Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cedarseoul]

My wife and I will be traveling to Phuket for Christmas vacation; we're wondering what we should do with our cat while we travel. Our coworkers are, for the most part, traveling as well--and I don't really feel comfortable leaving him alone in our apartment for the week.

I know some vets in Seoul will board an animal, but I'm concerned about the quality of care he would receive (I heard from one colleague that his cat spent a week in a small box with airholes, for example).

Any reliable options out there? What do those of you with pets do with your furry friends when you travel?

[dongjak]

Hey-

I have a dog and I have traveled three times since I got him.

The first time I left him with friends who already have a dog, they took wonderful care of him and did not worry at all. Now they are pregnant and expecting a child, and though I know they would welcome my dog again, I would never want to burden them with that.

So the second time, I left for just four days. I boarded him with a vet in Gangnam. My dog didn't want to leave when I picked him up. My dog is kind of a bully and at the vet he had a large number of dogs to bully. When I walked in after four days, all the dogs were in the play room and my dog looked like the happiest guy in the world, nipping at others feet.

The third time, I wanted to leave him at the vet's again, but a so-so friend really wanted to take care of him, she said she would live at my house while I was gone and take care of my dog. She did not strike me as a dog person and I was apprehensive about it. I should have stuck with my gut, I was nervous the whole vacation and when I came back I found out that she never slept at my house, she would come over twice a day and let him out, basically he was home by himself more than 23 hours a day.

I think next time, I will just board him. If you leave him with a friend, you have to feel very comfortable with that friend and make sure that they know something about animals.

There are some good vets out there, I don't know much about cats, but if you go to:

animalrescuekorea.org

they will have tonnes of information.

Good luck!

[MalFSU1]

I have left my dog for extended lengths of time at our vets and he doesn't seem to mind much at all. If you ask to see the place they keep the animals you can ensure that they are not all just kept in boxes. It makes me feel good to know they are at the vets who can take care of him if he got sick or anything while I was away.

[Koreadays]

dog hotels is what you want to search for,
places with yards, bigger rooms for sleeping, yards for playing with other dogs of similar size, great staff, and cameras so you can see your dog 24/7 by internet.. prices range from 20bucks a day and up depending on the room and service..

[ktkates87]

you might join the pet sitting network in Korea on Facebook. Also, there are a few places that are worth a google search: dogtel near Jamsil I believe, happy mung in Ilsan, and then I think there's another dog kindergarten or Puppy School. Haven't tried any of them but they look decent. My husband and I are in the same boat. We have lined up something with someone who offers this service privately. We are hoping that works! http://www.koreaherald.com/lifestyle/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20091104000078 check this out for some more info

[Milwaukiedave]

I know of a cat hotel in Seoul. If you still need the information, please PM me and I'll ask my wife for it. We left our cat there the summer before last for three weeks and he was fine. They even posted pictures of him half way through the trip.

[Donkeycorn]

I need to board my cat for about 5 weeks. could i get more info on where you boarded your cat and how much it cost.

[bekinseki]

I put my cats in a cat hotel somewhere in Seocho a few years ago, and when I came to get them they were furious, and their personalities were very different for the next few weeks. I've also had them stay with other friends who have cats, and I've had people come to my place to feed them every day. That's probably the absolute best thing for cats, leaving them in their environment. Then again, I have two, so loneliness isn't an issue.