How to look after your cat while you travel abroad !
It is not always possible for us to go on vacation with our cat. The reasons can be multiple, whether it is for practical or administrative reasons, or even because of the character of our feline friends who do not like, for the most part, to be far from their usual comfort.
So, to keep him can be a necessity. But how to keep him? What are the different options? You will find all the answers to these questions below.
To keep his cat by relatives
This is the simplest and most obvious solution. Since most cats are very attached to their territory, their comfort and their lifestyle, this is certainly the best method of care to avoid too much stress.
Ask a friend, family member or neighbor if they can come to your home every day to feed your cat, play with him, cuddle him, check the litter box, pick up after him or change the whole litter box if necessary.
However, take a few precautions before leaving your cat in care, address yourself to someone you trust (don’t forget that he will come to your home during your absence), make sure that the person concerned is available every day. If your cat has never seen the person in question, don’t hesitate to have them meet, because your cat might get stressed if it sees a stranger entering its home when you are not present, even if it is to take care of it.
Having a cat sitter
You have probably used a babysitter for your children, but do you know cat-sitters? It is more or less the same principle, with the difference that the cat-sitter, you will have understood, is there to keep your cat at your home for a fee. He sets his own rates, depending on the duration of the care and the distance he has to travel to your home, generally.
This can be a good solution if none of your relatives are available and you don’t know where to turn, but you want your cat to stay at your home.
However, take precautions before hiring your cat-sitter, as you will be leaving the keys to your home with a stranger. Ask around beforehand, try to find reviews on the internet. Also, when you make the agreement with the cat-sitter, don’t hesitate to ask for his contact information (address, phone number, etc.), in case a theft or other crime is found, one can never be too careful. If he refuses, perhaps you would be better advised to find another guardian for your cat, because a person who does not foresee anything bad would have no reason to refuse to give you this kind of information.
Fostering your cat
If you don’t want your cat to stay in your home while you’re away (or if you don’t have a choice), you can use the services of a foster family, which is simply a family that will keep your cat in their home, providing the necessary presence and care. Some cats, especially the more social ones, will prefer this to being alone. However, expect these families to take in several animals: if your cat is a perennial loner who hates other people, you will have to take this into account and find the right foster family.
These families keep your cat for a salary, but it can also be in the form of an exchange of services: the family keeps your cat during your vacations, and you keep theirs during their vacations for example.
Don’t hesitate to leave your cat a blanket or a toy from your home, the smell of your home being present on it and will reassure your little tomcat far from home.
To make guard his cat in a pension for cats
As the name implies, boarding your cat means that your cat will be a resident of a kind of cat daycare center while you are away. Professionals will be present to take care of the animals they have to look after, giving them food and water, keeping their litter box clean and providing them with presence, play and caresses.
Don’t hesitate before choosing a boarding kennel to collect opinions, it is better to be careful and not to have bad surprises. Also ask about the price, because there are as many prices as there are boarding houses, from the classic ones with decent prices, to the luxury ones with much higher prices.
This option, as with the foster family, is only possible if your cat is able to live with other animals, even if only for a short time. Some luxury boarding kennels go so far as to offer “private quarters” for cats that are not very social, for an additional fee. Finally, if you choose this option, as with fostering, feel free to leave a blanket, blanket or toy from home.
