Havingfun2010 Posted June 15, 2015 #26 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Was wondering does anyone but me have a hard time leaving their fur face children behind for extended cruises ??? Got two little guys..(new babies too) and they are so much better than kids.. More devoted too..... lol Going to ask my neighbor to check on them 4x day... she could really used the extra $$$ and the babies are happy too. What is a fair price. She lives a two minute walk.... I'm ready to be flamed, but unless they are human, they are not your children, they are pets. Animals, will survive, as long as someone will give them food, and pay them some attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted June 15, 2015 #27 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) WE kenneled our dog while away. A much safer enviroment. Yeah, they give you the guilt trip, but once you're out of sight, they're fine...and they don't hold a grudge...when you get back, they are so happy to see you. A kennel is safe for them. Being at home, with a neighbor checking in, is not safe. What if your neighbor has an emergency and can't get there. What if one of your "babies" gets out...or decided to "protect" their space and won't let the sitter in? (That's why we kennel!) Edited June 15, 2015 by cb at sea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolla5501 Posted June 15, 2015 #28 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) My dog is my baby and I am not even going to try to explain it to anyone else. Luckily if both of us go out of town we have located a wonderful man who lets her stay in his house. For $20 a night she gets unlimited love and attention (He even asks me if he can leave her to go to the doctor or something LOL! I keep telling him she's home alone all day just go!) She is so spoiled when I get her back from him, but I know she loves him! (He came to meet a neighbor's dog I had suggested for boarding and I took her over there, both the neighbor and I were laughing at how happy she was to see him!) And yes, I called him before I actually booked the cruise! I have some other options but this is about 11 nights and he's the only one I would trust for that long. Edited June 15, 2015 by Carolla5501 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted June 15, 2015 #29 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) Leaving the pets behind is the only bad part of going away for us. They know the second the big suitcases come out that we will be gone for a while. (I apologize in advance for what I am about the write, but I just have to.) Friday we found out our 12-year old cat has cancer and we are absolutely devastated. He was energetic and acted totally fine nine days ago but then started acting different out of nowhere and we just knew something was wrong. We went to the vet twice last week, received the bad news on Friday and now we are going to a specialist on Monday to find out our options. He seems to be getting worse each day. He's sleeping all day, hardly eating or going to the bathroom so we are expecting the worst. We have already decided that we will cancel our cruise in September if he is somehow still with us because there is no way we could possibly enjoy ourselves. And I know my travel insurance will probably not cover it but I don't really care. We are so heartbroken. Sorry again for bringing everyone down but we are just so crushed over this. You never have to apologize for feeling what all of us fellow fur baby parents feel. They are our family, and will always live on in our hearts when they pass. So sorry for the news. Your baby is beautiful! Looks so much like my precious Taffrence (named for her Taffy color) that I lost 12 years ago and still mourn. Edited June 15, 2015 by island lady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyStef Posted June 15, 2015 #30 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I have 3 dogs (1 elderly, and 2 young boys), and we have a pet sitter who comes to the house, 3-4 times a day to check on them, breakfast, dinner, walks, love time, and puts them to bed etc. My sitter charges me $20 per visit, so 3 visits per day x $20 =$60/day. It's expensive, but it's cheaper than boarding my 3 dogs, and they are happy in their home, with their beds, their house, their yard, and they love my pet sitter. I also love that my pet sitter tends to give them more than 3 visits a day, and sends me pics and videos every day of them playing and being goofy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted June 15, 2015 #31 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) Thank you for all my questions. Going to give her $15.00 per visit; she said it was way too much. But told her is wasn't and she is helping me out a lot. Be the same price as boarding but I will have my babies in their own home, having somebody come by my house several times a day to turn lights on and off.. Now if my cruise could just come faster.... lol Hello fellow cruiser! :) My two Tabby cats, which are actually quite easy to take care of, are visited by a professional cat sitter that I adore of whom comes into our home once a day. She emails daily updates with 3-4 pictures each time. She spends a half hour a day with them, doing the usual cat chores, playing with them, and giving one cat a pill every other day. Nice to know someone is checking on the house daily also. She charges 15.00 a day for the daily visit and lives about 12 miles away. She is former military police. Very...very efficient! Edited June 15, 2015 by island lady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted June 15, 2015 #32 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) Children? :confused: Sorry bit confused, I thought you had a real child with a physical deformity. Whilst I fully get that pets can be cute and good company for people, I really don't understand the reference to them as children? Unless of course you physically gave birth to the said animal, in which case I'd be seriously worried about certain aspects of your life! At the end of the day, pets are animals. Yes they should be looked after and I get the affection part, but children? Really? Weird. I think the fact that you had any confusion about the meaning of the OP's post is weird. Edited June 15, 2015 by Ocean Boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjrice1 Posted June 15, 2015 Author #33 Share Posted June 15, 2015 This is the reason I love my pet more than some humans... unconditional love. And no you don't have to give birth to be a parent. Anyone can be a parent but it takes a "real" person to be that "special person" Children? :confused: Sorry bit confused, I thought you had a real child with a physical deformity. Whilst I fully get that pets can be