# Placing my cat in a cattery for the first time...



## D a r c e y (Jul 17, 2016)

About 9 months ago we adopted a cat from our local shelter and she is 4 years old. We weren't told much about her experience or why she was in the shelter but according to the woman who was looking after the cat, her previous home had other animals (presumably cats) which she did not respond well to. The cat seems to have taken quite a liking to myself and the rest of my family and we haven't had any problems with her so far. 

We are planning on taking a 2 week long holiday at the end of the summer and are placing our cat in a cattery for the first time. I'm not sure if I'm just being paranoid thinking this, but I'm really worried that she might think she's being put up for adoption again as the pens at the cattery are almost exactly the same as the pen she stayed in for 3 months before we found her. She appears to have been fine with us leaving her alone in the house but currently the longest we've left her has only been about 12 hours. 

Will she think we're leaving her? As I said before, we know nearly nothing about her life before we brought her into our home, so I have no idea if she's ever even been to a cattery before. I'm also concerned about the fact that she'll be surrounded by other cats which we know she doesn't get on well with. Does anyone have any knowledge on this or advice that might be helpful for us?

(Apologies for the extremely long forum - I'm just really concerned about her)


----------



## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

If you're worried about her going into a cattery, there are alternatives. Would you consider a live-in cat sitter or do you have a relative or neighbour who could pop in and feed and look after her while you're away? You never know how a cat will react in a cattery, some are quite happy, others don't like it but you don't know until you try it. I would just say that most reputable catteries are full up well in advance so don't leave it until the last minute if that's your choice. If you find one with vacancies, you could do a test run and put her in it for a weekend say to see how she gets on. We did this a couple of months ago and rather than have a long holiday, took a short break, unfortunately they hated it and wouldn't eat at all so we ended up coming home early but I'm glad we hadn't booked for longer


----------



## Shrike (Jun 25, 2015)

I'm not sure she will assume she's up for adoption again, but she may react badly to being away from her territory. If you can get neighbours/friends to pop in to feed her that would be my 1st choice - its what I do for Brooke now.


----------



## Tezwik (Apr 6, 2016)

I've had exactly the same concerns sour putting earl into a cattery, my neighbour has offered to come in 3 times a day to see to earl, to make sure he's fed, watered & has a clean litter tray, she will also sit with him for an hour or so on an evening & I'm still worried that he wil think I've abandoned him, I think no matter what we will always worry about our fur babies because they don't understand that we will be back and it's only temporary.


----------



## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

In general, cats are much happier left at home with familiar surroundings and routine even though you aren't there.


----------



## ExD (Jul 1, 2016)

I'm told their perception of time is underdeveloped, and that being left alone for an hour is as bad as being left for a day. I'm not sure that's true, but its possible that they won't stress any more after a fortnight than they will after just a weekend.
I'm luck in that my mikman is also my brother-in-law and he sees to the cats for me, night and morning (poor moggies miss their mid-day meal) but they have always been fine.
They are very different in their reactions to me afterwards though - one sulks for a few days and sits with her back to me but comes round in the end, the other won't leave me alone and fusses after me like a long lost ghost. Personally I'd try for a cat visitor locally if you can find one, otherwise the cattery will be fine - at least they'll be safe and fed.


----------



## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Ask your vet and on local facebook pages for recommendations for proper cat sitters. I think this is often easier than relying on neighbours or relatives. Good sitters will clean trays, feed the cats and spend a little time playing with them, plus they often send texts or pictures to update you. get your self a pet cam if you want to keep an eye on them all remotely.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

The biggest problem I had when I put my cats in a cattery years ago was that they refused to eat, even though I took their own food in for them. Whilst this did not have too much of a bad effect when I was leaving them for a weekend (providing they drank water of course) it was a disaster when I left them for 2 weeks!  They both lost a lot of weight, and were quiet and withdrawn for weeks after they came home. I have never put any of my cats in a cattery since.

But if your cat is a resilient and confident type who loves her food hopefully she would eat as normal in the cattery. Ensure you take her food and her own feeding bowls in for her. As well as a blanket from home with your scent on it, to comfort her.


----------



## BritishBilbo (Jul 19, 2015)

If you go down the Cattery route take some familiar smelling items like beds, blankets, cushions, etc.
Mostly it depends on the cats personality, if they are extremely timid then maybe cat sitters or family/friends are a better option.
Some cats who people have had from rescues have settled in well to a Cattery setting as they find it familiar. If your cat is a happy, affectionate and unfazed kitty most will adapt, it's only the extremely shy ones who if think twice about taking!
Make sure you visit the catteries beforehand, if you get a feel for the place it will help settle nerves.

Happy kitties in our Cattery <3


----------



## Vanessa131 (Nov 16, 2014)

Bronn had his first cattery stay last year, he ate as normal (including making sure the lady sat with him as he ate), played as normal and was fairly relaxed. This was for a long weekend.

Ideally I would have someone come to the house, but I would be worried he would get out and be roaming at times he shouldn't.


----------



## D a r c e y (Jul 17, 2016)

Thank you so much for all of the comments! 

I'm going to look into getting a neighbour or professional cat sitter to visit her in the house, but otherwise I feel like she might actually be fine in a cattery. She generally isn't shy around humans (in fact, she loves showing off!) and the cattery we used to take our old cats to has lovely people running it who know how to deal with scared or upset cats. Perhaps I'll book her in for a weekend and see how it goes.


----------



## urbantigers (Apr 13, 2014)

I recently left my boys in a Cattery - first time for Kito and second time for Mosi (but first time in many years). I won't lie and say they liked it but they coped. It's necessary for me for a variety of reasons but I do think it's helpful to get them used to staying in a Cattery as you never know when an emergency might require it. I had a flood once and had to evacuate my flat and the cats couldn't come with me to my temporary accommodation so had to go to a Cattery for a few days. I think most settle down as time goes on and they become accustomed to new sounds, smells and routines so in a way a longer period is less unsettling for them. 

Cat sitters are great if you can find a good one but there are advantages to a good Cattery. I'm happy my boys are safe & secure (only one entrance door to my flat so I'd be terrified a sitter would let them dash out when entering or leaving), get plenty of attention and are observed for chunks of time throughout the day (a sitter visiting twice a day fir half an hour means they are left on their own for 23 hours a day.


----------



## urbantigers (Apr 13, 2014)

Forgot to mention - a work colleague recently left her cat in a Cattery. He was adopted earlier this year and my colleague had the same concerns as you and was worried he would think he was back at the rescue but he settled well and was totally chilled out.


----------

