Boarding v friends v professional sitter for two weeks?

Kraut / Larry Stark wrote:
On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:20:17 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

I've used a professional sitter once and he was great but he stopped
doing the work. I asked my vet and he recommended his assistants
and I used one and that worked out fine. My neighbor across the
street started doing pet sitting as she was laid off and although
she got another job she still does my next door neighbor and myself
because we live so close. I prefer someone who lives nearby in
case of a snowstorm.
In the event of an emergency I'm never further than a quick plane
trip home- cruising the exception.

Barb

If I put a 5 lb bag of kibbles on my kitchen floor, and, "forget" to
feed the cats, they are adept at tearing into it and eating kibbles
out of it right there on the kitchen floor. (they love to do this)
Also, if I leave the kitchen cold water faucet dripping into a bowl,
my cats can drink out of it at night when they think I am asleep and
don't know what they are doing....I am sure that they would survive
for a long time this way, if they were inside cats and had to do
these things for a living.....


The food and water thing might work but what about the litter box
getting cleaned?!?!?

Yes.... That would be a problem. There are some automatic self cleaning
litter boxes on the market, but I have no experience with them. Since my
cats are (and always have been) "outside cats" they have never needed litter
boxes, although my wife maintains one in her bathroom for the older cats who
don't like to go outside, expecially in the Winter.

Thanks for all the advice! We have arranged for a cat sitter who will
visit twice a day at first and then once a day after that.

Now we are facing another practical issue: What temperature setting do
we leave the thermostat at?

Unfortunately our thermostat is not programmable, so we have to settle
on one number that will be most comfortable for her. This will be for 2
weeks, Chicago in March.

Ajanta wrote:
Thanks for all the advice! We have arranged for a cat sitter who will
visit twice a day at first and then once a day after that.

Now we are facing another practical issue: What temperature setting do
we leave the thermostat at?

Unfortunately our thermostat is not programmable, so we have to settle
on one number that will be most comfortable for her. This will be for 2
weeks, Chicago in March.



IMHO it depends on where they sleep. The temperature is lower on the
floor. I leave my thermometer at 74 because TuTu sleeps on cushions in
front of a heat register. It has been very cold here this winter,
Best wishes, MLB

MLB wrote:
Ajanta wrote:
Thanks for all the advice! We have arranged for a cat sitter who will
visit twice a day at first and then once a day after that.

Now we are facing another practical issue: What temperature setting
do we leave the thermostat at?

Unfortunately our thermostat is not programmable, so we have to
settle on one number that will be most comfortable for her. This
will be for 2 weeks, Chicago in March.



IMHO it depends on where they sleep. The temperature is lower on the
floor. I leave my thermometer at 74 because TuTu sleeps on cushions
in front of a heat register. It has been very cold here this winter,
Best wishes, MLB

i leave my house wintertime setting at 66 here in phx when i go away, and
the heat almost never goes on except in the dead of night, with mostly tile
floors. the cats then migrate from the patch of daytime sun on the carpet to
the couch at night. they'll move around to find where they're warm enough.
leave a blanket on the couch, and they'll bury under it if it's too cold for
them.

regards,
charlie
phx, az

chaniarts wrote:

: they'll move around to find where they're warm enough. leave a
: blanket on the couch, and they'll bury under it if it's too cold for them.

Thanks. We do have blankets on various couches as well as a rather
plush down comforter on the bed, so she will have those options.

Ajanta wrote:
chaniarts wrote:

they'll move around to find where they're warm enough. leave a
blanket on the couch, and they'll bury under it if it's too cold for
them.

Thanks. We do have blankets on various couches as well as a rather
plush down comforter on the bed, so she will have those options.

My cats like to sleep in empty cardboard boxes. All they want is to be out
of a cold draft. Their built-in fur coats give them all the warmth they
really need. In the Summer, a cool lineolium, or hardwood floor does the
trick. For some reason. they don't require softness. I think they could get
comfortable on a bed of spikes if they wanted to....:^)

On Mon, 7 Mar 2011 19:47:43 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Ajanta wrote:
chaniarts wrote:

they'll move around to find where they're warm enough. leave a
blanket on the couch, and they'll bury under it if it's too cold for
them.

Thanks. We do have blankets on various couches as well as a rather
plush down comforter on the bed, so she will have those options.

My cats like to sleep in empty cardboard boxes. All they want is to be out
of a cold draft. Their built-in fur coats give them all the warmth they
really need. In the Summer, a cool lineolium, or hardwood floor does the
trick. For some reason. they don't require softness. I think they could get
comfortable on a bed of spikes if they wanted to....:^)

I'm with Bill on this one. I keep my house 68 when I'm there. It's 63
when humans are gone. The cats have a fur coat, and manage to find the
sun and blankets and cablebox just fine.