cute and good company for people, I really don't understand the reference to them as children? Unless of course you physically gave birth to the said animal, in which case I'd be seriously worried about certain aspects of your life! At the end of the day, pets are animals. Yes they should be looked after and I get the affection part, but children? Really? Weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba83 Posted June 15, 2015 #34 Share Posted June 15, 2015 We lucked out really well during out last vacation to the beach. My mom had a coworker that loves animals, so we took our two for a play date to his house to see how they got along with his lab. All went well so he agreed to dog sit them in his home for 10 days. I had them groomed before we gave him plenty of their food, emergency contact and the vet number. It was going to cost us over 400 if we put them in a kennel. this man gave us a huge deal and only charged us $180!! And he said he would do it again because the dogs were pretty good (aside from our jack Russell getting a little bad ass and peed on his kitchen floor twice) but now our jack Russell has passed away and we have a 7mth old orange tabby cat. I'm thinking for our upcoming cruise in April we will ask our neighbor to check in on our cat and get our mail every other day (I will have an automatic feeder and water dish), they can clean the litter box 1-2 times if desired in the 10 days....and we will then get them a nice gift card to one of their favorite restaurants... now for our dog we will probably try to find a friend or family member that isn't going on the cruise with us to watch her at their house. We will either do another gift card or pay money depending on who watches the dog. Do I miss my pets when we are gone, not really...I do love them! I think about them maybe a few times, I don't think my husband thinks about them at all, HAHA! But I am reassured because I know they are being taken care of and they are having a good ol time sleeping away and finding some trouble to get into (we went away for the weekend recently and my cat figured how to get on top of the fridge, he knocked every box of cereal down) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted June 15, 2015 #35 Share Posted June 15, 2015 This is the reason I love my pet more than some humans...unconditional love. And no you don't have to give birth to be a parent. Anyone can be a parent but it takes a "real" person to be that "special person" I always remember that saying: "If you can't say anything nice...don't say anything at all". Shame the naysayers on this thread want to stomp on the hearts of we that care. I see the way some "parents" treat their biological children. Some cases are very sad. There are good parents and bad parents. Then there are the angels who adopt the orphaned children in this world...be they two legged or four legged. They are the ones that have true hearts of gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter75 Posted June 15, 2015 #36 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) I'm ready to be flamed, but unless they are human, they are not your children, they are pets. Animals, will survive, as long as someone will give them food, and pay them some attention. So will your children... :) Edited June 15, 2015 by firefighter75 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trev71 Posted June 15, 2015 #37 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Always leave our two cats at home during cruises. My mom looks after them and comes and feeds them once a day. I don't know what I would pay someone if I would have too. Maybe 10$-$15 a day to go sit with them for an hour or so. Or find a family or friend that will do it for free. I always watch my moms cats when shes gone. I hate leaving them too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjrice1 Posted June 15, 2015 Author #38 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Where is the like button...:) I always remember that saying: "If you can't say anything nice...don't sayanything at all". Shame the naysayers on this thread want to stomp on the hearts of we that care. I see the way some "parents" treat their biological children. Some cases are very sad. There are good parents and bad parents. Then there are the angels who adopt the orphaned children in this world...be they two legged or four legged. They are the ones that have true hearts of gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legaljen1969 Posted June 15, 2015 #39 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I think the fact that you had any confusion about the meaning of the OP's post is weird. No kidding!!! Really, Ocean Boy thought someone had a child with a furry face and four legs? Give me a break!!! Just an excuse to post something rude and then try to make his rudeness someone else's fault or problem. I have no human children. I do have a cat. I will call her my fur baby on occasion, but make no mistake, I know she is a cat. There is no doubt in my mind she is a cat. Nonetheless, I miss her very much when we go on vacation. I wish I could bring her along. Some people love their pets very much. I don't think any of us really believe they are "children" though some of us spoil them a LOT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2tall Posted June 15, 2015 #40 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Friday we found out our 12-year old cat has cancer and we are absolutely devastated. He was energetic and acted totally fine nine days ago but then started acting different out of nowhere and we just knew something was wrong. We went to the vet twice last week, received the bad news on Friday and now we are going to a specialist on Monday to find out our options. He seems to be getting worse each day. He's sleeping all day, hardly eating or going to the bathroom so we are expecting the worst. We have already decided that we will cancel our cruise in September if he is somehow still with us because there is no way we could possibly enjoy ourselves. And I know my travel insurance will probably not cover it but I don't really care. We are so heartbroken. I am so sorry read this. We went through something the same three times over between October and February. The first two were awful (stomach cancer and kidney failure) but the third was the worst because it was my baby. She had lymphoma, and the way the mass had grown made it resistant to chemotherapy. Had they recommended it, we'd have cancelled our cruise in a hot second to make sure that she got the treatment...but the specialists said that it wouldn't do any good. We had to let her go...and took our cruise 3 weeks later. I cried the entire time. I still break down every couple of days. For what it's worth, our vet told us that cats' bodies naturally hide serious illness so that they don't look like prey. By the time they are starting to show symptoms, there's a pretty significant problem. So it is possible for the cat to have an illness and you'd never see a symptom until it's severe. I hope that you find excellent treatment options...or peace in having to make hard decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minsterman Posted June 15, 2015 #41 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Originally Posted by Ocean Boy View Post I think the fact that you had any confusion about the meaning of the OP's post is weird. Sarcasm people!! I forgot that Amercian's don't understand sarcasm (or irony!