Does anyone else feel sad to leave their pets when going on a cruise?

[goose&mav]

I am so excited to go on our first cruise, to our dream destinations in Greece and Egypt, BUT, as I look at our 3 dear kitties, I am feeling sad about leaving them for the 2 weeks.

 

Our 3 cats are rescue cats and we have had 2 of them for 4 yrs now, and 1 is still a kitten until next month. When we last went on a vacation in 2006, our little boy cat had some behavior problems when we returned, even though we had someone stay in our house for the 7 days we were gone.

 

Does anyone else feel sad about leaving their pets behind?

[Rob & Beckys mom]

Yes, I know how you feel. We have 3 dogs (2 are rescued) and I miss them more on a land trip for some reason. Probably because a cruise is so exciting that there is less time to worry & miss them. Once you are on the beautiful ship you will feel much better. Enjoy! I have not been to Egypt, but I have been to two Greek Islands and it is truely something you have to see for yourself, pictures just don't show how beautiful the water is etc. I could go on & on...LOL. Favorite cruise of all. We sailed from Barcelona to Venice & would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

Jan in Michigan

[cb at sea]

Of course you feel sad---they're part of the "family"! But, the trick is to find a great kennel or pet-sitter so YOU won't feel so guilty! (I've found the animals, while they act so forlorn when you leave them, are always happy to see you again--they don't hold a grudge!)

 

And, just like with kids, it's sometimes NICE to not have to "do" for them for a short time!

[EdSails]

Our "son" has been set up on his own vacation for our upcoming cruise. He is staying with friends whose teens absolutely love dogs. We have arranged to have him picked up and brought back home so he will be there to greet us when we return. Yes, we will miss our Scottie!

[uppitycats]

Yes, I miss my four furkid cats. But I work hard to find a really good pet caretaker, and trust that she will spoil them while I'm gone...leaving her with plenty of their favorite treats, and explicit instructions about how to tend to them. And when I step out of the house and into the car to head to the airport -- they're forgotten until I get off the plane and start home.

[linkerbink]

YES...I have an elderly cat (16 years old) who is VERY needy in terms of being held, etc. My grand-niece will be looking after him during my upcoming 10 day cruise, but this is the longest I'll ever have been away from him. In the past when I come back he "stress sheds" for about 2 days and follows me around like a puppy! I try not to think about him while I'm away but it's hard not to. Thankfully, at his age he sleeps a lot!

[RetireeWannabee]

I have a border collie that's hard to tear myself away from. We do mostly land, and Ireland in August is next. Extra hard, visiting her homeland without her!! Be interesting to watch her herding 'cousins'. will let her sniff the big sweater I bring home as a souvenir.

 

She will stay with my mother who knows her well and loves her as much as I do.

 

Still, I always miss her and I know she misses me. Childless by choice, she's our first puppy, all grown up. We take her with us whenever we can.

[SacredHeart]

I am so excited to go on our first cruise, to our dream destinations in Greece and Egypt, BUT, as I look at our 3 dear kitties, I am feeling sad about leaving them for the 2 weeks.

 

Our 3 cats are rescue cats and we have had 2 of them for 4 yrs now, and 1 is still a kitten until next month. When we last went on a vacation in 2006, our little boy cat had some behavior problems when we returned, even though we had someone stay in our house for the 7 days we were gone.

 

Does anyone else feel sad about leaving their pets behind?

 

 

I have a small dog who is VERY needy and has behavior problems whenever we leave him alone unless we put him in his cage. This is fine if we're only going to be gone for a few hours... but our first cruise is coming up and we will be gone for about 7 days total and I am SO stressed about what to do with him. We have someone willing to housesit for us but she can't be here all the time and I dont want to leave him in his cage for hours on end. This means I'm going to have to wrap the interior of my house in house-training mats or come home to a house smelling like dog pee!! :eek:

 

I've put him in a kennel before but I just don't trust others to take care of him... plus I know he would be happier at home, in his familiar environment. Worrying about him is really taking away from the excitement of the cruise! I keep thinking he is going to think I've totally abandoned him and he will cry the whole time. (As I said, he is very needy).

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this guilt... now I don't feel so ridiculous lol If anyone has any tips on how to make our pets more comfortable... and alleviate this guilt...please share them!

[dustyroad]

Of course you feel sad---they're part of the "family"! But, the trick is to find a great kennel or pet-sitter so YOU won't feel so guilty! (I've found the animals, while they act so forlorn when you leave them, are always happy to see you again--they don't hold a grudge!)

 

And, just like with kids, it's sometimes NICE to not have to "do" for them for a short time!

 

this will be the first time i will have to leave my little yorkie. he is so cute and sweet. i am going to miss him terribly. but he is going to be at his grand-ma's ( the lady i got him from ) and his mom and dad are there also. so i know he will be well taken care of with a nice fenced in yard. it is so nice to know he will be well taken care of. after all , they are like our kids arent they ?

