Guest post and reader question by Vikki Hurley-Schubert — aka “Figment’s Mom.”
As a pet owner, it pains me every time I leave my beloved Figment. But since I love to travel, it’s a necessity.
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| Figment and Samantha |
I used to be able to leave her with Grandma and her two cat cousins. Sadly, the cat cousins have passed on and Grandma has acquired a new Siamese cat cousin named Samantha. Figment and Samantha seemed to get along—they eventually learned to tolerate each other– when Grandma had to stay here for five days during Hurricane Irene.
So, we sent Fig to Grandma’s for our recent vacation and it didn’t go so well. So badly in fact, she is not invited back. Fig and Samantha just couldn’t get along at Grandma’s.
As pet parents, we are beside ourselves. Fist of all, it is very unlike her to be so, well, rude. She is very loving and cuddly and adores her Grandma (to the point where we think she loves her more than us because it’s 24 hours of love, attention and playtime over there because Grandma is retired and we both work).
What do we do the next time we leave town?
Boarding her is not an option. We did that once when she was a kitten and were so racked with guilt that she was caged we really didn’t enjoy ourselves.
We have tried a feeder that works on gravity—you know what I’m talking about. You dump the kibble in the top and it drops out as the pet eats.
This didn’t go over so well in our house, at least not by our standards. By Fig’s it was great-24 hours of food! Our furball isn’t the brightest bulb in the three-pack. She ate ¾ of the amount we left on the first day! Thankfully, we came back after one night instead of two or I think we would have been cleaning up exploded kitty! She just ate and ate and ate and ate and ate…
Now I am looking at a fancy-pants feeder that comes with a timer and dispenses a specific amount of food at selected times. But, do they work? Are they reliable?
So dear My Tail Hurts readers, I am looking for advice and suggestions from you. What do you do with you pets when you leave home? Do you have a product that really works for you?
Thanks for all your advice!
Figment’s Mommy Vikki
I have two dogs and a cat. I also do petsitting for other people. When I go out of town, my dogs either stay with a friend, my parents, a kennel, or go with us. They are just so active that I cannot just leave them at home with food and water, or a once a day visit. My cat on the other hand is quite self sufficient. He is free fed, meaning he has a big container of food that lasts several weeks, and water and a litter box that self cleans. I have always just closed our dog door when leaving and left him at home. Now if I'm gone longer than 4 or 5 days, I'll have a neighbor check in on him, but otherwise, besides being irritated he hasn't been petted in that long, he's fine when we get home.
If you're really concerned with leaving your kitty alone, check the area for pet sitters. It is a great option!
I dont have any cats but I think its fascinating how cats dont mine being left alone where as most dogs crave and need attention.
I would get the feeder you are thinking out, to try it out, but also hire a petsitter to come over to your house once or more a day to give the kitty some loves and to make sure the feeder is functioning, make sure the water is fresh, etc. I would be worried that with an electronic device in charge of feeding my cat, that it might stop working while I was gone, which could have tragic results.
I think a pet sitter that is well known and trusted is your best bet. Someone who will play, talk, and feed your cat. Your local Vet might know of someone.
Cats are funny about new cats. Both cats may have felt her territory had been invaded by the other.
Despite a cat's aloofness, they still like to be near others, so leaving her alone for long periods of time could be upsetting to her. Again, a pet sitter would be better for her especially if they can stay a couple of hours a day.
I have been through all of this with 4 cats. Introductions of new cats, leaving them at home, kennels, and traveling with them. Good luck. I hope you find a solution.
I have a 6 cats and I always leave them with auto waterers and feeders when I go away. the thing to check is to make sure the feeder design you chose works well with the brand of food you use. Try it out before you go away. I have been doing auto feeders for 25 years now and never had a problem.