Where to keep my cats during vacation?

by Anonymous

This is kind of a long-winded background but I'll try to keep it as short as possible. lol~

I have two cats, a 3.5 year old Scottish Fold who I've had since he was 3 months, and an 11-month-old tabby kitten who I've had since he was about 4 months old. The fold was from a friend who had a litter, and the tabby is a shelter kitty.

I've never been away from them for more than 3 to 4 days. I usually have my parents/brother stay with them or check in on them when I'm gone (usually about twice a year when I go on vacation).

This year though, my brother got his PhD, and we are celebrating by going abroad for a week.

Now, if it was a couple days, I would leave them with their vet. They've been there before (although they don't like it lol~), the vets and technicians are there 24/7, and the facilities are nice and clean.

The problem is that for the cats, they have to stay in separate spaces, since it's typically used for patients and the spaces are smallish (since most of the cat patients are in there to recover).

On the other hand, I have a close friend who runs a cat hotel. There, they could be in the same room with plenty of space. (Plus my friend will watch them for free haha!). And since she's one of my best friends, I can count on her and trust her.

I know it seems like a no-brainer, but the little one is still *very* attached to me. He knows that if he goes to the vet, I'll be back for him, but will it stress him out a lot if I put him in the hotel?

He stayed in a similar place when he was a stray, and since it hasn't been that long since I've adopted him, I know he's probably still a little unsure about his situation (that he has a permanent home with me).

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!

BTW, the fold is a totally relaxed boy; not worried about him. lol~ He knows I'm his personal slave for life already.