Where to leave your pet during vacation?

When planning a vacation or even a short trip, pet owners face the problem of where to leave their pet. In this article, we will look at several options and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The first and most obvious way to find temporary care for your pet is, of course, to ask relatives, friends, or neighbors to look after them. Unfortunately, if it were that simple, you wouldn’t be reading this article. What should those do who have no one to leave their beloved pet with?

Dog and Cat Hotels

In large cities, more and more pet hotels are opening every year. Accommodation conditions vary greatly, so check the information for each hotel separately. The most common options are:

• Dogs and cats are kept in individual cages depending on their size.
• Animals are kept in small, separate rooms.
• Animals that live outdoors permanently, such as guard dogs, are kept in outdoor enclosures (as a rule, this type of accommodation is available in hotels located outside the city).

Dogs are walked either on the hotel’s enclosed territory or on a leash, all depending on whether the hotel itself is located in the city or outside the city. Some hotels also accept other animals: rats, hamsters, birds, ferrets, etc. The cost of one day’s stay varies depending on the hotel, plus food. You can either buy food yourself (dry or natural) or choose the food provided by the hotel. Many hotels, in addition to supervision and dog walking, offer additional services, such as: training, grooming, ear cleaning, veterinary examination, etc. To leave your pet at the hotel, you need to prepare:

• veterinary passport;
• bowl;
• bedding;
• collar;
• leash;
• food for the entire boarding period;
• optional: toys, treats, comb, towel.

The dog or cat you plan to check into the hotel must be clean, have all vaccinations, be treated for endoparasites, and be dewormed.

Pros and Cons of Pet Hotels

In-home boarding for dogs and cats

If you cannot afford a pet hotel, look for private individuals who will look after your cat or dog at home, usually for a lower price than a hotel. It’s easy to find such people; just type “dog boarding” or “cat boarding” into a search engine.

What is in-home boarding, or as it is also called, apartment boarding?

An animal lover, usually a dog or cat owner, will take your pet into their home during your vacation or absence and look after it as their own. The advantage of this option is that the pet will be in a home environment, which is especially important for animals with a sensitive psyche; they will be played with, walked, and there won’t be many animals in the apartment. As a rule, only the owner’s pet and yours. The main thing here is to find a good and caring owner, which is very difficult. And the animal will have to adapt to a new environment, a temporary owner, and other animals. Strict requirements are also imposed on animals, such as a veterinary passport, vaccinations, etc.; some only accept neutered animals for boarding.

Pros and Cons of In-Home Boarding

Automatic Feeders and Water Dispensers

If you are leaving for a short period, for example, up to 4–5 days, and you have a cat that tolerates loneliness well, you can simply buy an automatic feeder and water dispenser. Food will be dispensed to the animal at a specific time, and it will not go hungry.

When choosing a feeder, pay attention to the feeding modes, the interval and volume of food dispensed, and how long the feeder can operate without charging. Some feeders are equipped with a voice recording device for the owner. Before leaving, you can record a short message, for example, “Come eat,” and as soon as feeding time arrives, the automatic feeder will play it.