As the holiday season begins, pet owners are faced with the challenge of finding someone to care for their cat or dog while the owner goes sightseeing or relaxes on the beach. The simplest and most cost-effective option is to hand over the keys to the apartment to accommodating and trustworthy neighbors and ask them to feed the animal, walk it, or change the litter tray. For those who were unable to reach an agreement, there are special services for keeping animals. These same services are also provided by private individuals. The Village looks at how much it costs to look after a cat and dog for a standard two-week holiday.
Babysitter for a cat
Personal space is important to cats, and changes in the environment make the animal feel anxious. Therefore, the easiest option is to ask someone to come see your pet. An acquaintance or relative can become such a “nanny” for a cat during the holidays. If you can't find the right person, try finding someone who will take care of your cat for a small fee.
Before departure you need:
- Take care of nutrition and buy food in advance. Explain to the “nanny” how to feed the cat: how many times a day and how much food to give, how often to pour fresh water;
- Explain how and when to clean the litter box. Check to see if you are running out of cat litter;
- Exchange phone numbers with the person who will look after the cat.
If your cat has a hard time being alone, such communication will not be enough for him. Then it is worth considering the option of temporary relocation.
Take with you
A bold decision is often justified by the true concern of the owners.
Pets attached to people suffer most from lack of attention and loneliness. Sometimes the intellectual development of cats is disrupted and their character is irreversibly deteriorated when the animal experiences severe stress as a result of being “abandoned.”
Cat in a carrier
At first on the trip, the cat will be frightened by the changes, but the warm hands of the owner, care, and communication will give the pet confidence in exploring new spaces. If your lifestyle is tied to the desire to travel frequently, then from the first months your pet needs to be taught to carry and transport. Then on your next vacation the question of where to put the cat will not be relevant.
Moving a cat to friends or relatives
This option is suitable for those cats who have difficulty withstanding loneliness. Any move, even for a short time, is stressful, so the cat will be more comfortable with familiar people. Choose a candidate from people with whom the pet is willing to make contact.
Familiar toys, a scratching post and a house will help reduce your cat’s anxiety. Don't forget to buy food, bring bowls and a tray. When choosing a temporary family, pay attention to the conditions in the apartment and the composition of the family. You should not place your cat in a home with children or an aggressive dog.
Preface
Fortunately, for all the time I have had animals in my house (and this is almost always), I have always managed to find those people who can be entrusted with patronage of the animals while I am away. These are either relatives or friends. We always help each other out when it comes to livestock.
But now we live quite far from relatives and friends, and therefore quickly running in and feeding an animal in our absence has become not such a convenient activity. Of course, my beloved family and friends do not refuse to help, but, on the contrary, insist on help, but going to our home after work to feed the cat across the city and back is a dubious pleasure.
And then I started thinking - what if my friends who live nearby suddenly go on vacation at the same time as us or do we all go together? And, going on vacation this year, I decided to experiment, leaving Mars (and Chamomile) at home without the help of loved ones.
Paid foster care or hotel for cats
In special hotels, pets are fed, bathed, and taken for walks until their owner returns. This method will be more expensive, but it has a number of advantages:
- Specialists will take care of the cat. They will be responsible for the pet;
- At the hotel, animals are kept separately in a specially designed room. The pet will not be harmed: it will not run away, will not fall out of the window and will not eat a poisonous plant;
- If an animal is sick, it will receive immediate medical attention;
- The hotel staff will professionally take care of animals with specific needs. They will provide the necessary care and treatment;
- Possibility of 24/7 monitoring of your cat via webcam.
Visit the hotel before leaving your cat there and pay attention to the size and cleanliness of the cages, and the order in the premises. The smell of urine and fur in the premises are sure signs that the animal is in danger here. If your cat is going to walk in the yard, inspect the area. The pet can escape if it finds a gap or hole.
How to feed a cat while on vacation?
Naturally, the first thing I decided to do was set up the feeder. I already bought one similar gadget at one time, but it didn’t last long. The mechanism wore out very quickly and jammed, and my cat also learned to “negotiate” with this feeder so that it would give him food whenever he wants.
The hungry look of the cat is intended to shame its owner as much as possible.
The comb, which rotated and measured portions, was very low there and my cat learned to turn it with his paw (I personally caught him doing this). As a result, he overeated, and the food ran out very quickly.
Another disadvantage of that feeder was the setting mechanism, which was similar to an old electronic alarm clock. It was necessary to hold down something, then successively press other buttons to set the time. All in all, it was gloomy.
There is a slight distrust on the cat's face. He's just not used to technology. After a couple of feedings, he gobbled up the food as before.
The Petoneer Nutri Feeder works quite differently. An app is used to set it up, and the mechanism is anti-jamming and is located high—it’s impossible to “negotiate.” But let's talk about everything in order.
The appearance of the Petoneer Nutri Feeder is quite modern.
After downloading the application to your smartphone, you will need to go through the first stage of setup. To do this, you will need to create an account and add a device. The adding process will take literally a couple of minutes and a couple of clicks. You will only need to select the type of device to be added from the list and enter the network data for the gadget to connect to Wi-Fi.
