Who took care of your pets while cruising?

[Shelley61]

This little lady...

 

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...goes to a cattery for longer holidays. The worst part of the experience is getting her into the travel box... it usually ends up with me having plenty of scratches!

 

When I get home though, I don't get ignored, quite the opposite... I'm pinned to the sofa for most of the first evening as she demands cuddles.

 

She has to go on a post holiday diet too though, as she seems to comfort eat while we're away!

[TifffanyD]

We send our dog to Camp while we are gone... it's a lot like the Barkshire that was mentioned. One thing I love about it is they have cameras in all the pens and you can watch form your computer... AND they have an app you can watch from your phone!

 

My dog always comes home tired, wild, and having lost some of his manners... just like he was visiting grandparents - lol.

 

I feel bad tho because we are going to have to board him for like 16 days in June... but that is an unusual amount of time (super vacation). Poor pup! :(

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Our two chihuahua's go visit my DD, who they are crazy in love with. My two kitties go to visit Grandma. They are buddies with her cat and it is always a happy reunion when they all get back together.:)

[auntiedodo]

We hire two young teenagers who live down the street. They come in every day, feed the 2 cats, clean the litter box, make sure they have enough water, and bring in the mail. They have great parents so we never have to worry and we pay them and bring them little presents.

[clcurry]

This little lady...

 

...goes to a cattery for longer holidays. The worst part of the experience is getting her into the travel box... it usually ends up with me having plenty of scratches!

 

When I get home though, I don't get ignored, quite the opposite... I'm pinned to the sofa for most of the first evening as she demands cuddles.

 

She has to go on a post holiday diet too though, as she seems to comfort eat while we're away!

 

She's adorable! What is her name?

[Booking It]

For the short trips, we take our dog to a dog sitter. There is a lady who will take in dogs for doggie day care or overnight care. She charges $50 per day and we always tip her at the end (this helps, because we often end up calling at the last minute and we've never been turned down ;)). We do this for trips of 4 nights or less.

 

For our last cruise, we took Minnie to my in-laws. It was 6 hours each way and probably over $200 in gas for two round trips (taking her there and then picking her up at the end), but Minnie "knows" my in-laws and they love her like she's their own dog. Because this was 10 nights, I felt better about leaving her there.

 

She greets us like we've been gone for a year even if we're just coming back to the store, so she usually forgets that we left her with the sitter. The only time she ever gave us attitude was when we took her to a kennel when she was a puppy. She was mad and depressed for weeks afterwards! We decided never again, so we pay the big bucks to get her personal care. She's worth it :)

[I-Cruiser]

Our Yorkshire Terrier always stay at a dog hotel. He loves it and is extremely happy to be there. He seems to forget all about us from the minute we let him out of the car:)

We joke that he is going on vacation too - He has a single room, get to play all day, is very well taken care off by the staff and he is in a safe and secure environment.

[BLAMBKY]

We have done the kennel. Our poor children HATED leaving her there. (She is pretty spoiled by the whole family) We started making up silly stories of why the dogs were in "doggie jail"....they were pretty funny stories but still mad us sad.

:( We had teen neighbors come to the house but she would not eat or drink much. FINALLY, my sister, who stays home with her kids, keeps her. They love her and we know she is being well taken care of. Only one problem, my sisters kids are sad, when she leaves. :p I ended up getting a little white stuffed dog in a purse carrier as a "trade", I mean souvineer.

[barbyj]

My sister usually keeps my beautiful long haired daschund, (Miss Sassy Sue) when I cruise.

 

But I am afraid those days are over. Sassy Sue is about 13 years old, is having lots of potty accidents, and is now completely blind.

 

I hate to do it, but I will have to leave her for 2 weeks at the Vets kennel, which at least I know they will be there if she needs medical attention.

[Lynn the Cruiser]

My baby Trixie has to go to a kennel for the first time. My son used to watch her but he got a new job and works the midnight shift so he's gone all night and sleeps most of the day. It's a good kennel though, the lady is crazy over dogs. She breeds dogs and has a house full of them. I heard she sometimes takes the dogs she is watching and keeps them in her house. My dog loves other dogs, too. I am still a bit sad over this.

