Going away for a week - petsitting

[Tina B and crew]

Tim and I are going to Florida for my granddaughter's second birthday next week. First, I can't believe she is turning 2 tomorrow...where does time go??

Second, we are having our neighbor come in twice a day to take care of the cats. We decided to do that rather than boarding them like we usually do because they get to stay in their home and it won't cost as much. My mom won't be here, she's going to stay with my brother. What I'm trying to decide is whether I should board Doc with my vet for the week. I think he's doing fine health-wise, don't anticipate any problems, but wondered if having him at the vets "just in case" would even be worth it. I'm leaning toward no, mostly because of the confinement issue. We will be letting them know we are going out of town just in case anything happens and will leave contact info for our neighbor. If he stays here, given the occasional behavior we are still dealing with (it's getting slightly better but he has his moments), should I leave him confined to the bedroom and bathroom (he'd have plenty room) while Chunk and Lucy have the rest of the house. I just hate to think of Lucy being tag teamed by the two boys! There is also the issue of the separate diets. I feed Doc in the bedroom so Chunk doesn't eat his food and he doesn't eat Chunk's - because they will switch bowls, I've seen them. I also don't want him to bolt out the door, so I'm thinking for his safety that I might just have her leave him in the bedroom, give them some play time when she comes in, and then put him back to feed them.

[Cleo]

My personal opinion would be to leave him at home but confined to the bedroom and bathroom for eating and majority of the time with supervised playtime. Will your neighbor be able to get him back in the bedroom once she leaves?

[Tina B and crew]

That's how I'm leaning. I am a bit concerned about her being able to get him back in the bedroom if he comes out. He follows me in there when it is time to eat, or goes and sits patiently and waits while I put down Doc and Lucy's bowls then bring his in to him. If he stays here he might just have to stay in there. Although she does have cats, dogs, and horses, so she's use to corralling animals - I just don't want to stress anyone out.

[Traci]

Run through your normal routine with the sitter, exactly as you would, twice for accuracy. (including getting Doc back in the bed/bathroom). This way you can get a feel for her capability.

I personally would keep them all home, less stress. Although, if they've never met the sitter, they might stress a little or not mind their manners - but I think if you go through the quick routine with the sitter, plus you have a way to talk to her on the phone once or twice a day AT THE TIME SHE IS ACTUALLY IN YOUR HOME, then it would be better than to board Doc. You don't want to rock the boat there. Do you have an answering machine, or if not, will you be able to have her put the phone on speakerphone so the cats can hear your voice?

She may have experience with pets etc, but may not have experience with Doc's condition, nor the stressors that may cause Chunk's UTI issues, so the least amount of stress for all, the better. Be sure to tell her that if there is ANY sign of stress whatsoever, reduced eating, behavioral, or anything at all, to notify you at once.

You have only been gone a few days at a time since having Doc, and I assume he did ok (although hubby was there) - do you know exactly how long you're going to be away?

[Tina B and crew]

We will be gone for a week. And yes, I've been away and Doc did just fine. She was actually feeding Doc before I took him in - but that was also when he was outside and wasn't sick (not that we were aware anyway). We will be in touch while I'm gone without a doubt. My cats have always done well even when they were boarded, so I'm not too concerned about them. I might put the stereo on a timer or just leave it on all the time while I'm gone. I plan on leaving out some clothes and lots of blankets for them to curl up on because we will probably set the thermostat down a bit lower than we'd keep it when we are here (around 65ish, maybe a bit lower) I will show her how to work it and she can turn it up in the morning and down in the evening which is what we do. I also plan to put a light on a timer so they won't be in the dark so much.

I anticipate that Chunk will hide. Doc may too. I will leave some toys in a spot where she can get them and see if she can entice them to come out. Ditto for treats.

[Tina B and crew]

Just an update..Cats are doing well..She came up and spent about 45 minutes to an hour getting to know the routine before we left, and the cats. So far she said they are coming out, playing, eating etc just fine. She is keeping me updated daily, sending pics and all. She has also been able to let doc out to run and had no problem getting him back into the bedroom.

[Traci]

Good to hear! Update us as you can, k?

[Tina B and crew]

Just wanted to let you know that we are home and all went well with the kitties. They were happy and healthy when we got home. The only issue we had was last night and this morning with Doc being some what of a butthead toward Lucy and Chunk. I did the usual squirt/NO approach and he's been find the rest of the day. I am sure being confined at much to do with it. He seems just fine now and I just caught him cleaning Lucy ever so briefly!

Anyway, we had a great time in Florida and I'm not trying to get back into the swing of things here at home. Post vacation funk and lazies have set in!

[Traci]

Glad to hear you're home safe and kiddens doing great. Please watch them, however, in the next few weeks (for any signs of residual stress).