What will happen to our cats on holiday?
Every year the question arises again, where with our cats on holiday? In dogs, this is much easier. If you want to travel by car, they just come with you. But this does not work equally well with all dogs, there are also those who do not tolerate the car driving. Most of the time, however, it works relatively smoothly with a dog.
Our cats are a bit different, most don’t like driving at all and also protest loudly. But there should also be cats who don’t mind. Unfortunately, our cats were not one of them. The need for them to sit in a cat transport box doesn’t make it any better.
The difference between dog and cat when it comes to holidays.
When it comes to a possible takeaway on holiday, the differences between a dog and a cat are revealed.
A dog is a pack animal because it is descended from the wolf. For him, his master and mistress are the “alpha wolves” on whom he orients himself and is obedient. For a dog, it doesn’t matter where it is. As long as masters or mistresses are with him, his world is fine. This is also the reason why you can usually take a dog with you anywhere without any problems.
In cats, the situation is very different. First and foremost, a cat is a predator and claims a precinct for itself. With free-range cats, this can be a large area, which the cats regularly roam. They also defend this precinct quite aggressively against fellow species. They also underline this claim by marking it accordingly.
In the case of apartment cats, their home is also their territory, which of course they also mark. Either by scratching at any corners or by rubbing with your head. Uncastrated hangovers also mark something else, which is no longer pleasant for us humans.
Since you can’t take the cat’s territory with you on holiday, it’s stressful for a cat to take it to another place. It is much harder for her to adapt to a new environment. She has to reorient herself here and see what there are for markings of other cats and then also set her own markings.
But it is not impossible to take cats on holiday. It is very important that the cats have a very good bond and great confidence in their relationship people. If you have a long time to take your cats on holiday regularly, you should also train with them from an early age. You should then also be able to walk on a leash. With an old cat, this will no longer work later.
Let cats take care of them on holiday
For the vast majority, it is certainly out of the question to take his cat on holiday. The question then arises as to how they can be looked after in time.
Family and friends
The best solution is to have your cats cared for by family members and friends during the holiday season. Cats find it much easier to give up their favorite people for a certain period of time if they can stay in their usual environment. If she then gets besides food also petting units is for the world for the first time as far as possible okay. The carers should have been met by the cat beforehand and found by her to be good.
Care by cat sitters
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to have the cat looked after by family members or friends. Especially if they live separately, this will not work.
One way to keep your cat in the familiar environment is to hire a cat sitter. These can be neighbours or strangers. Here, for example, there are websites where animal-loving people offer such care. A simple Google search such as “cat care + city” or “animal pension + city” can be used to find suitable offers near the place of residence.
However, you can also check classified ads on eBay or place your own classified ad.
Animal boarding house or animal hotel for cats
If you cannot or do not want to resort to the above-mentioned care facilities, you can also put your cat in an animal boarding house or animal hotel. This is often a good option if you are not at home for a long time, which can also have professional reasons. Because even your best friends don’t want to put an endless burden on the care of their pets.
You can also easily find an animal boarding house via an internet search. If you have found something suitable, you should definitely take a close look at the animal boarding house in advance. If you have a weird feeling with it, you should rather have another look. The cat should also feel comfortable and not come home completely disturbed. And of course you also pay a lot of money, so the performance should be right.
How do we do this if we want to go on holiday?
We have our family and also friends who look after our cats on holiday. In preparation for the holiday, we coordinate with them who can look after the cats in the morning and evening on which day.
To facilitate the arrangement, we have set up a Whatsapp group for the maintainers, where they can also communicate with each other. It can also be that sometimes something comes in between one or the other and someone has to step in. So far this has always worked great and it is also nice when you get a Whatsapp message with a picture of a satisfied cat on holiday.
We also use a Feliway plug during the holiday season. Better safe than sorry. Our old man Emil can get a little aggressive if he can’t get out.
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