Missed pets while cruising

[Pugsley]

Animals, whether it be a dog or a cat, do not have a sense of time. So if you leave them for 10 min, or 10 days, they will not realize the amount of time you are gone. Tell them to go ahead and have a great time on their cruise.

 

Carol

 

I wish I could believe this, but I don't at all. Dogs often get very depressed (and ill) when their owners are gone. One of my cats wakes us up at the same time every morning, and another starts waiting for me at the door every day about 10 minutes before I get home from work. When we leave them alone, with someone checking in on them every day, they are very skittish when we get home. When someone stays with them they're much better, but my stepson just stayed with ours while we were away and he said that one of them spent a lot of time looking sad and staring out the window. And when we got home they were very clingy. I know that a lot of people don't understand how attached some of us are to our pets, but many of us take our commitment to them very seriously. I just got back from a 15 night cruise and it was really hard for me to leave them for that long, but I forced myself to do it because I know I can't put my life on hold because of them. And I don't want to be perceived as a crazy cat lady. But I can tell you I don't think I'll leave them for that long again. I probably missed them more than they missed me.

[Scoobydobe7]

They don't always survive, sadly. :(

 

We had our 14 year old JRT die while we were away on a 2 week cruise last May. She had issues, but always loved going to Camp Bow Wow. Though we made arrangements ahead of time with the camp director and our vet, I truly thought she would be OK and be there when we returned. :( Thought the camp experience would "get her out of the gutter." Instead, she got worse and had to be put to sleep three days before we returned. I feel guilty that we were not with her at the end (her sisters - 2 of my children - were with her at the vet.)

 

Now, having a new 10 month old pup, we have already left her at camp for a long cruise and she will be going back several times in the next few months. Life has to go on!

 

Wow - sorry for your loss.

[ZandZ]

They don't always survive, sadly. :(

 

We had our 14 year old JRT die while we were away on a 2 week cruise last May. She had issues, but always loved going to Camp Bow Wow. Though we made arrangements ahead of time with the camp director and our vet, I truly thought she would be OK and be there when we returned. :( Thought the camp experience would "get her out of the gutter." Instead, she got worse and had to be put to sleep three days before we returned. I feel guilty that we were not with her at the end (her sisters - 2 of my children - were with her at the vet.)

 

Now, having a new 10 month old pup, we have already left her at camp for a long cruise and she will be going back several times in the next few months. Life has to go on!

I am very sorry for your loss!!!

[aloha43]

^^^^^^^^^ THIS and tell your people to get a grip. The cats could care less if your gone. A cat can live falling from atop a telephone pole, they can certainly live without their owners while spread out on a couch licking their crotches in peace and quiet for 12 days.

 

I guess that depends on how one interacts with their cats.

 

I have one who howls for hours when I leave the house. There has to be some stress and trauma when they are left for an extended period of time.

 

It depends on the cat.

[aloha43]

^^^^^^^^^ THIS and tell your people to get a grip. The cats could care less if your gone. A cat can live falling from atop a telephone pole, they can certainly live without their owners while spread out on a couch licking their crotches in peace and quiet for 12 days.

 

Also, one cannot compare a cat falling from atop a pole to a cats separation anxiety.

 

Totally different situations.

[snowskier]

Thanks for the replies - was not sure how to handle but I have decided to just let them make decision. I will tell them I hope they do not rush into a decision and we were really looking forward to cruising with them, but only they can make the call. I will suggest the e-mails and texts. A friend said they would be there every night. Thanks again

 

Good decision. Being respectful of how they feel and not judging their actions will be appreciated by yours friends. After all, that is what friendship is all about.

[spookwife]

Hi -- We have friends that have planned a 10 night cruise with us for next year - 11 night total with pre-stay. They recently got a cat and are thinking of cancelling because they do not want the cat to miss them (they do have a "catsitter" that will be in the house except while at work) while they are away. Not having pets, I am not sure how/why to support their decision or try to reassure them that their pet will be okay -- any advice??? Thanks

 

 

unless they adopted a cat with issues( some have been abused prior or have separation anxiety) they won't even pay attention as long as the litter box gets scooped and they get their gushy food on time.

 

at best mine( whom I have had for 15 years) get a little snooty when we first get back but all it takes is a few Treats and they forgive us. and mine get left ALONE for ten days a ta time, no catsitter.

