In a few weeks I’ll go away for the weekend, but my cat stays here and expects to be fed daily. Back home, I’d ask my neighbours to do it, and never had a problem with that.

What’s the common practise here? Can I ask the neighbours (whom I’ve spoken to 3-4 times) or is that a really weird thing to do?

The few friends I’ve made so far live elsewhere, so I don’t really want to ask them if it’s not necessary...

I've asked my neighbor to look after my cat a couple of times and it's worked out reasonably smoothly. He has a cat too and is not shy about opening any cabinets or cupboards, or moving things around, so that somehow makes things easier.

Our conversations are limited to the extent of my Swiss German so they are neither deep nor long.

Apparently, you can also pay someone to come to your flat/house to look in on your cat while you're away but it costs something like 20 francs a day.

I also left her at the vet once for two and a half weeks but it cost as much as a plane ticket to a reasonably far place (although it did include almost daily infusions).

Option 1 - neighbors.

Option 2 - Cats & Co in Dübendorf. They watched over our cat and did a great job.



http://www.haustierbetreuung.ch/

Does anyone know anything in the Basel area? There used to be a cat-sitting cooperative I think, but I heard about this years ago before I had cats and I don't know the contact information.

Try Googling Katzenbetreuung Basel - it worked for me but as there are several possibilities you'd be better off looking at it yourself.

Well, honestly I think this could possibly irritate the neighbours. But you can try! I don't know how they "tick", so perhaps I'm wrong... Just ask them but don't assume that they will say yes .

Do any of your neighbours have cats themselves? If so, offers to recipricate the favour may help. We have been extremely lucky with our neighbours and help each other out when needed. They keep a spare set of keys as well, which is reassuring for me as I am always locking myself out.

[QUOTE=AboleynCH;273760]Does anyone know anything in the Basel area?

I have seen several adverts placed in my vets in Oberwil (Animal house) and also in the COOP in Therwil.

You might also offer to water their plants when they're gone in exchange if they don't have cats.

Maybe I'm just not awake yet, but this Thread doesn't seem to be making a whole load of sense to me.
October 2007 - OP asks a question about cats in ZH
Two prompt replies - no reaction from OP
July 2008 - Poster von Basel asks about cat situation in Basel.
Next post is a reply to this, then comes a reply to the post in October, following post is relevant for both questions, next one is answer to the Basel question; now it looks to me as if the Poster asking the second question (Basel) is giving a suggestion for the 2007 OP.
Perhaps I'll go back to bed...

Maybe I was half asleep when I wrote it.

No really for me, the situation is that I used to have neighbors that would help out with the cats in exchange for plant watering, but they moved away. So now I was searching the forums for information about alternatives. I guess I didn't notice if the OP was still around. Just thought it was a thread to discuss the problem of catsitting. Should I start a new thread instead? I'm new here.

	Quote:	AboleynCH
	Maybe I was half asleep when I wrote it.

Am I relieved! I really began to wonder if I couldn't see straight.

I don't think that's necessary at all. Your post is fine where it is. It is all on the same theme. It was only the fact that your post seemed to be an answer to one written over six months ago which struck me as so peculiar. Mind you, it happens to nearly everyone at first, as one doesn't notice that the original post, or even just the previous one, was written so long ago. No harm done.
The idea of watering their plants is a good one anyway. It can be a two-way thing without the help offered being exactly the same in 'both directions'.
Hope you really enjoy the Forum.
Don't let pernickety people like me put you off!