Hello everyone! The thanksgiving holiday is drawing near, and I might be going out of town for a few days. The place I would be going to is about a 2 - 3 hour drive that goes through mountains. There is a probability of snow which would cause the drive to be near the 3 hour mark, otherwise if all is well the drive is 1.5 - 2 hours long.
I would be staying there for 2 nights and 3 days and I do have permission to bring Solo with me. I just worry that the long drive, change of scenery, then drive home might be too much stress for him. Plus there are two dogs and one other cat at the place I am going, so again not sure if Solo would be thrilled (although he might have a blast, I just don't know).
My question is, should I bring him? Leave him home? Hire a kitty sitter? Board him? What would you guys do?
I am leaning towards leaving him home, he is no longer a little pig since I got him an automatic food dish and so he will not starve... he might be depressed but I am sure he would get over it.
Thanks for any advice in advance!
(11-18-2009 03:47 AM)Solo Wrote: [ -> ]Hello everyone! The thanksgiving holiday is drawing near, and I might be going out of town for a few days. The place I would be going to is about a 2 - 3 hour drive that goes through mountains. There is a probability of snow which would cause the drive to be near the 3 hour mark, otherwise if all is well the drive is 1.5 - 2 hours long.
I would be staying there for 2 nights and 3 days and I do have permission to bring Solo with me. I just worry that the long drive, change of scenery, then drive home might be too much stress for him. Plus there are two dogs and one other cat at the place I am going, so again not sure if Solo would be thrilled (although he might have a blast, I just don't know).
My question is, should I bring him? Leave him home? Hire a kitty sitter? Board him? What would you guys do?
I am leaning towards leaving him home, he is no longer a little pig since I got him an automatic food dish and so he will not starve... he might be depressed but I am sure he would get over it.
Thanks for any advice in advance!
Hi Solo,
If it were Me I would get a neighbor, friend or sitter to stop by each day and refresh the food and water, sit and play with him if only for a few minutes. You can also call your friend and see how everyone is doing. Hope everything works out well for you.
Catherine
I know other people travel with their cats, but I don't. I know that Samantha would totally stress, and Simone wouldn't be too happy in a carrier for long either....but then again....no one in my family would let me bring my cats either!!
I'm sure he'll be fine at home, but get someone to just drop in and check on him daily. Maybe leave a radio or TV on for company too?
Hi There,
Not a bad idea to get someone to come in and visit and to check up on him.
Here comes the mother out in me hehehe,,,hope you don't mind ;;;
Your not going buy yourself are you ?I would be a reck up in mountains with snow.You are brave
Happen to my family once on vacation the roads turned to a sheet of ice in less then 15 min up in the mountains and it was 70 down below scared the heck out of me,
Now I will tell you to go and
have a great time
and stay safe
I would leave Solo at home as well and have someone check in on him daily. Please be careful on your trip. You have a cell phone?
Your going to take
Blanket,water too right
LOL,,
maybe you should call us
when you get there
I do take the cats from time to time but we have to stay in a hotel and it is a 3.5 hr drive one way. I also leave them here with the neighbors coming over and they play with them a few times a day. The boys travel very well but the other 2 no way as we can not go to the vet without it being musical but the boys go to the vet without a meow. Good luck.
If travel is not going to be a regular part of his life, particularly to the same places, then he will be better off at home with someone checking on him. (Actually, healthy cats who have been safely in the home alone during the day for some time can be safely left for a few days without anyone checking as long as food and water is present in excess - multiple non-tip bowls in various locations. Close off any areas where they can become confined, block doors open where you want to make sure they stay open, etc.)
I definitely recommend leaving them home, too. It would be much less stressful for them to be in their familiar home than to be in the midst of a new location, with new people and new animals, especially because you will probably be too busy with Thanksgiving-related things to spend a lot of time with them. I always leave my cats at home, and hire a catsitter (sometimes my regular catsitter, sometimes a friend if she's not available) to check in on them once or twice a day.
Thanks everyone
I have actually taken Solo on a few car rides with no carrier. He just walks around the car exploring, then ends up lounging on the front dashboard in my car. He likes to sit in the passenger seat with paws up by the window and look out like a little dog. Pretty funny! He has also had several vet trips, in which he stayed in a carrier. He does cry in the carrier, I would too if I had to be stuffed into a box. Anyways, I know its not a good idea to drive with a pet walking around your car so I probably will not take him and just leave him at home... hopefully someone can come by to give him company so he won't be too upset. I'll def. leave the radio or tv on for him.
The drive up the pass is one I have made several times. If the pass is bad, they always close it off. If that happens then our plans to go over will be canceled. If it is not too bad, traffic is always going slow and there are plenty of areas to put chains on. Otherwise if all is clear then I can just zoom through. I don't have an SUV or anything, but my car does have a special feature in the front tires where if one starts to slip then power goes to the other tire. I have been thinking about getting new winter tires put on as well.
Thanks for being so concerned not only for my cat, but for me as well. You guys are great!