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

[SacredHeart]

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!!:)

 

You and I definitely feel the same way about our pets! Those are exactly the same reasons why i choose to leave mine at home and have someone check on them there. I think it would be easier to leave my children for a few days... at least they would understand the concept of "I will be back in a few days"...whereas pets can only wonder!

 

I'm glad your Cat is doing well and can relieve some of your worry! Enjoy your trip!! :)

[sparkman]

We hate leaving our pets also, and our bordercollie knows we're leaving as soon as she see's the suitcases come down from the attic..we also have a doxy, a ragdoll cat, a blue and gold macaw..and a ferret..we pay a woman, $25 a day to take care of them 4 stops per day...:)

[shankiko]

We have 3 boys ages 4, 2 and 1. Our baby is my avatar. It breaks my heart to leave them but we do deserve time away. When we travel alone our daughter and grandkids tend the boys. But when they travel with us our wonderful next door neighbor tends to their every need. She spoils them terribly but I don't mind because I know they are very well taken care of. I hate it when our cruises are over but I love the "welcome home dance" we get. Each one has to be held and hugged in turn, our hands are gently bitten and we are given their favorite toy as soon as we come in. It's kind of funny because this happens whether we are gone 1 hour or 10 days. Our boys are as much a part of our lives as our human kids!!

Shankiko

[snowglobe]

We travel a lot: a minimum of one 3-5 weeks trip per year, plus 2-3 times of 7-10 days, plus several 2-5 days. Over the years, we have been sequentially owned by a cat or two ;)

 

For the 2-5 days trips, we have a reciprocal arrangement with our neighbours to look in on our furbabies and to make sure they are well fed, have fresh water, have a clean box and some love & attention. They do get lonely though and it's clear when we get home that they missed us.

 

For trips lasting more than 5 days, we kennel our furbabies. Over the years, my experience with cat kennels has been extremely hit and miss. The ones close to home (which we never used) either cage them (YUK!) or groups all cats in the same space - not a good idea IMO, since cats from different households don't usually mix well.

 

One kennel we occasionally used offered individual "rooms", 2' X 3' each with a window overlooking a bird feeder on one side, or the dog runs on the other side. The place was spotlessly clean and well-rated by our vet. Here was the problem - this was a dog-oriented kennel. The owners never understood that my cat stressed horribly when placed on the "dog" side, and the cats were never taken out of their rooms. We never left her there more than a week or so. Each time, she was desperate for affection when we got back. I used to hate leaving her there.

 

When we started planning for longer and more frequent trips, I cast my net wider to find a better kennel. I approached the various vets who deal mostly with cats for their recommendations. Through such a referral, I found a few years ago what I now dub "The Five Star Resort". Now the cat goes on his own vacation!! It's a 3-hour+ return drive to drop off our furbaby - but SO well-worth it!

 

Each cat has an individual condo, with a private enclosed balcony (3' X 5') and there are larger "family" condos as well for multi-cat families. Doug, the owner, his wife and daughters, take each cat out in a large work space everyday just for exercise and love'ums. As they go about their chores, there's always one of the "guests" afoot. My old girl loved it! We would get her back happy and content, with a seamless reintegration at home. It got so that in her last years, as soon as the car was parked at the kennel, she would walk herself to the door, head-butt Doug, and head straight to her balcony door to scope out her space. Pumkin, now 3, started there as a kitten and learned the same routine. Doug didn't want to give him back the first time :D

 

Over the last couple of years, Doug has started to film his guests and will upload videos for us to log in and see. When I was away for several weeks last fall, I watched his videos each time I logged on to the Internet. It really helped. Needless to say, reservations at this special cat kennel have to be made well in advance... I'll scrounge for the best "deals" on my own accommodations, but won't bat an eye at the daily rate at *this* place!:rolleyes:

 

My advice is to not dismiss all kennels - the very special kennels do not advertize, they don't need to. Persistence and word of mouth helped me find just the right solution for our furbabies.

 

BTW, I've asked DH to install a couple of webcams around the house, linked to our wireless network & server, to monitor Pumkin the next time we take a long week-end and leave him alone at home (with the drop-in neighbour). Not because I'm worried about him - but because I miss the little guy, and seeing him snoozing (or playing "fountain" with his water bowl) will make ME feel better! :D:p

[vjmatty]

Well, you can imagine how hard it is to leave these cuties behind-

 

 

As you can see happened to DH, when all 4 of them are on your lap they have a general anesthetic effect :)

 

We are leaving in a few days for our LA to Hawaii cruise in Princess. Not only does that mean about 15 days in the kennel, but the two youngest (towards the front of the picture) haven't been spayed yet, so that will be done while we are away. I would be surprised if we escape paying at least a thousand dollars when all is said and done.

 

For those who are interested, the QM2 has kennels on the ship, but they are only operational for transatlantics.

[KyMack]

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?

