Flying jobs and pets

Tristar

Tristar

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Tristar
There are lots of pilots out there with jobs in either the airlines or corporate. Many of them I'm sure have pets so I have a question. When you're at training for weeks on end or out flying, who takes care of them? I'm asking because eventually I may encounter this issue and I don't have anyone to look after my cat. It may sound silly but it's important to me and getting rid of her really isnt an option. In the past, I've taken her to a local animal hotel but I hate to leave her there for more than a week or so. Any ideas?
 
Make good friends with cat-friendly neighbors to arrange for feeding, or someone else local. I've got a network of friends and we all look over each other's cats/houses when someone takes a vacation - could work out well for you too.

Take in a cat-friendly roomate. Marry a cat-friendly non-pilot spouse.

Last resort - find another career (ugh) or find another home for cat (ugh).

I think the problem for a flying career will be the oddball schedules, especially when you start, may make it difficult to line up a cat-sitter.

Good luck!
 
Ask your vet for recos on quality petsitters. If she is healthy (IE needs no meds) then once a day is probably OK for a visit...

ps. cats don't board as well as dogs. They are very environment driven, whereas dogs are more people-driven (usually). Meaning a dog would probably prefer to be boarded and have people to see, whereas a cat would like people to see but prefer the same environment.

Personally I don't know that I'd board because the odds of picking up some disease would be higher.
 
When I had cats I had a friend come over every few days. They were pretty self-sufficient and only ate dry food. Now that they have all gone down the road I am not going to get any other pets since my life involves a lot of travel for both work and personal reasons.
 
It's a cat. You should be able to find someone to come in every few days, fill its food and water, and clean out the litter box. You don't have kids in your neighborhood? My neighbor kids have been taking care of my dogs for years when we travel. Since they're growing up, I'm grooming the ones across the street for the duty.

Its totally win-win. I don't have to schlep the dogs somewhere they don't want to go. The kids are responsible and really like them. And, I doubt there is anything else at which a teenager can make such easy money.
 
leave the food bag open on the floor leave a big container of water out it should be good for a week. its a cat, it doesn't really care if you are there or not
 
The spouse thingie is not an option at this point. I don't trust the kids around here and I'm still working on making friends....apparently I'm at work a lot. I'd probably consider one of those pet sitter companies. I have a hard time trusting strangers in my house when I'm not there so advertising on craigslist wont work. Having an irratic schedule would make it an added challenge.
 
We don't like boarding our dogs. We took them in once for a few days and put them in same pen together, thinking that they would be more calm if they were with each other. When we went to pick them up, the Vet said they had to separate them into separate pens because they were fighting each other - I have NEVER seen them fight each other at home. Our yellow lab is a nervous feller anyway, and I've heard stories of dogs getting so upset from being boarded that they have health issues.

We tried a paid service that would come feed, water, and play with them when we were gone, but that was a bust, too. I should have known it wouldn't work when she showed up to get the house key and she was wearing white pants, high heels, and some fluffy shirt (true southern belle fashion). BTW, our dogs are labs, live outside 100% of the time, and are typical high-energy labs. When we got back into town, they lady left a note that the dogs "tried to trip me". "Yes, ma'am, my dogs had a plot to trip you when they saw you coming. They've been planning it for weeks."

Nowadays, we get one of Rachel's friends (apparently I can't seem to find anyone around here that is worthy of my friendship) to come over and water and feed them when we are gone. She's around them enough that she knows what she's getting in to and how to handle them. In return, we dog-sat her little yippie dog for two weeks.

When my parents' cat was still around, they had an automatic feeder that was on a timer and a water bowl that recirculated the water to keep it fresh-ish. That was good enough for them to be gone for 2-3 days. Any longer and they got one of the neighbor kids to come clean the litter box or put out another litter box if the cat wanted a 'fresh' spot.
 
Tristar said:
The spouse thingie is not an option at this point. I don't trust the kids around here and I'm still working on making friends....apparently I'm at work a lot. I'd probably consider one of those pet sitter companies. I have a hard time trusting strangers in my house when I'm not there so advertising on craigslist wont work. Having an irratic schedule would make it an added challenge.
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Sometimes one of the vet techs will pet sit or offer services to stop in and feed,water clean up. I would start with your vet first, they will recommend someone they know and that you should be able to trust.

