Who feeds your puddy when you are out?

[Baggy]

As per my thread on leaving Dinah for 24 hours, although we have a couple of friends who would be happy to pop in and feed Dinah she would just hide from them and she needs a daily tablet...

If we had someone who could live in that would probably work (I'm working on my Mum, but she lives 170 miles away!), but we've just accepted that we won't be having a holiday for a while.

Sometimes it sucks, but Dinah is worth it 

[karenjet]

I go to England quite a lot and my little sister comes to stay to look after the kids and the cats. She refuses point blank to touch the litter trays though so I have a friend who comes in to do that. I'm very lucky, I don't think I could put mine in a cattery, I've no doubt they take good care of the cats but I'd feel so guilty

[maryas]

TN - excuse the pun but I think they are taking the P***.  They should be closed down if that's their attitude.  That's what cats do for chuff sake. 

Mary

[Team Svartalfheims]

I know it seemed ridiculous to me as well as it doesn't exactly take long to mop it up if they do spray and if they clean it up quickly it's not as if it is going to stink the whole place out.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Any cat can spray when stressed, what a crazy reason! Are cats with bad aim/used to going outdoors so may go on floor, penalised too?

That's what I was thinking.  Any cat in a stressful situation (which a cattery is for a lot of cats) can spray and they should be able to deal with a bit of cat urine!

[Catjane]

I wouldn't ever put mine in a cattery as Sabby is very, very scareded of other human beans apart from me, although he tolerates two of my friends and the vet.  Meesha is easily stressed, so it wouldn't be good for her either.  Only Shanti would thrive as she is fearless of humans and loves attention.

I'm lucky as I have three friends each of whom have keys to my house, and all know the drill about not letting the kitties access through the front door.  Plus they all know each other (the three friends, that is), which means that they can do rotas for feeding the brood if they want.  They all each have a cat of their own, too, so have reasonable experience I also have my next door neighbour who absolutely loves my brood, so I can always ask her if it's just a day or two.  Failing all that, I have two workmates who would happily step in if needed

[Millys Mum]

 

If fluids can swap pens then your probably better off not using them!

Any cat can spray when stressed, what a crazy reason! Are cats with bad aim/used to going outdoors so may go on floor, penalised too?

Thanks for amusing me for the evening 

[Team Svartalfheims]

Awww what a shame It can be hard these days to find catteries where the people are doing it for the love of the cats and not just for money which is a crying shame for the cats. Bilbo used to adore going to catteries (someone new to fuss over him!) but he's not allowed to go anymore as him and the Team are deemed to be an infection risk and I've only found one cattery that will board them miles south of where we live as they have a separate isolation unit.

What do they "have"?
[/quote]

It's because they spray. Even though they are blood tested negative (and are tested annually) for fiv, felv, fcov, herpesvirus, calicivirus and chlamydia apparently they are an infection risk to other peoples cats because they spray and the urine could seep into the next pen Luckily the cattery that will board them in isolation is run by a lovely lady so they'll get boarded there if they ever have to be boarded in future. Now if we're going down to my Mum's for a holiday we just book a holiday bungalow just round the corner from my mum's and take them with us.

[maryas]

I believe there are some good ones - it's the old 'word of mouth' that we have to rely on I think.  The cattery my neighbour uses is fantastic - I've even offered to look after her cat but she says she enjoys it so much there is no need.

Mary

[Millys Mum]

One of her cats was so traumatised by going to a cattery, that she won't put him in one now - he is still a bit odd with people even after 3 years because of his experience. 

Awww what a shame It can be hard these days to find catteries where the people are doing it for the love of the cats and not just for money which is a crying shame for the cats. Bilbo used to adore going to catteries (someone new to fuss over him!) but he's not allowed to go anymore as him and the Team are deemed to be an infection risk and I've only found one cattery that will board them miles south of where we live as they have a separate isolation unit.

What do they "have"?

I had heard only good things from customers from a cattery near me only recently to find out what really happens, not info that general customers get to here about. On the face of it they are great 
Not sure i could trust it doesnt go on at others now so even if my lot could cope in that environment i doubt i would use one.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

There are good catteries, you just have to find them.  Obviously it's a business and those running them have to make enough money to pay their staff, overheads and then pay themselves enough to live off.  So they have to run it like a business and think about profit, but that doesn't exclude loving cats and caring for them well.  There are people around who can do both.