[eandj]

We have neighborhood teens come to let our pooch out 4 times a day, including a walk. We have been so lucky to have the girls the last few years, but they'll both be gone to college in the fall, so we'll be on the look out for someone else...gulp!

 

We don't like to use regualr kennels. Altho there are some very nice ones available around here, but run around $32 a day! EEK

[Cruisenouvelle]

I feel your pain - we have two schnauzers that we take to one of those doggy-spa type kennels, but still there's no place like home. Our yard isn't fenced, so I take them for daily walks. Wish I could find someone to come to the house a few times like eandj.

At 50..00 daily for the two of them, and our next cruise is 10 nights plus two nights pre-cruise...well, you get the picture. I'll sure be glad to see them!

[GottaLuvCruising]

We have two cats that think we are "mom & dad". Our son says they "cry" all the time when we are gone and we just feel so bad to leave them. I'm glad they have each other, but it breaks my heart to have them wonder where we went.

[KULPN]

We feel just awful when we leave our pets. We have a 9 yr old yellow lab, a 2 yr old mini poodle and a 3 yr old cat. We pay a licensed pet sitter $36/day to make 2 visits, 1/2 hr each to feed, clean up after & exercise our pets. It costs more to take care of our pets sometimes than we spend on ourselves. Especially now that the lab is 9 1/2 & getting arthritic. The poodle has separation anxiety & the cat hides & won't come out when the pet sitter is here. The food is gone though so she comes out.

Our pets are too spoiled. They get on our furniture & on the bed & go for rides in the car every Sunday for ice cream at McD's. It is so over the top.

[KULPN]

I feel your pain - we have two schnauzers that we take to one of those doggy-spa type kennels, but still there's no place like home. Our yard isn't fenced, so I take them for daily walks. Wish I could find someone to come to the house a few times like eandj.

At 50..00 daily for the two of them, and our next cruise is 10 nights plus two nights pre-cruise...well, you get the picture. I'll sure be glad to see them!

You can find a licensed pet sitter that is also bonded & will come to your house. I found mine online looking for pet sitters. It is so worth it. Good luck.

[CanWeGoYet?]

My dog is a rescue dog I got as a puppy - even if my cruise were shorter I don't think I could bear to drop him off at a kennel and have him think he had lost his home & "here I am again." As for animals not having the ability to think in this manner - who knows but I do think they are much smarter than the experts give them credit for. They do know when we've been gone & left them behind. Whenever my last dog would be dropped off at Grandma's for one of my trips - on my return he would give me the stink eye and walk away from me when I tried to hug him on my return. Completely unlike him - but it would take a day for him to forgive me enough to act like himself again.

 

I have a friend coming to house sit and take care of him - he will be gone in the day for work but at least there for much of the time. This dog is picky about food and can stop eating when he is worried. If he won't eat his normal dog food, I know my friend will go & get him an enchilada or one of his other favorite foods. Not the healthiest, but better than starving for 3 weeks.

[punkmuse]

it kills me to leave my animals when we go on vacation.

unfortunately i have two opposing goals in life. i want to fill my house with rescue animals and love them to pieces, but i also want to travel extensively. the two dont go together.

 

this most recent cruise a couple weeks ago was the first real vacation we have gone on since adopting all our animals.

 

my mom took care of my two guinea pigs so i didnt worry *too* much about them (yes a little) but our rescue dog has behavior issues. he was originally a stray so he was never socialized as a puppy and now he freaks out on any new/different stimuli ESPECIALLY other dogs. he cant be around other dogs because he loses it. after this winter with all the cold and not going out much he even started to react to people.

 

so basically we couldnt board him at a "normal" kennel, we couldn't ask my mom to watch him because we would just feel bad if he freaked out while she was walking him, plus he pulls like a sled dog. thankfully the trainer we go to recommended a kennel and they are ok with reactive dogs and have a lot of training experience. he was *near* other dogs but not *with* them.

it literally broke my heart to leave him there because i knew he would be freaking out for awhile. PLUS we had to board him for 10 days even though our cruise was only 7 days because we left a day early and then becaues of our flight times.

 

in the end he was fine. they said he barked for two days then settled down. of course he was deliriously happy to see us when we picked him up. i think he thought we dumped him there :(

and he had no behavior problems when he got home which i know can sometimes happen.

 

so yeah i hate leaving my animals but fur-mom and fur-dad deserve vacations too! :D

[punkmuse]

PS. the cruise line Cunard allows some pets on board. they are the Queen Mary boats or something.

 

i dont think your pets can roam around with you but they have like kennels on board.

[sunsurf]

Of course you feel sad---they're part of the "family"! But, the trick is to find a great kennel or pet-sitter so YOU won't feel so guilty! (I've found the animals, while they act so forlorn when you leave them, are always happy to see you again--they don't hold a grudge!)

 

And they live in the moment and can't tell time either!!:D We absolutely hate leaving our furbabies (2 rescue dogs and 1 we've had since he was a puppy), but we so need our vacations. The BEST part is coming home & seeing them go all out crazy for us!! Kind of like they haven't seen us for months and then they don't leave our side for the next few weeks!! LOL

 

gooseandmav...enjoy your cruise, don't worry about the kitties. They'll have a party while you're gone and you'll be back before you know it!!