 

 

 

My best friend refuses to go on vacation because she doesn't want to leave her 8 cats, 2 bunnies, dog, horse and tropical fish. Her two children are 10 and 12 and have never even seen the beach (we live in southern NJ). She just can't stand the thoughts of not seeing her animals. So some take it to extremes.

[Coolgran]

Hope you don't mind someone from the UK joining in. We hate leaving our King Charles Cavalier behind but we leave him with a lady who runs 'Barking Mad' she matches up the dogs with someone who is as near to our household as possible. In our case he likes to be the only dog and either with an older couple or single person. She is very careful and has strict rules. It is expensive but when she collects him he jumps into the car, no problem. The dogs are collected as apparently it is less stressful for the dog and of course we are in when he is brought back. His routine is adhered to whilst we are away and he just settles right back in. It is expensive but well worth it for our peace of mind.

 

Keep Cruising

 

Coolgran

[jmf123]

For those who are interested, the QM2 has kennels on the ship, but they are only operational for transatlantics.

 

And they have their own muster too!

 

We have three kitties who are our kids, and I can't leave them for more than a week (I would miss them too much). Our petsitter takes good care of them and we're happy that they can remain at home during our time away.

 

I have friends who just got back from a Celebrity cruise. They were going on a back to back sailing, but their elderly cat doesn't eat when they are out of town, so they trimmed their vacation to seven days.

[moniquet]

We have two cats (12 and 17 years) and two dogs (6 and 13 years) all rescued. I could not bear to put them in Kennels. We had an old dog who died in Kennels many years ago. It still pains me to think of him being ill and not with us.

 

We pay for pet-sitters to come from the UK. they are our Friends too. I think they are fine with them as they have been coming about 4 times a year for ages. I am sure it's the little routines we have with them they miss. eg. During the late afternoon we have a cup of tea. Both dogs stand and watch the routine as they know they get a biscuit (Cookie in the USA). I really do hate to leave them though.

[cruiserbryce]

sure we miss them but we leave them in good hands and its usually only for a week

[goose&mav]

Snowglobe-- that does sound like a 5 Star resort.

I like the idea of webcams, though. I am always curious what my little ones are up to when we're at work. Most likely sleeping /grooming, but it would be fun to see anyway.:D

[LindaKE]

We, too, hate to leave our babies. We are down to 2 now, 1 we got as a puppy and 1 we rescued as an adult. The 1 we raised from puppyhood is confident enough that, while she misses us, she doesn't get upset at being left. But the 1 we rescued is a velcro dog and is even more clingy when we get home. We have a kennel that has pens big enough for both to be kept together. Our thinking is that the confident one gives confidence to the less secure one when they're together. The kennel has play yards so they get some outdoor play time 3 times each day. I hate to see dogs while we're gone because it makes me think of our own dogs and miss them even more.

[christee52]

As I can see my the amount of replies to this thread there are alot of us animals lovers that love to cruise too. Our Annie (mixed Lab) is a rescue and was straved half to death when we got her. Because of that she has epilisey (misspelled). Our Iggie (mixed 17-year old cat) is a rescue also since she was 2 days old. Annie the lab goes to June's Resort, a wonderful place on a hundred acre farm. June is wonderful with her, even sitting with Annie when there are storms so that she doesn't have an attack. How do I know this, because when Annie has an attack, she doesn't eat or drink and can lose 5 lbs within days...and since she is very lean anyway, the weight loss shows. Iggie is taken care of by our neighbor boy whom she has come to love. He sits with her an hour or so, so she doesn't get too lonesome. He also says she crys. We also have Tweety Two, who was an abused parakeet and I have had for 4 years. He goes to my daughter's because I don't want him to have any temperature changes in the house. Here in southern Illinois the weather changes fast. I worry about them of course, but I know they are in good hands. I know Annie loves going to June's...she lifts her head up and smells the air when we get close and starts jumping around in the back of the suv. I have made sure they have good caregivers and I give them all extra treats when I get home.

[Stina76]

I was just talking about this on our roll call board! I have a needy 4 year old Choc Lab that I will miss. But he will be fine, goes to his grandparent's house for the week and plays with their german shephard. He really is like our kid since we have none!! :) I will buy him an extra bone and a couple of toys before we leave to make it it up to him!

 

Oh my gosh, VJMatty, your dogs are adorable! What breed are they?

[Cruizer_J]

We worry a bit about our cats while we’re gone, but we are fortunate to have a good sitter and we try to stay in contact. The sitter also leaves us notes from her visits, which are kind of entertaining to read when we get back.

[amylory]

My babies' vet is only 2 miles from my house. They love my girls as much as I do (or they tell me they do!). I have a 8 y/o mini schnauzer and a 6 y/o tiny, tiny (2 lb.) medically fragile chihuahua.

The girls LOVE going to stay at the vet and always have a great time and I don't worry as much should something happen.

Once I came back early and dropped in unnanounced and my little one was "working" the front desk. She loves it and is quite the receptionist. I just wish they would let her work of the bill!