[JPRLHR]

Our Lakeland Terrier and other dogs before him go to peoples homes which are licensed and approved by the local authority and run through an agency called Homes4Hounds. http://www.homes4hounds.co.uk/

 

You have to go to the intended house (first time only) for an interview with the family and the dog has to be there too, just to make sure they're going to get along. They usually go back to the same house & family but all that I've used have been absolutely first class. They get taken out twice a day minimum in all weathers, are never left on their own, the gardens are totally secure and are inspected by the local authority regularly. Most importantly, they are loved and spoilt the same as we love & spoil them. How do we know..?? You can tell when you go to collect them and the get excited when going back to the house.

 

Ok so it's £20- per day but some kennels are £15- per day and there's just no comparing the two.

[Shelley61]

She's adorable! What is her name?

 

To go with her cuteness, her name is Bella! She can be a right little minx though too, though the vet informs me that it's not unusual for tortoiseshell/calico cats! The vet once called her a "naughty tortie"!

[Raptor2010]

 

Raptor2010.....I like you !! My kind of person,:)

 

Thanks :) I noticed the puppy toes in your picture and the first thing I thought of was "dogs' feet smell like Doritos" :D For those of you with dogs, I know that many of you will go home and sniff you some puppy toes :)

[Familygoboston]

We have a lab beagle husky mix. We also have a friend (who is really like another brother to my DHs family) who cannot have a dog due to living in a rental and falling on some hard times. For a period of time last year he actually lived with us (we've got a basement apartment) when he got a new job in our area and didn't have money for an apartment. That was very handy, and I almost let him stay even after he saved enough for an apartment because I loved having a "house man" to watch the dog and the house whenever we are away (and we are away a lot!) He is still always willing to come stay at our house (he says it's like staying at a resort, with a free dog!;))

I always pay him even though he says I don't need to, but even though he thinks we've done "favors" for him, I feel like having someone safe and reliable to take care of my dog and my kids and my home is a huge favor to me!:D

 

Daisy, our labeagle mix, likes to come to Maine with us all summer, so she has to suss out what it means when the bags come down the stairs - going to Maine- great! Or mom and dad going on a cruise- not so great!

[Raptor2010]

I have four cats, one of which is special needs. I keep two cats at my house and my parents stop by once a day to feed, water, and scoop them. My special needs cat stays at my parents' house with another of my cats (to keep him company). Mr. Kitty is my special needs guy; he takes medication twice a day for seizures.

 

My parents are very gracious to care for so many of my babies. The two that stay at my house are low maintenance, but Mr. Kitty is another story. I leave them a checklist of his medication times and also the number to his vet (who we have a close relationship with).

 

Attached is Mr. Kitty (the black tux) with his arm around his friend, Indigo (or "Indie"). The second attachment is Ollie (a gray tux). And the diva of them all, Lulu (tortie) is the last attachment.

 

Usually when my BF and I go on vacation, we rent a pet-friendly house and take the cat kids with us. Cruising is a different story, though! We have to do some coaxing and planning since we will be away from them for so long.

 

Beautiful kitties :)

[emerald444]

Our Yorkshire Terrier always stay at a dog hotel. He loves it and is extremely happy to be there. He seems to forget all about us from the minute we let him out of the car:)

We joke that he is going on vacation too - He has a single room, get to play all day, is very well taken care off by the staff and he is in a safe and secure environment.

 

We also have a great place here in port Coquitlam called theDOG PATCH HOTEL AND SPAthey have two buildings on the owners property the family all works there .thy have s big dog patch and thr Puppy patch they are awesome .i leave my bichon Luke and my Granddog Toby when I take mt daughter with us on holidays I highly recommend them if you live near here.

[xxHadleyxx]

We have 2 black cats.

 

Our next door neighbor girl loves them to pieces. Most of the time she cares for them when we travel. It is great because she will come over and play with them and pet them and spend a lot of time with them.

 

If our family is travelling at the same time as her family is, then we hire one of my son's classmates to come over and feed them, scoop litter, etc.

[Desert Cruizers]

Since our Kitty Marmy turned 16 almost two years now,& he will be 18 in May, the lady who cleans our home moves in and watches over the house and spoils him with chicken when giving him his pill. Then I need to get him back on his regular kitty food, but at almost 18 he can have whatever he wants. Not sure if we will still have him by time we go to Australia next year that worries me as we will be gone 54 days. this was taken a couple years ago. so he isn't as filled out now.

