What Do You Do When You Go Away?

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Asrael

Asrael

Member Since 2015
Hi
This is just a general question- I am interested in what everyone does for cat care when they go away for a weekend or longer.

In the past (pre diabetes) we have always had housesitters when we go away for longer than 3 days, but for weekends we often would leave the cats at home on their own- those days are now over.

We were hoping to get away for a few weekends this late summer and early fall and all of our house sitters are booked. We are looking around for new ones- and I don't think at this time I feel comfortable with leaving Trouble alone just to be checked on- and given an injection twice a day. But I am interested to hear what others do :)

Thanks for replying
Asrael
 
You could call the vet's office and ask if any of the techs do pet sitting on the side. That way even though the tech will just come by twice a day, you know it will be someone who will recognize if your kitty is acting sick.

Or you could find a pet sitting service that offers overnight pet sitters. That can be quite expensive but some people find it's worth their peace of mind. My neighbor used to do that for her elderly CRF cat.

I'm going away in November and I'm going to ask around and see if I can find someone to stay here and keep an eye on Marshmallow because she's had a rough six months. A friend's daughter just graduated college and she lives with roommates. She may be able to stay with Marsh while I'm away. I can't pay her the overnight rates, but I can give her a little $ and she can have some time away from her roommates. Maybe you can find someone like that?
 
If you can't find a sitter through the vet, I found my pet sitter on Kijiji, but at the time it was as much for my dogs and parrots as it was for the cats as I have to travel for work from time to time and prefer to keep them home instead of boarding - with the number of pets I have it works out to be a lot cheaper, perhaps not in your situation, though. I interviewed a bunch of them with my pets before selecting her. She was a real find because she can also do injections - I got lucky. You could try posting an ad yourself, too. Hope you can find someone!
 
We had a vet tech come and help us when we had to go out of town at Christmas. Since she knew and loved our cat, we could leave with piece of mind that any problems would be handled. We considered boarding at the vet, but the cost was astronomical because of her diabetes.

We did leave a written consent for treatment in case something went wrong, plus a variety of food for our picky eater.
 
Thanks @Tisha's_Person , @Brashworks , @granadilla for all your suggestions. I will call the vets and see if a tech housesits- I know they will do housecalls but really for this first time would LOVE someone to be here:) I have looked on usedcowichan (like kijiji) and thought about connecting with some people on there too.. but was hoping someone would come through- definitely would interview them:)

Luckily our normal housesitter is available for some of the Oct dates, and if we do Christmas.. And I did put it out to my yoga students a few times, and hoping they can recommend someone- (we want to go away next weekend) and if not I guess we can just stay home..

I have thought about boarding- there are some sweet looking places- but I think it would just stress him out too much-

Happy to pay- and for them to have use of the house and our veggie garden- but some of the rates are really high- will just take it all into consideration-

Thanks!
 
My friend moves in when I go away. (It's her holiday away from her husband, she says!!) Trouble started when Frankie got diabetes and she is needle-phobic, but we slowly desensitised her and eventually she could cope with Frankie. I introduced my friend to my vet who said worst case scenario, she would take Frankie home with her if my friend couldn't cope. No charge. Then Romulus got it and my friend freaked!! She still moves in when I go away, but I have a wonderful pet-sitter who was more than happy to learn how to test and shoot and she still comes every lunch time for my peace of mind. She's averted a couple of potential hypos too, so she is worth her weight in gold. I had to go away last month for a couple of days with my friend for her graduation, and all I did was reduce both their doses to keep them safe and the sitter came in three times a day to test, feed, shoot and clean up also.
 
Critter Mom said:
Wow! Like, WOW!!! Talk about a keeper. :D
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Oh she definately is. Frankie is the darling of the vet's practice. They all love him. They've renamed him "Kisses" as he is such a flirt. He even has his own cage there (the biggest one, all the more room to flirt with!!) although touch wood he hasn't used it for a long time. The first thing the vet does when she sees him now is pick him up and give him a big kiss and cuddle and try to smuggle him out through the back hospital and hope I won't notice!!!
 
I had an idea and recently talked to my vet about it. It sounds like she is open to my idea which is to get connected with other diabetic kitty moms and dads in the area. The vet is key since they have the ability to connect with their diabetic patients. I thought I would put a sign up sheet in the vet's office and possibly form a local support group. Those that are interested could sign up and we could meet maybe once a month. Then from that group, we could fill in for each other when we are going on vacation, work trips, etc. Just a thought at this point...

Oh, and one more thing...I usually drop my doses down at least 0.20 for my sliding scale and I have a no shoot policy under 220 instead of 200. If you check out my spreadsheet, you will see my recent vacation dose. It has worked for me pretty good.
 
We just left for 3 days and my mom came over and gave insulin. Worked out well.

I tried to get a petsitter for a 12 day vacation last year and it was pretty miserable. I'm not the most trusting person and every single petsitter I contacted was really, really strange. Like I asked one or two simple questions about their background and I get a rant about "Well if you don't trust me find someone else" and it's like... I don't even know you. I'm allowed to ask a few questions... I ended up flying my brother in law here just to watch our cats (which worked out great).
 