It depends on the individual cat too of course, but a cattery is sometimes the best option.  It's my preferred option for my boys with different reasons for each.  Mosi is very sociable and I think he'd be lonely left for more than a day or 2 with just half an hour or an hour of a stranger's company.  He loves the cattery because he gets lots of attention and fuss, and it helps keep him well socialised.  For Jaffa, there are different reasons.  He's timid and scared of strangers so a cattery is initially scary for him.  But the staff are lovely and slowly bring him around. He sees the same people each day and gradually gets familiar with the routine.  If he was at home with someone coming in, he'd run and hide whenever they came so that they'd never be sure he'd been fed, and they'd struggle to check that he was well.  On balance, I think he benefits from being at the cattery although of course he'd rather not have any change to his routine. 

I, of course, worry constantly about them wherever they are!

[bluecat]

Sort of Mary.

She was found by CP living with a colony of ferals and had had kittens while there. As she was 8 yrs old when I took her and CP had her for over a year, I reckon she spent most of her life living like that.

They said once she was cleaned up they realized she was domesticated.............of sorts LOL...............and they rehomed her twice but each time she was brought back to them cos she did not settle and nipped people. Bet the houses had children!

So she lived in a pen for a long time locked up but close to the outside, where she was used to living.

She is a lovely looking cat but effectively semi-feral but loves her creature comforts as long as she can go outside as well.

CP had classed her as unhomeable till I came a long and I took her with Misa and they had never met before but have been friends right from the beginning 

I know that if she is trapped in a room and she cant get out she cries pityfully , has accidents from fear and tried to jump through the double glazing upstairs.

I let her roam free and catch her once a year.................twice last year cos she was hurt...............for her annual boosters.

She now knows she is coming home again from the vets and although she protests by staying out for hours , comes back in. She knows when we are back and starts jumping around in the Carrier

I think when she went to the cattery , she thought she was being sent back to where she had been living and she liked it here and was settling so well. The cattery she went to was much worse than where she had been living although Misa was there too. He was so terrified he wouldnt come out of his carrier and she stayed in the little house the whole time and then they had to catch her to bring her back to me and she had an accident and was all wet when she arrived back.

They told me they knew how to catch her and were used to this but they were bloomin useless and she was so scared. As was Misa.

So I dont trust others with her and everytime she gets a bit better something happens like annual boosters and it takes a year to get her back to the stage she was.

She has a long memeory, prob lots of  bad memeories and she holds grudges!

At the moment she is under a sideboard and snoring her hhead off...........I love a snoring cat 

Mary snores so loud from under the bed now she wakes me up 

Shes so placid at the vets then jumps around so much in Carrier when were home i can hardly hold it and then hides under the bed for two days but she does come round in the end 

[MrsR]

Sometimes needs must though like when there are 5 workmen in the house; someone is using a sledgehammer on your bathroom upstairs and someone pulling up the floorboards to replace all CH piping downstairs

Yes I agree with that

[Rosella moggy]

Sometimes needs must though like when there are 5 workmen in the house; someone is using a sledgehammer on your bathroom upstairs and someone pulling up the floorboards to replace all CH piping downstairs

[MrsR]

I just couldn't ever put my cats in a cattery - don't think they'd cope and it would traumatize them especially my little old lady Bunty

[Team Svartalfheims]

One of her cats was so traumatised by going to a cattery, that she won't put him in one now - he is still a bit odd with people even after 3 years because of his experience. 

Awww what a shame It can be hard these days to find catteries where the people are doing it for the love of the cats and not just for money which is a crying shame for the cats. Bilbo used to adore going to catteries (someone new to fuss over him!) but he's not allowed to go anymore as him and the Team are deemed to be an infection risk and I've only found one cattery that will board them miles south of where we live as they have a separate isolation unit.

[sixfurballs]

My lot would ignore the cat food and just eat the mice!

I know what you mean. One came running out from my guinea pig hutch yesterday (not a nice surprise) and Bronte and Huxley were there - it was not pretty!

I have been very lucky. When we lived in Sussex we had the best neighbours who looked after ours when we went away and now my Mum (who is a little afraid of cats) comes down and feeds them and spends time with them and has even taken them to the vets for us.

[MrsR]

In our old house we had the most perfect cat loving neighbour who would always come round and spend time with them and feed them, sadly we moved and now 9 months into our new house there is no one so we haven't been away !      Oh I lie we went away for 3 days and got a mate to stay at our house for trhe 3 days - luckily he could as a one off!   However, we are planning to go abroad this year and this dilemma will come up!    I could never put my cats in a cattery so god only knows what we will do!

I worry about that. In London  we had someone who came in twice a day to feed & fuss. In the 3 years, 3 months we have been here, we have only been away one night for a wedding and used a feeding service. Because of running a B&B we never managed to get time for a holiday but now it is closed, we are planning to go away in the spring. I can't rely on a feeing service to medicate etc but luckily, Gillian who is one of the CP people has offered to come in twice a day - I will still worry.

