Going on vacation...
 

Hello all!
Am heading out on vacation in July for one week. My dog is heading to his usual doggy hotel, but my cat is another issue. She's 12, very dependant and has never been overnight anywhere! We were able to leave her once while we were gone one weekend. but that was when her brother was alive, so its was the two of them with the place to themselves!
Does anyone have a suggestion of a cat hotel she can go to for the week? My preference would be to have her stay in the house, with someone coming by once or twice a day to feed and play, but our friends abd relatives are away that week (we're all headed to the same wedding in the States) and I'm not too comfortable getting a stranger to come in. I'm located in Mississauga, Ontario. I have done research on a few (Cats Meow Motel located in Streetsville), but wanted to know if anyone had any direct experience? She's friendly and very affectionate, but I'm not sure how she'd act around other cats?
Thanks!

PS - my old husky whom I wrote about a few months ago is doing very well! He's like a new dog once he had his gum surgery!

canadiangirl,since you cant get a friend to check in in her,and you would rather keep her home,how about checking out some of the petsitters?

Here is a link with a few in Mississauga.Scroll almost all the way down.

[url]http://www.petsitters.com/states/canada.html[/url]

As for leaving a cat alone all week,I could never do that.That can be considered cruelty and neglect.Sorry but that's just my opinion.

Ditto Mona,I don't even leave my cats for a weekend,luckily I have one of my sons live close by and he'll stay with them whenever we're gone.
Spoiled cats,like mine,can get very traumatized from a week or two at a kennel and even with my son here,they let us know they are not happy we went away.They are really not different from a dog,except they got a litterbox,no need to go outside...

Yes,Laura05,I can maybe see leaving them for a weekend,but a week,never!!!!
Even leaving a litter-box or two unattended for a week,is gross and unhealthy for the cats,IMO it's neglect:mad:
You say you hardly see them when you are at home,cats are highly sociable most of the time,my cats are always somewhere near us...I guess it all depends how you care about them.
Now Canadiangirl has one sweet affectionate cat and there is NO way she should be left alone for a week..having a pet-sitter would be the best,cats do not do well in a kennel.

Well,I guess you have two very independant cats,do they clean their own boxes?
Sorry just had to add that!!!
Kudos to you for adopting animals from shelters,but that does not always mean you are the best owner...nor am I probably.Cats especially females can be shy and hide,but with enough love and patience they usually get better.Since you have one living in the garage I can understand how he is not sociable.
I never said my cats are perfect,there is no such thing,the same goes for people.
I am not arguing with you,but no cats should be left alone for a week,even if they hide for a pet-sitter at least she can make sure the cats are still alive and have sufficient food and water.
FYI,there are thousands of people adopting grown cats every day in Canada,I have two sets of friends who each have 5 HS cats,well adjusted loving happy cats,kittens are not always that easy to get...and there are many advantages to adopting a grown cat,but it's your responsability to give them a good life and make sure they are safe.

I know what you mean about shy cats My mom had a cat but many people who came to visit said she must be lying because her cat would hide the whole time they were visiting.

As for your vacation surely there must be a neighbor willing to stop in once a day to scoop the litter box? as long as there is something there than the neighbour will know that all is ok even if kitty doesn't show his/her face

You adopted a cat only to have it living in the garage and only having it in the house when you are home?

Oh that's real nice.Now that I have to say is CRUEL.

If these cats are hiding,I guess you haven't had the time to break them from their shyness.Cats are no different than dogs when it comes to socializing them.

It's one thing to adopt an animal from a shelter,it's another to give them the love and attention they really need.

Having a stranger come and look in on a cat is far from being cruel.Cruel is leaving your cats alone for a week.

When I can't take mine with me,he either goes to my Mother-in-laws or a friend comes over.And that goes the same for my dogs.

I normally prefer to stay out of these things but I have to say, I do take some offense at the suggestion that a cat who hides from everything is through a fault of the owner. I have owned many such 'imaginary cats' and not all cats are the same. I just don't feel it is a fair comment to say that a such a cat has not been 'broken of their shyness in the way you would with a dog' - you can't compare the two. Perhaps you didn't mean to imply that these cats would lack love and attention but having made that comment right after the previous statement, it certainly sounded like that was what you were suggesting. I hope I am wrong and misread?

