Submitted by ThatWasTheJawn t3_10lc14t in philadelphia

Hello - have a vacation booked in about a year and I want to board my cat during the week I’ll be away. Looking for recommendations of responsible, attentive boarding companies. Thanks in advanced!

17

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

jedilips t1_j5vw4up wrote

I would strongly recommend against boarding a cat. It seriously stresses them out and is upsetting for them to not be in their usual territory. I’d recommend a daily pet sitter to visit and keep the cat home if possible. They would rather be in their home without you than in a strange place with loads of other people/cats.

71

ThatWasTheJawn OP t1_j5vxoy9 wrote

Okay, if you have solid recommendations for that I’m also open. It will be my first time leaving him for an extended time in 4 years.

6

jedilips t1_j5w694z wrote

I used PhilaPets when I lived in South Philly. They will give you a magnet with a QR code that they scan when they arrive, which I loved and made me feel at ease. http://www.philapets.com/

18

FrankGrimesApartment t1_j5vzusc wrote

I used Rover to hire a sitter to come check in on my cat for 7 days. They did an amazing job...took pictures while playing with him, and sent them in real time through the app. Also did a diary entry for each visit. Highly recommend.

31

Vexithan t1_j5x1f6m wrote

Seconding this. We had an awesome lady take care of our three cats each time we’ve gone away for a week or more and it was great.

We also have a neighbor do it who’s usually ok but having a “professional” come for longer stays is nice too.

3

NorthernLitUp t1_j5vzfv1 wrote

Definitely hire a petsitter in your own home. Your cat will be terrified to be in another location. Rover Isa good app for finding petsitting or pay someone you know to stay in your house while you're away.

23

daekoko t1_j5w7sjt wrote

I highly recommend in house cat sitting. I've used Monique from Hiss and Purr and she's been great! Texts after every visit with pictures and is a former vet tech so she can administer medication.

10

Glystopher t1_j5w1yoy wrote

It’s interesting that cats are much more attached to their home spot than dogs, though neither of them enjoy being away from their owners

8

RoverTheMonster t1_j5wbm6y wrote

Read this quickly as “cat hoarding recommendations” and was way more intrigued than when I open and read it

6

talarooralat t1_j5wplno wrote

If you’re in West Philly (I don’t know their service area exactly), I highly recommend Fresh Prints. They’ve cat sit for me twice now, and I’ll go to them for my next vacation. They were great - good communication while we were gone, too, sending regular photos of the cats.

https://www.freshprintsofwestphilly.com/

6

haberdashley t1_j5w3it9 wrote

I’ve used Walkies for in home dog sitting and would recommend - their companion cat sitting service is The Cat Peeps.

5

always_plotting t1_j5wkhwg wrote

I leave my cat at home and use a pet sitting service to come in every 2.5 days to scoop his litter pans, refresh his water bowls, and make sure that he has kibble in his automatic feeder. He is not a fan of wet cat food, unless it is canned dog food.

He seems to do just fine home alone except that he may miss his dog brother as the dog goes to boarding with a pool.

4

dahlia200000000 t1_j5x7s28 wrote

we have someone sleep at our house. we work from home so us being away is really different for our kitties and having someone sleep over and be available for petting keeps some semblance of normalcy for them - and for me! i never worry about them being alone

3

meeemawww t1_j5yjywv wrote

Also there’s an app called TrustedHousesitters. You have to pay to join but you can get someone with great experience and recommendations to stay at your house (you don’t have to pay them) and care for your pets. I’ve used it and outside of the one time fee to sign up, it’s completely free. You can also stay in other cities for free, and look after other peoples pets!

3

lauraappleee t1_j5w45m9 wrote

Waggy Little Rascals does “cat drop-ins”

2

Cobey1 t1_j61gof6 wrote

You don’t have a parent, friend, co worker, neighbor, partner, sibling, literally anyone who can come over at least once a day or every two days while you’re gone?

1

FindThisHumerus t1_j6jh9uo wrote

Litterpaw in center city does cat sitting, been using them for 3 years and they’re great.

1