It is hard. Me and my husband are thinking maybe that we will pay his mother to come twice a day to feed them and sit with them.    She is a good 5 junctions down the motorway for us but she works near us so hopefully it will be when she is mainly at work and if we pay her she can't moan about when she isn't!

[puddypaws]

I'm very lucky as my daughter lives nearby so she looks after ours and I look after hers.  One of her cats was so traumatised by going to a cattery, that she won't put him in one now - he is still a bit odd with people even after 3 years because of his experience.  We also have a lovely neighbour who has said she will happily look after our two if we are stuck and as she has 2 beautiful cats of her own, I would feel quite happy about that.

[pappilon]

I always had some one to come and stay in my place aslong as i was away, she would go to work and back in the evening and stay overnght, although i had to warn her that DD love to sleep on the bed and she has to be very very carefull and stay in one corner cos DD might decide to attack if she touches her in wrong place

Years a go when i got Boy from rescue i asked a friend to stay here with her husband for two days , but cos Boy didnt like men at that time he went for the husband and they ended up in the bedroom locking the door and packed in th morning and left, she came back to feed him but never stayed in my place again

Now with Phoebe here i really am not sure if any one can stay here with her and i dont want some one just to come and feed them if i am away more than 2 days cos i think thy need company, not phoebe though she doesnt like people but Boy does, so i dont think i'll be going anywhere for a while

[maryas]

At the moment she is under a sideboard and snoring her Head off...........I love a snoring cat 

[/color]

Aw bless her little cotton socks.    I love to hear them snoring and purring, I could watch them for hours.
You are a hero Gill, what a great story.  I bet you so want to pick her up and give her the biggest cuddle ever, I would.  She obviously knows that you love her and she is ok but in the back of her mind she is still wondering what is going to happen to her next.  Wish vets could give them a tablet to forget all the bad things so they can enjoy their new lives.  Why didn't God let them talk.

I'm lucky when I stay at a friends over night or go on holiday as I have a choice of neighbours and friends to look after Smudge - not sure how Bonnie's gonna be as I've only had her since Dec. - I'll have a night out before I go to Italy in June so that I can see what she's like.  My neighbours and mates treat her nearly as good as me so I know she'll be ok.  Smudge used to move into my neighbour's house while I was on holiday and it was like he was having his own little holiday.  Now he's having a ruddy long holiday and I wish he would come back.

Did you look at the joke that I put with this thread at the very beginning?  I can't imagine mice really looking after our cats!!

Carry on the great work Gill.


Mary

[Mark]

In our old house we had the most perfect cat loving neighbour who would always come round and spend time with them and feed them, sadly we moved and now 9 months into our new house there is no one so we haven't been away !      Oh I lie we went away for 3 days and got a mate to stay at our house for trhe 3 days - luckily he could as a one off!   However, we are planning to go abroad this year and this dilemma will come up!    I could never put my cats in a cattery so god only knows what we will do!

I worry about that. In London  we had someone who came in twice a day to feed & fuss. In the 3 years, 3 months we have been here, we have only been away one night for a wedding and used a feeding service. Because of running a B&B we never managed to get time for a holiday but now it is closed, we are planning to go away in the spring. I can't rely on a feeing service to medicate etc but luckily, Gillian who is one of the CP people has offered to come in twice a day - I will still worry.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Sort of Mary.

She was found by CP living with a colony of ferals and had had kittens while there. As she was 8 yrs old when I took her and CP had her for over a year, I reckon she spent most of her life living like that.

They said once she was cleaned up they realized she was domesticated.............of sorts LOL...............and they rehomed her twice but each time she was brought back to them cos she did not settle and nipped people. Bet the houses had children!

So she lived in a pen for a long time locked up but close to the outside, where she was used to living.

She is a lovely looking cat but effectively semi-feral but loves her creature comforts as long as she can go outside as well.

CP had classed her as unhomeable till I came a long and I took her with Misa and they had never met before but have been friends right from the beginning 

I know that if she is trapped in a room and she cant get out she cries pityfully , has accidents from fear and tried to jump through the double glazing upstairs.

I let her roam free and catch her once a year.................twice last year cos she was hurt...............for her annual boosters.

She now knows she is coming home again from the vets and although she protests by staying out for hours , comes back in. She knows when we are back and starts jumping around in the carrier 

I think when she went to the cattery , she thought she was being sent back to where she had been living and she liked it here and was settling so well. The cattery she went to was much worse than where she had been living although Misa was there too. He was so terrified he wouldnt come out of his carrier and she stayed in the little house the whole time and then they had to catch her to bring her back to me and she had an accident and was all wet when she arrived back.