Merlin said:
I had an idea and recently talked to my vet about it. It sounds like she is open to my idea which is to get connected with other diabetic kitty moms and dads in the area. The vet is key since they have the ability to connect with their diabetic patients. I thought I would put a sign up sheet in the vet's office and possibly form a local support group. Those that are interested could sign up and we could meet maybe once a month. Then from that group, we could fill in for each other when we are going on vacation, work trips, etc. Just a thought at this point...

Oh, and one more thing...I usually drop my doses down at least 0.20 for my sliding scale and I have a no shoot policy under 220 instead of 200. If you check out my spreadsheet, you will see my recent vacation dose. It has worked for me pretty good.
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That's pretty cool - I know there's a lot of diabetic cat parents in my area - will keep in mind! :)
 
Merlin said:
I had an idea and recently talked to my vet about it. It sounds like she is open to my idea which is to get connected with other diabetic kitty moms and dads in the area. The vet is key since they have the ability to connect with their diabetic patients. I thought I would put a sign up sheet in the vet's office and possibly form a local support group. Those that are interested could sign up and we could meet maybe once a month. Then from that group, we could fill in for each other when we are going on vacation, work trips, etc. Just a thought at this point...

Oh, and one more thing...I usually drop my doses down at least 0.20 for my sliding scale and I have a no shoot policy under 220 instead of 200. If you check out my spreadsheet, you will see my recent vacation dose. It has worked for me pretty good.
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I love the idea of a kitty support group! What a wonderful idea:) Yes- good to know about dropping the dose down- I had already thought about that.

@pevsfreedom - its too bad you haven't had good luck with Petsitters- but so good you were able to get your brother in law to come. It will be interesting how things go with them having to give medications for us, but in general we have been so lucky with people taking care of the boys when we are gone. But they have also all been people we know. I know if I was going to call someone of the internet or an add, I would be asking TONS of questions:)

So far we haven't been able to find anyone for next weekend, haven't been able to call the vet- too busy- so will do that Monday and if not maybe just take some longer day trips from here-
 
Bumping up this thread since it's a concern of mine. Jackson was just diagnosed last week and we need to leave town for 24 hours this coming Thursday. Fortunately my daughter (a former vet tech) is going to come stay with my critters, but she lives 2 hours away, busy with school, job and is pregnant (yay!) so this won't be a regular thing. I do have a pet sitter who is comfortable with injections but she's also highly sought-after so I'd like to have a back-up.
No real question..grin..just kinda venting. I know I'll be a nervous wreck when I leave them now.
 
I'm also curious about how many people have pet sitters who can do testing - I found someone who gives injections, but I was told that virtually no one (besides a vet tech) knows how to test. I think the idea of asking the vet for names of other diabetic kitties to form a support group is brilliant The vets I know don't think it's a big deal not to test for a period of time though (sorry for the double negative sentence)
 
Well actually, I am teaching a friend of my daughter's this afternoon. I have taught my brother, husband and daughter to test but we all will be going up to Michigan for my other daughter's wedding starting this Wednesday (for 7 days). My daughter's friend, Nancy, has lots of animals and gives her own vaccinations and is eager to learn how to test Merlin. As for my poor brother, bless his heart, has to poke 3-5 times to get a drop of blood but he is a trooper and walks away after a couple of trys and then comes back to try again. He gets it done. I hope that Nancy will not have a problem this afternoon.

What I do regarding doses; I drop my dose by 0.2 on my sliding scale. Then I get six syringes. I put white tape on it (like a flag) and write on the tape the dose and the BG number for example: 180-220 .5 Then I draw the syringe the 0.5, with yellow food coloring. I also do the same with the 1.0, 1.5, etc. doses. This will show an example of what it should look like when drawn and the corresponding BG number.

I also put in a small black tray my hypo kit items; honey, FF gravy lovers, syringes, etc. I make sure that they read all the instructions of the hypo document. Next to the instructions are all the vets, emergency vets phone numbers and address. Since she is local and has lots of animals, she knows where all the vets are.

I also have made up a picture of the syringe with the doses and a picture of the ear.

Oh, I also made up a chart that includes a date, time, AM BG number and dose. My brother and Nancy are going to share the duties, so they will write down all the information, when it is their turn. So when I get back, I will backfill my SS.

I think that is about it. A little nervous but all went well when I had to leave for four days in August.
 
Does anyone know how stable Prozinc would be if drawn up in syringes say, 24 hours in advance? -- would one have to roll the syringe like you do the vial?
 
Merlin said:
Well actually, I am teaching a friend of my daughter's this afternoon. I have taught my brother, husband and daughter to test but we all will be going up to Michigan for my other daughter's wedding starting this Wednesday (for 7 days). My daughter's friend, Nancy, has lots of animals and gives her own vaccinations and is eager to learn how to test Merlin. As for my poor brother, bless his heart, has to poke 3-5 times to get a drop of blood but he is a trooper and walks away after a couple of trys and then comes back to try again. He gets it done. I hope that Nancy will not have a problem this afternoon.