In the application you can not only control the process, but also set feeding settings.
When everything is done, you can immediately try to give out a portion of food or set up a feeding schedule for every day of the week. The schedule includes feeding times and the number of meals given at one time. After this, if notifications are enabled, you will receive confirmation of successful feeding or error reports. For example, about a lack of food in the tank.
If there is so much food, the system will warn about this.
For food there is a large tank with a capacity of more than three liters, the lid of which is locked and opened with a button. The inside of the tank is pulled out so it can be cleaned. The lid fits tightly, which prevents the smell from escaping. For feeding from below there is a tray into which the food is poured. As I said, if food gets into the mechanism and jams it, there is a reverse movement that will allow the blades to move. With this mechanism, failures are practically eliminated.
The cat will be able to eat at its usual time, even when the owner is not at home.
Feeding the feeder is possible in two ways. For this purpose, there is a microUSB connector at the bottom. You can connect with any power adapter. I tried the included adapter from an old iPhone to 1A and everything worked. In addition, you can power the feeder from a Power Bank. To do this, there is a special compartment on the back wall that contains a regular USB and plenty of space to place the battery itself. The flat Xiaomi 10,000 mAh fits there with a margin of thickness - there is a lot of space.
Almost any Power Bank will fit into such a “box”, making the feeder autonomous.
On the front panel, in addition to the buttons for opening the storage lid and the button for dispensing a single portion of feed, there are two indicators. The first shows the status of the device and network connection, and the second will flash orange when the food runs out.
The indicator will tell you when the gadget is connected to the network and when you need to add more food.
To determine the amount of feed, there is an optical sensor inside the tank that will notify the owner when the level drops below normal. In my case, after the sensor was triggered, the remainder lasted for about a couple of days. It's good that the notification comes in advance.
As a result, I can say that at first my cats treated the new gadget with some caution, but after several feedings they realized that they could trust it and as soon as they heard the sound of food spilling out, they immediately ran to the feeder. By the way, it is worth noting that the feeder is only suitable for dry food.
Is it possible to leave a cat alone?
A cat, especially in summer, needs fresh food and water every day and frequent cleaning of the litter box. Therefore, it is not recommended to leave your pet alone, even if it is for a week. In case of injury, there will be no one to help.
Sometimes it happens that there is no other way out. To ensure your cat's comfort, pay attention to the following things:
- Feed. Opened canned food is stored for no more than a day, so the cat can be alone in the apartment only if it eats dry food. An automatic feeder will be a good helper: fill it with plenty;
- Water. Install a drinker. A special fountain is also suitable for these purposes. Also leave water in the rooms. Do not use plastic bowls: the water in such dishes quickly becomes dirty and evaporates. You can place a deep plate in the sink and turn on the tap. Clear the sink of foreign objects: the cat will drop them and block the drain;
- Tray. Add extra trays and more litter than usual. Secure the door to the toilet, otherwise the cat may slam it;
- Cat safety. Do not leave the windows open, but there should be fresh air in the apartment - make a minimal gap. Close cabinets and cabinets and make sure that the cat does not get to dangerous objects: threads, first aid kits, household chemicals, bags.
Of course, it is safer not to leave your cat alone during your vacation.
It is better to try to find a friend who will live with the pet owner in the apartment. This way, the cat will be looked after, and your pet will not get bored during your absence. Did you like the article? Share with your friends!
When is it necessary to give away a cat while you are away?
The length of time the owners are absent is important. If the vacation is short-term and limited to 3 days, it is recommended to leave the cat at home. Wherein:
- windows and doors close
- electrical appliances turn off
- gas appliances are turned off, in particular the stove
- an additional tray with filler is left for trips to the toilet
- provides the cat with access to food and water supplies
Cats tolerate separation from their owners more calmly than dogs. It’s not for nothing that they say: “The mustachioed ones are more attached to the house, not to the person,” and they give the cat family the epithet “independent.” Accordingly, a cat feels comfortable without its owner for several days if it remains in its familiar and so important environment.
But, if the vacation is long, the pet’s comfort will end due to depletion of food and water supplies and overflowing trays. It is also alarming if the pet has chronic illnesses and a long period of time without supervision and medication is unacceptable. The question arises about the so-called foster care of a pet, that is, temporarily placing it in the hands of other people.
Why don't I take Mars to his relatives?
I am categorically against taking cats to someone else's territory while on vacation. Rat, guinea pig, hamster, snail – these animals can be dropped off and picked up upon arrival without any problems. They will not experience stress; on the contrary, it is even recommended to leave the guinea pig with people.
But not a cat. And there are at least two reasons for this:
- Cats do not tolerate transportation to foreign territory very well. If you have ever moved with a cat to a new place of residence, I think you understand what a cat is like. My Mars spent a week trying to get used to the new apartment, even though we, the owners, were nearby all the time. He hid in corners and refused to eat. What will happen if he is given to someone else’s house to strangers? There is no need for such stress either for the cat or for those to whom you are taking him.
- If someone else's family has a cat, expect war. Cats are not known for their hospitality and defend their territory from invasions of their own kind. As a result, there will be fights between cats, which can end badly. A cat without an eye is of no use.
