Needing to board my cats

Amy SF

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I have a similar problem to Poppy, but I didn't want to hijack her thread because dogs and cats have slightly different needs.

I would like to go out of town for a few days, and I'm considering boarding my cats, for the first time ever. In the past I'd have somebody come in and feed the cats and clean out the litter box, but it's different now because:

This person has since passed away.
I don't know anyone else who can come in to take care of them, especially a special needs cat.
The cats are a lot older now.
In 2007 when I had just two cats and they were 9 years old, I went to Boston for a few days. Right before I left the above mentioned person died and I was stuck without knowing anyone else who could come in. I ended up leaving out lots of extra food and water and an extra litter box and they were fine. But as I said, they're a lot older now and I don't want to leave them alone again.
I now have a third cat which is a special needs cat. He needs medicines twice a day and has to have special food, and given to him in a separate room from the other cats or he'll just push them aside and eat their food instead of his food.

I got a recommendation for one place from the vet's office; the guy told me they've used this place for years and think highly of them. It's a cat-only place which I prefer. This place got some good reviews on Yelp. Strangely, they seem to be closed on Sundays. This is something I don't like. I think cat owners should be able to get access to their cats on Sundays. But I haven't visited this place yet. I'd like to know what questions to ask when I go and what to look for.

Can I bring my cats' own food and personal items?
Will they stick to a feeding and medicine schedule?
Do they play with the cats and give them some attention?
Is there heating and air conditioning to keep the cats comfortable?
How much do they charge? Do they charge per cat, per hour, per day?
If I have all three cats boarded together in one room, would they watch in case the cats get hissy towards each other? (That sometimes happens at home and I have to separate them, but I'd want to board them together, I think, to save money.)
Will they contact the vet right away if something happens to any of them?
Will they contact ME right away if something happens to any of them?

It should be noted that they do require that all cats boarded are up to date on vaccines and that owners provide the name and number of their vet. So that's a good thing.

What else should I ask? What should I look for?

They apparently don't have their own website. Here they are on Yelp. http://www.yelp.com/biz/holiday-hotel-for-cats-los-angeles
 
I've only had to put a cat in a cattery once, and I wasn't the one who made the arrangements (I was 15/16 at the time). I don't think my mum put any thought into it - she just went for the local one - and when my cat came home, she was SUPER unhappy. Not sure if that was anything to do with the cattery itself, or that she just didn't like being away from us for two weeks, but it's made me super wary ever since.

We were searching for a cattery for Ivy just before she passed away, because our usual pet sitter couldn't come in that week. So, due to my wariness, I was checking everything out as thoroughly as possible. Not sure if there's anything extra that would apply in the US/to you, but these are the grounds I was using:

-Do they require that all cats are up to date on vaccinations, with proof?
-Do they ask about a cat's dietary preference/restrictions, and carry a range of food/allow you to bring your own in?
-Will they keep to your cat's feeding schedule?
-How much human contact will my cat get?
-Will they keep my cat indoors, as a strictly indoor cat, and will she have adequate room indoors?
-What is the protocol for medical emergencies?

And then I wanted to visit the grounds beforehand just to meet the staff and check the place out. I found a really good place near here that we were going to use, each cat/group of cats had their own room in a house (instead of just a cage area), and the people running it were really knowledgeable about cats in general. They had a good protocol, would keep to a feeding schedule, and spend plenty of time with the cats each day. The animals there seemed perfectly happy. They also send you pictures of your pet each day so you know they're doing well, which I thought was a nice touch :)
 
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I don't have any plans in the immediate future but I've wondered about this for any future trips. It's a huge deal. You bring up some very important questions.

Has anyone ever used a professional pet sitter that comes to the house. We have a few in my town. I'm not sure if that would be better vs. boarding. It's something to consider. And always a worry.
 
I don't have any plans in the immediate future but I've wondered about this for any future trips. It's a huge deal. You bring up some very important questions.

Has anyone ever used a professional pet sitter that comes to the house. We have a few in my town. I'm not sure if that would be better vs. boarding. It's something to consider. And always a worry.

I don't use a professional as such, but we have someone that comes to the flat when we go away. She lives in the building, has two cats of her own, knows our vet, and spends time lots of time playing so the cat doesn't get lonely. I prefer to keep Pixel in her usual environment if possible, it's a lot easier on her.
 
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My daughter travels once a month for business and is lucky to have someone she can use who will come to the house and feed/water/play with her two cats. Sometimes, if she is away on an extended trip, they will apartment sit and stay there the whole time. It's great when you have someone you can trust to do that.
 
If it was just my two girls, I'd look for somebody to come in and not board them. But now I have Bear, who needs medicines and special food. I'd rather trust a kennel for that.
 
I don't blame you, Amy. If I go away in August it will be without the hubby and he can barely handle more than opening a can of food for the kitties. He doesn't scoop litter either. :( So Bogart would be a problem because of the meds which is why he would board with the vet or I will see if one of the techs will make a few house calls.