What I do regarding doses; I drop my dose by 0.2 on my sliding scale. Then I get six syringes. I put white tape on it (like a flag) and write on the tape the dose and the BG number for example: 180-220 .5 Then I draw the syringe the 0.5, with yellow food coloring. I also do the same with the 1.0, 1.5, etc. doses. This will show an example of what it should look like when drawn and the corresponding BG number.

I also put in a small black tray my hypo kit items; honey, FF gravy lovers, syringes, etc. I make sure that they read all the instructions of the hypo document. Next to the instructions are all the vets, emergency vets phone numbers and address. Since she is local and has lots of animals, she knows where all the vets are.

I also have made up a picture of the syringe with the doses and a picture of the ear.

Oh, I also made up a chart that includes a date, time, AM BG number and dose. My brother and Nancy are going to share the duties, so they will write down all the information, when it is their turn. So when I get back, I will backfill my SS.

I think that is about it. A little nervous but all went well when I had to leave for four days in August.
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wow - that is brilliant
 
Currently our plans entail taking her with us. We haven't really gone on vacation yet except camping. We bought a tent trailer and she is surprisingly at home in it. If we need a hotel we are going to try and find on that takes cats. Last ditch effort would be vet if they could accommodate her schedule. I can't leave her at a friends or have someone come, not for lack of people wanting to help, but lack of cooperation from the cat. She will not let anyone but me give her a shot and around certain people she can either hide like a magician or have a total meltdown and turn into a demon.
 
Suzi_S said:
Currently our plans entail taking her with us. We haven't really gone on vacation yet except camping. We bought a tent trailer and she is surprisingly at home in it. If we need a hotel we are going to try and find on that takes cats. Last ditch effort would be vet if they could accommodate her schedule. I can't leave her at a friends or have someone come, not for lack of people wanting to help, but lack of cooperation from the cat. She will not let anyone but me give her a shot and around certain people she can either hide like a magician or have a total meltdown and turn into a demon.
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:(
 
My vets nor any of the other vets in my area did not know of any pet sitters full stop. I hated doing it but I trawled the internet for a local one and she came round and was lovely. She was more than happy to learn how to test and inject, and says that since me she has taken on a few more diabetic animals. I went away for a few days in July and they came in three times a day to feed, clean up and inject. She texted me the results and I would let her know if it was safe to shoot or not. The only concession I made was I reduced the dose slightly. All was fine and they didn't miss me at all it seems!!!
 
We are leaving this morning, will only be gone 24 hours but I'm nervous. As I wrote earlier, my daughter is coming to stay with the critters, and she's quite capable and was once a vet assistant. Still, I printed detailed instructions and posted on fridge. I made a "pet sitter" folder including all pets medical info, and a medical authorization form just in case she has to take Jackson to the vet. AND I had dh record me doing the feedings & injection last night, posted it on my YouTube and sent links to all daughters, pet sitter and good friend who lives nearby. I think I'm covered but will worry until we get back home tomorrow.
 
SunshineKitty said:
We are leaving this morning, will only be gone 24 hours but I'm nervous. As I wrote earlier, my daughter is coming to stay with the critters, and she's quite capable and was once a vet assistant. Still, I printed detailed instructions and posted on fridge. I made a "pet sitter" folder including all pets medical info, and a medical authorization form just in case she has to take Jackson to the vet. AND I had dh record me doing the feedings & injection last night, posted it on my YouTube and sent links to all daughters, pet sitter and good friend who lives nearby. I think I'm covered but will worry until we get back home tomorrow.
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If she were a vet tech, she is probably comfortable with testing, at least my vet techs know how. Maybe she can get a meter and test him before she shoots, especially since you said in the previous post that your vet told you to go up a unit. I strongly suggest that while you are gone and if daughter can't test, NOT to do that increase.
 
SunshineKitty said:
Since I already did the increase yesterday and today, will it hurt anything to go back down to the lower dose?
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No, not at all. I am not trying to scare you. I really want Jackson to be kept safe. If it wasn't for this forum, I would have killed Bubba on 3 different occasions. Thank God I tested first to see that it was a number too low and not to shoot.
 
I know you aren't trying to scare me and I do appreciate the input! I am scared, and I feel like I should be able to trust the vet, but I also respect the experience of you all here!
 
I knew my vet didn't know enough about diabetes when he 1. Didn't want to teach me to home test until Bubba was regulated ( it's been 4 months and he still isn't and like I said in a previous post, I could have killed him 3 times had I NOT been home testing. 2. He told me that he would be happy if we could get Bubba to stay in the 200's on 2 units of insulin. I want him regulated, which is preshot numbers in the low 200's and double digits for a nadir BUT over 50 because that is where hypo concerns start. These peeps really know their stuff with feline diabetes. The vets don't take the time to go back and learn the lastest research on treating it. I know you appreciate the input because you are here. :bighug: We will all help you with this! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Friends and family are usually the best source if you don't know any other diabetic owners in the area. On the rare occasion we are both gone, we have a friend who comes in and feeds, scoops, and visits twice a day. One of the vet techs from our vets comes in twice a day and does meds.
 
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