One thing you might consider is, Persia probably behaves differently when you
aren't around. She sounds like my old Cherokee. He was also a terror at the
vet's. Once the vet asked me to step out of the room where he couldn't see me,
and he settled down *a lot*.  I think sort of like a child, they know what kind
of behavior they can get away with the owner, but maybe they aren't so sure
when you're gone.
What about a "trial run" and leave her at the boarders for an afternoon to see
how she does?

Sherry

Why not hire a pet sitter? We have a wonderful sitter that comes twice a
day to feed and play with the cats and clean the boxes. She also brings
in mail and newspapers and turns lights on and off. In the summer we've
asked her to water plants as well. She's really good and the kids love
her. Oh, she also feeds the fish.

I used a petsitter when I went on vacation last summer, and I am going to
use the same person this summer.  I first talked to my vet and to a number
of people who have pets, and she received a number of *fantastic*
references.  After I met her, I could see why.  She was wonderful -- in
fact, she became a "second me."  She came twice a day, maintained their
feeding schedule, gave one cat medication that was required at that time,
cleaned their litter boxes, spent time playing with them, wrote a daily memo
to let me know what happened that day, and even spent some time (at my
suggestion) having her coffee at my kitchen table while watching the
birds -- all of which provided my two with a sense of normalcy.  She even
thanked *me* when I returned for letting her care for my furbabies because
she said it was such a nice, peaceful environment that she really enjoyed
doing it.  I also used two plug-in Feliway diffusers "just in case," but
that probably would not have been necessary.

If you can do this, I think it is far superior to boarding.  Your cats will
be in their own environment with their own toys, have their normal amount of
space for play, sleep in their favorite places, etc. -- and there will be no
problems with picking up fleas or disease from another location.  Do be sure
to get references, though!!  Also, my pet sitter came over a couple of days
in advance to get to know my cats, and she took detailed notes concerning
feeding and other routine.  She even asked if she could fill my bird
feeders -- an offer which, of course, I happily accepted.

I called the sitter every couple of days to check on how things were going,
but there was never any problem.  I also left numbers where she could reach
me and some emergency numbers.  Finally, I made arrangements with my
veterinarian so that they would know to provide any medical treatment that
might be needed, and I also gave them my cell phone number so that I could
be reached at any time.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly:      >'o'<
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

If I'm off for any length of time, my three go into a boarding cattery. Francis
& Marble share an enclosure - Waffles has her own, but next to the boys.

My tips for deciding on a boarding cattery
- call in unannounced and see how the owners/managers react when you say you
want to have a look around.
- check with friends, rescue groups, vets etc who they'd recommend & who
they've used for their own animals.
- check the establishment will feed your cat what *it* gets at home.
- when wandering about, see how the animals staying there at the time react to
the people at the cattery.

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove dependency on fame & fortune
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If you cannot find someone reliable and whom you can trust to come to your
house and take care of Persia, suggest you take her to the vet's boarding
place. She will be fine there, in spite of the other cats, she will be
around people who are paid to do this kind of thing, and if she needs
anything they will have it there.
It's always nicer if she can stay in her own home, but I can understand your
hesitation when it comes to letting strangers into your house. Believe me,
Persia will be fine at the vet's. You will still worry, but don't we all. :)
Jazz's mama

If you do board Persia at the vet's, take into consideration that she will
not consider it to be her territory, so might not get so upset with strange
cats. I don't really have any useful advice to give, because my cats always
stay at my Mum's if I'm going away, they know her and feel perfectly at home
at her place. Many purrs for the problem to be solved in the best way
possible for you both.

I'd look into local pet sitters, when I travel on business I get a cat
sitter to come in and feed my cats while I'm gone. They are much happier
than when they have to spend time at a vet in a cage which they absolutely
hate. It's also much cheaper than boarding.

Could you get a pet-sitter that someone would recommend to you? Or someone
to stay in the house while you are gone and also take care of Persia?
Hoping you will find a good solution to your problem,

<snip

What about friends? When I go out of town, I line up between 2-4
people (depends on how long I'll be away) to come in, a couple of
times each. That way, I'm not asking too much of any individiual person,
but the cats get someone coming in once a day. I set up a schedule
for everyone ahead of time - ie, who will be coming over on which day,
and I give everyone each other's phone numbers, in case anyone wants
to switch days with someone else.

Because they're my good friends, I trust them with the key to my place.
(In fact, several people have keys to my apartment all the time, for
various reasons, and I have keys to their place.)

This is also a very *affordable* option. :)

Joyce

Gizmo is the same....hates other cats....is a very moody cat and isn't all
that affectionate....

At the vet they love her because she is so friendly and wants cuddles all
the time. She also plays with other cats there (but hates them at
home!!!)...

Funny animals!!

Angela

Though it's far from ideal, we board Mike at the vet on the rare
occasions we have to be out of town.  We have left Mike home alone
overnight, but wouldn't leave him any longer than 24 hours.  We figure
that's the max time he'd be okay by himself, and not have to be
subjected to the stress of boarding.

Mike hates and is stressed by other cats, but he is also stressed by
other people.  Anyone besides DH and me who comes into our house will
definitely be hissed at, and likely bitten and/or scratched.
Familiarity with the person doesn't help; he does this to family
members he sees fairly often, just as much as he does to new people.
(Of course, I don't know how Mike would react to someone else in the
house if DH and I weren't there.)  But this has made me think that a
pet sitter, while most likely better at handling him than a friend or
family member, wouldn't be any less stressful for him.

In fact, Mike is stressed by an awful lot of things, and he is
definitely hard to handle.  I would trust family members to take care
of him, but not to be able to block him if he made a determined rush
for the outdoors.  At the vet's he has to stay in a little cage, in
the same room with other animals (both dogs and cats, afaik) but I
know at the vet's he is at least perfectly safe, if not happy.

DH and I just do lots of abject kissing up to the cat to make up when
we get home.  :-P

------
Krista