Ask a friend or neighbor, or find someone through the vet or humane society who would be willing to make home visits. Cats always do better at home. Good luck.

Don't put off your trip because of your kitties, start interviewing pet sitters right now and ask your vet for recommendations. I agree with Mazer, cats do better at home than in a kennel.

I am a licensed pet sitter and we do visits which include staying overnight if necessary. Most cat visits are twice a day, lasting from 30-45 minutes, or as long as the cat wants.

Good luck, and have fun!

I have every confidence they'll be fine - there is more than one, so they keep each other company. And as long as you find someone to stop by daily to make sure litter is clean, and also make sure food and water are ok, they should be fine.

I use a free-feeder when I'm out of town, and the sitter just makes sure they haven't made little pigs out of themselves :-)

I also use the water fountain thing with the charcoal filter, and its water supply usually lasts a while.

But the sitter still checks the food and water every day. My best sitter is my neighbor who has two daughters. Angela and Gina spend about an hour each day playing with the kitties, and they love the girls back very much.

They're happy to see me when I return, but in true kitty fashion, they come up, say hello, then go back to playing, as if to say, "Ok, so you're back."

I could never leave my cat alone for that long (though I only have one). The guilt would kill me. My cat really only loves me so having someone come in twice a day wouldn't do anything for his loneliness.

If it were me, I'd find someone to stay at your house. They could take care of the mail and be a presence there for the cats. That is what I did when we went on vacation for a week (had my niece stay over). I know she wasn't home a lot but she at least slept at my house and I know he got fed twice a day like he is used to.

Mom lives close enough to visit them and would go that route but dad said he'd take them home with him. It would be easier on him and I am afraid I can't trust him to not take them home because its easier for him. I'm also considering going only for the week with dad because I don't want to leave them for that long. I don't know my neighbours well enough to ask them to watch my cats plus I'm concerned about them being alone, I worry if one of them gets sick or hurts themselves that no one is around for long periods.

I would just go for a week then. If you decide to go for all 3 weeks, I'd get a pet sitter for all 3 weeks, or at least the two when your mom isn't there.

If you "know" your dad will bring them back to his house, and it's not a good place for them to be, and that he would also let them outside despite your asking him not to do so, then IMHO it's not a good idea to have them in his care, period. If I left my cats under the care of someone knowing full well that that person would let them outside, I would be a wreck worrying about them the entire time I was gone. And worse, if I came back and they got hurt while outside or worse yet, were missing outside, I'd never forgive myself. Again, just my opinion, but I wouldn't leave them in his care.

Trust me, if you have a good sitter they won't even care you are gone! My boss sits my cats (I work for her sitting other pets through her pet sitting business) and when I get home, my three babies sniff and walk away. This is how I know they are treated well!

Maybe my cat is just a spoiled little stinker but she gets upset when I'd take the dogs to the vet. Other than that she's never left. No way would I leave mine for 3 weeks. I would go crazy worrying about her.

Because I rarely travel or go out for long periods of time I haven't had the need to find a sitter yet and am not sure how to go about finding one but I think I'll look into it just in case I need one, its always better to plan ahead.

One of the reasons my DH doesn't travel too much is because of the cats...We have 3 inside and 3 semi feral we care for and he feels no one will give them the care we/he does...I'm leaving for Florida on the 2nd for 6 weeks and I did talk him into coming down for the last 10 days..We have a neighbor that will visit a couple of times a day plus our daughter lives close by and works almost next to our house and she will also take care of them....I will miss them terribly but I honestly don't worry, I know they will be taken care of...If we just had 1, I'd consider taking it with me, but somehow, can't see me getting on a plane with all those carriers.......
I do agree, cats do much better if they are left in their own home...They sure don't like changes.....
I'd really look into a pet sitter for the last 2 weeks, just to make sure they are able to stay home....
Enjoy your trip!

