if it's just a few days then my parents usually come and see to our cat, if it's a 2 week holiday etc. then he goes in the cattery.

I have a dog and when we go away I try to get relatives to come and stay at the house. I do give them some payment for the help, but I dont mind . I know my dog would be fretful in Kennels as she is so soft and nervous.
This year my Nephew and his girlfriend are stopping.......he is a good lad

sent our dog to the kennals this year he is only 1 and he seemed to be ok it cost us £110for 9nights he was well looked after 4 walks aday must of felt like xmas to him

hi to all, the one time we put our little mog in the cattery, he came home with a different personality. he is usually so full of beans, but spent a good couple of weeks after our return hiding in all kinds of nooks and crannys, only coming out in order to eat and hiss at us. the cattery was a really nice place, run by a lovely couple and the facilities were fine, but it really affected him. so since that incident, we have employed the services of our lovely neighbour who comes around in the morning and evening to feed and water him, and give him a hug and a stroke if needed, and he is happy...especially when she puts the radio on for him...don't ask

We once put our 2 mogs in a cattery and the experience scarred them for life..never again.The pair of them came back ravenous, and they were so pleased to see me theywouldn't leave me alone. Apparantly the pair of them howled for almost a fortnight. Generally, my mum comes round to feed them. They have a catflap and they please themselves. Mum also goes on "mouse duty" as both sooty and shady have a tendency to bring little presents home!

Peg the dog goes to stay at Rob's daughter's house.

Our 16 year old moggy has always been to a cattery and settles down as soon as she walks in!! She has her routine there (different from the home routine) and makes sure all the other cats there know she has arrived!!

The cattery that she had been to for most of her life closed last year and we were very concerned that we would not find another one as good but with a lot of searching we found one that is even better. Huge pens and set in a lovely gardens complete with chickens running around. They have music playing and all the cats look completely relaxed and happy. Heating over their beds keep them warm.

Yes, it does come quite expensive especially for a two week holiday but as far as I am concerned she is happy and I don't spend 2 weeks worrying about her. She comes home exactly the same cat as went in - probably a little fatter as she does enjoy her food.

We are lucky in that we have a very laid back cat - we may not be so fortunate next time. I think it is quite important to get a cat used to a cattery from quite a young age - perhaps not putting them in the first time for longer than a couple of days.

Pippa - and Rosie the moggy!!

Our budgie stays with a friend. She chirps and whistles when she hears my voice, but turns her back on me when I get her home!!

I have 2 dogs, my mum takes the older one who is 12 so I think it is unfair to put him into kennels as he has never been before. But the younger one who is 2 was put into kennels this year (first time I have had a holiday abroad) I was a blubbering wreck crying my eyes out, telling him that I loved hin etc. When I came back he ran by me to my husband and ignored me for nearly a week- I wont be putting him in next year, my husband will so that he can be ignored

My mother will be taking our two Guinea Pigs this year.....along with their gigantic cage and toys and sawdust and hay and veggies.....

Im gonna miss them - is that sad?!

My Rosie goes in the cattery, I miss her soo much though I could almost cry. She loves it there, she comes home like a big fluffy polar bear and when i take her home she cries to go back

Then when she gets in the front door and realises she is with mummy again she is glued to me

I too like Briar have a tourer van and I always take her with me in it

av got two dogs the little one goes to my mams and the big one stays in the house as he will not sette anywhere and when he sees me he jumps and gives me loads of cuddles and kisses and yes i have got loads of ppl that come to see him and feed him and spend a load of time with him.

Thanks for the replies. We have only put our cats in the cattery once and one got so distressed she made herself poorly and spent three weeks on antibiotics and the other one lost loads of weight. They just seem to prefer being at home and so we have family round to feed them. I do worry about them when I am away, it's ridiculous really!!!

My male cat was a farm kitten and even though we had him at 5 weeks old (7 years ago), he still has a feral streak in him.

He loves me, tolerates my husband and refuses to acknowledge the existence of anyone else.
So we have no choice but to put him in the cattery.
He's gone there 2 or 3 times a year since he was 5 months old and although it's a bit traumatic for all concerned when he realises that he's actually going (even though we put the suitcases in the spare bedroom and keep the door closed, he seems to pick up some vibe on the day he's going on his hols) once he's at the cattery, he settles straight in , jumps into his igloo basket - which he only ever uses it when he's in the cattery.
He's usually very fussy with us when we collect him back.

My hubby takes him to the cattery, and he says he's quiet all the way but strangely, when we both fetch him home, he yowls all the time.
Complaining, do you think?

Ah bless!
Polly

my wife has just gone off to canary islands for two weeks and decided i will have to stayhome to feed and look after the fish..
as 3 of them are carrying babies...

still i surpose looking after the fish is eaisier than 2 weeks with the grand children..

We have a little yorkie dog, my son is always at home when we go away & he always looks after him for us, although I have a very good friend who pops round if my son is doing a long shift at work & she will often take him out for us. He has never been in kennels & I think it's too late to start now as he is 6. I do miss my cuddles with him though as he's always on my lap bless him.

We have 2 springer spaniels aged 3 & 8. My son & daughter (neither of whom live at home) sort their walks and feeding out between them. As they are shooting dogs my OH would never put them in kennels as they need the same routine. However when they go for their first walk when we return the elder one always runs off and doesn't come back for about 3 hours. Its as though he's saying "see how you like being left". This has happened every year since we've had him. In the beginning hubbie would sit in the same spot and wait for him, now he just comes home, and the dog comes back when he's ready. What's really comical is that he always pretends to have a limp when he comes back!

When I had a dog we put him in kennels once and he obviously liked it because a few months later he escaped from home a couple of times and took himself back there over the fields - I got a phone call to let me know and they brought him back. When I just had the cats I had a cat flap so they had the use of all downstairs and my family used to come and feed them until the children next door got old enough to take over and earn some pocket money.

Hi

Our cat Rambo is 17 now and since he was a kitten I've put him in a local cattery for holidays over 2 days. He's been lucky over recent years though as my dad has looked after him, (and spoiled him like he was spoiling a grandchild!) but the last 2 years he's had to go back to the cattery more!

Must admit, we're lucky - we hate taking him but he always comes home looking heavier and well spoiled! He turns his back at the kennels when we pick him up, but once home he now meows for hours and follows us for days (some of that is old age!) He used to be a 'cool' Rambo ------ no longer -------- old and very spoiled!

We are lucky to have someone he knows well at the cattery and he just settles in when he arrives. I think he is just glad it isn't the vet's!

Now the goldfish are another story ------------------ we got those to be less stressful than our 21 year old cat Ben who died 3 years back. I now worry more about them than the cat, but we use 7 day food blocks and a relative calls in every 4 / 5 days to check them out and give them treats!

No fatalities so far! ( 3 years on)

Soft or what?!

We just drop one of those slowly-dissolving tablets in the fish tank and "Bob" seems to do OK with that. He (or she...) always does a nice dance for us when we get home; I guess he/she probably appreciates having "proper food" to chew on again (or suck on, or whatever fish do with those smelly flakes...)
Daughter wanted a hamster but I'm not sure who we'd get to look after it, and as they don't live very long I wouldn't want anyone feeling guilty if it ran off to the great wheel in the sky whilst in their care...