Member

Posts: 84
From:Ontario Canada
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-29-2003 10:07 AM         

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I'm going away for a few days at Christmas and will be boarding one of my two cats as one is 'new' and I don't want to leave them alone unattended. I will be having a pet sitter come in daily for one of them but I'm wondering which one to board. The 'new' one (2 y.o. male, I've had him for 2 months) is more used to being in a shelter setting (it's at the vet's) whereas the resident cat (12 y.o. female) never goes anywhere except to the vet and we've always had the pet sitter come in for her. The reason I'm thinking of boarding the old girl is because she hates the new guy and I was hoping that a few days away might help her to accept him as he will be here when she comes home. I figure if I take him away she'll think she's finally gotten rid of him for good and it will be even worse when he comes back...any thoughts?

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Member

Posts: 701
From:CA
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-29-2003 10:29 AM         

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Hello. I don't think boarding either cat is a very good idea, since you have a sitter coming anyway. It's already stressful and confusing for cats when we go away, but when we take them away from their home as well it's double the stress. That's just my opinion, though. If it were my cats I would leave both of them in the house and have the pet sitter come twice a day. If you take the younger cat to be boarded the older cat will most likely be even less friendly to him then she was before. I would just leave both cats at home. Perhaps, you not being there will somehow make them have a better bond.

As far as your older cat not liking your new cat, just give it time. It's only been two months. She may never like him, but she will most likely grow to tolerate him. You never know, they may end up being good pals.

Let us know what you decide.

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Member

Posts: 260
From:MO, USA
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-29-2003 03:06 PM         

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Cats have a very difficult time being boarded and it can be a very stressful experience for them. It is stressful enough when we go out of town let alone when they end up in a strange place, full of strange noises, smells, and people and cats they do not know. If you have a petsitter coming for one of the kitties I would definately have her come for both.
If you absolutely have to board one of the cats I would not boared your older cat, your older cat has been there longer and is establishing the fact that it is alpha.
It takes time. They will get along eventually.

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Member

Posts: 120
From:West Chester, PA.
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-30-2003 08:38 AM         

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Why cant you take the cats/kittens with you? When I travel, I take mine with me.

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Member

Posts: 84
From:Ontario Canada
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-01-2003 04:31 PM         

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an update...we've decided to keep both kitties at home when we are gone. We didn't want to use our current cat sitter (she's a dear lady but she's quite elderly)as the new cat can be a little intimidating as he's big and full of energy and would probably jump on her when she opened the door and we don't want him getting at the old cat. So I called another professional organization and expressed that they MUST be kept separated and they assured me they could handle it. We are flying out of the country so taking them with us wasn't an option. Thanks for the input.

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