Cat Boarding in Vancouver

February 19, 2018 1:56 PM

My wife, our cat, and I have recently moved to Vancouver. We're taking a short trip abroad next month, and we won't be able to take the cat with us. Please help us find a trustworthy cat hotel!

One complication is that our cat is sometimes hostile to other cats - so he probably shouldn't stay somewhere where he has to interact with other cats.

Thanks in advance for your help!

posted by HoraceH to Pets & Animals (8 answers total)

What about finding a cat-friendly house-sitter rather than boarding the cat?
posted by slkinsey at 2:09 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]

Check with some veterinary offices, or a vet hospital. They often provide boarding.
posted by hydra77 at 2:17 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

If care.com is available in your area, that might be a good place to look for a cat sitter (if you go that route).
posted by hydra77 at 2:18 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've recently used this place, which is about ~30min from Vancouver. I didn't have the best experience, but my situation was a special one - they didn't really do anything wrong, it just wasn't a particularly good fit for me at the time. In the end though they did take reasonable care of my cats, and have really good reviews on facebook and google. I wish I could whole heartedly recommend them because if my experience was amazing it would probably be your perfect situation. The cats get their own closet-sized room and are let out individually for a time into the common area; there is no interaction with other cats. I'd still be willing to try again if my situation (3 cats, one with cancer) was different however.
posted by cgg at 2:36 PM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

Another vote for getting someone to pet-sit. Since the neighbor kid had the temerity to grow up and go to college, I've been using Trusted Housesitters (which I think I found out about through AskMe). It's been good.
posted by adamrice at 3:14 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

I also use TrustedHousesitters and have had uniformly excellent experiences. If you're considering joining, I or one of the many Mefites on there would be happy to share a referral code for a discount on membership.
posted by juniperesque at 3:43 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: In case you're puzzled by the pet sitting advice, here's a quick comparison of boarding and pet sitters.

Stress is indeed the biggest problem with boarding of any sort. Pets, especially cats, are uncomfortable outside of their normal environment. Often this stress results in vomiting and diarrhea, often bloody, for the majority or entirety of the stay. Fear and timidity may reduce appetites and often pets will lose weight when boarded. And of course there is always the risk of injury due to self-trauma or altercations with other boarders during social time.

This was my cat's experience when I boarded him. He spent the entire week hiding in his litter box and was so constipated on his return that he ended up at the vet for an enema. The boarding facility was very nice and came highly recommended: it just didn't work for my cat's temperament.
posted by gladly at 11:33 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you all for your advice!

I have to admit to being a little wary of letting a stranger into our home, but I can certainly see the advantages of pet sitting. I'm going to ponder this one ...
posted by HoraceH at 10:46 AM on February 21, 2018