They told me they knew how to catch her and were used to this but they were bloomin useless and she was so scared. As was Misa.

So I dont trust others with her and everytime she gets a bit better something happens like annual boosters and it takes a year to get her back to the stage she was.

She has a long memeory, prob lots of  bad memeories and she holds grudges!

At the moment she is under a sideboard and snoring her hhead off...........I love a snoring cat 

[maryas]

[quote author=Gill (sneakiefeline) link=topic=11933.msg202754#msg202754 date=1202339742]

 I have never been able to touch her since or walk within 3 ft without her running 
[/quote]

Aw Gill that is so sad - Bonnie won't let me pick her up but she will lay on my and sit on my lap and Smudge would never let me pick him up either and she slept on the pillow next to mine for 13 yrs.

Do you know why she is like that? 

Mary

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

If I go away my boys go on their hols too to a cattery, but if I'm just late home I leave food in auto feeders.  I don't think I would trust anyone to come in and feed them tbh, not with them being indoor cats and me only having one front door (there is another door to the actual outside, but if they got out of my flat it would be hard to get them back in).

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I dont have anyone to feed the cats so can only get away occasionally overnight and use timed cat dishes.

I absolutley hate leaving them and they seem to know the week in advance and then play me up and make me extra worried.

When I first had Misa and Sasa I had to go away about 3 months later and Sasa was a very scared cat but at that time I was allowed to stroke her on the stairs as long as she was at least two steps higher than me. I put them in a cattery, and this was before I could drive, and it turned out not to be very nice.

I had told them about Sasa and it had taken me ages to catch her before she went and when she came back she would not let me near her and she ran away for a week. I have never been able to touch her since or walk within 3 ft without her running 

[Millys Mum]

What is this ' out ' of which you speak ?

...and it's a nobody from me also! 

I dont think I could let someone else feed them, they are all so fussy and I could'nt put a sane person through what they put me through every feeding time! 

My mum is forced to dish out equal portions and add appropiate extras. She scoops the trays too if im lucky. Often leaves the poos "incase i need to look at them" 
Its taken me months to train her this good 

[candyshandy]

I had to go to Amsterdam for a couple of days in January for a conference.

Fabes is on tablets daily and Foofoo was on tablets and ear drops and wash at the time.  My poor Mum had to get up half an hour earlier each morning to play vet nurse    It didn't help that her cat was on ear drops too 

[Bazsmum]

What is this ' out ' of which you speak ?

...and it's a nobody from me also! 

I dont think I could let someone else feed them, they are all so fussy and I could'nt put a sane person through what they put me through every feeding time! 

[candyshandy]

My three go to their Nana's 

[blackcat]

I have someone who comes in daily - in NZ the service used to live in which was a rather more satisfactory arrangement ...

[Rosella moggy]

However, we are planning to go abroad this year and this dilemma will come up!    I could never put my cats in a cattery so god only knows what we will do!

Now is the time to start planning coz you don't want to have to accept second best accomodation.

Thankfully we have near neighbours with 3 of their own so we cat sit for each other although they have ALOT more hols than us so we receive LOTS more pressies than we give! 

We had to use a cattery for 5 days last year when replacing the central heating including all pipework but thankfully our local excellent cat rescue also has a cattery

[MrsR]

In our old house we had the most perfect cat loving neighbour who would always come round and spend time with them and feed them, sadly we moved and now 9 months into our new house there is no one so we haven't been away !      Oh I lie we went away for 3 days and got a mate to stay at our house for trhe 3 days - luckily he could as a one off!   However, we are planning to go abroad this year and this dilemma will come up!    I could never put my cats in a cattery so god only knows what we will do!

[J (Indoorcatsuk)]

What is this ' out ' of which you speak ?

[Millys Mum]

 

My mum is assistant cat slave 
Id never board Taz, i think his bladder would go into overdrive and explode 

[Team Svartalfheims]

My lot would ignore the cat food and just eat the mice!

If we are away the lady next door usually pops in to check on the Team as catteries are almost impossible as I only know of 1 that will board mine but last time we were away Hannah babysat the Team. Goodness knows what we'll do once we move as we won't know anyone in the village. Hopefully we'll have a nice cat friendly next door neighbour!

[maryas]

I have a friend who only lives a few doors away and we look after each others cats but I thought the attached pic was a very strange way.
 
CLICK on pic to see the action.

Mary

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