Hi everyone,
We are now retired and have few commitments so could get away at short notice if we wanted to. Except, we have a 15 year old cat. We were recently going abroad for two weeks and our usual cat feeder, our son, also happened to be away at the same time.
I took the cat to the vet for a check-up and asked his opinion on her being on her own for two weeks, apart from the time my daughter went in to feed her once a day via a timed feeder which fed her two meals.
The vet said she would be ok and would prefer this to being taken to a cattery which she has never been to ever in her life. We used to have two cats and she was ok then but not now. When we returned home it was five days before she would stay downstairs on her own at night and five days before she stopped crying. So although physically she was ok being fed, mentally she obviously didn't like being on her own for so long. We have a cat flap and she could get out to the garden etc. but the problem is what do we do next time we want to go away.
My son tried her at his house last year, but she would not come out from behind the settee and she peed on his carpets, so after two days he took her home and visited her there to feed her. He would do the same again now, but at present he has no transport and would have to cycle eight miles every day to feed her.
The obvious thing is when we are staying in UK is to take her with us. The question is can an old cat learn new tricks? Would she get used to the car, using a litter tray etc. and if so any tips as to how best to do things. I have read about putting her in a small harness but the litter tray seems to be the biggest problem . Also this cat is of a nervous disposition which might make things more difficult. I would appreciate your thoughts.
We are now retired and have few commitments so could get away at short notice if we wanted to. Except, we have a 15 year old cat. We were recently going abroad for two weeks and our usual cat feeder, our son, also happened to be away at the same time.
I took the cat to the vet for a check-up and asked his opinion on her being on her own for two weeks, apart from the time my daughter went in to feed her once a day via a timed feeder which fed her two meals.
The vet said she would be ok and would prefer this to being taken to a cattery which she has never been to ever in her life. We used to have two cats and she was ok then but not now. When we returned home it was five days before she would stay downstairs on her own at night and five days before she stopped crying. So although physically she was ok being fed, mentally she obviously didn't like being on her own for so long. We have a cat flap and she could get out to the garden etc. but the problem is what do we do next time we want to go away.
My son tried her at his house last year, but she would not come out from behind the settee and she peed on his carpets, so after two days he took her home and visited her there to feed her. He would do the same again now, but at present he has no transport and would have to cycle eight miles every day to feed her.
The obvious thing is when we are staying in UK is to take her with us. The question is can an old cat learn new tricks? Would she get used to the car, using a litter tray etc. and if so any tips as to how best to do things. I have read about putting her in a small harness but the litter tray seems to be the biggest problem . Also this cat is of a nervous disposition which might make things more difficult. I would appreciate your thoughts.
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