Vacations? Is my life over? near Lebanon, PA

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heather&giz

heather&giz

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I'm just curious what other people do with their diabetic cats while they go on vacation. Gizmo gets extremely upset when he is out of his element, more so than my non-diabetic cats, so I am hesitant about a boarding facility. Unfortunately, I may end up taking him, which will cause him some stress too. :? So, I was just wondering what others do when they take a much needed vacation. Maybe one of you will have an idea I haven't thought of :smile:
 
Re: Vacations? Is my life over?

Ask any friends and relatives if they are willing to learn how to test and shoot. See if Petsitters International has anyone near you. If you trust the vet techs at your vets, see if any of them want to make extra money....but do not assume they know how to test! Make sure they know how we test on the ears.
 
Re: Vacations? Is my life over?

Some caretakers do take their pet with them if the pet will tolerate it. Otherwise you have to find good/excellent pet sitter. Those are not easy to find. I petsat last summer for 3 1/2 weeks for a woman who had one diabetic and one civi. I am starting sitting for her her again for two weeks starting this evening too.
 
Re: Vacations? Is my life over?

If you want to post your city and state, maybe there is a member near you who would be willing to exchange pet sitting with you. ( I would go back and add it to your subject line)
 
i sent a message to someone in harrisburg to see if they have any local ideas as far as pet sitting or if they know any other members closeby.
 
hi Heather. which part of lebanon? my newly-retired boss lives in Lebanon - cornwall, i think, not far from the turnpike. they have a petsitter they trust very much. i'm not sure she (i think it's a she) hometests though. let me know if cornwall is anywhere near you and i can send her an e-mail tomorrow to get petsitter's info.
 
I will sometimes take Willie with me, like if I'm going to my parents' house for several days, though he hates the car. My sister will do ear pokes for me and check on Willie during the day, and I hire a pet sitting service to come twice a day for his shots (the idea freaks my sister out, and she's not a morning person, so I don't trust her to do the AMPS). Ends up being about $40/day for the sitter.
 
When Yittle needed insulin, we simply didn't go anywhere for more then half a day. When he went into diet-controlled remission we were able to take quick getaways and simply have my parents or uncle very carefully control his food intake. Had he stayed in remission and not ultimately died of cancer, we would have been comfortable going away for up to a week or so with him in that condition. Yittle of course hated me leaving, he was known to pee in my suitcase to register his displeasure. But I never let that stop me, my concession to him was I didn't punish him for doing stuff like that.
 
When I did not have someone available to test & give shots, I boarded my diabetics with my vet's office. They also had very explicit instructions about testing before every shot and only using the meters that I provided. My vet's office followed my instructions exactly.
 
Thank you everyone for ideas. Ever hear of Pet Rescue Remedy? if it works and would be ok for the cat? Reviews on Amazon seem to be promising... Gizmo gets very upset and angry when seeing the crate come out. We will probably end up just taking him with us since it is only a few days...
 
I use Rescue Remedy for my cats. When J.D. goes on vacation with me, I give him a few drops orally, and put a drop on top of each front paw and put a few drops around the carrier. We fly across the country, so it's a long long time in the carrier for J.D. He travels really well. He hates the car rides to and from the airport, but during the plane ride, he is very relaxed.
 
I'm afraid so Heather :o j/k :lol:
I take mine with me wherever I go. no money to pay a sitter ect. fortunately, they all travel well. wheezer has been in car for 9 hours. his BG will go up but we just deal with it. the boyz have traveled from connecticut to Pa and did well and I have taken them from pa to west virginie and they did very well.
rescue remedy has not worked for me nor my cats :roll:
 
Hi Heather,

I'm really lucky. Both my Gizmo and, now, my Nikki, were/are great travellers. Giz preferred the whole diva chaufered position in her carrier in the back seat with the door open... Nikki likes riding shotgun in her carrier. Okay, because of front seat air bags, Nik's carrier door is closed.

Either front or back seat, furry both girls were seat-belt-secured through their carrier handle.

Both of my furry girls have loved visiting their Grandma... Okay, there was this whole High Noon moment when Giz decided she liked Grandma's walk through closet to her bathroom and pretty much decided it was her own little space... Then there was that whole flurry of, DEB from my mom coming into the den... Shot out of the den to discover my mom on her walker facing Giz defending the walk-through closet as her own space...

It ended well. I just scooped up Gizzie and Mom got through to the bathroom. She could really tool on her walker back then, so didn't see me smile...


On Nikki's first visit, she was apparently enthralled with my mom's Nebulizer (sp?) treatment... Just jumped right up on her bed and stared at her and the mist... Heard DEB, and came running... Just burst out laughing at the scene. There was mom smiling whilst inhaling, and there was Nikki on the foot of her bed completely enthralled. It was one of those wish I had a camera moments that will forever be embedded in my memory bank...

After that, Nikki never missed Grandma's Nebulizer treatment. But, Mom stopped yelling DEB...







No, Heather, your life is not over. It's just beginning! My humble suggestion is to take Gizmo with you. Start practicing with drives around the block... Then two blocks... Then three blocks...

You, too, could be lucky enough to have a great traveller... And, great stories of your vacation!


And, of course, we're going to want pictures!

Much love and you can figure this all out and still have a great life kind of hugs,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever navigating from the back seat...
 
Thanks Deb! Last night was a little promising- my Gizmo came into the room I was working in and started to meow. I looked at the clock and it was just about time for his evening insulin shot! I was shocked. Of course he still fought with me while I tried to give it to him, but it's a step in the right direction. So maybe he will eventually not mind car rides also :smile:
 
Dian beat me to it as I was about to reply 'yep' :lol: and lets face it, to some extent our lives do change.

I've had to make some choices but truthfully they are choices of the heart. I've had to put Tom first on occasions when I wanted to do something else....but not always, sometimes. Tom does not like to travel and he is totally addicted to his lifestyle and environment (why not? it's perfect)
I never leave him alone over night and I've never found someone I can have test and shoot him.
I suppose if I had the budget for it...hiring a professional vet tech to stay here with him...but I digress.

Soooo, I realize I like my life too the way it is, staying close to home which is'nt a bad place to be and knowing Tom and I are like best friends who love each others company enough to make it all worthwhile.

If your cat can and will travel I say 'fantastic' you are a lucky girl. Me and Tom have settled for the domestic life :-D
 
Dearest Heather, and, of course, you too, Giz,

heather&giz said:
Thanks Deb! Last night was a little promising- my Gizmo came into the room I was working in and started to meow. I looked at the clock and it was just about time for his evening insulin shot! I was shocked. Of course he still fought with me while I tried to give it to him, but it's a step in the right direction. So maybe he will eventually not mind car rides also :smile:
Click to expand...

You are most welcome!

I'm so glad you're starting to see promising! It can be tricky learning new steps to a new dance... But, I can promise you, Heather, dancing with a sugar cat is something you will always treasure. Truly.

Especially with cats named Gizmo... ;o)

Much love and put on your dance shoes kind of encouraging hugs,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...
 
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