 

[BillB48]

We have always gone the house sitter route... and out first one was fabulous, she was an animal person for one and beyond that she was real cat people. She finally got too expensive as she really did not want to anymore so she just made the price astronomical to avoid saying no. Too bad she was a gem. We've had some friends look in as well as hired other house sitters, but it really has not worked out very well. Short of an emergency I wouldn't board him. That's where we are now, trying to find a house/cat sitter and the search has not been very successful. Our boy is a real people person and doesn't like long times alone. I'm reading the responses in hopes of some sort of epiphany.... love all the pics... even the dogs;):D!

 

The kitty is ours and the Sand Hill Crane is an interloper!

 

[Shelley61]

We have always gone the house sitter route... and out first one was fabulous, she was an animal person for one and beyond that she was real cat people. She finally got too expensive as she really did not want to anymore so she just made the price astronomical to avoid saying no. Too bad she was a gem. We've had some friends look in as well as hired other house sitters, but it really has not worked out very well. Short of an emergency I wouldn't board him. That's where we are now, trying to find a house/cat sitter and the search has not been very successful. Our boy is a real people person and doesn't like long times alone. I'm reading the responses in hopes of some sort of epiphany.... love all the pics... even the dogs;):D!

 

The kitty is ours and the Sand Hill Crane is an interloper!

 

 

Aw, what gorgeous markings! He's stunning.

 

I hate leaving my cat at the cattery (I usually shed a tear or two!), but I don't have anyone that can visit every day, nor anyone she can stay with, and she can be a bit destructive if left alone for too long, so unfortunately the cattery is the only option for me.

 

Having said that, the cattery I used to take her to was beautiful, but she always seemed quite upset when I picked her up, and she had nightmares the first night home. The latest one I used was a lot more old fashioned looking, with smaller runs, but she absolutely loved it! She came home very happy, but it was a mission to get her in her box. She didn't want to leave!

 

Shame the one she loves is the more expensive of the two, but as long as she's happy, I'm happy!

 

The things we do/go through for our babies...! :)

[clcurry]

To go with her cuteness, her name is Bella! She can be a right little minx though too, though the vet informs me that it's not unusual for tortoiseshell/calico cats! The vet once called her a "naughty tortie"!

 

That must be typical of that type of cat! She looks a lot like my Lulu Belle. :) Does Bella like water too? I can't get Miss Lu out of the sink to save my life. She loves to fetch her toys and put them in the water bowl. :rolleyes:

[clcurry]

Beautiful kitties :)

 

Thanks! :D I never pass up the opportunity to dote on my fur-kids.

[travelplus]

I hope to get a dog soon preferably a Black Lab puppy so that I can raise it as a Therapy Dog and take it with me on Cruises. I would much rather have the dog travel with me so he can experience different countries. I would take the dog to various organizations that cater to individuals who are visually impaired or have a disability . My pooch would get treats from the Windjammer(beef or honey stung chicken).

[motherof]

We hired a live-in sitter for the last cruise -- a friend of a friend of our daughter. She sounded great -- grew up in a home where they raised raw-fed Bengals, so we didn't see any problem with her caring for our 4 (now 5) raw-fed rescue cats. Until we returned home, and discovered that less than half the food left for them had been used. Our daughter took over for the final weekend, and they were fed the proper amount then, so they must have been fairly starved during the week the sitter was there. Afterward she admitted to skipping "a morning or two" when she was running late for work :eek:, but there was far more food left unused to account for a couple of missed meals. I had shown her how much food to give them, and left very clear written instructions (half of the one-pound container each meal -- a full container every day), so there was no excuse.

 

We've hired a reliable pet sitter to come in twice a day for the shorter trips we've taken since then. $27 a visit, but at least we know they've been fed.

 

But now one of the cats has kidney disease, and has to eat more frequently. We are looking for another live-in, but hopefully one who is more reliable this time. And we have a neighbor who can fill in, and she and our daughter will verify that the cats are being cared for.

[Sharon I]

First I have to state that I think MELMAN is a very very handsome dog!!

 

Now my kitty (Baby) has for the last seven years gone to a Cat Spa we have in the next town over. She gets extra special care during her stay, she gets a room of her own with a view, gets groomed every night (she's a Himalayian), and gets to be rocked and patted every night.

 

That said, this April we are going on the Freedom and they too don't allow cats and dogs but our son and grandson live with us and they aren't coming on this cruise with us so she gets to stay home with them I hope they feed her regularly.

 

Love animals but limit myself to one at a time.

 

Sharon I