[pcb412]

Although I don't think about my dog very much while cruising, sometimes I see things and think to myself how much he'd love to be there so he could:

 

Help keep the floors in the buffet clean.;)

Greet everyone, often.

Go swimming in the pool and then shake water from the pool all over the deck, thus soaking the towels of the chair hogs:cool:

Eat food out of unsuspecting children's hands.

Sleep in the cabin with his mom and dad:)

[tanner2]

I always cry when I leave my baby min-pin at the vet, he is only 11 pounds but I alway put him in a big run instead of a little cage. I always take his toys and his blanky and sometimes a shirt of his daddys so he knows dad is near( they hate when I show Up) I seem to do ok on the cruise because i'm so busy! On the day we fly home I always get my step daughter to go get our baby so when we get home he is their waiting on us!:)

[punkmuse]

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 just wanted to second this. DO NOT MAKE A BIG FUSS over leaving your dog. i dont know anything about cats but the dog will sense you are stressed/sad and wonder what is going on. why is he going to this bad place? clearly its bad because you are upset.

 

i did my *goodbyes* with our dog either the night before or like a while before we left for the kennel so he wouldnt associate that with the kennel. once we got to the kennel the guy just took him and brought him back.

yes its hard but its better for their mental state.

 

the idea of a blanket or tshirt with a scent on it is great. When we boarded our dog we brought his blankie that he sleeps on so he would have something that smelled like home.

i didnt think of the idea of something that smelled like us but that is a great idea. if gives them a sense of comfort in a strange place.

we also brought his favorite toy for him but i dont think they gave it to him. hmmm....

[vjmatty]

 

Oh my gosh, VJMatty, your dogs are adorable! What breed are they?

 

They are Italian Greyhounds.... very friendly and loyal but they do tend to take over your home. ;)

[birdmom1]

YES!!! I booked and cancelled this upcoming cruise twice so far. I've also booked and cancelled many other vacations in the past 3 years. I wasn't always so neurotic - when we lived in LA we had great places to board our animals and although I worried and was sad I knew they were getting great care while we were gone.

 

We're in Utah now and things are quite different here. I also added another rescued parrot to the flock and he does NOT do well with change. I am afraid he will get very sick or die while we are gone - he's 50 and very fragile.

 

My advice- find a reputable boarding facility or an extremely trusted friend/petsitter to come to your home - whichever works best for your babies. Leave detailed instructions. Leave emergency numbers/family, friends, vet. Tell your pets that you are leaving and when you will be back - this really works, especially with parrots. Say a little prayer and go.

[TransplantedOkies]

Another here that misses the fur-babies when we get to travel(which is not often enough)Our 3 dogs get well taken care of but still don't really like leaving them.

For our Peanut, who is 12 human years old(mixed breed) and Butter(shihtzu)who is 6 human years old we have a lady who lives down the street come feed, water, exercise them and love on them several times a day.

Now you can all laugh at me or call me crazy, but for our Jelly(mini dashchund)who is not quite a year old, we drove 6 hours 1 way(a 12 hour round trip) to meet our best friends who are owned by 3 dashchunds. How many friends would drive 12 hours to keep your dog(s) for 2 weeks? We are so thankful for them! Jelly had so much fun playing with the other doxies and we knew she was in great hands so we did not worry about her at all(miss her and our other dogs, YES but we didnt worry)

[Insel]

I have a difficult time leaving our three cats. (I love the "furkids" a poster used and may steel it).

It typically starts when the suitcases come out and while they like to climb into them and have fun, it sets in that I'll be leaving them. We are lucky to have very good and trustworthy petsitters that we have used for years, somehow it doesn't matter.

 

Coming home is another story. It's always interesting to see which one of them will snub us and who will greet us first. Our male cat, who is very vocal meows for DAYS, I guess he doesn't use his voice when we're away. By the time we go to bed, everyone is pretty much back to normal and ready to cuddle.:)

[griffy]

2 minature dachounds..1-1/2 yrs old and 14 yrs old. Very different personality. My daughter has 2..same age and the pups are brothers. We found a pet "resort" that is adorable. The pups will have their own suite (they have no kennels). They have twin doggie beds with a headboard and all..and it resembles an inside cabin. They have an indoor astro-turfed park, complete with picket fence for playtime and they can spend as little or as much time as they like in the "park"..The geriatric pair of old ladies will spend their time in their suite, I'm sure, but the pups will love, love love getting to be together running and playing and marking all new territory. It's a steep price, but we know they will all be having their own vacation.

[JenRonn1104]

I absolutely hate to leave my baby, Boomer (English Cocker Spaniel) and I think about him the whole time...but he gets to vacation at my parents or with my sister-in-law while we are gone, so he probably has more fun than at home. What makes me the most sad is he gets so depressed when he sees the suitcases. Cocker's have the most beautiful eyes, but when they are sad it just breaks your heart. But...with that being said...I would never give up on a cruise vacation...I'll see him when I get home.