people or places?

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Does stupid also equate with being too clever 

I dont go away but am hoping to be able to do an over night stay before Christmas and all cats will be in with timer food dishes!!

[Rosella moggy]

I think all cats are pretty stupid until they pass their 2nd birthday    If they were the only two though Carol, they would stay home with flap locked.  I just couldn't trust/expect neighbours to juggle differing levels of indoor/outdoor access. I find it difficult enough whenever newbies arrive 

What is happening to your gorgeous fosters?  Not sure I have kept up  I thought you still had three in residence?  Have they all been homed or perhaps any not yet rehomed will be returning to Paws Inn before you go?

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

.... I would probably ship the young uns, Boris and Bobby, off to cattery as they are young and stupid (poor lambs) ........

I think that describes my two pretty accurately. 

[Rosella moggy]

If I'm honest Carol, I would go with cat sitting vet nurse and keep flap shut as they are still only young.  I think the possibility of snow is too remote to allow that to sway you. 

If we ever HAD to go away, it would be near neighbours that would cat sit.  I would probably ship the young uns, Boris and Bobby, off to cattery as they are young and stupid (poor lambs) and leave the rest at home with open cat flap. 

Oh just thought ....... what about Groucho?    Nope .... can't figure out what to do with me gorgeous boy as he would not thrive in a cattery and would not come in for neighbours.  Good job we don't have to go away really 

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

I'm glad Trigger is back home and a happy boy Kay whether its you or the house that pleases him. 

 Going slightly off topic I would be interested to know whether those of you who use a cat sitter leave the cat flap open (assuming you have one) for your furbabes while you are away.
 
I have my 2 booked into a cattery for the 2 weeks we will be away in November but am not over the moon about it (although its a fabulous cattery) so I'm open to persuasion.    I'm going down this route  because Biggles has a sensitive tummy and is also a demon hunter (voles are part of his problem ) and if I were to leave him in the house with the flap open by day (as it usually is) he could catch and eat as many as he wanted and possibly be sick somewhere in the house without the sitter finding it.  Its not the piles of cat sick I'm particularly worried about (although the thought is not appealing  ), more that if he did that often enough it could put him back to the really poorly stage he was at earlier this year that took a long time for him to recover from.  I could of course keep the flap closed or alternatively close off parts of the house off so that the sitter didn't have so many places to search but that would also be be a very abnormal situation for the cats wouldn't it and not like being at home at all.  There is also the fact it will be November, we're high up and the sitter has to come by car so were it to snow (not unknown) she could have problems getting here.  At least in the cattery he's safe and warm, I know where he is and he will be fed regularly.  The only sitter I trust with my cats is a vet nurse who works shifts so the times she can come vary. 

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I think in general the territorial nature of cats means they tend to be more attached to places than people, but not all cats are the same.  I think Mosi and Magpie before him are/was more attached to place but Jaffa is such a people cat he's happy wherever I am.  Whenever I've had to take him somewhere (like when I had to take him to  my mum's house one xmas as I hadn't booked a cattery in time) he has settled very quickly as long as he has me to cuddle up to 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Yet three months later I moved house with them and they settled first day - no exaggeration. No doubt me being there settled them 100%.

Yep, good point actually. Lu is quite a sensitive and nervy boy so I expected moving house to be a bit traumatic for him but he was literally at home the second I let them out of the spare room I had shut them in.  Maybe it's 50/50 then 

[caledonia]

I'd say it totally depends on the cat. When I had three (Edgar, Oscar, nina) and was going on holiday I made the silly error of letting my mum take them for the two weeks. They knew my mum but did not settle at all. Yet three months later I moved house with them
and they settled first day - no exaggeration. No doubt me being there settled them 100%. I had thought being together and knowing my mum would help but it showed me how me being there made all the difference.

After the boys passed and it was just me and Nina I had to go abroad for five months and Nina went to my brother. She settled right away but the day I came home and went straight to get her she heard my voice at the door and came running at me! We came home - a home she hadn't been in for 5 months and again was 100% settled straight away.

I always get my friend to pop in everyday if I'm away now and I'm lucky I have that opportunity.

I've not had ideal scenarios with the fur babies moving but I've been lucky and they have always settled. Thankfully nowadays there is no upheaval :-)

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Cats are definately individuals with their own little minds 

If I think of my 3 they couldnt be anymore different................Misa a kitten trapped in an adults body, innocent, lazy and terrified of people.

Sasa a semi feral who adores Misa, now allows me to stroke her on her own terms and also terrified of people

Lupin................well I guess you all know about my little monster cat    Has no fear and terrifies my vet 

[Huge]

I'd much rather an experienced friend look after Peggy in her own home than send her off to a strange place with strange people. Change is always going to be an issue at her time of life.

[Rosella moggy]

I suppose the only way of testing is to make the human, collecting furbabe after a stay in cattery/veterinary hospital, actually stay for a few nights in the cubicle with pud and see if he/she is happy    Be a bit of a squeeze tho 

As to cats liking other cats, tell that to Groucho; he's sooooo anti social but then there's Billy who would wither away without his girlfriend 

I don't really like the perceived wisdom about cats as I think cats are individuals like people and they are all different.

 

[Mymblesdaughter]

Poor Trigger glad he's back to his home and family.

I think it's people, it has always been with my cats anyway. If I was locked in a prison for a week or two not knowing whether I was ever going to be able to get back to my own home and  being looked after by people I'd never seen before and surrounded by other people who were scared crying and worried they'd never see their home or family again. Not knowing if they might hurt me and not being able to escape I'd be pretty happy when I was taken back to my own home as well. This might be a slight exaggeration but cat don't understand what's happening to them. 

I put one of my cats in a cattery once he obviously hated it. So I always get someone to cat sit now.

I don't really like the perceived wisdom about cats as I think cats are individuals like people and they are all different. People say cats don't like other cats and are solitary but when you see feral cats they are usually in family groups. They probably don't always allow new cats to join but many cats enjoy cat company.

[Rosella moggy]

I thought the perceived wisdom was dogs = people and cats = places? 

There are however undoubtedly exceptions to every rule   

Putting my feelings to one side, I would always hope all of ours are "places" felines although we don't go away anywhere any more so don't suppose they will either 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Fab news that Trigger is home safe and well  I'd hope it's 'people' but you're probably right that it's 'places'!

My two have only been in a cattery once, on the first holiday the year I got them. They absolutely hated it and were very nervous and upset the whole time, even weeing in their bed  Since then I've opted for a friend/relative popping in to feed and water them twice a day when I go on holiday. This year my Mum moved in which didn't go as well as I'd hoped as she has only recently moved back to the area so they hadn't met her on that many occasions - this meant they didn't feel relaxed and comfortable as they would have done had I got her just to come in a twice a day and feed them. I still think having familiar surroundings is far preferable to a cattery and would only ever go down the pet sitter/friend/relative route in future.

[Kay and Penny]

although Trigger did seem pleased to see me when I went to collect him after 16 days away in a veterinary hospital having radioactive iodine treatment - he put his paws up on my shoulders and nuzzled me - that was nothing to his ecstatic reaction to finding himself back in his home - he was beside himself with joy

it has made me change my view of thinking a cattery is better than finding someone to pop in and feed them at home if I go away - I know now that although they might miss me, they would miss their home much more