cat boarding / kennels

[Ulli]

Hi,

I have recently been adopted by a stray cat Anyway, I took him to the vets etc etc and we are on the road to recovery. I will eventually look for a new home for him but I want to make sure I hand over a healthy animal.
Now I have a slight issue though, I am off for the weekend in a couple of weeks and I have just realised that of course I will need to organise boarding for him. None of my friends can do it as they all have dogs and none that are particularly cat friendly...

So, can anyone recommend a kennel (or any other solution) in the benalmadena etc area. I am new to this area so don't know where to start looking. If you know of a place in the country which I would have to drive to that you could recommend no problems but not "too far" away I would love to hear about that too.

Thank you
Ulli

[laclotte]

If it is just a weekend you could probably leave the cat at home alone (providing health is okay). We do this from time to time, just make sure there is plenty of dry food, water and a clean cat litter. 2 days would be the maximum I would leave them alone.
Our cats all really dislike going to kennels - they get really stressed out and it takes them weeks to get over the trauma Do you not have a friend you could pop past every day to feed/clean?

[Ulli]

I had heard of people doing that but it sounded so cruel to leave him alone...
It is the first time I have a cat and it is still very new so I am learning as quickly as I can... I have always had dogs and of course you can't leave them alone...
I am off on the friday and back the sunday so that is 3 days. How about house sitters?
Also I will have to find a kennel for the future so that I know where to take him if I have to go away.

Thank you for your advice though laclotte

Ulli

[peteroldracer]

W have a two-part feeding device, with lids that close, and 48-hour timers. You can load the trays with (preferably dry) food, close the lids then set them to open at the normal feeding time, one one day, the other 24 hours later. This way one can put a fresh bowl of food down just before you go, and the cat will be fed for a total of three days. A large bowl of water, and fresh cat litter are as has been said essential too.
Don't know if these timed feeders are available in Spain, but worth a look in the specialist pet shops?
I do agree that leaving moggy would be less traumatic than kenneling, and also that a friend to pop in and check/feed each day is the best.

[Sadie]

I agree with previous two posts my cats all dislike in kennels etc so for just a few days it is less stressful for them to be in comfort of their own surroundings and plenty of fresh water and dry food and litter tray and a friend to check on them.

[princess peach]

I look after my clients cats(five pussies)when they go away to UK for however long they are away-1 -2 weeks..I go once a day,to clean out litter tray(yuk) and make sure they have fresh water and food,and i also do a "head "count,to ensure all are present and correct.They have been looked after like that all the time as the owners do not like them going into the cattery.
There is never any problems,except lots of fuss needed when the owners arrive back home.
The cats are just purrrrfect!
Perhaps one of your friends that has a dog,would be able to commit them selves to helping you out for a few days while you are away,they dont have to like cats(i prefer dogs),but just ensure that he/she is fed and watered.

[laclotte]

.............now here is clearly an opportunity not to be missed and a gap in the market
............set up a business looking after cats in their own homes

and as I came up with the idea I will only take a 25% commission

[freecatsrus]

We sometimes leave our cats for a day or so and the usual response we get from them when we return is " So you have decided to come home then" then they just roll over and go back to sleep.

I agree you will find that you can leave cats longer than dogs and neighbours are more likely to look after a cat rather than a dog, less hassle.

[Busymum]

I do know of a decent cattery in Alhaurin el Grande. Pm me if you would like details!

Busymum

[Wicksey]

I agree with the others here that cats are pretty self-sufficient and will last a night or two on their own. We, too, have an electronic cat feeder with 4 compartments and a revolving lid that exposes one section every 6 hours. Our cats must always slept a lot in our absence as one or two of the compartments haven't even been touched on our return. When we're here they are all begging for food all the time, but when we're not they just sleep. We do have a catflap also which makes it a lot easier without a pooptray to empty.

[princess peach]

I would be worried incase the electronic cat feeder broke down while i was away,and had a hungry/dead pussie on my return.

Laclotte said:

now here is clearly an opportunity not to be missed and a gap in the market
............set up a business looking after cats in their own homes

and as I came up with the idea I will only take a 25% commission

ONLY 25% COMMISION FOR THE IDEA...thats very reasonable laclotte-
Do you dye pussies too???or do you just stick to legs/trousers???? ooh err!