Don't let your pets stop you from experiencing our planet! We travel around the world and have an excellent cat sitter that we keep in touch with via email if necessary, but I can't imagine if we stopped traveling because of our pets.

Ask your vet for a good pet sitter recommendation, or ask a neighbor.

I love my cats more than anything, but I won't stop my own life so I can be home all the time. You each only have one life, live yours to the fullest, your kitty will be there when you get home.

While there are many good things to be said about professional pet sitters, depending on how you currently feed/maintain your cats, you might be fine with a neighbor popping in once a day.

If your cats are free-fed or eat dry food, a neighbor could stop by just once a day to check on them, give them fresh food and water, and clean the litter box. This is coming from the person who had her mom move into her place for a week when I went to Omaha in August, so I'm certainly not advocating neglecting pets. However, if your cats eat dry food (or you have a neighbor or friend who can stop by more often to feed them wet food - or even just set an automatic feeder), it's certainly doable without a professional pet sitter.

Not knowing where you live, it's hard to give suggestions, but I'm currently in an apartment building in an urban area, and sure I could find someone to watch my cats in a pinch. If I lived in a rural area and wasn't 100% sure I had access to a reliable pet sitter, I'd probably board my cats. There are a lot of factors to consider. Do you have a neighbor or even a neighbor's mature kid(s) who could take care of them for a nominal fee? When I was only ten or so, I was walking dogs and pet sitting for our neighbors (this was in the 90s, so not exactly the "olden days"). Heck, I even did it for free. I was just an animal nut. Even so, I'd still make sure parents were 100% on board if you considered using the services of a minor. However, your dollar stretches a lot farther with a neighborhood kid than with a pro.

I live in an area with a very high cost of living, but I know pet sitters are much cheaper in other areas. It might not be as expensive as you think.

If any of your cats have health problems or require medication, I'd highly recommend going the route of a professional pet sitter. There are other options, and it sounds like you've got plenty of time to figure out the details. Dad isn't your only option. This sounds like what might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you, and I'd hate for you to have to worry about your pets while you should be enjoying yourself.

I'll go to Slovakia for you, and you can stay home with your kitties! Just kidding (sort of).

Ask you vet if any of their employees does petsitting. Where I used to work, several techs and receptionists did this on the side.

I found a great dog walker by placing an ad on Craigslist. Just be sure to check references. I am lucky that there is a community college that has a veterinary technician program in my town, so there are a lot of students (ie poor people who could use the extra money and are probably too busy to have a full-time job) who are devoting their lives to animal care. If you are near such a school, or a veterinary college, it isn't hard to find willing, reliable, and devoted petsitters.

Family members aren't always the best solution. They figure if something happens to your pet while in their care, you'll *have* to forgive them- after all, they're FAMILY. A professional petsitter or someone who is otherwise in the animal care field has a reputation to protect, and are much more likely to follow your instructions.

You have plenty of time to find the right person to care for your pets. But be sure to book early, as summer is a very busy time for petsitters.

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely look into a pet sitter! I'll see what my vet has to say.

You check into pet sitters, ask the vet if they know of people.

There are also seniors that absolutely love pets but can't afford to care for them so ask around if there is any one that would to care for your cats.

Also make sure before you go away that you have made arrangements with the vet for vet care if need too as emergencies, etc. do happen.

Our vet will ask up to how much will you go? Do you want us to go ahead and just do it or phone and ask you?

And leave money too for food to be bought as my parents would go away and leave food but the pets would go crazy for food and eat it up and more had to be bought.

So, think of those things too.

No, don't leave them with your dad at all, that can cause lots of problems, you might come back to finding out one of them or both are gone.

Its your responsiblity to get a good pet sitter.

Make sure you also have back ups as things can happen during those times to the person that is caring for them.

Yes, for sure go on your trip as you will regret if you don't but better you will love the trip and enjoy yourself knowing the cats have great pet sitter to care for them.