Most vacation problems are calendar problems, not cat problems. Book the sitter at day 30, confirm vaccine dates at day 14, and stage food and medicine at day 3, and the trip turns into a routine the cat barely notices. Skip those three dates and you spend the last 24 hours calling kennels that are already full.
Day 30: book the sitter or the cattery
Holiday weeks fill 3-4 weeks out in most cities, and the good sitters go first. Decide between in-home visits and boarding before you call: cats that hide, spray or stop eating away from home do better at home, while cats on 2-3 medications a day or with diabetes need either a trained sitter or a clinic with staff on site. Ask for 2 references and a 20-30 minute meet-and-greet in your home, and write down the visit length you are paying for. A 30-minute visit covers food, water, litter, medication and 10-15 minutes of play; a 15-minute visit covers food and litter only.
Book 2 names, not 1: a backup sitter or a neighbor with a key covers the 48-hour cancellation that happens in every holiday week. Confirm whether the price includes a 24-hour arrival window, and ask what the sitter does at 11 p.m. if the cat has not eaten since morning. The answer tells you more than 5 reviews do.
Day 14: the vaccine and paperwork check
Almost every cattery and most insurers ask for proof of FVRCP and rabies within 1-3 years, depending on the product used, and some require a bordetella or FeLV note for group housing. Check the certificate against your calendar now, not at drop-off: a booster needs 7-14 days to take effect, and a cattery can refuse an expired record on the day. Photograph the certificate, email it to the sitter, and put the paper copy in the travel folder. If the dates are close, book the visit 3-4 weeks out rather than 3 days out, since holiday-week slots fill fast.
Day 3: 7 days of food, 14 days of medicine
The buffer is not for the cat, it is for your return flight. Stage 7 days of food for a trip of any length, and 14 days of any medication, in labeled daily portions. A 4 kg cat eats roughly 200-260 kcal a day, which is about 2 x 85 g cans of wet food or 55-65 g of dry, so 7 days is 14 cans or 400-450 g of dry. Count pills: a cat on 2 doses a day for 10 days needs 20 tablets plus 10 spares. Leave the vet's phone number, the poison-control number and a signed note allowing emergency care up to a stated amount.
Trips of 1-3 days
Two visits a day are enough for most healthy adult cats; 1 visit a day is acceptable for 24-48 hours only if you leave 2 water bowls, 2 litter boxes and a feeder. Set the thermostat to 18-24 C, close off rooms with cables and toxic plants, and leave 1 worn T-shirt in the cat's bed. Ask the sitter for a photo and a 2-line message per visit, and confirm the exact arrival window, since a 3-hour drift is normal and a 12-hour gap is not.
Trips of 7 days or longer
Past 7 days the risks change: litter needs a full change at day 5-7, water bowls need refilling every 2-3 days, and a cat that stops eating for 48-72 hours can develop hepatic lipidosis. Book 1 visit a day minimum, 2 for cats over 12 years or on medication, and add a mid-trip video call at day 4. Weigh the cat before you leave and again on return; a loss of more than 5% of body weight in 7 days is a reason to see a vet within 24 hours. Longer trips also justify a 60-90 minute handover session so the sitter can watch a feeding and a pill.
What it costs, by region
Prices vary by 2-3x between cities, so treat any single figure as wrong. In US metro areas a 30-minute drop-in visit runs about $25-45, and rural areas $18-30; boarding is $35-65 per night in cities and $25-40 outside them. In Western Europe expect EUR 20-35 per visit and EUR 25-40 per night; in the UK GBP 15-25 per visit. Add $20-50 for medication administration and $10-20 per extra cat. A 7-day trip with 1 visit a day lands near $175-315 in a US city, or EUR 140-245 in Europe.
| Trip length | Visits/day | Food stocked (days) | Meds (days) | Cost per visit (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 days | 1-2 | 7 | 14 | 18-45 |
| 3-4 days | 2 | 7 | 14 | 18-45 |
| 5-7 days | 2 | 7-10 | 14 | 20-48 |
| 8-14 days | 2 | 10-14 | 21 | 22-50 |
| 15+ days | 2-3 | 14 | 30 | 22-55 |
The handover sheet that prevents 90% of calls
One page, printed twice: feeding amounts in grams and times, litter type, 3 hiding spots, the cat's normal weight, and the signs that mean call the vet now, not tomorrow (no food for 24 hours, no urine for 12-18 hours, open-mouth breathing, a third eyelid showing). Add the wifi password and the name of a neighbor with a key. If the cat is a guest-stress type, review holiday guest stress before the sitter arrives, and if you are driving, read travel day routine and check the destination for hazards on the toxic list.
The 5-step departure check
- Day 30: booking confirmed in writing, with visit length and price per visit.
- Day 14: vaccine certificates photographed and emailed; booster given if needed.
- Day 3: 7 days of food, 14 days of meds, 2 water bowls, 2 litter boxes.
- Day 1: thermostat 18-24 C, key handed over, handover sheet signed.
- Day 0: photograph the meter, close the balcony, text the sitter the flight number.
Frequently asked
Is one visit a day enough for a cat?
For 1-3 days with a healthy adult cat, yes, if you leave 2 water bowls, 2 litter boxes and an automatic feeder. Past 7 days, or for cats over 12 years, on medication, or with a history of not eating when alone, book 2 visits a day and add a video call at day 4.
Why check vaccines 14 days before instead of the week of?
Because a booster needs 7-14 days to produce useful immunity and a cattery can refuse an expired certificate at drop-off. Checking at day 14 leaves time to book a visit, and 3-4 weeks of slack if the clinic is full during holiday weeks, which is common between mid-December and early January.
How much food and medicine should I leave?
Leave 7 days of food on any trip and 14 days of any medication, even for a 2-day absence, because delays happen on the return leg. For a 4 kg cat that is about 14 cans of 85 g wet food or 400-450 g of dry, plus 10 spare tablets for a 10-day course.