Options for medium-term pet care?

March 31, 2009 10:17 PM

What are my options for caring for 2 cats while I'm out of the country for months at a time?

I have 2 cats who I care for well and have plenty of affection for. Unfortunately, I've taken a job that will involve sporadic periods of travel, lasting 3-6 months. Besides asking a close friend or neighbor for (several) really big favors, what other options to I have?

posted by jpg15 to pets & animals (8 comments total)

Get a cool roommate who loves cats? I would be fine doing this for a roommate as long as the cats were not crazy. I have long-term crazy cat sat which was not so much fun.
posted by MS_gal at 10:57 PM on March 31

Also, ask around. You might know someone who loves cats but fears the commitment of 10+ years. A short-term but regular opportunity to have a cat might be just what they want.
posted by MS_gal at 11:16 PM on March 31

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but why would you "take a job that involves sporadic travel lasting 3-6 months" when you are responsible for two lives; namely, your cats? When you make the [BIG] decision to have pets, it should also include a pledge to care for those pets for the duration of their lives--not just until it's no longer convenient. At this point, since you have taken the aforementioned job, it is now your responsibility to find a willing, trusted family member or friend, who is willing to essentially adopt your cats. Permanently. This is the fairest solution for you (who will need to travel for your job) and for the cats, who, by the way, are famously not good with change. They like routine and familiarity - please, please make the effort to give that to them--with someone you know and trust.
posted by parkerama at 11:30 PM on March 31 [2 favorites]

I sublet my place when I needed to skip town for 10 days last summer. I gave the subletters an amazing deal- 10 days, at approximately the rate of 1 night in a decent hotel- in exchange for them caring for my cat & watering my plants. In my Craigslist ad I specified that I had a cat & preferred to rent to cat lovers; the couple who I chose won my trust by sending photos of their two cats sprawled out in an impeccable apartment; clearly they were not only cat lovers, but also clean, responsible people, score!

I left them lots of goodies (maps of the neighbourhood, annotated with things I thought they'd like, snacks in the fridge, fresh flowers, extra cat supplies, etc) and a note with details about my cat's preferences & weird quirks, and checked in by email a couple times. All went better than well- as it turned out, they charmed the hell out of my neighbours, treated my cat like a prince, and left my apartment even cleaner than they found it (they vacuumed before they left a 10-day sublet! Who does that!?) and with a plant and some funny cat toys as a thank you. It was a great experience; highly recommend. Trust your gut and ask for photographic or Facebook evidence that you'll like the people.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 11:58 PM on March 31

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but why would you "take a job that involves sporadic travel lasting 3-6 months" when you are responsible for two lives; namely, your cats? When you make the [BIG] decision to have pets, it should also include a pledge to care for those pets for the duration of their lives--not just until it's no longer convenient.

As a caretaker of three cats, let me say- stop being so judgmental. There are valid reasons, esp. in this economic climate, to put job ahead of pets.

That said, I do agree that, if this kind of travel is really going to happen as often as you say, you should find your cats a new home. It's in their best interest to have a stable home.
posted by mkultra at 7:06 AM on April 1

The cats need someone living with them and taking care of them. MS gal's suggestions (getting a roommate or loaning them out to someone) are both good but if neither of those work I'd say you should look into giving up the cats, at least for as long as you have the job.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:25 AM on April 1

Rather than being judgmental, let's be helpful.

Options:

*family member or friend who lives nearby comes over once every day/every other day/every three days to hang out with the cats, play with them, feed them, make sure they're doing okay. Not ideal, but it could work. You'd owe them big time, and would have to work something out re: favors exchanged.

*you hire a pet-sitter/house-sitter to come in more regularly (possibly live there full- or half-time). Better for the cats, better for you. The problem is finding someone you can trust and you can afford. Check out agencies, get lots of references (and make sure to contact those references personally).

*you board the cats. Now, this doesn't sound ideal, either, but just as an example, my vet recently moved to a larger, nicer facility and they've built a cattery for boarding cats. It's lovely! They have their own rooms, it's quiet, the rooms all have windows and a couple even have outdoor, screened-in areas for the kitties! They can keep "families" together and the bonus is that there's staff there 24 hours a day. Someone comes in every single day to play with and interact with the cats. Downside: cost. It's expensive. But if it's sporadic, it might be worth looking into.

Good luck. We've faced this problem recently as we're going to spend our summer in England (71 days) and have four cats to worry about. Luckily, my MIL has offered to take them in. Our best option up til then was the vet's cattery.
posted by cooker girl at 7:45 AM on April 1

I agree with the options above. Most petsitters do offer discounts for longer stays.
posted by majikstreet at 12:01 PM on April 1