Pet care for the holidays

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

When pet owners go on vacation, they must make arrangements for their animal companions. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Now what are you going to do about your Hercules, your Max, your Pookie and your Shadow?

Even the most grizzled holiday planners — those unfortunate many who each year hop hurdle after travel-arrangement hurdle just to reconnect with family and friends — encounter the occasional forehead-slapper when it comes to their beloved pets.

Whether it's finding a good caretaker for the furry darlings while you and the family are away, or preserving their little psyches during an in-law invasion, finding a way for you and your pets to survive the holiday season requires much care and consideration.

Cheryl Chang of Ko'olau Bed and Biscuit said the holiday months are always busy for kennel and boarding services. Her boarding facility has room for 15 large dogs and 15 small ones. The big-dog spots already are filled; the small-dog ones are expected to close before the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Usually, friends or family can take care of smaller animals," she said. "It's harder to find people to take care of bigger animals."

Kennel owners say there are several important factors to consider when deciding the best arrangement for a left-behind pet.

While there are natural advantages to having friends or family take care of your pet while you're away — familiarity, cost, reliability — Chang said your pet's safety and comfort should dictate your decision.

For example, if your pet has a health condition that requires specialized attention, it might be best to have it stay at a kennel with staff equipped to attend to its needs. Several veterinary clinics offer kennel services.

If you decide to let a friend or family member care for the animal, you'll need to decide if the animal should remain in your home (with the caregiver visiting at designated times) or stay with the caregiver.

"It depends on dog and people," said Chang, an obedience instructor for 20 years. "If you have friends who are comfortable and familiar with the dog, it's probably safer to have the pet at the person's home, because (the person) knows the pitfalls of their own house. They know how secure their gate latches are and what areas the pet might try to escape from."

Beth Pagel, owner-operator of Kitty Bed & Breakfast, said there are other good reasons for taking a pet — cats in particular — out of your home while you're away.

"Cats will get mad, and they're known for tearing up the walls, or pooping and peeing to show their displeasure," she says. "If they can get out, they might also go looking for their owners."

To minimize potential problems, it's important to arm your pet sitter with as much information as possible. Be sure to include veterinarian contact information (including an after-hours emergency number), a copy of the pet's health records, explicit feeding and medication instructions (times, amount, etc), and specific routines to which your pet is accustomed.

If you can't find a caretaker able to give your pet the time and attention it needs, a kennel or boarding service might be a good alternative. Depending on the level of care offered, such services typically charge anywhere from $10 to $50 per day.

Pagel's service is run from a cat house constructed beneath a large tree on her property. The facility has rooms of different sizes and can accommodate eight separate households of cats. Households are kept separate to ensure that diseases are not passed.

Pagel, a retired registered nurse, asks clients to bring food and litter with which the cat is familiar, as well as a personal item with the owner's smell.

Some services are better and safer than others, and Chang suggests that prospective clients get referrals from friends or veterinarians and visit the site before making a decision.

"When you visit, dogs will naturally bark because of your presence, but you should make sure there are no signs of distress," she said.

Many kennels and boarding services are affiliated with the American Boarding Kennels Association, which emphasizes strict guidelines for the proper treatment of animals. However, Chang said clients should still thoroughly check the backgrounds of individual operators to be safe.

Getting your pet to a sitter or boarding service can be as traumatic for owner as for beast.

"It's very important for the person not to get nervous or upset or worried," Chang said. "If the person is nervous, the animal will be, too."

Having visitors stay at your home presents a different set of pet concerns.

"Again it depends on the pet," Pagel said. "A lot of cats are friendly and they enjoy the extra attention. But they might also see the visitors as intruders into their space."

If the visitors are over for just one night, Chang said, putting a pet in a crate might be a good option. But this requires some training to assure your pet's comfort.

First, select an appropriately sized crate and leave it open in a quiet area of the house. Feed your pet in the crate to get them used to its presence. As they get more comfortable with crate, you can start to enclose them in it for short periods of time.

Then, when you have guests over — guests that your pet might not be comfortable around — you can put your pet safely and comfortably out of the way in a quiet place.