If not Tony's bag of food, plenty of water and one of those automatic cleaner/scoop deals, but on a very large scale ;)
 
Tristar said:
The spouse thingie is not an option at this point. I don't trust the kids around here and I'm still working on making friends....apparently I'm at work a lot. I'd probably consider one of those pet sitter companies. I have a hard time trusting strangers in my house when I'm not there so advertising on craigslist wont work. Having an irratic schedule would make it an added challenge.
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Big bag of food open on the counter next to the sink and get a self filling water bowl and put it in the sink and leave 3 clean litter boxes and you're good for a month. Best to have an outdoor cat with a pet door so it goes outside instead of a litter box and you're good for even longer.

Best though is for you not to have a pet right now. I love animals, but it wouldn't be right for me to have one. Landlady has a cat that comes and sees me though.
 
tonycondon said:
leave the food bag open on the floor leave a big container of water out it should be good for a week. its a cat, it doesn't really care if you are there or not
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Don't let my cats hear you say that! They follow me every-where. Never more than a few feet away...
 
Having had a cat who ate through the paper bag and consumed half of a 5 pound bag of food in one night, leaving a lot of food out is not an option for me. While Tabby Sue passed, I now have two that are worse. My little Basement Cat, Horus, is also known as Garbage Gut and Feline Garbage Disposal. He even ate half a bag of hershey's kisses once. That was a horribly long, worrisome week.

I have a neighbor that comes by twice a day to make sure the fountain has enough water, there is food for them, and their litter boxes are cleaned. I have four cats and boarding them would cost more than my vacation. Plus, last time I boarded Scarlett, she left a permanent scar that bled for over 20 minutes. Here's her pic just prior to going ape$h1t:

scarlett.jpg


That is a full on snarl. This is a cat who has her own couch and throws a fit if one of the other cats uses it and I haven't fluffed her cushion back to her liking afterward. :D
 
Tristar said:
There are lots of pilots out there with jobs in either the airlines or corporate. Many of them I'm sure have pets so I have a question. When you're at training for weeks on end or out flying, who takes care of them? I'm asking because eventually I may encounter this issue and I don't have anyone to look after my cat. It may sound silly but it's important to me and getting rid of her really isnt an option. In the past, I've taken her to a local animal hotel but I hate to leave her there for more than a week or so. Any ideas?
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Parents an option? A lady in my indoc class took her dog to Mom and Dad and retrieved the pet once she moved to base/outstation. Luckily the schedules work but I could see this as a problem launching for a 4 day that turns into a 7 day or more etc.
 
taters said:
Parents an option? A lady in my indoc class took her dog to Mom and Dad and retrieved the pet once she moved to base/outstation. Luckily the schedules work but I could see this as a problem launching for a 4 day that turns into a 7 day or more etc.
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When I was hired at flight service, I had to go to AZ to train for 3 months and live out of a motel. Couldn't have my (at the time) three cats, so mom and dad spoiled - er, watched them for those three months. I do believe that is where they acquired most of their bad habits.
 
Tristan needs reptilian pets. They genuinely don't care if you're there or not (as opposed to cats, which just pretend) and can go for weeks and even months without food. My python (Monty) eats once a month during the summer, and not at all during the winter. I doubt he (or she, can't really tell) notices when I'm gone.

My tortoise used to notice, but I'm pretty certain she wanted to eat just because she was bored. The giant green iguana didn't even bat a beady eye when I got home.
 
Most everyone here has covered what we do. I, obviously, work a very unpredictable schedule that has me gone anywhere from 4 to 9 days at a time. My wife works in a bank. Normally the cat is her responsibility.

If we're both going somewhere, though, we'll leave him for up to four days by himself. She puts out three bowls of food and water in various places around the apartment, and leaves the toilet seat open for an emergency source of water. She also sets up three litter boxes so even HE won't run out of room.

Anything over four days, though, and she doesn't really like leaving him. When we lived in Virginia, she just had one of her cube-mates come by every day or two to check on him and replenish his supplies. In Maine, we actually had one of the gate agents come by (who happened to be a Sergeant in the police department for a real job) to keep an eye on him. Did hurt to have a cop car parked outside the place while we were gone, either.

