1

Depends on the cattery and the sitter. I've left cats for a week or more at a cattery (great word; I forget what it was actually called) with no ill effects, but I knew the people there and was confident they would take good care of the cats. I have also had cats sat, but that was by a couple whose cat I (and my then wife) would be sitting (we traded apartments for a week), so there was a certain hostage element to guarantee good treatment.

The cats will not actually pine for you as long as they are well fed and treated with affection, but they will be glad to see you when you pick them up/return home.
posted by languagehat at 2:50 PM on March 1

Assuming the cattery is well-run, and the cats don't have medical problems that would prevent it:

Yes. Go for it. Have a clear conscience.
posted by mikeand1 at 2:58 PM on March 1

If I were in this situation, I think I'd ask someone I trusted to drop in on them now and then and leave them be.

Generally, two days, two nights, is my limit for leaving a cat alone and honestly I really don't like it for even one night, but that's the way it goes sometimes and if I had to pick either/or, I'd rather have someone check in on them once a day or every other day than leave them in a place that was strange even to me. Also, they at least have each other, and their familiar home and routines. Especially as rescue cats.

Have you got someone or someone(s) you can trust to do check-ins?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:02 PM on March 1

I'd recommend trying a petsitter first -- they come in, put out food, clean the litter box, and try to play with the cats. I've never had a problem with this. If you have a friend come in every other day, that also will work fine, just add a litterbox and leave out lots and lots of food and water. I've had people in 3-4 times a week, and the cats were just as healthy at the end as at the beginning.

In researching petsitters, I found 90+% of them are women, so you're likely safe on that count.
posted by jeather at 4:06 PM on March 1

I weighed the options, and decided that for vacations I'd rather have a professional catsitter come visit once a day than to make my cat go through the trauma of getting in the carrier, going for a car ride, and having to stay in an unfamiliar place with the scents of other animals (especially since she is quite hostile to other cats and had a rough time in the shelter before we adopted her).

We use an agency that is licensed and bonded - plus in addition to cat-related duties they will bring in the mail and newspaper, put out the trash, open/close shades, etc. Before their first assignment, they sent the sitter to meet us and our cat, and to go over everything in person (how much food/treats, litterbox location, favorite toys, places cat is likely to hide, etc.). The sitter calls us on the first day of the assignment from our home phone so that we know she's there and everything's okay, and leaves a notebook with a daily log of each visit. This arrangement has worked out well for us over the past few years (we hire them about once a year).
posted by candyland at 4:28 PM on March 1

Like candyland, I've always used a professional sitter (licensed, bonded, etc.)--the cats don't get discombobulated from being moved somewhere else, someone looks in on the house every day, and everybody's happy.
posted by thomas j wise at 4:58 PM on March 1

Since they're rescues I wouldn't take them to a strange place and leave them, myself. I'm good with cats, though dogs are the ones I can whisper. Dogs definitely remember being abandoned and/or alone, and I would assume that cats do too.
posted by cmoj at 6:00 PM on March 1

If you trust the neighbors enough and they have kids, they might see it as something fun to do, the parents might think of it as an opportunity to teach them responsibility, you pay them a little but probably not as much as the other options. Since they live close you could reasonably ask for other things like plant watering, mail, keep an eye on the house, twice a day, etc... if you wanted.
posted by nzydarkxj at 8:08 PM on March 1

Mmm... as long as you're coming back I guess it would be ok.
Animal shelters would appear to make a memorable impression, so just keep in mind that there may be some fallout (ie. odd or bad behavior for a little while after). You may need to be patient while they adjust to the idea that you are always going to come back for them :)
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 11:46 PM on March 1

My wife and I always use a pet sitter, and I would highly recommend it. Our cats are pretty high-strung (they're cats!) and while they are not thrilled with us being away, it seems much less nerve-wracking and terrifying than being uprooted from their home and placed in a strange, cramped environment for a week. Plus, it gives us some peace of mind that our home is still peaceful and intact while we are away.

We've used several different services, and they've all been satisfactory. I would do a little research and either get a referral if possible, and make sure that the service you use is bonded. Our newest sitter will actually take a picture of the cats and send it to our cell phones every day, which is also reassuring.
posted by malocchio at 10:04 AM on March 2