If your cat is well-regulated on the current dose of phenobarbital and doing well at home, I would lean toward getting a sitter and leaving him at home. High stress can can cause breakthrough seizures, so boarding or traveling could possibly make things worse. A sitter who has visited before you guys leave may be the way to go.
Does he eventually come out to investigate when company comes over? If he does, a sitter will likely be OK as long as they are patient to hang out on the sofa or something until he comes out. You could also try some plain meat baby food to put his crushed tablet in, rather than regular cat food. Gerber makes a few that are all meat+gravy that many cats just love, and might be more enticing for a sitter to use as a treat which may make him come out sooner. A little treat on a spoon can go a long way! I have one cat who keeps his distance until the visitor has a teaspoon of baby food in their hand, or a comb. Then he’s suddenly BFF’s with them!
I’ve never boarded my cats. When I’m away for a while, my neighbour comes in to look after my cats. He’s a retired vet, so I never worry. But he is retired, and has retired his license, so while I have no worries, I am also aware that, given these circumstances, he can do no more than emergency care on the spot if it appears to be absolutely necessary. What this means generally, is that he has my authority to take my cats to the vet if professional care beyond first-aid is warranted.
So, I also make my regular vet aware that I will be away, and more importantly, that my neighbour has authority to take my cats in as he sees fit during my absence, and to have them treated as necessary. If this is necessary (as it has been once or twice), the regular vet treats my cats, and bills me later.
The lesson here is that if you leave your cats with a sitter, let your vet know. IME, cats do not like their routine to be upset, so home with a sitter is the best place. But let your sitter know where to take them if need be, and alert your vet that they may be receiving a call or visit from (somebody other than you) if need be. And that they can bill you later.
I don’t have a seizure cat, but I do have a thyroid cat. His meds are a liquid compound, which he’s happy to take for me. He jumps up on the counter and begs for his meds when it’s time. That said, I think it’s too much to ask a friend to pop by twice a day and dose the cat, so I board him.
Not all kennels are alike. Because you have time, try some site visits and check out what environment the kitty will be in. Mine is super happy about being boarded and seems to suffer far less anxiety than from being left at home alone for days on end. He is not a good Cat Solo; he’s always had me and other animals around 24/7, so when he’s got the house to himself, he wanders around and cries. You can hear him crying inside the house the minute you get out of the car.
At the kennel I use, they have a big picture window that looks out on a wooded area. So he’s got plenty of birds and squirrels to “window shop.” And the techs go in there and pet him and talk to him and play with him when they give his meds. And if something goes wonky with his thyroid, he’s already at his doc’s office and I’ve signed a release (“Whatever! Just SAVE HIM!”). When I pick him up, he’s either silent or purring. And he acts completely normal when he gets home, no pouting, no crying, no cattitude. I think he actually likes it there.
So I would check out boarding with your vet, ask about how much interaction he’ll get, or shop for one of those pet resorts where he’ll be pampered all day & night. Some even offer web cams so you can log in via interwebz and check on him all you want. I would not hire a petsitter because he’ll be alone most of the time and in a seizure cat, that seems like it could be dangerous. I’d hate for you to come home to a dead cat. (I came home to a dead dog once and that’s just awful. :() I think a monitored kennel, preferably in a vet’s office where there’s a doc on site during the day, would be better. In my case, it turns out to be a bit less expensive to board than to hire a catsitter, who tend to charge by the visit. It could be $20-40 per day for a sitter, but the kennel is only about $12 per day, including dosing of meds.
I wasn’t, actually. But I should have known it would become an advice thread.
The cat had a very minor seizure last night. Just got a bit wobbly for a few seconds. He’d had his Phenobarbital in the morning, and he had just finished his evening dose a bit before. That’s a bit worrisome. SO is picking up meds this week, and she says she’ll take the cat with her to see about adjusting the dosage. When we went to the vet after his last episode (which was a bad one and very scary) the vet called the seizures idiopathic. So we don’t know why he’s having them. The cat is about 8 years old, and the seizures started about four years ago or so when SO was living in Oregon. He was better up here for a while, but now he’s at them again.
If this wasn’t already implied/inferred, at my kennel, they have a cat room separate from the dog room. No cats are traumatized by constant barking while at my vet’s kennel. I suspect, because my kitty is extremely other-animal friendly (having been raised in a multi-pet household his entire life), he’s allowed out to roam around the kitty room for extended periods of time throughout the day. Some kennels cater to this sort of thing and will let your cat be in a special cat room with toys and of course, the big picture window that has a bird feeder outside.
All that said, the dog is a worn-out, tired mess when she gets home from the kennel. The cat looks at her like, “What? It’s like the Kitty Hilton in there! Why are you such a wreck?”
Needing meds makes this an easy choice IMO. Otherwise I would think a sitter is fine, even just letting it alone in the house w/o one if you won’t be gone long - you can put plenty of food/water out. I know people who have done this quite successfully.
As I type this, I am house and animal sitting for a friend. Five goats, a minature donkey, two dogs, four cats and a bird.
Sitter or boarding? It really depends on where you are going to board. If you are going to board in a cats only facility, it probably won’t stress your cat as much as board at a vet unless the cat room is separate enough from the dogs that the cats aren’t subjected to constant barking. As a former vet tech, I can assure you that there is constant barking and some cats do not do well with it. Stress is not good for a cat subject to seizures.
Many areas have pet sitting services with bonded sitters. A lot of them, like me, are former vet techs who are perfectly able to give medications. They can also take in the mail and paper, switch lights on/off, etc - just to make sure your house doesn’t have that “we’re on vacation come rob us” look. I recommend interviewing them beforehand to see how they interact with your cat and to see if you are comfortable with them. You would of course leave contact and vet numbers with any instructions.
And since I’ve typed all this well meaning advice, you know what is best for your cat! Enjoy your vacation!