Having owned a cat that that only ever came out but to hiss and spit at anyone other than family in the house during her 20 years, I know that you can't always 'break a cat' of this behaviour. She was the sweetest animal around immediate family members but nasty and aggressive around everyone else - many people who loved cats were actually afraid of her. Two separate vets even told us we should even put her down because they couldn't understand why we would want such a cat. Once, early on, we left her alone for a weekend and we had a neighbor come over and my cat pooped in her shoes while she was changing the litterbox. After that, we couldn't have anyone but family in to look after her while we were away because she would freak out at them. And despite all the time we spent on her, no amount of socializing could change her.

This Thread was originally all about"vacation"and yes,if you leave your cats alone for a week and one in the garage,that is neglect!!!
If you read the post carefully,you'll see the statement,"my cats are independant"and yes they are to point,but still very much in need of love and care.The"independance"statement is many times an excuse not to give the cats the care they need.
Opinions will be different,we don't all think the same and Canadiangirl asked for our opinion,she got one from me and one from Laura and some others.
I happen to think Laura is wrong,saying the cats can be left alone for a week,you might not,I only know I would never leave my cats for a week,without anyone looking in on them.
Some people have cats as mousers and that's what they are,nothing else:mad: Others have them as part of the family...each to his own I guess.
This Forum is about advice and differences of opinions not to placate an irresponsible owner.
As for timid cats,as I said before,the cat might always be timid,but in my experience he/she will improve with time,never did I say it was the owners fault.

I find that many of the posts in this forum are usually about one thing and unfortunately end up becoming something else. I never said that it wouldn't neglect to leave your cat alone for a week - I have never done it and I never would. My problem was more about the post (which in fact was not yours) that said if your cat isn't socialized it must be because you haven't had the time (i.e. I read here the implication is that you may not bother) to break your cat of it. My point was simply that you can't always socialize a cat like you can a dog and that cats don't all respond in the same way.

I never once suggested that this was a place where we should all congratulate irresponsible owners and since, as you put it, this is a forum that is about advice and differences of opinions, I wanted to share mine. I wanted to clarify what was being said and/or suggested. Is that not valid?

No I didn't say it was the owners fault.What I meant is that there are times where someone doesn't take the time to "socialize"which I guess was the wrong word.Some people who do take in a cat that is shy will not take the time to break them from it.I mean getting the cat slowly used to you.There have been people who have come on here with shy cats.And have been advised on how to help them to slowly break them out of that and get the cat to trust you.Read the post about the kitty who sleeps in the litter box.This was a one who was adopted and was very shy.Yes,I agree that you can't always get the shyness out of a cat.And the majority of cats like this have been neglected by PREVIOUS owners.As for Laura,she did not state was was gong on with the two cats.Instead of having the cat in the garage,why not set up a room for him in the house?

Laura,when you adopted this 6 year old,did you not have to bing the cat you had to see how they get along?I know with our SPCA they want you to bring in your pet to see how they get along.If we decide to adopt another,we will have to bring in our 7 month old kitten to see how they are with each other.This way if they don't,then it wouldn't be right to adopt it.

And no,you can not always socialize a dog or make him trust people.

I can see this has turned out to be quite the topic! I have decided against the idea of taking her to a kitty hotel - I think she'd be much more comfortable at home!
I have been doing some more research on petsitters and checked out the link mona b contributed. Has anyone in the Greater Toronto Area had success with any of these sitters? The rates seem reasonable, but we are a bit hesitant at giving our house keys to a complete stranger for a week!:confused:

In many places, leaving an animal alone for longer than 3 days is illegal.

I have left my cats alone for up to three days, but they had each other.

For a very young and sociable cat, a good kennel may be the best choice.

For a 12 yr old cat, I would get a petsitter - ask your vet for references to find a good one who is bonded and insured and has a good reputation.

The lonliness she will experience won't be half as bad as the stress she would feel at a boarding facility.

Unlike dogs, cats want to stay home, especially as they get older.

Yes it has canadiangirl.

A close friend of the family has used a petsitter for his Afghan Hound.Not sure which one he used.He's in the Park Lawn area.

He had no problems giving up his key.The are bonded and have Police checks done on them.And they are licenced.The woman he had even watered his plants for him..:D .....And Cash just loved her.And this is a show dog who is spoiled.LOL.

So I wouldn't worry...But please make sure you leave an emergency number with them.And your vets number.And also a schedual of the feeding.And maybe write a letter stating that if anything happens,you give your vet permission to make any medical attantion in case of an emergency.