[Wicksey]

I would be worried incase the electronic cat feeder broke down while i was away,and had a hungry/dead pussie on my return.

That reminds me of a time when our neighbour in the UK always used to look after our animals when we were away, and one of our old cats died. He had put it in the freezer in a bin liner so we could bury him when we got home

[Ulli]

thank you for all your advice. As mentioned I am pretty new to this...

I have been looking in the newspaper and have come up with 3 kennels/catteries does anyone on here know them by any chance?

www.cat-and-dog-world.com
www.pertcarespain.com
and a place called Just Cats near Alhaurin golf´(has no website)

I really don't know what to look for in a cattery, having never had to use one... I will be away for 3 days now so trying to see if I can get someone to come in and check on the little guy but when I am away for a week later on in the month I am going to need somewhere for him.

Cheers
Ulli

[peteroldracer]

When checking out a potential cattery (or kennels, come to that) of course you can't beat endorsements from people you trust who have used them, but failing that, whether you visit them to have a look or just ring them up, if they don't absolutely insist that you bring your up-to-date vaccination certificate for your cat when you book him in, do not touch them. Yours may just be healthy despite no jabs, but many are not, and you would be inviting infection.

[tjtops]

When I have to go away I leave my (dearly-loved, as it happens) moggie with a HUGE dish of dry food and a large (dog) bowl of water. Window open (yes, good rejas and someone living at the back!) so no poop problems and so far touch wood so good. And I endorse the comment that usual response is....yeah right, you're back.....when I return

[princess peach]

I left my big Dog at a vets/kennels-and all looked lovely and clean(we inspected them before agreeing for him to go)
Upon picking him up after 10 days away..hubby saw the hose pipe being dragged across the yard-Assistant brought my dog half soaked(vet said he had just been bathed)he had obviously been satched with cold hose water(in January)He was still filthy and hadnt been bathed at all!
All night he slept sat up..nodding off to sleep with his head approx 1 inch from the floor-he couldnt lie down at all until we had had him home for approx 2 days(he was that knackered-he just collapsed.)
My dog had been tethered up for 10 days solid(this is my theory)not being able to lie down.disgusting.!
My friends dog also went at the same time and she was bleeding from the back end!
This was all from staying at a vets in Spain-where i thought he wouldve been looked after.I was devastated!
And to add insult to injury when we paid our bill we gave them a tip for looking after the dog..little did we know how horrible he had been treated until we got him home.Poor animal.

[Ulli]

is all I can say to that

How horrendous for you!

[princess peach]

Yes,i know.
I do expect my dogs to be fithy,and a little hungry, not looked after like i would-im under no illusion that they do not care for your animals like you would,however i do not expect them to be returned in a real mess like my dog was.
We worked it out afterwards,that there were more" dodgy" kennels out the back that we werent shown when we inspected the place-we were only shown the courtyard with the pretty fountain and a few nice kennels.When we picked the dog up there seemed far too many animals for the amount of kennels that we had seen.
I would go with friends recommendations if you are to put your cat in a cattery,even if you do have a look at the place where they are to stay..who says they even sleep in there?
I have found a kennels for my dogs to go into at xmas(peoples recommendations)-and am now trying to decide whether or not i really want to go home and leave them-I dont want them in a state when i come back home to Spain..Its a horrible choice.

[Busymum]

I have used Cat an Dog World in Alhaurin el Grande and found them to be very good.
There is nothing though to compare to the place I used to use in the UK though. There my kitty had a little 'town house' or 'Swiss log cabin' .... radio, comfy chair, toys, central heating, tree to run up and down in it's little garden or patio .......

Busymum

[lizzie]

Hi Peachy

I am so shocked that you say you would expect your dog to be filthy and hungry when you collect him from kennels. If that is the case you have obviously been to some bad places. I realise that it is different to some of the really plush places that we are used to in Britain, which cost an absolute fortune,but here in Spain they are all supposed to be registered with the veterinary college for the area and either a rep from there or Seprona can visit at any time and carry out an inspection.
We use a small kennels and cattery in Granada province. It is clean, legal and the owners live there. All the dogs are walked at least twice a day and from what we have seen are all cared for very well. If you would like the details I can PM you.
Our dog has never been dirty or hungry when we have collected him, in fact when we have met the people out and about he has been delighted to see them, which I think tells a story. Maybe you were just unlucky.