I was very anxious about leaving Meow for 17 days. We've never been away for so long before. The longest trip we've taken without Meow lasted 10 days, when we drove cross-country to Montana. We boarded Meow at that time with a vet near our house. When I picked her up, I was handed a towel and the staff wished me good luck. Meow had been moved into the laundry room, where no other cats were around, and there was a big sign on her cage stating "DO NOT TOUCH MEOW." Food was poked through the bars. It was terrible, and I felt terrible for what she must've gone through. Guilt plays a big role in my life, and I prefer to avoid it whenever possible.
The first thing I did was tell Jay I could not in good conscience leave her for that long, and so I would fly home early while he stayed and enjoyed himself. In an effort to deal with his cat-crazy wife, Jay said the fateful words: "I don't care how much it costs, we will find a solution that you can live with and we will enjoy ourselves in Europe. You will relax, and Meow will be fine." I then began researching potential options. The list was:
1) Have a friend check on her. Well, we were going to be away for a while, and Meow wouldn't get as much attention as she likes, and honestly, who likes us that much?
2) Hire a pet-sitting service. Again, she wouldn't get a lot of attention and if an emergency (say major earthquake occurred) no one could get to her easily.
3) Have someone stay in the apartment. Everyone I ask was allergic to cats.
4) Find a good kennel. Well, this didn't work out so well last time, but in LA you can find some snazzy kennels. We toured several, and as soon as we walked into California Cat Center I knew we'd found Meow's home away from home.
Firstly, she wouldn't have to stay in a cage. She could have her own suite, with no other cats around. The suites had plenty of sunshine, personal water fountains, futons, floor-ceiling scratching posts, bay windows for napping, and flat-panel televisions at cat eye level that played 24-hour catnip TV. Catnip TV, by the way, consists of reels of squirrels, birds, mice, etc. for the cats to enjoy watching. There was an hour daily of "people"time where Meow interacted with staff, and an hour of daily birdwatching wherein a cage of live finches was provided for her to watch. There was also a kitty aerobics room full of enrichment activities and she could have her own food and toys present. All this for a mere $100 per day. Did I mention we were going away for 17 days? And now you know the true meaning of crazy-cat lady.
Meow didn't pitch any tantrums when I dropped her off, she just hid beneath the futon. No meowing, no crying or wailing. I left a 2 page description of her various habits, likes, and dislikes, along with what her usual meows meant. Jay dropped by about half an hour later to drop off some additional food and toys (she brought her own towels, fur mice, feathers, wet and dry food, cat nip, and some grass to nibble on). Jay said that she was still very calm, and meowed to the staff when they called her by name.
While we were away I emailed with the staff, and they responded with updates about Meow's stay at the center. They called her a lovebug, and said she had an "adventurous spirit." I was even sent photos. The one below shows her in her "privacy tent" where she could nap or hide as she felt.
The plate next to her head is her dinner that night. They essentially brought it to her in bed. I was beginning to worry that Meow wouldn't want to come home... and I was right. We landed in LA about 7 pm on a Saturday night, and arrived at the center at 9 am the next morning to pick Meow up. As soon as I entered the room, she looked alarmed and tried to hide inside her privacy tent. I pulled her out, and Jay put her in the carrier to go home. She didn't cry until we were walking out, and I imagine it translated into, "NOOOOO, my finchesssssss, my catnip TVVVVVV! Whyyyyy?" She didn't speak to us on the ride home, or for two days afterwards. Yep, she had definitely raised her standards while we were away.
