Leaving the cat while I am away for a long time

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Lipgor - 09 Dec 2003 22:32 GMT

Hello everyone,

I have posted here once before about neutering (spraying) my female
cat, and I now I hope that someone can give me some advice as to what
I should do with my beloved pet.

I have to leave the US for 1.5 months in 2 weeks, and now I am
deciding what to do with my cat.
I really don't want to take her with me on transatlantic flight, as
she is 7.5 years old and I had her sprayed recently. When I was away a
few times before for 1-1.5 months I left her with my friend who had a
male cat and they went along quite well. Now my friend acquired a
female cat, and she told me that that cat is rather pushy. My cat is
shy and very sensitive and I am worried about leaving her with those 2
cats, especially after her operation.
Would you still leave her with those cats if you were me?

The other alternative is to hire a pet-sitter who can come and visit
my cat, but I never used this service and I don't know if anyone would
pet-sit for 1.5 months.
Can anyone comment on that? How expensive this can be?

I don't consider kennels, as I know that my cat will be too stressed.

I would appreciate anyone's suggestions. Many thanks in advance.

Cordially,
lipgor

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PawsForThought - 09 Dec 2003 23:15 GMT

>From: lipgor77@hotmail.com (Lipgor)

>When I was away a
>few times before for 1-1.5 months I left her with my friend who had a
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
>I would appreciate anyone's suggestions. Many thanks in advance.

Do you have a friend or know someone who would be willing to live in your house
while you're gone?
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
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Cathy Friedmann - 09 Dec 2003 23:27 GMT

I have a cat sitter come in to feed & water my cats, scoop their litter, &
play w/ them for a bit when I'm out of town. She will also give meds if
needed. Granted, the longest I've been absent has been for about 10 days.

Otoh, if you want to look into a pet sitter, either for this trip, or for
future reference, one place you can check is w/ your vet's office. They
should have a pretty good handle on who the good petsitters are, & may even
tell you which ones they employ when they need to leave *their* pets.

I pay $8 per visit, but I think the newer clients - or those farther away -
are charged $10 per visit. This fee will vary a lot by location, I imagine.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

> Hello everyone,
>
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> Cordially,
> lipgor

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Meghan - 10 Dec 2003 03:47 GMT

Dear Lipgor,

I understand your concern about leaving your shy cat with 2 other cats, one
of which is pushy. But on the other hand, leaving her alone (even if
someone is coming in to check on her) for 1.5 months is a REALLY long time
to be alone! Is there any way that your friend who has cared for your cat
before can keep her in a separated part of the house from the other two
cats? Are there any other friends who might be able to take her in? Just a
couple of thoughts... Or, ask your vet's advice - they might think of
something we haven't.

Meghan

> Hello everyone,
>
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> Cordially,
> lipgor

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-L. - 10 Dec 2003 05:34 GMT

> Hello everyone,
>
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> Cordially,
> lipgor

I would have someone live in your house. I have done this in the
past - do you have any friends or coworkers that are college kids, or
new graduates, that might like hosesitting?

otherwise, hire a pet sitter - not ideal, but better than the
alternatives.

Good luck,
-L.

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Barb - 10 Dec 2003 16:08 GMT

You'll be gone a long time. When I went to Europe for more than 2 months I
brought my then one year old Siamese back to the cattery where I got her and
they cared for her. I can't remember what I paid because it was 40 years
ago. When I went to pick her up it took a couple minutes and then she was
madly licking my face so I knew she remembered me. We went on for many
years after that and thankfully I never had to go away for so long again.

I think with a pet sitter that long you will be very worried-what if they
get sick or something?

I wish you a lot of luck with this,

Barb
I can only please one person a day.
Today is not your day.
Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

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