Question:
I will be traveling a bit for the holidays over the next few weeks. I will be away for 4 days and 3 nights for Christmas. I'm trying to decide which would be better for Squeakers - leaving her home all by herself, or taking her with me to my family's house, where she would have her own room. There will be a little dog, but we can keep them separated. I feel so sad to leave her home - I picture her meowing outside my bedroom like she does every morning!
By the way, it's a three hour ride.
Answer:
I'd say it depends on the cat. Does your cat do well in car rides? Will she be ok alone in a room of a strange house with strange smells?
My mom's cats would freak out going in a car, would freak out in a strangers house, and wouldn't be ok locked in a room.
So for them I would definatly leave them home.
Belfour would be fine traveling. He does great in the car. However the house we are at has a dog who doesn't like cats. So it just wouldn't work.
We will not be gone as long as you however, so it is not an issue.
Can a neighbor come to check on her while you are away? I think cats really are more resourceful than we think. Imagine all the fun she has while you are sleeping at night.
If she has adequate food, water & litter box then being alone for 4 days is not the end of the world for a cat
Answer:
That's right; it really depends on the cat. Traveling is hard for most kitties.
But some cats are more bonded to their people and want to be with them no matter what, while others are homebodies, they are bonded to place, and would rather not change.
For such a short time, I would be inclined to leave the cat at home and have a pet-sitter come in once or twice a day to feed, clean the litterbox, play and snuggle. Of course, it would not be acceptable to leave the cat more than a day without someone coming in to check on her.
Cheers,
Dr. Jean
Jean Hofve, DVM
www.littlebigcat.com
www.spiritessence.com
Boulder, Colorado
Answer:
yup totally depends on the cat. Harley goes everywhere with us! Even when we drove 1500 miles home for Christmas (yes, thats 3.000 ,miles round trip!)...he loves it, does wonderful in the car and enjoyes the adveture. Jack on the other hand always stays home and friends care for him. He hates the car and he doesn't like new places too well...although he usually does good in hotel rooms because it's just me and my husband in the room with him.
If its just for 3 or 4 days and kitty doesn't like the car I would definatly hire a pet sitter to come in once a day to feed and play with her
www.xanga.com/Naomijoy

Answer:
cats are really sensitive to changes in their environments. even if your cats travels well, it'll still be a stressful time -- unfamiliar places, unfamiliar people. on the other hand, that long of a time alone isn't a good idea either. consider having someone come in to look after the cat, or boarding. either way, it's stressful. the question is, which is the least for your cat. you really won't be able to tell until you try one way or another.
good luck, and have a great holiday!
Tim

Answer:
We camp in the summer months and we always left Bosco home.
2 days was usally our max....if we were going to be gome longer than we had a friend stop by the house....he would not go to her but she would clean his box, feed him for me and sit in the room with him for a while.
Answer:
I think the home thing is best. I travel on business, the max is away for three nights. My cats are fine, my son checks on them, I have the water dispensers and also leave out large bowls of water, I leave out large bowls of dry cat food and I have the automatic litter boxes. When the newest one was tiny, he went to the local cattery. Being so young, they loved him and played with him a lot. Now he is old enough to stay with the others. I really think yours staying home without you is less traumatic than putting him in a car with all the comotion that goes along with that.
He will know you are not there and will probably not spend time meowing at your door. Have a good holiday.
Answer:
I just wanted to let you all know that I did take Squeakers with me for Christmas. Actually, she was perfectly fine. She slept through most of the car ride. By the end of the first day, she ventured out of her room by her own will, and by the next day, she had full run of the house - exploring everywhere! I don't plan on taking her with me for short trips, but now I feel comfortable taking her with on future trips to my mother's house - I'm sure it helped that there are no other cats around!
Answer:
that's great!! glad it worked out good for you!! you have a great cat...
Tim

Answer:
Fantastic, I am glad it all worked out well and you all had a good holiday. Best Wishes for the New Year.
Answer:
I'm wondering about this too. My family is likly to be going to Montreal for 2 weeks, and were going to take the dog. BUT.. its an 8 hour car ride, is that too much for a cat? Im thinking yes- Like i dont know how to even go about traveling that long with her. Leaving her home for 2 weeks seems mean - since I know shes soo cuddly and LOVES people and craves attention .. she adapts really quickly and isnt shy .. I just dont know how she'd like a car ride for 8 hours? would I keep her in travel cage? I dont know?
Chiara
~~ mommy to Kahlua (as of Oct 25/04) ~~
Answer:
Your cat and dog should both be in crates if you are traveling.
Recently there was a fatal car accident. The woman had her dog in the car and it wasn't secured. Something happened and the dog tried to jump out the drivers window. She crashed and killed herself and one person in the car she hit. I have also read of animals getting out of the car on trips and being lost or killed. So for your own, your pets, and other people on the roads safety please please always restrain your pets when they are in the car.
Cats are Gods way of reminding us we aren't as important as we think we are
Answer:
For a three hour trip, I used a small cat carrier, and put some dry food and water. But for eight hours, I would think that would be too long for your cat to stay in one place with out moving much, without access to a litter box. Still, you definitely don't want to take your cat out at all while you're traveling. It's way to easy for them to get loose, and in a strange place, you might not find them again! What about a small dog crate? Does anyone think this might be a good solution? That way, the cat can move around a bit and have access to liter, without the risk of esacping and causing all sorts of problems.
Also, I know I was definitely lucky that it worked out so well and that Squeakers ended up being comfortable and curious. I know she could have been completely scared and stressed, in which case she would have been better off at home.