Mmm, summer is coming, and with it, the promise of several days of doing absolutely nothing! Maybe you will go to a five star hotel with its own private beach, or what about a water sport resort? But wait….who is going to look after the cat???

There are several acceptable options, just as there are non-acceptable ones. To name a few non-acceptable ones: abandoning the cat outside, thinking you’ll replace her with a cute fluffy kitten when you come home; a variation on this is tossing the cat out of the car while you leave; bringing her to a shelter so you’ll be rid of her, while you know they’ll probably put her down because they are swarmed during the summer and adults don’t stand a chance to be placed during this season. If these are options to you, you should buy yourself an artificial pet. There are plenty on the market by now.

Holidays are something you should consider before getting the pet. So what are some of the options available to you?

Neighbors, Family or Friends who live closeby:

If you are lucky enough to have neighbors that are glad to help out and do not go on holiday the same moment you do, then this is the cheapest and easiest solution. Friends or family who live close by are also an option. I myself have an agreement with a couple which lives about three blocks away. They have four cats, and I have five. And we have made it into a tradition to bring something from the country you’re visiting for your cat-sitters.

Professional cat-sitters:

If you aren’t lucky enough to have people you know close enough to take care of your cat, you can always hire a cat-sitter, at least in most countries. Though not inexpensive, it allows kitty to be in her own environment, while your plants get watered, mails gets taken in, and the kitty gets checked on every day. This causes the least amount of stress to the cat in my opinion, and is a very good solution. Just make sure you choose a reputable agency, because you do need to hand over your keys to them and you need to be able to trust them not to rob you blind. One way of reassuring yourself that these people treat your cat right and do not rob you blind is setting up a web-cam, or even several. This way you can check on the internet how kitty is doing. Cat-sitting is unfortunately a service that does not exist in my country just yet.

Family or friends who live far away:

Another option is moving the cat to a friends place for the time you’re on holiday. I know someone who will bring her three cats and dog to her parents while she is gone. It is definitely a solution and a good one if you know how to build it up. The best thing would be for the cat to be raised with it. That means that if you get a kitten, get yourself a little leash and take her with when you go and visit the person who will look after her when you are on holiday. Build this up and she will consider this place her second home, which will make the separation a lot easier.

If you get an adult cat from the shelter for instance, this could still work, though it will depend on the personality of the cat and emotional baggage from the past how long it will take. Please do not start this routine before your cat actually realizes that your home is its first home. Once she is settled in at your place, you can introduce her to her ‘summer cottage’.
If this person has animals of herself, make sure that your cats are de-wormed, de-flead and have had their shots before you go there. The person should do the same with her animals, so that contamination is kept to a minimum.

Cat hotels:

If you live in a country like mine where they haven’t discovered the profession of cat-sitter and have no friends of family who can help out, then consider getting kitty her very own resort. If you decide to do this, they will probably ask you for the paperwork that proves kitty has had her shots, and they may ask you to de-worm and de-flea her before you drop her off. Depending on the quality of the establishment, you tend to pay big. They are also often overbooked in the summer, so book early to be sure kitty is provided for. Personally, I would never send my cats to a hotel because the stress of moving and a new environment can cause them to wither away. It depends though, on the kitty’s personality and the quality of the place you choose. I know some very reputable cat hotels here, and they make an effort to draw kitty out, and make sure she has everything she needs as well as making sure she is happy. Clearly, those places will be costly.

On the other hand, to compare extremes, I remember the ‘shelter’ where I used to volunteer doing some cat hotel-stuff and this was incredibly traumatic to the cat. They were basically kept in another part of the shelter in the same way as the shelter cats. Often they would go home sick, because the shelter cats would bring in disease and since the cats were stressed their immune system wouldn’t be able to cope. It is a cheap place to cage kitty till you come back though. I do believe kitty will need a vacation after you’ve had yours then, to be able to de-stress.

Whatever solution you pick, make sure that you give the people in charge the following:

•A phone number where they can reach you

•Kitty’s papers and the number of your regular vet, preferably with opening hours.

•You will need to provide cat hotels and possibly cat-sitters with the paperwork that testifies they had all the shots they need.

•A letter containing special guidelines: the amount of food, which food, what routine it is given in and what medication and when administered and where everything can be found (if kitty is staying home).

•If going away, kitties food, kitty litter and medication should be brought with.

•If the cat is going to another environment, you might want to give the care takers kitty’s favorite toy, blanket or a sweater you recently wore to reassure kitty a bit. A Feliway spray is never a bad thing either.

It is also not a bad idea to de-worm kitty again when you come home, and she has been away herself, since worms are very infectious and the medication does not work as a preventive measure.

You see that there are several options available; all it takes is a little planning. This is unfortunately one of the ‘drawbacks’ of having pets. But considering how easy it is to solve, the advantages far outweigh these little bumps in the road. And this way you can relax and just enjoy your trip without having to worry about your favorite feline.