Traveling - What do you do with your cats?

[Senator]

If one had a medical problem no one cared. Dogs are pack animals and need attention. Cats may seem aloof but also need attention. Animals are like children and if you aren’t willing to take care of them don’t have them. I am disgusted by a few of the responses.

Dogs that have other companion dogs with them are better off at home, than at a boarding facility. Keeping a dog inside the house for 12+ hours, as a house sitter would, is also a problem. They would prefer to be outside, where they are used to being. Dogs do not like change.

Wen you put human emotions into a dog, you make incorrect choices.

 

[Old Microbiologist]

TeacherTerry - You may feel that way, but cats in particular are not particularly social and will take care of themselves. Here in Hungary where we live pets are almost never kept indoors at all. Cats are kept as working animals and their job is to kill rats and mice. Dogs are for guarding property and are never ever let indoors. Personally, I find that cruel in the winter. Our next door neighbor who is a General in the Hungarian Army was deployed with his family to be the Commander of the EU peacekeeping force in Sarajevo. He asked us to care for his dog for the 3 years he was deployed which we did. Our property is large and we opened a gate between the houses so the dog (a Hungarian breed known as a Pumi which have long sheep-like coats) ran free. My wife is a dog lover so she decided to have him groomed and then began letting him in the house. When our neighbor came back he was furious we had ruined his dog so he ended up giving it to his mother as a house dog in the local large city Veszprem. In the meantime we had the dog chipped and took him to the vert every year. He was mauled once by polecats which we had treated. They are vicious animals and kill a fair number of dogs and cats here but are protected so you can't kill them. Anyway, my point is here in Hungary animals are in general not companion pets per se which is interesting. Also, Hungarians in general hate cats but need them so they are barely tolerated. You see a few feral ones but nature keeps the numbers down.

 

[Retired Expat]

While I don’t completely agree with Senator here, I can’t accept paying $25 per day or $100 a week when we travel which is usually for 2-3 months at a time. We are down to 2 dogs and got the dogs long before the travel started.

We were lucky enough to find a couple on Mindmyhouse.com who were looking to spend time in our area for family reasons and they are staying at our place now for the 2nd time. It works great for them and for us.

If we go away for a week it is one thing to pay someone to housesit but for extended trips the cost is prohibitive and a kennel is just not an option.

Our dogs have a large fenced yard where they can spend the day should the sitters leave for the day so not lock3d up inside. These are not farm animals, or farm dogs who are used to being away from people. If they were raised that way it is one thing but to abandon a dog that is used to being with people all day is cruel. They are pack animals and the owners are their pack leaders..

 

[Elizrogers]

My grandparents lived on a farm and kept cats in the barn as mousers. We had a dog, as well, who stayed outside during the day in good weather but was brought in at night and in bad weather. She had a house outside too. My mother tells me this was because the dog was mine. Purchased for me as a toddler when it was a puppy, but that when she was growing up animals were not allowed in the house. It's different in rural areas. However, my experience has been that the city is much more dangerous for pets, especially cats. Many are struck by cars. I live on a greenbelt next to a drainage canal (some call it a creek) and we have.. bobcats and coyotes roaming it and into our yards, as well as Hawks and owls. Many keep owl houses to curtail the rat population, but they also get small pets. So, it simply isn't safe for cats or small dogs outside. Several dogs have been taken by hawk right out of their own backyard in front of the owner, so you cannot leave them alone even there. Likewise bobcats have jumped fences to get to a dog.

We have had cats in our house for nearly 50 years now. Our first was allowed to go out and came home constantly with an injury or illness (worms, fleas, disentary, tears and bites...). The vet told us cats, (once used to it) are quite content to stay indoors. So, from the second cat till today we have kept them indoors and they do seem quite happy. In fact, the one I had for 19 years didn't want to go out at all. I would take him out to sit on the porch with me and he would run back to the door and cry to be let in. So, I believe in erring on the side of safety and keep cats in, let dogs run in the backyard, but if they are small, keep an eye on them. This doesn't even cover the dangers of cruel people. As if nature wasn't bad enough there are evil people out there who at best will steal a pet and at worst I hate to think about. Don't ruin the fun memories of your trip by coming home to something sad about your fur-babies. Peace of mind is worth a lot.

This post was about leaving pets when traveling and if you love your pets like family, then think what you would do if you had to leave your child. Never leave an animal alone for days. He could get into something harmful, here in Texas we have sudden horrible storms that can really frighten them at best, but could do damage to property and you wouldn't want them out in that or in a house that was damaged.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have had both cats and dogs. I realize some dogs have jobs but to live their whole lives outside is cruel. We have left for the day and came home to a seriously sick pet. If we had left for days the pet would have been dead. We hire people to live at our house. We give them a code and know when they are there. We only hire people we know well. If our dog sitter worked we would have her put the big dog outside during the day but we have a big shed he could seek shelter in. The little ones stay in with potty pads. Our big dog was terrified of thunderstorms so if he was outside and we were gone we would head home immediately. If you leave a pet alone all night while you are gone it’s abuse plain and simple. There are other options besides boarding which we have never done. If you cannot afford pet sitters then don’t go on vacation. You could have a fire and your pets would perish.

 

[travelover]

........ You could have a fire and your pets would perish.

Excellent point. And fires can happen in seconds. One should probably never leave home without taking their pets with them, even the goldfish.