Cattery or petsitter - what's better?

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

I will be going on vacation for two weeks in June.

Last year I arranged for someone to come in twice a day for an hour, do Ally's food and litter, and play with her. Of course this is someone who Ally knows very well, and she also had the contact number of a colleague of mine who is an animal lover, and can be relied on to take Ally to the vet if anything happens.

There is also a really good kennel and cattery close by - should I consider this???.

I thought Ally will be happier in her own house, with her own food, toys etc, but I'd appreciate your opinions.

[K & L]

I like them to be in their own environment. If you have a reliable petsitter, I would go that route!

[rosethecopycat]

Petsitter.

[slick]

Definitely petsitter. I do petsitting myself for friends and I think that cats are happier with humans they know coming in to spend some quality time with them.

I'd do it if I lived closer

[ramanth]

I say don't give up on a good thing. If your petsitter is reliable then continue to use them.

However, if your petsitter is unavailable during the time you are going to be gone, then look into the cattery.

[NoahsMommy]

I agree that a petsitter is much less stressful on the cats....especially if they came from a shelter. It may make them think you sent them back. (Mind you, this may be me projecting those feelings on to the cats, but I always wonder if that's how they feel at the vet or the groomers if they are there without me.)

[Logan]

I thought Ally will be happier in her own house, with her own food, toys etc, but I'd appreciate your opinions.

I think you already have your answer. Unless your cat is especially adventurous and loves new things, I think he/she would be best left at home with the familiar surroundings. Mimi was boarded many times when she was younger. She had a huge cage to play in, in the hands of people I trusted, but this has been many years ago. Since that time, I have always had someone (either a friend, or more recently, a trusted petsitter) to care for her and the others when I am away.

My opinion, obviously.

[Cheshirekatt]

I agree with everyone above. Petsitter. I always prefer this route. The only time I board my cats is at the vet clinic and only if they have health problems that require treatment and/or supervision.

[Catsnclay]

I'm glad this subject has come up, we too are going away. Normally our neighbor has come over in the past, but now that all 3 are on medication I'm just not sure she can handle this. First off she is not a cat person and I'm not too sure she will be able to give Lucky his pills (he runs from me when its time! )

How has everyone found their Petsitter? K & L mentioned that her vet's office knew someone. I will check with ours, but how do you know that they will do the job? I don't have any kids, so I've never had to hire a babysitter before.........never thought I would have to do this!! I also read a previous post (I can't remember from who -- sorry!) that let their friend come in, and well, that didn't work out. I don't want to have to come home to that, or worse yet sick kitties because they didn't get their medication! We just spent way too much time & $$$ getting Lucky straightened out & healthy again. The last thing I want to do is have him back at the ER clinic with a chest tube in him!!

We really need a vacation, but I don't want to leave my babies!!

[Nomilynn]

Catnclay -

Since Bassett has been sick, I have not even bothered with a petsitter for her. My grandparents come in and check on my kitties when I'm away, doing the boxes, food, water and a good dose of playtime. But with Bassett, who is a little snot and doesn't like anyone but me, it's too risky. I take her to my vet to be boarded. She hates it, and she isn't very well.. mannered .. for them hehe But after discussing with the vet and techs, they both said it's very important to leave her at the vet for boarding. I don't know that all vets do boarding, but perhaps in Lucky's case they would make an exception? Also, if all three of your are on meds, it might be best if they were at a cattery, just so they can be monitored more closely.

[K & L]

We got our petsitter through our vet. She is a tech there and does petsitting on the side. Since she works at the vet, we trusted her completely to show up and do what she was suppose to. The best part is she was already familiar with the cats, knew how to administer medication, knew where to take them in case of an emergency, and an added bonus...she sat there one evening and trimmed all their claws!!! She would either come twice a day, or stay at the house the whole time. We opted for her just staying there. It worked for her since the vet is just a couple miles down the road so close to work. If ever looking for a petsitter I recommend checking with your vet first. Here's a really good checklist:

http://www.kindplanet.org/petsitterlist.html

Having so many cats we also printed a picture of each cat with their name and a brief description about them!

[Uabassoon]

www.petsit.com is a GREAT place to find a petsitter in your area. I think it's better for a cat to stay at home rather than stay at a cattery. Pet sitting agencies are great, just when you are looking around remember to ask questions other than pricing, make sure the agency is bonded and insured, and a good petsitter will ask you lots of questions as well as you asking them lots of questions. Ask them if they are able to medicate cats, which they should. All the pet sitters in the agency I work for are able to administer medication as well as injections because we have a few of our pet clients that are diabetic.

[K & L]

Good site!