[bubba83]

I guess I haven't put much thought in how our cat will handle our 10 day cruise next year. He is only 6mths old now.....I picture him being happy at home alone, without the dog bugging him, without a toddler squeezing his eyes out with a great big hug or being pushed around in her baby stroller.....

I just planned on getting an automatic feeder and water dish and having the neighbor check in every few days when they get our mail....

 

We went to the beach last year while we had a man dog sit our two dogs at the time at his house....one pooped a couple times in the mans house but other than that we were drenched in kisses when we went to pick them up. Now with one dog we will either have her go to someone's house during our next cruise or put her in a boarding kennel, but I hate the outrageous fees for that so hopefully we can find a friend who would do it, love her up while we are gone, and not charge as much :)

 

 

but there really isn't anything you could probably say to change these peoples minds, they think you wouldn't understand because you don't have pets...

[cb at sea]

Folks need to understand that animals are VERY forgiving...if you kennel them, they will act all sad...but by the time you come back, they are so happy to see you, and they do NOT hold a grudge.

[Sandy Sails]

You made a wise decision to just let them figure it out for themselves.

I've heard that dogs don't have a sense of time but mine sure has an internal clock. She always knows when it's time for her morning and evening treats!

One reason we bought our RV (instead of cruising now) was so that we could take our elderly dog with us. Once she's gone, no more pets. And we'll still be RVing instead of cruising but that's another topic not up for discussion or debate, lol.

[Lerin]

Oh my, I thought this thread was a joke.

 

Sounds like they probably didn't want to cruise anyway.

Go without them, you don't want to listen to cat stories for 12 days anyway.

[Scoobydobe7]

Oh my, I thought this thread was a joke.

 

Sounds like they probably didn't want to cruise anyway.

Go without them, you don't want to listen to cat stories for 12 days anyway.

 

No Joke - I just wanted to try to understand where they are coming from. As stated - we do not have pets -- I do believe they still want to cruise (we got one of the great BOGOHO deals (when first out in May 2014) - We are going anyway - flights aren't out yet and final payment isn't due until January. It's there decision to make --I did not want to sound callous or mean or uncaring.

[YankeePenny]

mother of cats here ( sometimes I think the female is a dragon, though....)

 

ours go to a cat hotel. my cats are my kids but I need time away as well.

some very good vet places out there have huge rooms with floor to ceiling windows and spoil cats rotten. do a bit of a search if necessary.

 

I love my kids, I feel bad at the drop off, but then I tell my self I am entitled to time away.

 

Naturally, the guilt hits on pick up day. and the faces.......and then you give 500 percent love for a few days and then they forgive you, maybe.

 

been there many times. I will admit I am no longer on drop off duty. Went into hysterics with the yowls once. (that child could yowl) Cried all the way home, and called husband who was trying not to laugh as I said what a bad mother I was for leaving the child in the first place. Turns out he stopped yowling when I was out the door and made a friend. '

 

kids.........:p

[YankeePenny]

my cats have a sense of time. always have. they know when it is "suppertime" twice a day and do not need to reset a clock- if the power goes out I can set a clock to them.

 

Daylight savings time does NOT confuse them. having that face in your face at an ungodly early hour is all you need.................:rolleyes:

[mtebor]

my uncle was in a rehab facility for a broken hip for almost a year. His three cats and one dog (very small dog that was never housebroken) survived just fine with a neighbor checking in every few days.

[aloha43]

Oh my, I thought this thread was a joke.

 

Sounds like they probably didn't want to cruise anyway.

Go without them, you don't want to listen to cat stories for 12 days anyway.

 

And.....what's wrong with cat stories? To each their own.

[DebJ14]

We definitely miss our yellow Lab when we travel. I can't honestly say I miss the cat. Just glad I don't have to scoop the litter daily.

We have been lucky to have our son stay with the girls the last couple of cruises, but when he comes with us both the dog and cat have to go to the vet to board, which will be the case in January. The biggest hit is to the pocketbook - $50.00 per day for both of them. But, I know they are being well taken care of.

Edited May 13, 2015 by DebJ14

[OzKiwiJJ]

Wow... I don't even worry about if our KIDS would miss us. Let alone cats. On their return, the cats will be excited for all of about one and a half minutes, then go right back to sleep on Laz-y-boy.

