What to do with your cat during the holidays: all the solutions

When going on vacation, some masters decide to take their cat with them. Others hesitate between leaving him alone at home on the condition of organizing visits so that he feels less alone. Some prefer to entrust their twins to a foster family or a shelter. All solutions are possible, the best being the one that disturbs the animal the least because the cat hates having to change its habits. Let’s go through each solution, whether you’re going on vacation with or without your cat.

Go on vacation with your cat

Even if we take all the necessary precautions so that the cat travels in complete serenity, with its favorite toy for the to reassure, that’s not the best solution. The cat does not like to be bothered, jostled. If you have no other choice, it is important to have a transport cage sufficiently spacious and well equipped for the cat to feel comfortable there. The journey can be long, whether by train, car or plane.

Once there, it is useful to show him around his external and internal environment and to spend a lot of time with him the first day in order to reassure him. The cat that is not at home needs to be cuddled even more than usual. We must also make sure to install a little corner of his own, a little hidden in a small quiet room, in any case far from the incessant passage of family members. He will feel better.

Of course, it is essential to traveling with the cat’s health record, and that the animal is up to date with its vaccinations. A short visit to the veterinarian is essential before leaving, especially if you plan to spend your holidays with your cat in other latitudes.

Leaving the cat at home during the holidays

Many people go on vacation without their cat for different reasons:

• • Pets are not accepted on their vacation spot,

• • Their cat can’t stand travel,

• • They do not want their little companion to suffer from this temporary relocation.

Whatever the reason, leaving the cat at home during the holidays is possible provided that everything is perfectly organized so that he does not miss anything and that he is not alone for too long. Here is what can be done.

Arrange daily visits with a loved one

Entrusting the keys to the house or apartment to someone you trust is a reassuring solution. The cat receives food and fresh water every day, its litter is changed regularly and it is not completely alone. The ideal is to organize visits of one or two hours a day, and if possible at regular times. This task can be assigned to a family member, friend, neighbor or co-worker that the cat already knows.

In addition to taking care of the animal, the person can also take care of indoor and outdoor plants or pick up the mail in the mailbox.

This pet sitting system is free if it is based on the exchange of services. On the other hand, when it is a paid service because entrusted to a professional, it is necessary to count between 12 and 18 € per home visit.

Entrust the care of the cat to a certified cat sitter

This solution consists of employing a full-time guardian to devote his time to taking care of the cat(s) in the house either only during the day, or day and night. In the latter case, this implies that the cat sitter sleeps on site. This is a service that requires the drafting of a CONTRACT. This must mention:

• • The name of the owner of the animal(s),

• • The place of delivery,

• • The name, age, breed and sex of each cat to be kept,

• • The duration of the service (start date and end date),

• • The amount of the remuneration,

• • The date preceded by the words “Read and approved”,

• • The signature of the animal’s master,

• • The speaker’s signature.

THE cat care contract must also specify if the master authorizes the cat sitter to drive the cat(s) to the veterinarian if necessary.

Many online sites connect pet owners and pet sitters (cat sitter for cats, pet sitter for dogs). You have to be careful because many participants registered on its sites work illegally.

The Internet user who wishes to keep his cat during the holidays must ensure that the cat sitter is in fact the holder of a Certificate of Knowledge (ACACED) which used to be called the Certificate of Capacity to take care of Pets (CCAD). This sesame is issued by the prefecture or by the DDPP (Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations). It is mandatory to carry out a commercial activity in the animal sector. It is therefore strongly recommended to only use a certified cat sitter especially since the animals he keeps are under his full responsibility for the duration of the contract.

The cat sitter rate varies considerably from one geographical area to another. In Paris, the daily visit can cost between 25 and 30 €, in the Province between 12 and 18 €. If the cat sitter is employed full-time, or even at night, the contract must specify the hourly day rate and the hourly night rate according to a price list that can be obtained from the prefecture or from certain veterinarians.

Entrusting your cat to a foster family during the holidays

If you don’t want to entrust your house keys to anyone, and you’re leaving for more than three days, it’s possible to have your little feline looked after by a foster family. She must have a certification of abilitybe insured and have been authorized to practice by the DDPP (formerly Directorate of Veterinary Services or DSV).

For the cat, which is an independent animal and very attached to its territory, this solution is not the best. He may not appreciate this change of environment, especially if he does not know the people to whom his master entrusts him or if there are other pets in the foster home.

Leaving your cat with a foster family is, on the other hand, a solution that may suit a very cuddly and playful twink, who cannot stand loneliness and who loves family life, that is to say a cat whose character is closer to that of a dog than a tomcat.

The foster family rate for caring for a cat is between €8 and €22/day, animal food not included.

The boarding house for cats, another mode of care for the holidays

Cat boarding is a concept that is only suitable for animals accustomed to living in a community. It is therefore not the solution to adopt if you have a taciturn, very solitary cat, which arches and spits as soon as it sees a congener. For this type of feline, it is better to choose a hotel for cats, which provides each animal with an individual box. It’s a kind of luxurious cat boarding which is growing in popularity.

Cat boarding prices are extremely variable since there are entry-level, mid-range and luxury boarding houses. They also depend on the period of care and of course the length of stay. To know precisely the budget to devote to cat boarding during the holidays and to compare the prices charged as well as the services offered, it is enough to request quotes at different establishments.

As soon as the master entrusts his cat to serious and trained people who will know how to take care of it, his little companion should be relatively calm during this holiday period. But it is very important to choose the mode of care taking into account the cat personality. This pet is very sensitive to the slightest change in its habits, and this can generate a great deal of stress. It may be worth checking with your veterinarian to find out what would be best for your cat.