I think the key is to just find someone you know and trust who can swing by every couple days. As Tony mentioned, cats are incredibly self sufficient if need be, and they won't particularly mind being alone for a few days. If yours is anything like ours, though, expect it to be VERY chatty when you get home! In general, though, leaving it in its home and having the food bringer come to it will go a long way to lower its (and your) stress level.
 
Mandy said:
Plus, last time I boarded Scarlett, she left a permanent scar that bled for over 20 minutes. Here's her pic just prior to going ape$h1t:

scarlett.jpg


That is a full on snarl. This is a cat who has her own couch and throws a fit if one of the other cats uses it and I haven't fluffed her cushion back to her liking afterward. :D
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What is it with cats named Scarlett being mean? This is the second one I know of.... perhaps the nams? :confused:

Teller1900 said:
If we're both going somewhere, though, we'll leave him for up to four days by himself. She puts out three bowls of food and water in various places around the apartment, and leaves the toilet seat open for an emergency the primary source of water. She also sets up three litter boxes so even HE won't run out of room.
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Fixed that for you.. :D
 
wsuffa said:
Fixed that for you.. :D
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You're absolutely right, Bill! Three bowls of fresh water in the second bathroom, including one with a carbon filtered recirculating pump and little waterfall on it and where is his head? Right in the middle of the crapper.
 
Parents aren't an option. They live in florida and have enough cats.

Guess the solution is to make friends unless the doc has any good ideas.
 
Am I the only person who puts the lid down every single time - before flushing?

Including in public restrooms, if it may be an option?
 
Tristar said:
Guess the solution is to make friends unless the doc has any good ideas.
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I do need to somewhat tremulously point out that friends are good for a lot more than cleaning up after your cat.























They're good for light auto repair as well.:rofl:
 
Everskyward said:
LOL. Never seen anything in my toilet. I think that would be improbable anyway since I have a septic tank.
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See the studies on how much fecal matter is aerosolized and spread when an industrial strength toilet like those found in office buildings or other public spaces is flushed. Of course those also don't have complete covers usually.
 
TMetzinger said:
See the studies on how much fecal matter is aerosolized and spread when an industrial strength toilet like those found in office buildings or other public spaces is flushed. Of course those also don't have complete covers usually.
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Doesn't seem to hurt me. I just don't understand people's obsession with things like this.
 
Tristar said:
Parents aren't an option. They live in florida and have enough cats.

Guess the solution is to make friends unless the doc has any good ideas.
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Ferrets make great travelling pets. The sleep 22hrs a day and are very content to just live in your sleeve or bag. Just make a little cubby in your flight case... I had one in my sleeve for nearly a year lol..
 
Your cat should be fine a week or more with an auto feeder, water thingy, you could even get one of those sweet litterboxes that cleans itself. I cat-sat for some friends who had a cat when they were gone for a week and sometimes two weeks and the cat needed minimal maintenance. Lots of times I wouldn't even see the cat when I came over there as it was hiding or watching me from under a chair or something.

Dogs are a different story. I have a 2 year old lab and he requires lots of attention from humans and / or other dogs to be a happy camper.

Everone knows dogs have owners, cats have staff. They can even have robot staff.
 
jesse said:
Doesn't seem to hurt me. I just don't understand people's obsession with things like this.
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Me either. I'm aware of the data... but I grew up on a farm, and I'm familiar with moving so many different types of crap that the stuff that gets shovelled around at the office or on the internet doesn't even raise my eyebrow.
 
Tristar said:
There are lots of pilots out there with jobs in either the airlines or corporate. Many of them I'm sure have pets so I have a question. When you're at training for weeks on end or out flying, who takes care of them? I'm asking because eventually I may encounter this issue and I don't have anyone to look after my cat. It may sound silly but it's important to me and getting rid of her really isnt an option. In the past, I've taken her to a local animal hotel but I hate to leave her there for more than a week or so. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I had my daughter's cat for 8 yrs .. haha. If you're ever in a bind .. I'm
used to having a cat around.
 
Henning said:
Ferrets make great travelling pets. The sleep 22hrs a day and are very content to just live in your sleeve or bag. Just make a little cubby in your flight case... I had one in my sleeve for nearly a year lol..
Click to expand...

Ferrets stink to high holy hell. You toted one around for a year. That does explain a few things.
 
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