 

dp

 

Sounds just like my cat. In fact I think he gets more spoilt by my house sitters than by me. ;)

 

The only time he was really upset was when I had to put him in a cattery for two weeks while we had our house refurbished. Cat + newly polished wooden floor = disaster, so the cat had to go have a vacation. He yelled at me for about two hours when I brought him home (he's not normally a very vocal cat), then sulked for another couple of days. He got over it!

[elleluv]

Thanks for the replies - was not sure how to handle but I have decided to just let them make decision. I will tell them I hope they do not rush into a decision and we were really looking forward to cruising with them, but only they can make the call. I will suggest the e-mails and texts. A friend said they would be there every night. Thanks again

I think you are on the right track here… There really isn’t any reason for them to rush into a decision since the cruise isn’t until next year.

As someone who has always had multiple cats (we currently have three), I can tell you that there is an adjustment/training period both for the animal and the humans when you first bring a new one into they home. Since they’ve just recently got her, they may feel like they may not be able to leave now but in a few months after everyone has acclimated they might feel differently.

How the cats react depends greatly on the cat. All of our cats are very social, but one of them is actually very attached to me… if he isn’t sleeping, he’s often following me around the house or sitting in my lap. I do think it’s harder on him when we’re gone than it is the other two.

We travel often and are very lucky to have a great “kitty nanny” for our fur kids who comes and stays at our house while we’re gone. I think it’s much easier on them to stay in their own environment. Our kitty nanny lives at home with her parents, so it’s a nice break for her to come over and stay and our place while earning a little extra money. She loves our fur kids and they love her; they come running to the door when she comes over to visit.

Edited May 13, 2015 by elleluv

[southerngirl8]

I have great little dog who is lucky enough to go to work with me every day at the law firm. I do love to travel and may closest relative is over 2000 miles away and most of my family is 3000 miles away. Yes my little dog can fly with me in the cabin when seeing family but can not always travel with me. I have an amazing dog day care that I send my dog to on average 3 -4 times a month (usually one x a week). The puppy day care has in home boarding so he goes to puppy day care and then home with a staff member and stays there at night and back at puppy day care during the day. He loves it. Yes it is more expensive than a "kennel" but he is happy, with his puppy friends and with people I trust.

 

I would not leave my dog with just anyone and I factor the cost of the puppy day care boarding into my vacation budget. It is worth it for my peace of mind.

 

In the past when I lived in the US and had a house with a fenced back yard with a dog door I hired a pet sitter.

 

There are services that will be a home/pet sitter and this works great, I have friends who use that service.

 

I agree, we all love our pets but at the same time we should not put our life on hold for the time we have our pets.

[doneinne]

I agree that it depends on the cat. Our cats are purrfectly fine when we leave them. They greet us at the door when we get home.

[Ocean Boy]

unless they adopted a cat with issues( some have been abused prior or have separation anxiety) they won't even pay attention as long as the litter box gets scooped and they get their gushy food on time. at best mine( whom I have had for 15 years) get a little snooty when we first get back but all it takes is a few Treats and they forgive us. and mine get left ALONE for ten days a ta time, no catsitter.

 

I love the way people make generalizations like this. You might think that every dog and cat is like a car coming off of an assembly line. The fact is that they are all just as individual as every human life form is. I guess having 46 chromosomes makes us special in some way.:rolleyes:

[hallsn3961]

Cats are the least of their pet worries. They are the easiest to take care of and they'll be safe. It's going to cost us $280 to have someone watch our dog while we are on an 8-day cruise... that's half the price of another ticket. They'll be fine.

[CruisingSince2012]

Your friends sound like my parents. They will not travel at all because of their cats.

 

We have two cats ourselves and we either have the in-laws catsit when we're away or we leave them in a cattery we trust. The cats are always very happy to see us when we're back (we've been gone up to three weeks at a time) but I don't think they actively miss us when we're away.

The main thing for us is to know that the cats are well looked after when we are away. The cattery sends us text messages almost daily with updates as do the in-laws. It gives us peace of mind.

 

Correction: A cattery is a place where people breed cats, not a boarding kennel.

 

i would never refuse to take a vacation because of my cat. However, if she ever got sick while I was away, I probably would regret the timing of my cruise.

[navybankerteacher]

Most cats could not care less if a particular human is there or not - while dogs have owners cats have staff. As long as you get someone to feed, water and occasionally interact a cat will be fine - especially one who is new to a household. Of course people like to feel as important as their cats obviously do, so they convince themselves that their cats actually miss them as individuals.