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted June 15, 2015 #42 Share Posted June 15, 2015 While I have never called my pets children or fur baby's to each his own. Far be it from me to define another persons relationship with their pet. BTW: You do not have to give birth to a child for said child to be your son or daughter. Ever hear of adoption? :) Have a great day ! Reader Years ago, had a new job and a colleague returned after a few days out. She told me her "baby" had passed away after a short illness. I was so sad for her. I was careful not to mention anything about my family or children as I didn't want to upset her. Then one day she comes is and tells me she has a new "baby" and shows me a photo of a puppy. OK - it was a cute puppy but for a month I had no idea that her deceased "baby" was not human. I have many friends who live alone except for their pets, and I know their pets bring them great joy and comfort. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATC cruiser Posted June 15, 2015 #43 Share Posted June 15, 2015 WE kenneled our dog while away. A much safer enviroment. Yeah, they give you the guilt trip, but once you're out of sight, they're fine...and they don't hold a grudge...when you get back, they are so happy to see you. A kennel is safe for them. Being at home, with a neighbor checking in, is not safe. What if your neighbor has an emergency and can't get there. What if one of your "babies" gets out...or decided to "protect" their space and won't let the sitter in? (That's why we kennel!) Maybe you haven't heard of the dog flu that has been going around. Most dogs that have caught it have been housed at kennels while their owners have been on vacation. Many kennels have temporarily closed to try and prevent the spread of it. Don't tell people that leaving their pets at home with a sitter is unsafe. What would happen if the kennel had a fire or a tornado struck the kennel. Unlikely, yes. But leaving your pet at home, in a comfortable environment, with people you trust is not unsafe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjrice1 Posted June 15, 2015 Author #44 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) i sent my Maltese 14 to the rainbow bridge... held him closely till his last breathe this past Oct. Still mourn for him. Had him cremated, place in a nice cedar box but a little in a stuff teddy (made for ashes) so I can cuddle when I need to. Even brought the teddy on a cruise.. always promise him I will sneak him on one. Well he got to go on one.. :rolleyes: Wow it's lovely to hear that rainbow bridge is used in the states. Our animals go there too! Edited June 15, 2015 by rjrice1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkvillain Posted June 15, 2015 #45 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) Thank you rjrice1, reader, barbeyg, cruisekeeper, Cymru cruiser, island lady, 2tall. And just to be clear, I was in no way comparing the loss of a pet to the loss of a child. Losing a pet is sad and heartbreaking but losing a child is tragic. I would never in a million years insult parents that lost a child by comparing the two. Edited June 15, 2015 by Yorkvillain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Cruizers Posted June 15, 2015 #46 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) We had our house cleaner come in and babysit, however last year, two months before we left for Sydney, Australia, I noticed a swelling on the left side of the face of our 18 1/2 yr old kitty. We said our goodbye's 2 weeks before we flew out. I can fully understand others who have lost their pets, ak children, as they are a part of our lives. Barbeyg, we didn't cancel our cruise, but his picture was by my nightstand every night during our cruise. Yours was the same color as ours. I worked for an animal hospital for 38 years so knew what was going on and he too, was alert and still eating up to the last week. Edited June 15, 2015 by Desert Cruizers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkvillain Posted June 15, 2015 #47 Share Posted June 15, 2015 One question though. . . How did you get him to pose behind your laptop instead of being camped out on the keyboard like mine does? Ha. He loves to sit behind my laptop while I am using it. I think he likes the heat that comes off the computer but then again he does the same thing when I am on my iPad so who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDawg Posted June 15, 2015 #48 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Too funny. Your pet is more important than your hubby! parrotfeathers is just telling it like it is. Every husband around here will verify that!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squadron Posted June 15, 2015 #49 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Wow it's lovely to hear that rainbow bridge is used in the states. Our animals go there too! Canada also has an organization called Rainbow Bridge that collects money for pet care. Sadly after 44 years of owning yellow Labradors I had to say goodbye to my last one a year ago. I had to be a good client of a boarding kennel many times. My dogs were members of our family and dearly loved by all and missed terribly. Right now my daughter is recovering from a serious operation and her Golden Retriever is stressed and will barely leave her side - they are so attuned to their owners feelings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea shepherd Posted June 15, 2015 #50 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I have 2 dogs. When I go away I have a friend stay at my house and watch them. They have a set routeen witch is 2 walks a day at the park behind my house. I pay him 100. A day. I feel that's fair since he has to uproot his life and take off work sometimes. He also cleans, mowes the grass or shovels snow depending on the time of year. My last cruise was 31 days it was a big bill but the pice of mind is worth it to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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