Our outdoor kitties just survived a brutal winter although they do
have straw lined houses to crawl into. Baby, who hangs out by my front
door, had her own really nice styrofoam box with straw and a heating
pad. Still, that was a brutal winter and the cats are fine. I suspect
my indoor cats can survive 63 without fuss.

dgk wrote:
On Mon, 7 Mar 2011 19:47:43 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Ajanta wrote:
chaniarts wrote:

they'll move around to find where they're warm enough. leave a
blanket on the couch, and they'll bury under it if it's too cold
for them.

Thanks. We do have blankets on various couches as well as a rather
plush down comforter on the bed, so she will have those options.

My cats like to sleep in empty cardboard boxes. All they want is to
be out of a cold draft. Their built-in fur coats give them all the
warmth they really need. In the Summer, a cool lineolium, or
hardwood floor does the trick. For some reason. they don't require
softness. I think they could get comfortable on a bed of spikes if
they wanted to....:^)

I'm with Bill on this one. I keep my house 68 when I'm there. It's 63
when humans are gone. The cats have a fur coat, and manage to find the
sun and blankets and cablebox just fine.

Our outdoor kitties just survived a brutal winter although they do
have straw lined houses to crawl into. Baby, who hangs out by my front
door, had her own really nice styrofoam box with straw and a heating
pad. Still, that was a brutal winter and the cats are fine. I suspect
my indoor cats can survive 63 without fuss.

Before Smokey, our feral cat became domesticated and moved inside, he spent
the winters cuddled up to the leeward side of the house. I put a cat-carrier
with a heating pad in it near there, and he immediately moved into it. Then
I gradually moved it, together with his food to just outside our bedroom
door, prior to getting him to come inside the house and being,
"domesticated". This works provided that you use a waterproof heating pad
designed for incontinent peoiple, and keep it on "low" so it doesn't get too
hot. (When the outside temperature gets below freezing, I would put the
control on "medium.") Cat carriers are not very well insulated....

On Tue, 8 Mar 2011 14:54:43 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

dgk wrote:
On Mon, 7 Mar 2011 19:47:43 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Ajanta wrote:
chaniarts wrote:

they'll move around to find where they're warm enough. leave a
blanket on the couch, and they'll bury under it if it's too cold
for them.

Thanks. We do have blankets on various couches as well as a rather
plush down comforter on the bed, so she will have those options.

My cats like to sleep in empty cardboard boxes. All they want is to
be out of a cold draft. Their built-in fur coats give them all the
warmth they really need. In the Summer, a cool lineolium, or
hardwood floor does the trick. For some reason. they don't require
softness. I think they could get comfortable on a bed of spikes if
they wanted to....:^)

I'm with Bill on this one. I keep my house 68 when I'm there. It's 63
when humans are gone. The cats have a fur coat, and manage to find the
sun and blankets and cablebox just fine.

Our outdoor kitties just survived a brutal winter although they do
have straw lined houses to crawl into. Baby, who hangs out by my front
door, had her own really nice styrofoam box with straw and a heating
pad. Still, that was a brutal winter and the cats are fine. I suspect
my indoor cats can survive 63 without fuss.

Before Smokey, our feral cat became domesticated and moved inside, he spent
the winters cuddled up to the leeward side of the house. I put a cat-carrier
with a heating pad in it near there, and he immediately moved into it. Then
I gradually moved it, together with his food to just outside our bedroom
door, prior to getting him to come inside the house and being,
"domesticated". This works provided that you use a waterproof heating pad
designed for incontinent peoiple, and keep it on "low" so it doesn't get too
hot. (When the outside temperature gets below freezing, I would put the
control on "medium.") Cat carriers are not very well insulated....

Ashot, the guy who showed me how to make the houses out of styrofoam,
told me that he doesn't like using heating pads, but I had already
bought one designed for outdoor pets. Ashot says that a properly
constructed cat house will be warmed sufficiently by the cats. The
secret is to make sure the entrance is on the side so wind can't blow
directly in.

In article , weg9
@comcast.net says...

Ajanta wrote:
chaniarts wrote:

they'll move around to find where they're warm enough. leave a
blanket on the couch, and they'll bury under it if it's too cold for
them.

Thanks. We do have blankets on various couches as well as a rather
plush down comforter on the bed, so she will have those options.

My cats like to sleep in empty cardboard boxes. All they want is to be out
of a cold draft. Their built-in fur coats give them all the warmth they
really need. In the Summer, a cool lineolium, or hardwood floor does the
trick. For some reason. they don't require softness. I think they could get
comfortable on a bed of spikes if they wanted to....:^)

Highly depends on the particular feline in residence. Mine loves heat.
They are descended from desert dwelling felids so it makes sense they'd
love the heat.