Cat fostering??

[bfox]

Hey all!

This is my first post, but I have been lurking here a few weeks taking in all of the good information on the forums. My wife and I are in the midst of planning a thru-hike in the spring of 2017.

The one big logistical hurdle is that we currently have 2 cats with no place to put them for 6 months while we are hiking the trail. We had been hoping we could could a family member or friend to take them, but this is proven to be much more difficult than anticipated. We have a few possibilities that we are still working on, but I was curious if anyone out there has run into similar problems and what they ended up doing? Are there any long-term boarding facilities that are not going to cost an arm and a leg or perhaps any organizations that help to place animals in a temporary home?

Or maybe there is someone out here on the forum who might be willing to take a couple of cat of 6 months to help out a couple trying to do a thru hike:)!? They are both a few years old with no health problems, so they are very low maintenance. Of course, we would pay for any expenses with additional extra for our gratitude. If you might be interested PM me and we can talk details. We are currently located in Santa Fe, NM and could potentially do a test run for a week or so to see if it will work out and they wont have any conflicts with other animals.

[MuddyWaters]

Current I pay to board animals is $15/day each. My cat eats about $30 a month in food (grain free) Thats $400 for 6 mo just for decent food for 2 cats. If you found $2500 it would be a bargain imo.

Sounds like really need a parent or sibling or very close friend you trust to look after them.

Maybe people could take turns?

[theinfamousj]

I pet/house sit as a side-gig and charge $20/night for cats. However, six months of free rent +/- utilities would be something that would make me open to lowering my nightly rate.

Do you live near a college? Are you planning to give up your home? Perhaps offer a student a deal of caring for the cats in exchange for a place to stay and a little pocket money.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[evyck da fleet]

For a thru hike, I've had to use a relative(parent), leave a bunch of food/litter and cash to cover 6 months of expenses. Also be prepared to pay them something for their time, not necessarily in cash but dinners, gifts etc. On shorter trips, I pay a local teen $10/each time she stops by to check on my two cats about every three days. That works out to about $100/month. Perhaps if you get a relative to take a discounted rate and give them $ for expenses up front you may get a taker. Be prepared to reciprocate if you get a deal.

[Dogwood]

If you elect to use a cat boarding service they may require proof of rabies and FVCRP(?) vaccinations. If this can't be proven they may isolate your cats.:confused: Wherever you board your cats choose the least stressing environments.ie; it's generally a good idea not to board where dogs exist.

About $20/day is the going rate for cat boarding but as Infamous J said this is often reduced for long term boarding and for multiple cats. FWIW, I would not be surprised if cat boarding works out costing $300-500/month for 6 months.

[Engine]

My daughter and her fiance live in Sante Fe with a couple of cats and a puppy now. It would be snug in their two room apartment but I just sent her a text to see if she was interested. I'll let you know.

[Starchild]

It was a issue I had, I knew that I was meant to do the thru hike, and trusted that my cat would be provided for. My parents only could take her for the first 3 months, then of all things my ex, learning about my hike, and this situation offered for the rest of the time, it was a automatic yes. When you are meant to do something doors will open to allow it. Good luck

[DuneElliot]

There are quite a few reputable house-sitting websites that can connect you with long-term and short-term sitters that do it for free in exchange for a place to stay/vacation.

I am hiking the CT next year and although my parents will be able to pet sit for the first three weeks they head back to England when I will be half way through my hike. I don't want to leave my house alone (and maybe one dog) while I am gone, especially due to prior neighbor issues, so will be getting someone in to stay until the end of August.

My parents actually know the owners of trustedhousesitters.com (https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/us/) (they live above them in their building) and they vet and check everyone. It might be worth looking into so your cats can stay in the familiar environment they are used to and it won't cost you much to have someone watch your house and cats.

[capehiker]

I contacted the local ASPCA shelter and asked for contact info for foster cat parents. A wonderful foster lady took my cat in for $5/day during my hike. She agreed to take my cat again this spring for when I go back for my redo.

[Engine]

My daughter just texted me back and she just doesn't have enough room, but she found someone in Santa Fe who is interested...PM on the way.

[renais]

I've hiked with a couple folks who had similar needs. Both were able to find someone who would live at their place and take care of the animals (one was a dog household, one a cat household) for the duration. As I recall, besides providing the free accomodations, they each only needed to pay around $100-$150 per month. One of the things to consider is what happens if your plans change. One of my hiking companions had a longer than planned hike, and needed to be sure there would still be someone around to take care of the animals. Another concern would be what happens if you come back early; does your agreement for free lodging cover this possibility? Since house sitters might be planning on being able to stay for a certain time, you might want to clearly state what the contingency plans would be.

[DuneElliot]

I've hiked with a couple folks who had similar needs. Both were able to find someone who would live at their place and take care of the animals (one was a dog household, one a cat household) for the duration. As I recall, besides providing the free accomodations, they each only needed to pay around $100-$150 per month. One of the things to consider is what happens if your plans change. One of my hiking companions had a longer than planned hike, and needed to be sure there would still be someone around to take care of the animals. Another concern would be what happens if you come back early; does your agreement for free lodging cover this possibility? Since house sitters might be planning on being able to stay for a certain time, you might want to clearly state what the contingency plans would be.

It quite astonishes me to give someone free rent and utilities or vacation place in exchange for watching the house and feeding pets and STILL pay them for it. There is something kinda off about that.

[bfox]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Still trying to work on family members and close friends, but they all either already have too many animals or hate cats. Hopefully one of them will come through in the not to distant future, but I am still making contingency plans.

We are renters so we are actually going to be moving out of house and putting everything storage, therefore have someone come to our house wont be an option. I will check in with the animal shelters and see if they have a list of anyone who takes in animals for extended periods of time, that was a great idea.