Catteries

[Velvet]

Our bathroom is having major upheavels soon. I need a shower instead of the bath for my mum. The bath is cast iron & only way to get it out of the house is to break it up with sledge hammers - eek - not looking forward to it one bit. Theyve told us we have to make ourselves scarce that day

When i was at the vets today i was shown round their cattery as i think it would be better to board our two out as i think they would be terrified by the noise. Why then do i feel so guilty? Maybe its because ive never boarded any of our pets into kennels at all. The vets dont have 'runs' so as housecats would i be better to leave them there or put them in somewhere else with runs? I just hate the thoughts of it :/. Dont think it will do either any good & wee Amber might think shes been 'dumped'

It will be for 2-3 days - im missing them already......

[Squirrel]

Oh Velvet... *hugs*

I'm currently considering plans for this weekend, when I've got a weekend away, and the choice seems to be that I ask neighbour to look in occasionally (difficult cause she's got other responsibilities, though she has told me in the past that she'd be willing to do so), or the cattery.

It's not easy, especially with Ambers history, but... I'm taking it that the option of going somewhere with them for a few days (and thus escaping the noise and disruption of the sorting out) is out too?

[angieh]

They won't like it Velvet, but IMO they would be very scared by all the noise going on in their home. I think that a cattery, if you can't go somewhere else with them as Squirrel suggests, is really the kindest option.

[Mags]

Cassie, my 14 year old cat, has gone in a cattery every year since she was a kitten.

We were very choosy about where she went as she is a timid cat. Eventually we chose a cattery in the countryside not far away from us, she has heated (when necessary) indoor quarters with shelves she can jump up onto where there is a small mesh covered window that she can look out onto a field and trees and watch the birds and butterflies and any other wildlife that may be around. From her "living room" she has a cat flap leading out to a open air run where she will snooze in the sun.

A married couple own the cattery and the wife spends time in with any new cat, talking to it and at the same time grooming it with a glove to help settle it in.
They cater for all types of diets and will administer prescribed medication for your cat if required.

Obviously Cassie was very wary the first year she stayed there but when we went in to collect her on our return, the owner picked her up to put her in her carrier ........ I was so surprised as she doesn't like me picking her up even now!
Every year now, she is no trouble at all going there, she will just walk into her 'room' and jump straight up onto the shelf to look out of her window. I put her blanket in her bed, dot 3 or 4 of her toys around and she is quite happy.

That's a long explanation of Cassie's 'holiday' in the cattery but I just wanted to show that it is not cruel to leave one's cat there, often people will criticise without even experiencing it! Choose the right one, it's easy to tell if it's run by cat lovers

As an outside cat, I know she will be safe and well looked after in there.

[dandysmom]

My Siamese reacted badly to the times he had ro be boarded; not their fault, a lovely well known place, took excellent care of him, he was just a neurotic mom's boy. But if I had a choice of a cattery or having the cat home thru all the noisy uproar and commotion, I'd definitely go cattery. Much the lesser of two evils IMO ....

[Velvet]

It's not easy, especially with Ambers history, but... I'm taking it that the option of going somewhere with them for a few days (and thus escaping the noise and disruption of the sorting out) is out too?

Only place we could go is my brothers & his dog hates cats big time. Was thinking today what i really need is a "day" cattery if such a thing exists. Will do some investigation. Vets might do it so long as i paid for 24 hr care. My sister has invited us & dogs to her house the day the bath is being demolished. She suggested we bring kittens too however i dont think their wee bladders could hold out that length of time - all day in a cat box, as she wouldnt want them loose in her house