My Cat Hates Catteries. Would It Be Ok To Take Him On A Caravan Holiday?

[Treacle71]

My cat is painfully shy and hates catteries. When the cattery send pics of his stay in the cattery, my cat always looks anguished/terrorised in them. In all his 12 years, he has stayed in caravans with me and has been 50/50 OK. What is your opinion? Cat sitters are out of the question btw as well as someone calling in to feed him, etc.

[Barmaid]

No - he runs the risk of getting lost in unfamiliar territory.

Cattery every time. He may look miserable (they are manipulative little so and sos), but he is by far in the safest place.

[Buenchico]

Like Barmaid, I'd be terrified at the thought of the cat getting out of the caravan and, being in unfamiliar territory, then getting totally lost.

I simply wouldn't risk it.

[Toorak]

I had friends who took their cat to a caravan. It ran off and got lost and they never saw it again. Don’t do it.

[bhg481]

As a long-time camper I've seen several people take their cats with them on holiday. My only caveat would be to have a collar on him and some means of tethering him to the van.

[naomi24]

If you’ve taken him before you know better than us whether or not you should do it again.

[gness]

I ran a cattery for many years. We never had one cat that didn't settle....did have one that came back after owners collected it. :-)

Cats can make a fuss when being brought and left and look cross and accusing when collected but if it's a good cattery they are fine.
Even if yours was the one cat who maybe didn't settle very well being looked after safely is better than escaping into strange surroundings.

[pastafreak]

Why is a cat sitter out of the question? Also, I thought you lived with your mum...is she staying home, or coming with you?

[wolf63]

Taking a confident cat camping would be fine but not a shy one.

My two looked miserable at the Cattery but I have no doubt that they treated it as an adventure.

[Ringlet]

No no and no again. He will hate it and the chances of him getting lost are extremely high.

[Old_Geezer]

You could race him home !

[Patsy33]

I can understand the temptation to take your cat to caravan but for safety's sake, you'd be very wise to put him in the Cattery.

[smurfchops]

Think twice before leaving your precious cat in a caravan. If she shoots out, when you open the door, you have lost her. So if you need some air, tough. Everything must be shut all the time. If you leave a window open (which you will need to do in a hot summer) she may get out and you have lost her. And do not leave a cat in a hot caravan while you are out all day on holiday. And think of the smell from the litter tray in a hot summer. If you put her on a lead, she will not like that. And cat collars are designed so a cat can slip her head out if she gets caught somewhere, so she will slip the lead and you have lost her. And at the end of the holiday you will have to drive home. Without her. If there are no houses near the site, she will not find another home. She might not even if there are people living nearby, she may starve.

I take my cat to the cattery, a beautiful place. Maybe you could find a nicer cattery, always ask if she can be placed away from other cats if she is timid. She spits and snarls, but when I go to collect her, she is peacefully sleeping on her ledge or in her cat basket. (Always take her basket and toys when you leave her). She will be fine in the cattery and more importantly safe. Please.

[smurfchops]

Sorry I said she, he is a he ! But please think twice.

[Treacle71]

Thank you smurfchops and of course everyone else x

[smurfchops]

Pleasure x

[gness]

Thank you, Treacle. Hope you have a good holiday.

[douglas9401]

Some might say that the constant pandering to the whims of these allegedly special creatures can reach mind-boggling levels of idiocy.

Not me of course, not me.

[Redhelen72]

If he was a kitten - I would say take him with you my friend takes her cat to the caravan everyyear and has done since he was a baby - but he is used to it, doesn't wander beyond the balcony.
But your cat is 12 - it appears he cannot be trusted as you say 50/50.
Leave the cat at the cattery where he is safe just give him some cat nip etc