[Pearlbill]

Boy, do I miss my pets. The last few days of any holiday I start getting really excited about seeing them again. It's almost as exciting as going on the holiday!

 

We have two dogs (a Coonhound and a Lhasa Apso), two horses and miniature donkey. Our daughter is usually around to babysit when we are gone so I'm never that worried about the care they will receive. However, last year our daughter went on a holiday to Hawaii with us and we had to place both puppies (they're six years old) in a kennel. I actually think it was harder on me than on them! LOL

 

The horses and mini donkey were trailered to a friends home. They stayed together as a little herd and got to sniff noses over the fence with some new equines so I think they found it quite exciting.

 

But like I said, I think leaving the "babies" while on holiday is harder on me than on them.

 

Pearl

[sunsurf]

If anyone has any tips on how to make our pets more comfortable... and alleviate this guilt...please share them!

 

Whatever you do.... don't say endless goodbye's, followed by lots hugs and kisses right before you leave. That alone, will be enough to stress him out. If he'll be staying at someone's house, be sure to leave a sweater of yours for him (something that has your scent)...obviously his toys, bed etc as well.

 

I keep thinking he is going to think I've totally abandoned him and he will cry the whole time.!

 

He'll be ok. You love your dog and obvioulsy trust the person enough to take care of him. Who knows...you little guy may just say to himself..."mommy who? I'm having a blast!!!" :D You'd be surprised how much fun our pets have while we're away. They live a better life than we do!!

 

Try not to stress & start looking forward to your cuise!!

[mistergq]

We have a shepherd hound mix dog that we rescued. She is 8 years old. She gets scared very easily (you would too if you were stuck in a kennel for over 6 months). This past cruise, my Mother stayed at our house and dog sit. On the next cruise, my Mother is coming, so the dog will be kenneled. Although we are going on the cruise, it does make us sad and worried about her. Then again, she is older than us, so she should be okay :D (in dog years that is :p )

[Robb]

We always hate to leave our babies, three small dogs- Charlie Brown, Cookie, and Ginger. We are leaving tomorrow and they have known for several days that something is afoot. They are soooo happy to see us when we get back.

[SacredHeart]

Whatever you do.... don't say endless goodbye's, followed by lots hugs and kisses right before you leave. That alone, will be enough to stress him out. If he'll be staying at someone's house, be sure to leave a sweater of yours for him (something that has your scent)...obviously his toys, bed etc as well.

 

 

 

He'll be ok. You love your dog and obvioulsy trust the person enough to take care of him. Who knows...you little guy may just say to himself..."mommy who? I'm having a blast!!!" :D You'd be surprised how much fun our pets have while we're away. They live a better life than we do!!

 

Try not to stress & start looking forward to your cuise!!

 

As of right now, he will be staying here, ... I think that would be easier for him than going to a strange place. My Mother-in-law will be housesitting when she isn't working, so that helps.. but I just hate that he is so attached to me and that he gets so upset when we leave. The most he's ever been away from me was one night at a kennel and he didnt eat the whole time he was there.

 

Someone mentioned that pets can't tell time. I think mine can! lol Seriously... everyday about 3:30 he starts watching the door. He will watch the door until my partner gets home at 4pm. Never fails. He also knows when she goes to work each morning and that doesnt bother him too much...but any other time she leaves the house, he jumps on the door and whines until she comes home. She has told me that he does the same thing when I leave.

 

I will definitely try to do some things that will make him more comfortable while I'm gone... like give him my blanket to sleep on or something. Hopefully he won't think I've totally abandoned him. That's the main reason I want someone to watch him here, instead of putting him in a kennel. I think the stress of being at the kennel would really make him sick.

 

Good luck to ALL of you who are suffering through the same guilt and worry! Hope you enjoy your cruises... and thanks for the advice as well. To the OP, sorry I sort of hijacked the thread with my own worries!

[goose&mav]

Good luck to ALL of you who are suffering through the same guilt and worry! Hope you enjoy your cruises... and thanks for the advice as well. To the OP, sorry I sort of hijacked the thread with my own worries!

 

Not at all, SacredHeart, I'm glad to read the answers to your post. I'm just happy to see that I'm not alone in worrying about my babies when we're gone. Luckily, we do have someone to stay at our place, but I hate for my babies to feel that we have in some way "abandoned" them. My DH and I have debated over a kennel or not, but we feel it would be less stressful for them at home, with their toys and lots of room to roam inside. My big girl cat had diabetes but it's all better now that we had her on a diet, so no more insulin shots. That was the impetus for us booking this dream cruise cuz we wouldn't have done it unless she was okay.

 

Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories!!:)

[wraithe]

Nope, they're animals, not children, I'll love 'em up when I get home, but I don't have a moments problem with leaving them while I vacation. Could have something to do with many years in the service. I didn't have any pets while I was single, married to a girl with three cats and a dog now. Haven't changed my opinion any.