Extended trip preperation

[Cinderstar95]

Hello all!
It's been forever since I've posted, but grad school has gotten in the way of everything, including my Sphynxlair time. my pair are doing very well, healthy and with their love of destruction intact. I just found out that next year i'm going to be taking a month long rotation in Anchorage Alaska through school. I'm from the American Midwest, so this is very exciting. However, I've been trying to think about how to prep my pair for my absence. As much as I would love to, Bringing them with is not feasible. THey will be staying home with my brother (we share an apartment so they wont even have to leave their own territory and wont have strangers taking care of them) but i'm wondering what you all would do to prep your babies for an extended absence like that? I have almost a year until I go, but i'm already knowing i'm gonna miss them so much DX, and i'm worried about stressing them out over it. Rora has never spent a night without me since I got her, and while Shazam has had time away from me while I was at school before my brother and I moved in together, He is my feline Herpes boy and he need just a bit of extra care.
Any advice on what I can do to make this easier on them?
THanks a bunch!

 

[Condo commando]

Leave some of your smelly clothes behind

Nah just kidding, but if they sleep on your bed don't wash the sheets before you go and stuff like that.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

It will be hardest on you. Perhaps get a video camera so you can look in on them via your phone.

 

[Sheldon13]

A month is not too bad. I agree with both of the mentioned advices. You could also FaceTime them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Toa and Ross]

Good to hear from you. What a great oppertunity for you! Since your brother who already lives with them will take of care of them, I think they will be fine. It will be most difficult for you.
My crew stayed home alone for 3 weeks when I went away for 3 weeks. A catsitter came over twice a day. I was stressed before I left. But they didn’t miss me at all!

 

[carakitty]

The month will probably go by quicker than you expect. Although, that might depend on the month, lol. I lived in Anchorage AK for four years and will be happy to share my northern living tips.

As for the cats, I agree with the video suggestions and not washing your bedding. What sort of Herpes care does your boy need? I would have your brother start helping with what is needed so the cat can get used to him doing it, and get used to being handled by your brother if eye drops are needed or anything like that.

Try not to stress over it too much, you have lots of time to get ready!

 

[Cinderstar95]

The month will probably go by quicker than you expect. Although, that might depend on the month, lol. I lived in Anchorage AK for four years and will be happy to share my northern living tips.

As for the cats, I agree with the video suggestions and not washing your bedding. What sort of Herpes care does your boy need? I would have your brother start helping with what is needed so the cat can get used to him doing it, and get used to being handled by your brother if eye drops are needed or anything like that.

Try not to stress over it too much, you have lots of time to get ready!

Thankfully, he usually doesn't need a huge amount of herpes care. As long as he doesn't get to stressed he doesn't need anything but the normal sphynx care. I'm in pharmacy with the intent to specialize in veterinary patients so my vet pretty much says call me if you need anything, heres his eye drops lol. I only have to give him treatments a few times a year. But he's only five now and has had to have surgery on his eye already, so I know it will only get worse in the future. I guess i'm just worried that if I leave, it will cause him to have a stress related flare up. My brother knows how to take care of his medical needs from back when he had his surgery, but I am their primary caretaker. Our roommate told me that when the both of us (me and my brother that is) are gone during the day, they will wander around the apartment crying and looking for us, and when my brother is the only one home, they still call for me and are super restless. i'll be facetiming them often lol. I'ts quite a ways away, i'm just a worrier XD
And i'd love to hear any northern living tips. I've always wanted to go to Alaska and i'm super lucky that my school has connections with pharmacys there so I can go.

 

[carakitty]

@Cinderstar95 That's awesome that you're going into Vet Pharm. Good that the herpes seems to be under control well too. To help with the stress aspect you may want to look into the Feliway plug-in diffusers. You could do a trial run in a couple of rooms to see if it helps them search for you less when you're still home, and then maybe a week or so before you leave put them in every room.

The tips I give for Northern LIving will depend on what time of year you will be there! No matter what time of year it was, I always felt like living in Anchorage was an adventure! It sounds like a fabulous opportunity for you!

 

[Cinderstar95]

@Cinderstar95 That's awesome that you're going into Vet Pharm. Good that the herpes seems to be under control well too. To help with the stress aspect you may want to look into the Feliway plug-in diffusers. You could do a trial run in a couple of rooms to see if it helps them search for you less when you're still home, and then maybe a week or so before you leave put them in every room.

The tips I give for Northern LIving will depend on what time of year you will be there! No matter what time of year it was, I always felt like living in Anchorage was an adventure! It sounds like a fabulous opportunity for you!

I'm currently scheduled to go next march

 

[carakitty]

@Cinderstar95 March is a nice(er) time of year to be up there. Daylight hours are pretty close to the rest of the US and starting to creep toward the longer hours. From what I remember, it was still cold (high temps in the 30s) and there's still a decent amount of snow pack hanging around.

Layers are your best friend, especially if you will be getting around with public transportation. Waterproof boots with good tread are a must.

Is there anything you are specifically wondering about?